Wanted for Murder

Ever think about all the terms we throw around on the court ? We shall start with the obvious one which is kill. We want to kill a ball,first of all what did that poor ball do to us (unless of course it is one of those egg shaped Penn balls ;) ) Secondly how can we kill something that is inanimate, there are some issues here. Pinch shot, ouch, not quite murder but who wants to be pinched. It is so annoying. Splat shot, well thank God we are not mosquitoes. Around the world, sounds like something that Julia Roberts would offer Richard Gere and blue balls not even going to go there in this family friendly blog, and the last one I ripped down the line sent people scattering for a gas mask. So when the general population is walking by the court, and is staring at you it may not be that great shot, it just may be your lingo. Jon "Hit Smarter not Harder"

My Blue Heaven

Most normal people have those special things in life that make them happy. My family ,racquetball and yoga are the three things in my life that give me happiness. Family is a selfless love that at times is challenging, but the reward is immeasurable. Yoga depending upon why you are doing it can be both physically and spiritually uplifting. But lets face it you know where I am going next,RACQUETBALL ! To this day when I am working or running around, I get a rush thinking about going to play that night. A typical day is me going over to my club and walking down the long hallway. I hear can hear the ball hitting the front wall. I listen closely, is it a heavy hitter tonight, or is the older set hitting the ball around. I break at the end of the hallway,down the three steps hang a right and in my view is such a beautiful site. Four glass courts, I have seen them a million times but I stare at each one,walking down to the last one just to make sure everything is intact. Funny thing is I was probably here just four hours ago. I say my hellos to the crew and try to decide what to play for the night. Whether it is hard core singles, or playing with the older, I mean uh experienced guys, I know it is going to be fun. Like a freshman at a keg party,I don't want to leave until I get my fill of play. Watching players drop off from fatigue, like frat boys dropping from the beer and yager. I love my family more than anything in the world but this is MY blue heaven,and everyone is entitled to this. Now comes my dilemma, Losing is not as fun as winning. As much as I am a goof, I take the sport very serious, more serious than most would suspect. I can lose, but not when I don't want to, if that even makes any sense. My solution was to take off most of the summer, take lessons,and in other words elevate my game. Dilemma number two: Losing hurts more when you are trying than when you are not trying. The proper solution is to at least play well even if you lose. What happens when you give all you got and then tank. The answer is for 300 Alex "What is my personal hell". I found it at the NJO. I played terrible in the second game of my finals match. There was no doubt to the onlookers whose fault this was. It took me about three days to get it behind me. That is the problem in making the court your panacea,you better be ready for a fall. I put things in perspective and no, not I have good health and life is honky dory, no. I listen to many songs on my ipod about overcoming defeat. Everyone has bad losses, but those songs and inspirational sayings can't be words, they have to be life. I have been doing my yoga, and playing a little racquetball with my daughter. Welcome back to my blue heaven Jon. "Hit Smarter not Harder"

If cleansliness is next to Godliness than what is racquetball ?

I woke up early this morning, being the insomniac that I am. My second passion besides r ball is yoga. It does not seem like the two have anything in common. Yoga started strictly as a spiritual experience for me, but has developed to become a tool for the sport that I love so much. I laid down the yoga mat and blanket about 6:30 this morning. I was surrounded by geese, and the frost was on the leaves and steam was rising off the lake. Not too many normal people are in the park at this hour so it was peaceful except for the geese. I watched the park slowly come to life with the joggers and walkers. So Panno, how does this help you smack a ball around at one hundred and something miles per hour ? Well for starters being flexible definitely helps with the injuries, and I feel keeps the muscles subtle, helping you to explode better. The deep breathing while exercising helps open up the bronchi , and increases air capacity, thus helping blood carry more oxygen. The end result is less fatigue. The most challenging part for me is the aspect of focus. In our daily lives we have so much going on with family,work,traffic,and many other things to generally piss us off. I think many people have a good idea what to do on the court, but just can not bridge that mental barrier. I believe that sometimes that is why people play better when they play longer, because they become more relaxed in what they are doing. Yoga is definitely relaxing, if not euphoric at times. But I feel that racquetball also has that same effect on many people, even when they are cussin and screaming at themselves. So yoga and racquetball do have many similarities at heart. Both yoga and racquetball in the end help calm you, but which one is gonna get you to heaven probably depends on your religion. Jon "Hit Smarter not Harder"

