2016 Blog 25 The Games Are Getting Faster

I thought it was my imagination but I paid close attention during the match this week and I would have to say that definitely the games are getting faster. The Hoopers are providing enough of a challenge for the Ames to really step everything up a notch. Alessandro started it a couple of weeks ago by reinforcing the five second rule. He had relaxed it when we were short of numbers but the moment he brought it back people started playing faster and more efficiently and it hasn’t really stopped since then. Kit can keep up with them and can hit as hard as them, on a good day I can hold my own. Kirsty is also improving out of sight and mind. However let us start at the drills.

We played Torello or monkey in the middle with a large group on the outside. This totally changes the dynamics of the game. A bold monkey rushes the circle and psyches people out to fumble the ball and lose their place. A polite or hesitant monkey waits in the middle for an opportunity and then takes it. Kirsty in the middle was bloody terrifying. I think she plays netball as her other sport. Yee Gods I’m not going on a netball court any time soon if this is how ferocious they are. She was in my face and I thought here take the ball it’s fine I don’t need it that much I’ll be the monkey. Thank goodness we are separated by a dividing line when we play otherwise she would wipe us out.

I was also very interested as to how our tactics changed. We started with a very hap hazard tap around the circle keeping it away from a timid little monkey. The monkey started getting bolder and Alessandro kept tweeking the rules to make them closer to Hit Ball skills. So first we could pass and catch the ball. Then we could bounce and tap the ball. Then it was just tap the ball and my goodness did a little game of Monkey in the Middle get fast then, much fun was had by all.

Drew kept us entertained with a pretty good comedy routine during the stretches and then I noticed that his son Oscar is also a very funny person. I watched as the next generation showed their understanding of physical humour and word puns and I thought you’ve done a good job with your son Drew. So onto the game dun dun dah!!!!

Ryan is a crazy blocker. Not since Alex The Wall Martin or Kit blocking like a Boss have I seen such court coverage and blocking ability. I mean that kid is everywhere and he is fearless. He took a block against Oscar also known as The Cannon and he did not falter. He makes me feel like such a wuse if I flinch while doing the back block. We need a nick name for Ryan, we played with Junior Wall and we might go with Wallee – we shall see.

I have to accept now that Steve is not fluking it he’s just good. He’s light on his feet and he knows how to aim a ball and I sigh and think I wasn’t that good when I started. Oscar’s playing has absolutely increased in speed, intensity and accuracy. He started to improve when Drew started playing and now with the Hoopers he’s going off the chart. Kit has become ridiculous to play against, she either thumps the ball with pin point accuracy or she’s blocking the opponent’s ball so they really have to work for their hits – yowzah.

The matches are getting better every week. As my fitness improves I play harder and I can see the other players doing that too. The thing with Hit Ball though is that you play harder and smarter, a work out for mind and body.

That’s my lot for this blog please remember that if you’d like to come and join us you would be very welcome. Thank you for reading and I’ll catch you in the next blog.

 

2016 Blog 24 Space Invaders

 

We had lots of people at training this week and that provided us with some very good practise at all fitting on the same court however let us start with the drills.

Our first drills were running up and down the court bouncing the ball to each other. It’s not as easy as it sounds because you need to bounce it in front of where they are running so you both keep going forward. We did this great drill where you run forward but throw the ball behind them so they have to stop change direction and contain the ball. That one is great for the mind, for reflexes and for timing I loved it.

The next drill was a reflexes drill. I bounced the ball three times, Nicholas who I paired up with bounced the ball three times then on the sixth bounce you had to swat the ball out of the other person’s reach.  That one was lots of fun and as you can imagine the outcome may be skewed by whoever bounces last so you take turns starting.

Our last drill was like a party game. You are back to back with your partner. The ball is in the small of your backs. You have to count to three and then whip round and swat the ball hopefully in the direction your court side would be in. I loved that drill, barrels of fun.

