The Inshredible Bulk: Not Trending, Not Roll Spiking Either

Zeke · Post by **Zeke** » 03 Apr 2008 12:01

Today I left LaRAZA @ 12:29 dressed for a 51 degree weather ride. Got to Oak Street Beach @ 1:02 with the wind on my back and riding through a few detours on the bike path. Got to the corner of LSD and Jackson @ 1:13. Picked up lunch at Fontanos and left there by 1:29. Struggled through most of the way home with the wind in my face and regret dressing a bit warmer when the temp felt like it dropped 10 degrees as the freakin clouds cover up the nice clear skies. Stopping a few minutes to take some shots near Navy Pier, I got was in front of LaRAZA by 2:38.

I'm so tired.

But I get to eat a great sammich in a few minutes and save the word from global terror after that.

xXLoss_of_ControlXx · Post by **xXLoss_of_ControlXx** » 03 Apr 2008 17:55

Should've came to Welles Park and watch the Lanetech ultimate frisbee team scrimmage 8th graders, a 20 year old, and their coach and lose.

Zeke · Post by **Zeke** » 13 Apr 2008 17:19

This week's Net session with Scot and Cory was far more productive than last weeks. I definitely get more out of the power kicking and the drills than playing games. I'm glad Vince has decided to practice more. I'm feeling more confident with my left outside but bad habits still show up on occasion. During "gentlemanly net", I hit a decent pulldown that nailed Scot right in the the knee. I was then educated (verbally, thank god) on what a wear is (is). Also hit a very weak front back and hit myself in the head attempting a sunback. I like to watch Cory and Scot attack the bag after a set. I really admire how they make it looks so easy and natural. I can't wait to get to that point. What I was most pleased about todays session was being able to dig, bump and set effectively. Can't wait for next week.

Getting home from the session at Navy Pier today was the LOOOOOOOOOOOONGEST commute ever. Nathan, Oakes and I waited about 10 minutes for the trolley. Almost forgot to say bye to Nathan as Oakes and I got off one stop early. I walked with him towards the Metra station but he had to run the last few blocks himself to make sure he got there on time. Waited almost half an hour for the Brown line train. Then waited another 20 minutes for the Redline train at Fullerton. The temp dropped significantly as the sun set. Finally got on the Redline but it stopped at Sheridan saying it was going to go express, past my stop. So I had to get off and wait a few more minutes for another train. Got off at my stop and saw a bus right away so I think to myself,"ThankfreakingGOD!" But the bus was not in service and drove right past all the poeple waiting. I waited another 15 minutes in the cold before finally jumping into a cab the last 2 miles home. Cabby got a big tip.

I need a long hot shower and lot of food.

EDIT:
Maybe I'll play R6V2 for several hours instead. Then fall asleep in front of the tv nice and stinky. Eat 5.56 justice terrorist scum!!!!!!!!

Zeke · Post by **Zeke** » 14 Apr 2008 13:21

So, I guess they've convinced me to compete in the Open division at the net event this summer. This should be interesting. I'll need a partner for doubles. They also want to start playing at Navy Pier on Sundays from now on since Finals will be there. I think it's to help promote the event. So I'm not quite sure how this is going to affect CIC Sunday sessions, if at all. I would prefer the sessions to be in one spot but that may not be practical. I guess it will have to be 2 different spots. But seeing as how net sessions tend to be real short, I can see myself biking to Welles after practice just to play squares with everyone else. Fuckit, I'll need the exercise.

Zeke · Post by **Zeke** » 15 Apr 2008 08:05

My favorite video/song
I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know...

[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=hlAgwd5JGPo[/youtube]

the drummer alsmost steals the show for me

quadgun · Post by **quadgun** » 15 Apr 2008 10:43

Zeke wrote:My favorite video/song
I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know...

[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=hlAgwd5JGPo[/youtube]

the drummer alsmost steals the show for me

[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=a1tkwykWu0s[/youtube]

Zeke · Post by **Zeke** » 15 Apr 2008 11:45

Nice.

Overheard on the answering machine at work:

"Hi this is *name withheld*, I believe I had an appointment yesterday, on Monday. I wanted to call to say that I can not make it because something has come up. So I can not come."

That by itself was gold, but get this, the message was left Thursday morning! Wow.