Being human in Memphis

It is ironic that the blog I was going to write about is the aggressive personality of past male racquetball champions,sorry I do not know that much about the history of women players except a few. Lets go down the list of of past champions. Marty Hogan-Mr Humble personality, Cliff Swain-ego maniac with a temper personality, Jason Mannino-abusive to opponents and fans alike at times personality, Jack Huczek(sp)-the anti-fan personality, and Kane the thug personality. These are definitely the best players discluding Sudsy,always a fan favorite,who played the best ball ever seen. From pure power players, to great court sense , these players dominated for the past thirty plus years. Is it just coincidence that these players all share major character flaws ? This racquet fanatic does not think so. That same aggressive tendency off the court is carried onto the court. A win at all costs attitude. I will not mention names but there are many very good players I know who become way to timid on the court especially on tournament day. This costs them a mark in the win column. This brings me to Kane's game tonight against up and comer Jose Rojas. I never saw someone enter the "arena" more relaxed than Kane tonight. Of course he won, but he was helping Jose up after his dives and joking with him on the court about how to clean up wet spots on the court. He came out with Sudsy's bagel shirt to warm up and was chatting with Jason and Sudsy(they were commentating)between games. To put the icing on the cake he gave kudos to Jose after the game and told him he remembers what it is like to be an up and coming junior.HMMMMM what is this all about ? A) Kane becoming a father has turned him into a human being B)Jim Winterton has been telling him to straighten up his post game speech. C)He is getting bored of his Ali like speeches after his victories D)Big rumored Nike contract has a conduct clause. E) Someone slipped him some Prozac. You decide . Jon "Hit Smarter not Harder"

The right time and the right place,I guess

It is funny how some days I still find myself thinking about Latell. I still find it strange that I per say did not know him that well and this still occurs. Before I went to his memorial I wrote something that I wanted to say. My intentions were good but once I saw how well the people speaking knew Latell ,it started to seem like I would be out of place speaking that day. I did find a quote from Shakespere that I felt was so appropriate ,and I would like to write it here. Above all Latell was a good man with a good heart,and on this sad day I would like to recall Shakespere's words. A good leg will fall.A straight back will stoop. A black beard will turn white. A curled head will grow bald. A fair face will wither and our eyes will fail us. But a good heart is like the sun, for it shines bright and keeps it's course truly. He taught us how to hope and how to live. He taught us how to win and how to lose,he taught us how to live and finally he taught us how to die. Pretty appropriate I thought. Jon "Hit Smarter not Harder"

Apology to the fans

I really wish I knew what I was writing the other night about Juan Valdez ,when I was punch drunk tired,please forgive the stupidity. Thank, Jon

Juan Valdez

What the heck does a Colombian coffee bean picker with his donkey have to do with the greatest sport in the world ? For those of you who don't know about Juan and his ass,he supposedly picked every bean by hand to make the perfect cup of coffee. That is why the Colombian coffee is supposed to be superior,perfect beans making perfect coffee every pot. This is know as consistency. If we could have the perfect game wouldn't we do the same? Play the same way every day ,and always have the same results,wouldn't that be nice. Another correlation would be Dungeons and Dragons,yes I was and still am, a little geeky at times. Same character is used every adventure ,but you have to roll dice for everything that happens except for farting. The flip side to our human imperfections is what makes sports so darn interesting. Could you imagine infallible robots playing sports,where would the excitement of perfection and 0-0 scores? The difference between the club player and the pro is consistency. Sometimes watching a good A or B match is more fun .I like to watch the unnecessary diving and banter between the players. So if you feel like you are not playing well and are getting upset you are probably entertaining someone . So remember Juan Valdez is a fictional character,and if he was real he was probably smuggling cocaine anyway. Be true to yourself and always play hard and always try to get better because in the real world there is not perfection just the desire to be so. Jon "Hit Smarter not Harder"