We played Naval Battle and Drew pretty much gave us a comedy floor show as we were playing. Alessandro made this fabulous pun about each ball in Hit Ball should be useable and I just couldn’t get the pun out that was a major disappointment.

The game itself was ridiculous. It was so fast and the hits were so hard that you barely heard the whistle when the ref called the end of the match. I just loved it. Highlights were Drew and Oscar slogging it out against each other. Kirsty and Nicholas doing some fantastic blocks. Steve still doing his goals and it’s his second match so I do not see how he is doing it. Ryan just being everywhere on the court and blocking like a boss. Kit having fantastic aim and some real punch behind her shots. Drew just about demolished the court trying to get to the ball in time. Oscar did a really cool “Son of Angles “ shot as Drew normally does the angles shot. Drew did the most amazing act of invasion during one of the matches I may need to rename him the Viking.

Oscar has renamed our Hit Ball wrist guards anti technology gloves because try as you might it’s nearly impossible to use a mobile phone in the breaks while you are wearing them. I try to jot down some notes for the blog in the breaks and it’s pretty tricky if you’re still wearing the guards.

Alessandro reminded us of two etiquette and sportsmanship aspects of the game because it’s quite easy to forget when you are in the thick of it. These were if you have burnt the ball and invalidated the shot don’t hit it back full force, you can make it tricky to get but it’s poor form to hit it back full force and let’s face it none of us want to be showing poor form. He also reminded us that whenever possible the person who lost the point should get the opportunity of hitting the ball in the subsequent serve it lets them try to redeem themselves.

He also suggested that we had a couple of players who would go to extreme measures to avoid using their non least favourite arm when making a shot and as you know we are supposed to be using both arms not one. Queue the song – “You’ve got a left arm”.

The title of this blog sort of came from Drew’s mighty act of Invasion, a little bit from the fact that we had so many players on the court we had to rethink how we moved around the court and lastly for when the temporary wall we use each week got demolished. Nothing gets between an Ames boy and a Hit Ball.

It’s been a while since we’ve done Hit Ball jokes so prepare yourselves or start scrolling now,

1. How do Hit Ball players stay cool?
2. They sit next to their fans

 

1. Why did the Hit Ball player hold his shoe to his ear?
2. Because he liked sole music

 

1. Which Hit ball player can jump higher than the goals?
2. All of them, goals can’t jump.

In answer to your possible questions no I didn’t make those up myself and yes I did change the sports name to fit Hit Ball.

That’s my lot for this blog please remember that if you’d like to come and join us you would be very welcome. Thank you for reading and I’ll catch you in the next blog.

 

2016 Blog 23 High Hopes for the Hit Ball Hoopers

Ryan brought his dad to training today and not since the Ames boys got together have I seen such a team up. Ryan and Steve Hooper are amazing players. Steve got a goal in the first thirty seconds of playing and it was his first game. I thought bloody hell. I’ve watched all of these first time players with a lot of interest as it reminds me of when I started and it was weeks maybe months before I got my first goal. Ryan got a goal as well and he’s only played a couple of times – ridiculous!

However before I launch into the game I want to talk about our warm up. We played three rounds of Naval Battle and I thought phew survived that just and then Alessandro called for a fourth game. We never play four games that was just down right sneaky. I had no fuel in the tank because I had used it all on the first three games so the last round was a shocker. I did remember to breathe but I honestly needed a little tank of oxygen on my back to suck on like people have hydration packs. That was an awful awful round. Many years ago when I had my first introduction to a gym the guy that was showing me the exercises put me through this string of exercises which were exhausting. When we were finished and I thanked the Universe for that, I said aren’t you supposed to warm people up before exercising? He said that was the warm up we can start exercising now. That was how I felt after Naval Battle I thought how the heck am I going to play after that. I managed because I have near superhuman recovery rates but I had jelly legs and jelly arms for a while there. Four rounds of Naval Battle is no friend to anyone.