Zeke · Post by **Zeke** » 22 Apr 2008 22:04

I'm partnered up with Elliott from Nashville for the Windy City Cup in June. I'm so excited. I drilled yesterday after work. Biked to Welles and practiced just kicking that damn net bag. Need more work on getting my outsides more consistent. Got bored with that pretty damn quick and practiced spikes against the black utility shed near the tennis courts. Started with pull downs (or is it mouse traps?) and got a few decent contacts. Not much power. The ones that did would probably hit the net. Sweeps are coming along nicely, it's the move I'm most comfortable doing. Tried a few front backs and sun backs but my hamstrings were getting sore from the pull downs I tried earlier. I tried a slight adaptation with sun backs due to the toe flick at the end of my kick that brought the bag straight to my face. I leaned back farther and made contact with the bag just short of full extension. The toe flick then sent the the bag sideways instead of down into my face. Hard to say if it will be effective in a real game though. Scuffs took some time to get used to. My timing was off at first but once I found the sweet spot I was quite pleased with the results. I also tried slowing down a bit on all my spikes and just getting a clean contact then progressively swinging harder as I got more comfortable. It worked out well and I'll be starting off my practice sessions like that from now on. I usually just swung my legs as hard as I could and whiff badly on half the spike attempts.

I'll practice again tomorrow.

2S with Ronnie outside LaRAZA after work. I originally wanted to rest my legs today but work has been really shitty the past few weeks so I needed to work off some steam. I believe I finished with 4 wins to 1 loss. I blame the loss to watching 3 of his long shots fly past me and into my back corners. The last game was ugly. It was getting dark and we couldn't see a damned thing and had at least a dozen side outs in a row before finally finishing the game. Play of the day was a jump spinning outside kick (leg bent, not straight) that landed inches from his back right corner lines. The look on his face was priceless!

Zeke · Post by **Zeke** » 24 Apr 2008 21:31

Ultimate and some 2S practice yesterday. My body is pretty banged up from one diving catch playing ultimate. I'll just leave it at that. Afterwards, Ronnie and I played 2S, with no scores. Gave him some tips & simple strategies.

Woke up pretty sore this morning and bailed on a downtown session with Andre. After finishing up some laundry my legs were feeling a little bit better and I managed to a quick squares session with Ronnie in front of LaRAZA. It took f-o-r-e-v-e-r to work off the soreness. I took the first 2 games in convincing fashion, he never managed more than 3 points. But he came back and won the third in a close fight. I redeemed myself by absolutely destroying him in the next game 11-0, my first shut out. The first 6 points were body shots that I knew he has a hard time defending. I won the following five. He stayed competitive at first but fatigue and frustration were wearing him out. By the 8th game we were both very tired and playing pretty bad. It's funny, the drizzle seems to stop once we started playing then started up again after we finished up

I think he needs to work more on his control to really take is game up a notch. I find that the longer he has the bag, the more likely he is to get himself out. Specially if he's turned around. Most of his basic kicks are sloppy and shank-prone. To his credit he does hustle to try and get back in control but it often leads to more shanks.

Bah, I want to play more squares but I NEED to practice more Net...

Senor Grommet · Post by **Senor Grommet** » 24 Apr 2008 21:55

play squares with a net bag and make the squares a bit bigger

Zeke · Post by **Zeke** » 04 May 2008 21:03

Net practice at Warren park early Thursday afternoon, 2s with Ronnie later the same day and probably had my best net session today.

I found a great spot at the park by my house to kick against the wall. It's the east side of the 2 story recreation building at Warren Park. I drilled basics kicks but focused mostly on my weak left outside. I was able to set a few times from a left outside to a scuff with my strong leg. It felt very smooth. Then worked on sweeps scuffs and sunbacks. Practiced serves for a bit before ending the session around 3pm.

Took a rest at home before calling Ronnie to play some 2S in front of LaRAZA again. Went 6-1 against him. He lost his car key and somehow got a bunch of people from my neighborhood to help him look for it outside in the dark. WTF? One of them was even nice enough to drive Ronnie to pick up a spare key. Anyway, when he got back we watched Borne Supremacy with Reile.

Friday after work, I had a short practice session at Welles Park. More basics against the black utility shed. I saw my nieces briefly after work Saturday

But I was waiting all week for today because it would be a chance to play with Scot and Cory. I would also see if I had improved any. Ronnie picked me up and we met all the others at the park. We had some problems finding a decent place to set up the court since the park was so busy. After setting up, I power kicked with Tommy and Vince on one side of the court while the veterans warmed up on the other. This was probably the best thing we could have done. We did this for about 20-30 minutes. Basically it was hacking with a net bag. This made up for the fact that I did not get a chance to hack with Reile and Nathan. It was something we talked about doing before the session and I was really looking forward to it. Warm ups were fun because Vince is hilarious and Tommy was full of energy from quiting drinking a month earlier. Well, that's his story and he was sticking to it.