Economics of racquetball

As I was doing some yard work today I looked down at my wheel barrow and saw the made in China symbol. As much as it irates me to purchase foreign goods it is almost impossible to make a minor purchase without it coming from a third world country. I am not going to rant and rave about fair trade practices but I am sure you know where I stand as an American. To my knowledge every racquet company has their racquets produced over seas in an Asian marketplace. Most quality issues in the past have been inferior in the manufacturing or quality control end. Lets face it the Chinese would make the racquets with asbestos if they could save money. In comes my argument,Penn balls were the leader in the industry when the balls were being produced in the good old USA. Ektelon has now grabbed a large part of their business due to the lack of durability and playability by watching their standards overseas. Most people know that if you are a serious player you have to cut your strings off when you get a new racquet because of the inferior stringing job and the trip in with temperature fluctuations that greatly effect the string bed.When talking about small items like headbands and balls I can see where it is hard to compete, but larger ticket items like racquets,sneakers and goggles could be cost competitive. New balance makes sneakers here cheaper than any other major sneaker manufacturer. They also successfully have a wide range of the types of sneakers that they offer. I have worn them for fifteen years(I have wide feet and they specialize in that)and find them hard to kill. The profit margin on a 200 dollar racquet must provide some wiggle room for profit if produced here,and quality control would be much easier to respond here than overseas. I do not blame any one company for these practices but I would love to see someone step up and help some Americans for a change. I guess I will keep playing the lottery since I do not have that kind of cash laying aqround,but if I do watch out Asia. A racquetfanatic racquet,I think I like the ring of that.

A Weekend Recap

The tournament for me started on Friday even though there were not any start times. Though Aimee had me busy, like Peter Parker trying to get a deadline in ,for my picks for the weekend before Wednesday. I will not bore you, as in days past, of the work to get ready. It was a great tournament with some unbelievable competition playing. Put up the money and the players will show was never truer than this weekend. Over 3,000 dollars in total prize money for the open division. I hit the nail on the head picking Ruben/Muller for the winners ,though it was not easy. They came back to win it from a 15-1 loss in their first game. Andy Hawtornes retrieval ability is truly second to none. When you watch him play,you almost can not understand how he is not ranked higher. I will see how my other picks pan out when I check the results. I was a substitute for Curatolo this weekend,and realized why I don't play open YET. It was a very smooth tournament except for a traffic tie up on rote 3, but just about all the matches got off on time. The food went well , and all were satisfied with the quantity and quality of food. I would like to thank my friend Tony from Buon Appetito for always taking good care of us on our food cost. I would like to thank Tina for her help also. I would like to thank The team ektelon members for assisting me with the table this weekend esp Johnny K . And on a final note,you did a great job girlfriend,ok I said it ,don't let it go to your head . Jon "Hit Smarter not Harder"

Busy Beaver

I had a very busy summer as far as racquetball is concerned. I took many lessons and drilled hours on end. I drilled to the point that I hurt my shoulder,calf and finally my butt. Not the smartest thing in the world but my body has never been as strong as my will. I will not be playing in state dubs, but I do feel like I am finally getting back the ability to push off on my left side. My summer was very fufilling working with the junior's at the Club@ Woodbridge. I have been teaching three classes on Saturday mornings . It has been so much fun because my daughter has taken a huge interest in it, and I feel like she has more natural ability than her dad. The next order of the water buffalo is the upcoming tournament,food stuff of course,nuf said. Then this year assuming a new role as state coordinator for Ektelon has kept me very busy with running demos at many events. I enjoy the demos because you get to meet a lot of new people who also have a passion for the sport ,and you get to pretend you know what you are talking about. I feel bad for some of the team members who have not received their equiptment yet, but sadly sometimes things ,especially in the corporate world ,do not work out as planned. I try to look at the big picture and see how much good Ektelon does for our sport. They listen to feedback from the team members,support many tournaments,develop outdoor play and junior programs. I have played for other companies and never have issues been taken care of so quickly, such as equiptment breakage, and Scott and bryan are in the ditches playing ball. Anyway enough of these matters . I just want to wish everyone a healthy season. Jon "Hit Smarter not Harder"

Latell update

If anyone needs to attend Latells Memorial it will be held at The Church of Latter Day Saints in East Brunswick tommorrow at 7 pm.