We did our stretches and conditioning which was a hoot and a half after four rounds of Naval Battle. Did I mention that we did four rounds? Mm? Four? Yes? Ok just want to be absolutely certain that that point is made. Alessandro was in fine form with jokes during the stretches. I’ve heard a lot of them before but they never get old. Steve is looking to Hit Ball to help him get in shape for tennis so it’s going to be interesting to watch him improve.

We had a little time to practise some shots and then it was on to the match. Kit, Ryan and I had a go at explaining the rules of the game to Steve. He was a fast study. I got to play on his side to begin with and so witnessed his thirty second into the game goal and he was good. He was quick on his feet and he really got into it. Ryan was on the opposing team and again he displayed fearless blocking. It seemed like every time I tried to get a shot through Ryan was there blocking it. I haven’t seen such good court coverage since Kit started. Ryan did a Full Penguin to stop a ball going into the goal and I don’t think he’s even been shown the Full Penguin so OMG! The Hoopers are naturals.

Kit was not very well today and she soldiered on. Adelaide is in the grip of some pretty bad bugs and they are decimating the population. This didn’t stop her from doing some serious blocks and my goodness does she have her aim sorted out now, it was goal after goal for our Kit.

In other news for the match Alessandro introduced some much needed technology for the unravelling and reravelling of the goal tapes. Reravelling isn’t a word but I just like the sound of it. I was wrapped in the technology and I would say that Alessandro is definitely on a roll with it.

You all know that the Olympics is on at the moment. In my lifetime I want to see Hit Ball as an Olympic sport. There you go I’m putting that out to the Universe. It would be such an awesome thing and Hit Ball is so worthy of this. Come on Universe do it for Trishy!

That’s my lot for this blog please remember that if you’d like to come and join us you would be very welcome. Thank you for reading and I’ll catch you in the next blog.

2016 Blog 22 Hit Ball: A Workout For Your Mind Too

Anybody who has ever read my blog knows that I am a huge fan of Hit Ball. Now what surprises me is that three years into the game I’m still discovering new things about it. You may recall last week I talked about a drill where you bounced the ball three times then your partner bounced it three times and then we did it for two then one, then we made a v shape and so on.

This week we did the same drill but I was with Kit and Kirsty and we had two balls between three of us. My goodness did that make us think. Lets say I started and bounced the ball three times now if Kit took the ball from me then did I take the next ball from Kirsty and then she take the next ball from Kit and wow did it make us think. It was also a brilliant exercise in co-operation, with two balls going around you needed to know who you were going to give the ball too and who you were going to get the ball from, awesome. You weren’t passing the ball because the ball got bounced pretty much in one spot but you had to know which ball to bounce. I really liked how the three of us talked about it and figured it out. No-one took control it was co-operation between us. I honestly think that these drills would be fantastic for teaching co-operation and communication skills and just for giving your brain as much of a work out as your body is getting.

We did Rectangles again and this time we split up into two groups and staggered the rectangles so that one group wouldn’t run into the other group. It looked really cool, like we were doing formation work I thought this would be a very speccy way to demonstrate Hit Ball skills when we go to schools to show them Hit Ball.

We had a new player Myra who was brilliant. Oscar thinks she is a natural blocker. At one point when she was playing with Drew he said great we’re playing against a cannon and a wall. This was when Kirsty reminded Oscar that he had the nick name of Cannon too. Oscar agreed with her but reckoned he had power in his shots while Drew could make the corners work for him, both skills added to each side. It ended up being a brilliant match where people were literally belting that ball for all they were worth. The game was so full on that we even lost a ball in the match. Poor little fella hit the edge of the air conditioning unit and died almost instantly. He headed towards the earth and my side ran to get the ball before we realised he just wasn’t moving. Vale valiant Hit Ball we appreciate your contribution to our sport.

That’s my lot for this blog please remember that if you’d like to come and join us you would be very welcome. Thank you for reading and I’ll catch you in the next blog.