The we broke of into 2 teams while the fifth man sat out, waiting for the next match. I was relaxed for the most part because it felt pretty laid back. Everyone was joking around in between plays and it fit right in with my idea of what a fun footbag session should be. Vince was having a rough day and could not seem to connect on anything. Despite that, he's still one of the biggest clowns on the court. Tommy was a beast. He was crushing everything in sight. I truly admire his fearlessness in the air. Not so much the rough landings but definitely his willingness to attack at moments notice. Scot was not quite his usual self but still hit some monster spikes while Cory was as impressive as ever. He's got such great presence and awareness in and around (or over) the net.

As for myself, I could see the practice paying off. I returned more serves than usual, set my partners with more reliability and attacked the bag with great success. I'm not saying I'm ready for the Open division's level of competition but I think I'm better than I was the last time I played a game. One thing I will do on the court is hustle. I will chase that fucking bag down. I may not always bring it back into play but it's better than me just standing there, I figure. Hit a couple spikes but nothing memorable. Scot commented on how a scissor sweep attempt looked scary. Too bad I whiffed.

We played quite a few games in quick succession and I've forgotten all the scores but one. It was the last game of the day vs Scot and Cory with Tommy as my partner. We won (EDIT:)15-6! Between my serves and Tommy's spikes (and a maybe few lucky shanks here and there from both teams) we were able to jump to a 4-1 lead early on and they never got closer than 3-5. We both worked our asses off the get crucial side outs. I was able to keep the rally going with my hustle and Tommy crushed all my sets even though most of them were sloppy. It felt really good to end the net portion of the session on such a high note.

Afterwards, I played some 2S with Josh using mostly the left/right strategy. Then more people joined for a full game of squares. I played well for the first few games and even won a close one where Nathan had inadvertently set me up for the winning shot from out of bounds. But as the day went on, fatigue became a big factor and I just could not play at my usual level. Still, almost 6 hours in the park having fun and playing footbag is not a bad thing.

Senor Grommet · Post by **Senor Grommet** » 05 May 2008 22:02

check your email for a vid i made today.

Zeke · Post by **Zeke** » 05 May 2008 22:07

Wow, that was sexy! Whats the height on that target?

Geez...

Senor Grommet · Post by **Senor Grommet** » 05 May 2008 22:20

'bout 7 feet, seemed like 1 foot above my head, give or take 2 inches either way. On Saturday, I hit 6 feet for the first time, so this was a nice step up. I think I can get higher with this kick, but this is high enough for net for sure.

Zeke · Post by **Zeke** » 06 May 2008 07:48

Practice session scheduled for tomorrow might have to be canceled due to rain. My left ankle has been feeling tight after the past 2 sessions. I hope it will not be like this at the event. Still gotta finish that shirt design. Hm, seems like I say that a lot...

Work has not been as crazy so far this week. Hiring another assistant has definitely eased some of the pressure. Training her has been a little weird since I had not trained anyone in years. She seems to pick things up very quickly though so I'm not too worried.

Zeke · Post by **Zeke** » 08 May 2008 00:00

Right after my previous post my day turned really shitty.

Uneventful day at work today (lately, that means a great day) then biked to Welles to practice. Found a decent wall to play against and started with basic kicks and worked on my weak side. Then briefly moved to sweeps and scuffs. After that I was able to connect more often than not on sunbacks, frontbacks and toe reverses. Tommy showed up soon after and we set up his court. We started out power kicking then had a few rallies over the net. We played in some light rain for a few minutes but eventually had to quit when the rain started pouring down on us. We waited in the gazebo for the rain to lighten up before we left. The first few minutes of the ride home sucked!. Not just because of the rain but because my body was freezing. After a few minutes I started to warm up and all I had to worry about was the rain hitting my eyes. Got home in one piece, thankfully. Soggy - but in one piece.

I'm starting to get more and more comfortable using my back kick and outside kicks on my left side. They're connecting more often but they still aren't going where I want them to go. I'll practice more later today then finalize details for the net session on Saturday near the Pier. Dunno what the fuck to do about the regular session just yet. Gotta finish that shirt at some point today too, dammit.