Taking One for the Team

In racquetball their are many swings,some of them proper and mechanically sound and some wild and unorthodox. Many people before they play racquetball have played other sports besides RB. The easiest to pick is the tennis swing ,it is a long swing. Squash players have tighter strokes usually not following all the way through. Well I am generally aware of where most people are on the court in relation to me. I can relatively cheat up or shadow a player and not get hit. I can vouch for this because I have only been hit once by Manny the Mexican Jumping bean when I first started playing seven years ago. So I have learned to even side step and spin when I see these bull of men running at me like a waving red cape. The player that I have not adjusted to is the helicopter swinger. I did not realize that this person starts his backhand facing the front wall which makes his racquet end up in the "shadowing" opponents face. Needless to say I took a full back swing to my face,as I was falling I was saying "will this ruin my chances at the cover of GQ this month". After I iced my lip and jaw for about two minute I realized I felt like two face from Dick Tracy. I had two faces the right that I could feel fine and my left which felt actually numb. It actually took me about three minutes to get back in and finish winning that game and I ruined one of my new sweatbands ,unless blood is the new style for the flame logo. Besides the cut under my nose I realized when I went to go brush my teeth that night I had a pea size hole in the back of my lip that almost came through the other side. It was from my incisor trying to jut through my lip. Strangely the next day I felt fine. What is the lesson from all this..... Jaime Hopkins is the answer. The racquetball gods cashed in my bad karma chip for hitting him at the NY BBQ shootout. It all makes sense now. I would like to take a moment to thank Aimee and Scott for signing up for my blog. I won't forget the people who got me here when I become famous or as I said after I got hit framous. Jon "Hit Smarter not Harder"

My Tale of Latell

Like most people that touch our lives you wish you could have seen them one more time before they pass. As many people in the racquetball community already know Latell Clark passed away over the weekend. The word warrior in many definitions of the word apply to him. Many people who were not close to him would not have known that he was through very difficult physical times. I can never,ever remember him not greeting everyone with a big glowing smile followed by words of praise. He would introduce me to many of the players to me as "Jon he is one of the great players in the club",I don't know whether he believed it or not but I would always laugh but somehow it strangely felt good. I am sure that was his intention because that was who he was. I had many philosophical and political conversations while other people were running around playing ball. He was never the type to argue. I felt like he was always trying to learn and understand people. He coached many people in our sport and I believe his mentor at times was Richie Bear. I know for a fact ,though he never advertised it, that he was financially generous to our sport. My first meeting with Latell was at a Fran Davis camp. At the time I truly did not appreciate the mental aspect of sports, something he was a master of. I was saying to myself I am here to work on my backhand how is this guy going to help me,how ignorant and wrong I was. Latell was new to LA Fitness but I felt like he was a fixture in the place. He was like the philosophical Cliff on cheers ,but not in a condescending or annoying way. I find it ironic that I never got to play with him until about a week ago,surprisingly he was quite competitive and focused on the court. I went to his face book page and I was his last entry on there. Maybe the big guy was trying to tell me something. I don't have to tell how Latell will be missed. I don't have to tell how he won't be forgotten. What most people do not know that he is right now rolling out splatshots and rolling out balls unencumbered by his physical limitations. Maybe Latell and a few of the angels are going out for a bite to eat after their games. I know one thing,heaven is better off with him and we are at a loss. God bless Latell,not only from me but your entire racquetball family still here on Earth.

Pain and Endurance

I can not lie to you that my interest in sports pretty limited to racquetball. I enjoy a good boxing match,a little UFC ,or a great tennis match,but that is about where it ends. Growing up I spent my summers in camp where we competitively played every sport from lacrosse to swimming. Ironically my uncle bill played outdoor racquetball at the club we belonged to and it was probably the only sport I did not play. I remember so many times falling down ,getting shins smashed in field hockey or taking a lacrosse stick to the head. The counselors rubbed our head and we got up and ran two minutes later with sweat,blood and sometimes tears down the field with a vengeance. Though I was never a big sports fan I learned the appreciation of toughing it out and playing through injury at a very young age. Which moves me forward about thirty years from my days at the Skyline Cabana club. When you really think about what we expect our bodies to do in this sport it is amazing that we are not incapacitated more often. What amazes me more in racquetball is what the pros expect from their bodies in our sport. Is it that they execute better than we do so there is less stress on their bodies ? Do they have a better post and pre game regiment then us ? Are they just tougher or stronger than us ? Whatever the reason you don't see many pros missing the IRT tour,you don't see the WPRO tour littered with injured athletes. Everyone I know young and old have some existing injury. The most common has to be the shoulder and I feel like that is an injury that is not exclusive to us old guys. Lower body injuries are definitely more prevalent as you get older and the lower back is so common because we keep smashing our vertebrae every time we swing through. Where do we draw the line to keep playing through the injury. Do we listen to our bodies or do we "push" through the threshold of pain. Some injuries feel better when you are playing but when you wake up the next morning you are paying for your poor decision. I personally would rather lose and deal with the pain for the next few days as stupid and macho as that may sound. I guess macho and masochistic is not that far apart after all. Since it is fashionable to blame everyone else for their issues I would like to blame my dad,coaches and my counselors from camp. But more so I would like to thank those people for always pushing me to the limit. I know I will never be a Kane or Rocky ,but I know i will never give up on trying to improve my game regardless of the odds,the pain or the setbacks thrown at me. I greatly welcome the challenge of the new season injuries and all. Jon Hit Smarter not Harder" ``````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````

