Things keep getting better, like on Queer Eye. I got there earlier this time and did some extra stretching, and my shit doesn't hurt like it did the last two weeks. My left heel hurts a little, though that's something that has bothered me since college on and off. Coach ran us around a bit this time, which I absolutely love because it feels good, despite it reminding me out of shape I am.
I still have a healthy dose of feeling like I suck, but I also feel like some things are coming together. I'm starting to understand my own body motion at a technical level, which is the same thing that has served me so well in volleyball. I can see that my swing is technically fine if I just toss a ball out in front of me, but I'm not moving my feet to where I need to be when the ball is on the go. It's very different to not meet a ball in front of you, and to think about where it's going on the bounce. I have to make an extra effort to think about it.
We did some overhead swinging today, which as you might expect comes very natural. My God does that feel good. Being able to blast the shit out of the ball is very satisfying. Unfortunately, we didn't spend a lot of time serving again, and I really need to work on that.
The one point of frustration that I have is that I have the necessary agility. I'm out of shape, so it's in finite supply, but I feel it. The problem is that I'm not disciplined enough to apply it correctly yet to the game. It goes back to meeting the ball in the right way. You can't fake it and make little adjustments like you can in volleyball, because you need to make the swing of a racket part of the process to contact the ball.
Overall though, I felt empowered, like I'm heading in the right direction. It was weird to think about how, growing up, my only real athleticism came from riding a bike, which is little more than endurance when you're not doing it competitively. Volleyball started to click when I was in college, but it wasn't until I started coaching it that I really started to understand how to improve myself. The game is different here, but the skills for learning are surprisingly transferrable. I also love the feeling that comes with physical activity that doesn't feel like exercise.
The only issue long term is that this particular sport can get expensive. Court time ain't cheap, and yet I'd like to reach some point where I was consistently playing twice a week. If I can't do that, maybe I need to look harder into playing VB once a week, and get back to coaching next year.
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