Zeke · Post by **Zeke** » 10 May 2008 19:48

Practice session on Thursday @ Warren against the wall. Worked on the basics again for a couple hours and took some short vids of my practice with my Canon S5. After playing I found a nice quiet, sunny spot to eat my lunch and take some pics. Went to to rest up before playing squares with Ronnie in front of LaRAZA later in the afternoon.

Ronnie seems to take one game from me every time we play. I took the first three games before we got a special visit from one Eric Reile, rocking his yellow CIC longsleeve, kicking shorts and Lavers! He played the next game with Ronnie and almost shut him out! Ronnie managed to scratch a few points before Reile eventually got the win. I finished the rest of the day 6-3 with a loss against Ronnie and 2 to Reile. Ronnie was 1-6. He made some games competitive but his frustration always gets the better of him. Maybe he would not be so frustrated if he truly knew how good he's gotten. Reile finished 5-3 for the day. Every match I had with him was an epic duel with many long rounds, great kills and unpossible saves. His lankiness give me huge windows for snakes but that same lankiness gives him the reach to regain control without giving up a good defensive position. Good day for kicking.

Had a short net practice session before work on Friday working mostly on my outside and back kick on my left side. No pain in that ankle afterwards. Maybe it was just not used to being used at all for kicking.

Today, I met with Vince in a small park about a block west of Navy Pier and just north of Lake Point Tower. We power kicked for about half an hour before volleying over the net for another 30 minutes. We played 3 games of singles and I won them all. The first was close at 11-9 but I slaughtered him the following two 11-5, 11-3. We took a break and Tommy dropped by after work. He was still bursting with energy as the three of us repeated the routine of power kicking and volleying over the net. We eventually played 3 games of 2 on 1. I teamed up with Vince thinking that the would be competitive.

Wrong.

He may have been solo on the court be it felt like playing 5 people. He was everywhere making crazy diving digs and recovering with time enough to get airborne and spiking them back down for easy points or side outs. Vince was already pretty tired by the time Tommy started playing but his defense is always lacking. His serves on the other hand are pretty consistent and that's what usually kept us in the game. Tommy still crushed us 15-5. Vince and I finally got in sync in the second match managing 9 points before we had a total collapse at the end. I did a good job of changing up my serve placement but Tommy had 2 strong runs rallying from 4-9 to get the come from behind win. The last game was another one sided win for Tommy. We just had no answer for his hustle and his huge spikes.

Despite the spankings we were just handed, I felt pretty good about the session. I'm glad I got out and played and I think I did well. I was a little more aggressive at the net and catching some air from time to time. Hit some wicked toe reverse and scuffs but my sweeps were completely off. Hit a few solid sole pushes and one sweet toe jam from the right side sending it flying almost parallel to the net to the very open left side of the court. My bumps and sets were inconsistent at best today. I overset a LOT! I am gaining more confidence using my left leg kicks though. Even managed to dig a few monster spikes with it.

Coming home sucked. I got on a bus that didn't move for like 20 minutes. I got off at train station that was closed and walked to the next station that was closed as well before finally walking to a third station. By the time I got off the train the buses to LaRAZA had just stopped running. Of course I didn't realize this at first and waited 15 minutes at the stop before some old guy told us they stopped at 8pm. I got there at 8:08. I started walking. I caught up to some black guy that started walking before me. We talked a little bit while he tried hailing a cab. 3 on duty cabs with no passengers passed by. "You know what it is? I'm black and you look like a thug! Ain't no fucking cab stopping for us."

"Maybe if I had some tits" I said half joking (half wishing)

"Ha! Maybe. Or a big round fucking booty." He went on about how he has how he has a job downtown but he does not like to pay for parking. That's why he takes public transportation and leaves his big fat Cadillac at home. He said that now the cabbies are missing out ona fare and a big fat tip just cuz we were the wrong color. Turns out he would have gotten off at the bus stop just before mine so I would have enjoyed the company during the walk. But this pleasant conversation (no sarcasm) was cut short when he finally got a cab. "Lata, playa"

"Take it easy, dog" It sounded more genuine than it reads, I swear.
I kept walking.

http://watch-movies.net/

Zeke · Post by **Zeke** » 16 May 2008 18:41

Zeke · Post by **Zeke** » 17 May 2008 09:13

Zeke · Post by **Zeke** » 23 May 2008 16:05