Politics and racquetball

The latest trend is political bashing, Cant say I blame the Michael Grab's of the world but in reality politics in a broader sense are a part of life.School,job and yes even racquetball has its politics.There are many different levels to the "political" process of our sport. We first need to start at the international/national level. Hiser,Negrette and a host of other people have a lot to say about how racquetball gets developed and how your newly increased membership gets spent. They have to play the role of politicians by keeping both the pros and amateurs happy. One serve for the pros to keep it moving two for us. The importance of national junior development and getting the fast ,furious ,fitness message out to the masses. Then comes the state level,one I am much more familiar with. A large board,generally speaking,of different people with different views of how to do things. Unlike our politicians or USAR representatives there is no financial compensation for them. Though ideas are passed down from the USAR, the implementation is at the state level. Even though everyone on the board is motivated by the same thing there are many questions and differences that may occur though all seem to agree on the chicken cutlet sandwich on tournament day. Where should resources go to Juniors or the tournament players. Better shirts or maybe no trophies. Now that I think about it I am glad I don't go to those meetings with all those tough decisions. For a guy like me an hour or two of that hurts the old noggin. That is very true being a dictator your whole life running your own business and making all your own decisions and since I have never made a mistake my whole life it is hard to be part of a political process. Any way enough about me being perfect lets get to the real topic I started this blog for .COURT POLITICS. After playing for many years you are bound to get better usually ,and the opportunity to get on the A challenge court is more and more of a possibility. As being invited in as part of the A crowd now I see the process as sometimes cruel but I also look at it in many other ways. First of all at many clubs your time is limited on the courts,do you want to spend your time on the court with a jaboop. Safety is a huge issue for me when inviting in new double players,almost all of us will hold on a call. Will the caveman racquetball player trying to prove his self worth do the same. A persons style could also be a safety issue when you are not used to a player like a very wide swing,shadowing, or not being mobile. Sadly a few times it has been the stink issue. I have had some very nice people with either terrible body odor or taken a bath in Ben Gay before they got on the court. Either way after they are long gone they are still there. The issue that affects players the most is odd man out . We discussed at Red Robbins after playing the other night (thanks for dinner Chubby)about 7 being the worst scenario 4=perfect 5= 1 player rotate out 6= team waiting on deck 8= two courts rotate out winner and loser courts 7=Please go run on the treadmill or something until someone quits or someone else shows up. Then the notorious lock out game reserved for the ultra elite players(hum sincerity ?) Everyone has to learn to respect this scenario,I wasn't always the first kid picked when splitting up the teams for baseball. You don't get over it but you do develop a desire to play better and show those guys someday how great you can play. In the famous words of Rodney King "Why can't we all just get along ? " and every one is equal. Well I am not one for communism and kumbayya(I am 100% sure I spelled that wrong). Hard work reaps great rewards,someone has to sweep and being hungry makes you stronger. Nuff said. my
next blog" Legal ways to have open players removed from the courts" Jon "Hit smarter not harder"

Time to get the feet wet.

The first tournament of the summer was held at Sportstime in Long Island by Tom Keogh. I figured a non sanctioned tournament would be a great place to get my tournament legs back. I think I was the only person representing NJ of about 40 participants. It is a long ride with traffic there and back for a couple hours of play. What is funny about going is that it was a mixed A Open division.It is funny how a big fish looks small around the big tunas. As I mentioned the journey there was about two and a half hours which gave me about 20 minutes to warm up.I got on the fishbowl and felt good.I got off the court to use the little boys room and Jaimie Hopkins was now warming up. I knocked on the door to get my racquet and he asked me to come in to hit the ball around.I said sure not even thinking about my goggles not being on. We had some nice rallies until I gently popped a ball into his left Eye as he turned around.he immediately went to the bathroom and I got him some ice.I felt terrible for hitting him and he could not even play.i am starting to believe I am a virus. Though I enjoy the big tourneys I like the intimacies of the shootouts. Ruben,Nick,and Fabian represented the top of the open division and all of us small fish were floundering(pun intended).Nick and Ruben went to the finals and it was a great match to watch with Ruben diving and Nick powering the ball.Experience beat youth again this day.I had to leave but I know it was Gonzolez/Bonnomo vs Monty/Chisolm . I truly believe it could have went either way but I put the odds on the geezer jocks. Me I lost both matches though I was very happy the way I shot the second game so we shall see what the season brings for the virus. Jon "Hit Smarter not Harder"

