Handball - 12/3/15

Most of us attempted to play handball about a year and a half ago.  We didn't feel as if we really got a chance to learn and play it, so we kept looking and eventually found Dallas Team Handball.  We stopped by to take part in one of their practices and get some first-hand knowledge of the game.

Handball is played on five continents by over 180 countries and 19 million people all ages, worldwide, but is most popular in European and Asian countries. First introduced as an outdoor sport during the 1939 Summer Olympics program, handball has since been an indoor sport in the Summer Olympics program since 1972.  USA men have competed 6 times, most recently in 1996.  USA women have competed 4 times, also most recently in 1996.  Neither team qualified for Rio 2016.

 

It's a fast paced game with emphasis on passing and scoring.  There are elements of soccer, water polo, hockey and basketball.  Play involves 7 players per side, including goalies.  It is more physical than basketball, as contact is allowed, but no tackling.  There are 2 minute penalties and yellow/red cards.  Each player can only hold the ball for maximum of 3 seconds and must pass or dribble after 3 steps.  Typical scoring lines include around 50 points per game.  Shots on goal can go up to ~70mph.

 

“The Most Exciting Sport You’ve Probably Never Seen” according to Team USA website.  31 women are on the current roster – 20% are from foreign countries.

We first started by warming up our arms/shoulders with some passing.  Then we did a few different drills - inside a relatively small square (roughly 1/3 the size of a basketball court), we divided into two teams and essentially played "keep away", passing to our teammates using "handball rules" of 3 steps or 3 seconds between passes, while the other team tried to steal it.  Then we had to do a jump pass each time, then we had to do one dribble between passes.  That got us ready for a long scrimmage.

It was perfect - there were four of us and 10 DTH members, so just enough to play a proper 7 on 7 game.

L2 looking to pass while L1 guards

The game can be incredibly fast paced - though the coach of the team kept reminding some players to slow down.  The overall objective on offense is to pass quickly and efficiently until the defense makes a mistake and opens up a gap in which to shoot the ball.  There is also a "pivot" position that plays mostly with her back to the goal she's trying to score on - so she can pass or quickly turn and shoot.

R takes a shot on goal

Between watching the ball and the opponent, I found it very difficult to have time to keep an eye on my feet to make sure I wasn't crossing into the "circle" that is only for the goalie.  There is so much your brain has to keep track of even when you don't have the ball!

Finally, we closed practice taking penalty shots - a fun way to get an under control, no defenders shot at the goalkeeper.

J takes a penalty shot

We had a great time playing team handball.  We're looking forward to watching in person in Rio!



Handball complete!

Javelin & Hammer - 11/6/15

The women’s javelin is a spear approximately 7 feet, 7 inches long, weighing 1.3 pounds and has a 5.9” wide grip made of cord, located at the center of gravity, approximately 3 feet from the tip. The thrower builds speed over a considerable distance before release. At release, the javelin can reach speeds around 70mph. Due to liability with the event, in 36 states, high schools do not compete in the event. It is also part of the men’s decathlon and women’s heptathlon events. It first began as an event at the Ancient Olympic Games in 708 BC, but has been part of the men’s Games since 1906 and women’s since 1932. The current women’s record throw is 72.28m (237 feet).

We definitely didn't come that close! We were lucky to get some coaching from a former NCAA track coach who specializes in throws - Pete Abbey of Cates Athletics. We started out with some warm-ups, then used medicine balls to stretch our shoulders and hips. The throwing motion for javelin seems simple enough, until you get into the details. The idea is to get all of your momentum going forward, with the javelin the very last thing to move. Normally, that means 7-11 running steps, followed by 3-5 "bounds" (turning your non-throwing hip forward and running sideways, crossing feet over one another), then release with a large follow-thru step. At the time your throwing side starts to come forward, the entire opposite side is rotating back - so that at some point, your chest is farthest forward, with both arms back. This forms a "C" shape in the body. Then the spear is thrust forward and released. It was difficult to get all the motions together, so we started completely stationary with no run-up or bounds.

L1 starts in the basic stance

L1 completes her first throw

Then we tried to add in a couple of bounds. This increased our distance, though we were throwing maybe 20-30 feet. L1 was the only one to get the javelin to "stick" in the ground on landing, though that is not necessary for a "good" throw - as long as the tip hits the ground first.

R's good positioning with a "backwards C" along her arm, side and leg

R follows through, attempting to pull the trailing leg forward

After one of our rounds of throws

Next, we moved on to the hammer. The women’s hammer consists of a solid metal ball weighing 8.82 pounds attached to a wire approximately 3 feet 11 inches long with a handle on one end that allows for grip. The sport dates back to the 15th century and was included in the 1900 Olympic Games, but the women didn’t compete until 2000. Although many assume this is a strength event, it has evolved into a focus on speed. The motion includes two swings from a stationary position, then 3-4 rotations with increasing speed where the ball is at its high point at the front of the circle and the low point at the back. It includes a complicated heel-toe movement, much like discus. The current women’s record throw is 81.08 meters (266 feet).