Practice makes perfect(or at least better)

I have been taking lessons over the summer as many of my friends know. How does one choose a teacher.I think it is a personal choice to some extent and also a matter of budget for others. I know some very good players who are terrible teachers and vice versa. I tried to become certified(no not crazy)by AMPRO and that did not go so well so maybe I am not the best to judge. Compatibility and personality type I do believe will help you focus. I personally wanted someone who I knew would be a little hard on me and I found that person. If you are not willing to do what a coach is telling you to do obviously you are wasting your money.Any coach in any sport is going to make you train or in our case drill. For many people drilling is boring because it is monotonous but I always had my music to keep me company during the drills. I was drilling about an hour a week before i started my lessons and felt I was doing good for myself,little did I know. My first error in drilling was not drilling with 100% intensity.That means I need to hit every shot as if I was going for a winner. Secondly 1 hour was four hours short of what I should have been doing. The killer of it all was no more music while drilling. This was by far the hardest thing for me to do but as I said you are wasting your money if you are not going to listen so i regrettably obeyed. My teacher was right he said how do you know the pop,and feel the ball.How can you truly concentrate on the task at hand. I have to tell you I tried it the other day with the music and I felt like it was a distraction but I was told someday I can return to it when everything comes natural.You must learn from each shot you take while drilling and truly understand your mistakes or you are cheating yourself.So that is the mental aspect,relatively speaking.Now for the physical side. For a person who really doesn't drill They do not understand the punishment your body takes from heavy drilling. As the movie title says somethings gotta give it is true. If I am proud of myself for one thing it is not really missing any drilling sessions because of fatigue or even some days muscle aches. Once I get in there smacking that ball around I always feel energized. I believe that one of the great aspects of this game is that it is multi-faceted there is the physical with the psychological always lurking behind you. There is something to be said when that door closes behind you and your opponent ,almost a cage match mentality.A glass back wall for all to see your glory or crash and burn and a viewing area high above reminiscent of the Romans cheering on their gladiators. That is the true time to see if all of your hard work has paid off or if you should ask if your accountant if you can write your lessons off as a "loss" Jon "Hit Smarter not Harder"

You get what you pay for

Many people who play racquetball have more than one membership. I used to have three up until not that long ago. I have belonged to many rat gyms(musclehead) when I was younger ,and have had the pleasure of visiting the Atlantic club which is probably that nicest I have been to. I currentlly belong to the chain of LA fitnesses and the Club at Woodbridge. My last blog about clubs was from the perspective of a board member and their effect on tournaments. I am going to change caps and be the player today. I would like to start with my "home" club,The Club. I will try to give a days experience of each club. When you enter the club you are greeted by a friendly staffer,scan your card and (with an annual membership)ask you if you would like one or two towels for your work out.You then head down to the racquetball courts where the four glass wall courts appear.Everyone greets you like an episode of cheers,trash talk and all. You see the players and you know it will be a challenging night ahead of you. If it does get busy their are five additional side courts also bringing it to a total of nine. You drop your gear and sit on the individual captain like chairs or spread out on the couch style seats. When the courts are turned on early in the morning it is set up that the AC or heat goes on automatically with them. Near by their are two soda machines,and a snack machine in the galley like kitchen with a refrigerator,microwave,toaster oven and ice machine for the players.When finished playing plastic bags on rolls are provided for your wet clothing. It is time to head down to the showers now. A wide open shower with about 18 shower heads with great water pressure. Heading out of the shower you have an array of mouthwash,hair gel,lotion,and deoderant.Dry off and head up stairs to a full service restaurant with seating for about 40,I might add the food is excellent order the "AL".While waiting for your food there are two computers where you may surf the web or if Bobby and his crew is there,a shot of Patron'.That is an average day.In addition The Club is the most generous club Probably in the country.It is a family run club.They help the community with so many charitable functions it is hard to know where to begin.They are always giving back to the players such as summer reward program and outdoor parties with Elvis.In addition to signing a one year contract you receive free child care(all day mon - fri and sat 8 -12).The clubs membership runs around 75 dollars a month . Now we have LA Fitness. A huge conglomerate of approx 400 clubs nationwide.You can use almost all of them except for two Staten Island and Manhatten. You enter the club and are immediately hit with a desk where I feel ike you are passed through like cattle for there are probably people already on your tail(no towel,boo hoo) You walk into a club that is usually packed and work your way to the five glass courts.The courts are very well taken care of just as the whole club is. You walk in not really sure of who will be coming. You plop your equiptment on the floor and sit on one of four wooden benches. You hope that the courts are cool because the design does not allow for free air flow,also the courts are panel so once the humidity gets trapped it is a death sentence. If it is a league night there is only one challenge court,where you can have a mob in front of you. Even on the regular days courts are hard to come by. There is a nice but limited Cafe style restaurant right by the courts. Instuctors are constanly passing by with their clients doing lunges and such really limiting your space to hang out and watch the matches. Time to head to the showers now.They should call them trickles not showers,I can pee harder. Though not a small locker room it always seems a little crowded due to the amount of members. Time to go home.Membership is about 35 dollars a month. Do you want to be catered to or treated like a cattle,your call. Jon "Hit Smarter not Harder"

half way through the summer

It is about that time when us married people are saying its half way to having the kids go back to school.I am starting to see a small drop in the attendance at the junior/parent classes. I guess it only makes sense with time winding down for summer with the kids.I have never worked with a person on their game for extended periods of time and I realized that Rick and I are very different on the courts with the kids.Rick is there to make sure the kids have fun primarily.I think he is a big kid watching him work. He is really great at coercing the kids on the courts with ladder drills and crazy ball games.Sometimes he is out there having so much fun and he must be, because the pay is only minimal at best.Anyone who personally knows Rick knows he has a daughter that is handicapped and I do believe that a lot of his motivation does come from that. Me on the other hand have always loved analyzing players,whether kids,adults and even senior players.I love to compare mentally what this person is doing so well or so poorly,or even better why a person is so successful at executing a shot when their mechanics are so flawed.I ask during games to myself why is this person constantly getting passed,or why is this person skipping all of the time.It has brought me to a greater appreciation for watching the pros,and probably why I love the diving aspect of the game because as illogical as it is it feels like you are beating the odds by getting that "unplayable"ball.Which will tell you that I am the one with the more technical teaching method though I do try to remember I am talking to kids.There is a greater satisfaction watching a junior player execute a shot though.Half the time I think I am the only one noticing the improvements.I have a feeling when this junior thing runs its course I am going to learn many things and hopefully it teaches me how to stay like a child.

On a side note the Club at Woodbridge held its annual Fran Davis Camp with Jason Mannino.I understand that Jason got Sudsy on the court Thursday night along with Eric Mueller,two on one that is.Despite Sudsy's explosive power and Eric's experience I heard the J man came out on top.Maybe Jason can get Sudsy to stop making bagels and start giving them out on the court again,prob not.I would like to thank Fran for autographing a ball for my daughter also,see you all on the court soon enough.Jon" Hit Smarter not Harder"

Second time around

For those of you that used to follow my blog this is my new place. I was starting to get very jealous of Mike Grab and Joe Delgado in the spotlight.Enough about them lets talk about a very important topic,me.My summer so far has comprised of lessons and drilling,drilling and drilling. Soon my right arm will look like Clays ,one inch bigger than the other. Drilling is strange because as physically challenging as it is it does not provide an aerobic workout which has led to many questions such as :Have you started drinking beer because you are getting a beer belly,What happened to you and hey whats up you fat bastard.Yes I put on a few pounds but it will be gone before the season,I promise. Many of my friends have converted to playing outdoors for the season,myself I have been there,done that .I am truly an indoor person at heart. Maybe it is the nice air conditioning,or the lack of the blaring cancerous sun,or the fact that outdoor diving brings blood to the surface much quicker,chasing after the ball every time someone misses it or the schmuck playing tennis on the other sides ball stopping play every five minutes giving you shell shock,cancelling plans because of bad weather,breaking racquets on the concrete and lack of uniform rules from city to city .I mean otherwise I think it is awesome.To each their own ,I may make a guest appearance here and there but otherwise I will be in my indoor cocoon .