Again, we started with simple props (medicine balls and cones) to stretch and get the feel of the motion.  Much like discus, getting the motion of the turn is key.  It must be quick and feet must stay close to one another to eliminate any motion that might slow you down.  We didn't attempt turns in discus, but Coach Pete let us get one turn worked in on hammer to see what it feels like.  What I found was that you had to go "all in" and let the hammer do the work for you.  Once I really let my momentum build, all of the motion seemed to fall into place.  The actual release of the hammer is over your shoulder as you finish your turn after the throw.  Our throws were in the range of 40-60 feet.  I'd have loved to work on more turns to see how that impacted distance!

L2 in starting position

J rotating through the swing

L2 pulling the hammer through for the throw

Sizable divots left by the hammer

With javelin and hammer, we have officially completed all throwing events!

L2, J, R and L1 all smiles

Football (Soccer) - 10/8/15

Football, otherwise known in the US as soccer, has been part of the Olympics since the beginning - the men competing every year except for two and the women starting in 1996 in Atlanta.  The US Women's National Team has enjoyed 4 Gold medals and 1 Silver during the 5 games that it has been included.

Soccer is played by over 250 million people in over 200 countries and is widely considered the most popular game in the world.  Three of us had played soccer in our youth, though knew some rust would likely show!

The TCU Women's Club Soccer team was gracious enough to have us out to practice with them on a unseasonably hot October night.  We took part in a series of scrimmages that upped the pace and allowed us to jump right into the game.  We started off playing 6-on-6 on mini fields with mini goals.  Then we moved on to full 11-on-11 on a small intermural field.

L2 defends L1 while teammates look on

R and J, one-on-one

By the time our 90 minute practice was over, a couple of us had realized how much we missed the game.  J had found a new appreciation for the sport that she had never tried before.  We all had fun and were happy to have had such great hosts in the TCU Club team.

Soccer complete!

Nuptuals

We wanted to take a quick moment to congratulate one of our own - K has tied the knot!  She will also be moving 200 miles away, but still plans to join us for these events when she can.  We're very happy for you, K - enjoy this newest life adventure!!!

Triathlon - 7/31/15

Here's another scary one!  Although when some people think "triathlon", they think "Ironman" (I was one).  The Olympics triathlon is actually not quite as crazy.  It consists of a 1.5km (0.93mi) swim, followed by a 40km (25mi) bike, followed by a 10km (6.2mi) run.  It has only been an Olympic sport since 2000!  Although the distances did sound remotely doable to us, we again agreed that it would take too much build-up.  So we copied the format of a local gym who runs an "indoor tri".

On a Friday morning, we met at a local YMCA.  We first hit the pool and swam as many laps as we could for 10 minutes, then quickly rinsed off and changed, then rode a stationary bike for 30 minutes and then ran on the indoor track for 20 minutes.  We roughly averaged about 0.25 miles in the pool, 8 miles cycling, and 1.5-2 miles running.

This was a great alternative to a full triathlon, though I don't think we ruled out actually attempting to finish a real one at some point or another in the future!

(Mini) Triathlon complete!

Team Table Tennis - 7/25/15

We started this adventure almost a year and a half ago and now have around 80 events complete!  Not too much farther to go!!!

That first event back in February 2014 was Table Tennis.  We did a round robin style singles tournament.  So for the team event, we thought we'd see if we could get some actual coaching.  We were glad we did!

On a Saturday morning, we met with Donna Chen, founder of DFW Table Tennis.  There are a LOT of members and they meet a couple of times a week to play pick up games or do lessons.  Ages range from young children to elderly adults.  Donna had a couple of coaches work with us to learn the ropes of team play.  First, what does "team" table tennis mean?  Isn't it just doubles?

Well, in 1992, the Olympics actually awarded two bronze medals because of one country's dominance.  China had made a habit out of regularly sweeping the gold-silver-bronze in the singles AND doubles, both men and women.  In 2008, doubles was replaced by the team event.  In this format, three to five athletes would be on one team and during competition, could rotate into and out of play.  This was in an attempt to combine doubles pairings into a larger team.  This didn't completely work.  Finally, in 2012, it was decided countries could only enter two teams, thus  completely eliminating the possibility of a sweep.

All of that said, we were glad to get some help with the nuances of four people being at the table.  We got pointers on the proper way to serve (ball must be tossed straight up, at least 6 inches, from the flat palm of your hand) and the proper arm position and technique for hitting forearm and backhand shots.

J gives R room to properly serve.

As quickly as the game moves, it is important to stay relaxed and not be in a hurry.  Coach Chen kept correcting my swing because I was hitting it too soon, and thus sending it directly into the net instead of over.

L2 hits a backhand shot over the net

Eventually, we all kind of got into enough of a rhythm that we had a couple of good rallies, hitting the ball at least a few times each before a point was scored.

 

We all agreed that there is so much more than meets the eye with this sport.  We're glad we took the time to work with DFWTT to learn just a little bit more!

 

With Coach Chen - Team Table Tennis complete!

Marathon - 5/16/15

26.22 miles.



It is intimidating.  And we all agreed (even the runners in our group) that we weren't ready to have to really, REALLY train for an event like this.  So we took a little creative latitude. 

We met at a local middle school track on a cloudy morning to embark on a team marathon.  We set up a chart with check boxes for each lap we'd have to complete (works out to 105.5 laps), then started our run.  Everyone had music going in their ears and ran/jogged/walked, checking a box each time we passed the starting line.  Some did more than others, but we all agreed, it was a great way to accomplish this event as a group!

(Team) Marathon complete!