Trained against Dax and Billy Strickland down at East Beach this past Thursday. Was a good training session but the weather was really weird. Started raining for about 5 minutes in the middle of our workout. By the end of our workout it was sunny! Pretty cold as well.
The training itself went well. We did some siding out against one another as a warmup plus since it was so cold. They are a very good sideout team. Dax has always been one of the best sideout players in the game but Billy was very good as well. We played about an hour long wash drill to 11. Phil and I won 11-5 but it was a sideout battle with neither team being able to string very many points and sideouts together. You have to sideout and score a real point back to back to get a point. If you sideout and the other team does as well then it is a wash.
We had time for 2 games to 21 after the wash. The first was back and forth and we pulled it out 21-19. The second game Phil and I had a big lead but Dax and Billy chipped away to get to about 3 down towards the end of it. Ended up winning 21-16 or 17.
I was impressed. Dax has a young big man at the net who he can teach. Billy is only going to get better. He has great ball control for a big man. I remember coaching against him in college. He was an outside hitter at Stanford and was the best passer at 6'9 or whatever he is. I particularly remember his blocking as being very good and I remember thinking to myself that this guy should play on the beach when he is done with indoors. He needed to get stronger and he is doing that now. I look for this team to do well this year and be in the mix. They may have some poor to average outings, particularly in the beginning of the year, but they should get better as time passes. It would not shock me to see them in the finals and maybe even winning one too.
15 comments:
Todd,
Training sounds like it's going well.
Since you're training against Aaron and Mark and Dax and Will, wondering if you've heard either from the guys above or through the rumor mill what other new teams you might be playing against this year. Also wondering if the powers that be of the AVP have given you and the other players a heads-up on the 2008 schedule already so you can figure out which FIVB and AVP events you'll participate in, leading up to the Olympics.
Garret
Garret- Still together are Rosy/Gibb, Stein/Mike, Brad/Hyden, Matt/Casey. Sean Scott/Lucena. Not sure about anyone else. Do have a tentative schedule but can't give out. Should be out quickly. I do have an idea which FIVB events Phil and I will be going to. Let you know as soon as I can.
Todd
When you scrimmaged with Dax for a couple hours, how much actual playing time did you get? He's konwn as a staller... slowly getting up, dusting himself off, wiping off sunglasses,etc. At least there was no referee to argue with - that woulda been good for 10 minutes alone! ;)
- Steve
Todd-
Do you guys import some refs so they can get some practice too and you can see what kind of calls you might be getting during the season? Or get updated on any rule changes too. Also is there any film study involved with Beach VB especially breaking down the foreign teams. And I dont even want to get into hiring flunkies to secretly tape other teams practices as that is a sore subject here in New England right now.
I am laid up for a couple days after getting a small skin cancer taken off above the eye brow. 7 stitches and it only took about 20 minutes. I wouldnt trade a minute of time I spent at the beach or working outdoors for years in tbe 60s, 70s and 80s but might be catching up with me now. I was born the same year as Karch so I am THAT old. I might go up to Umass this weekend for the basketball game and put down a few too many. Students will be burning tree all day so crowd should be stoked as Umass needs to run table to get into NCAA dance. They are on ESPN Thurs night vs URI Rams. Good times everyone!! Scott from Cape Cod
Todd
I always enjoyed watching you and Dax in the early days. Dax had the same mannerisms as a fellow volleyball classmate of mine while at Brown University. This guy also grew up in santa barbara and played at dos pueblos before heading east to college. Not quite a contemporary but you may have heard of him, Scott Greene. He was all Ivy League two years running. He also got me interested in California BVB in the 80's.
Any who, stay healthy, take one step at a time and hope to see you in Beijing 08/22/08 with some bling around your neck.
Jeff
Hey Todd,
Just learned that you will be participating on the indoor HWN tour after all. How did that opportunity arise? Have fun in Vegas!
- Steve
Steve- Dax trains hard. Most of the stuff he does is to slow the game down when things are not going so hot. I do the same thing as do most of the guys. Speed it up when you are hot, slow it down when you are not.
Scott- No refs. Just BLee heckling us in SB. I study film and we have Shawn Olmstead, a friend of mine, doing DataVolley for Phil and I. DV is program that really breaks down film and tendencies. Hope you are all good with the skin cancer. Most of us who play will probably be there at one time or another.
Jeff- Don't know a Scott Greene. Do know a Jason Green who went to DP. Setter for DP and a very good one. Known him since grade school. Thanks.
Steve- I am participating in the HWN in Vegas. Only one day and a Saturday at that so it won't have any effect on my training schedule. Actually works well for me since Phil is in Saipan and I have only trained on Monday this week. Get a little ball action in while Phil is gone. Basically the AVP asked and it worked well for me and them so I was in.
Take Care,
Todd
Todd,
Thanks for your replies. Just kidding about Dax. And good luck in Vegas!
Steve
Todd,
This is a big year for you (AVP & FIVB tours & the Olympics). What have you added to your training regimen to better prepare yourself for all of this? How will you find time to relax and time for yourself during this year?
Arsenal 12
Arsenal- Always a big year coming up. This one just happens to be extra big. More rest. It seems most people in our country seem to think that more is always better. In this case, more is worse. Also, there is a lot of downtime between tourneys and especially when on the road. All I need is a couple of hours curled up on the couch or a bed with a great book and I am good to go.
Todd
Hey Todd, this is a little bit off topic and I apologize for putting it here. I'm a Santa Barbara native and ameuter volleyball player. I heard Dax say on the radio last year there was a 50/50 chance of SB being a stop on the 2008 tour in the spring, and I haven't heard anything else. I don't know if you're allowed to say anything at this point, but do you perhaps know when the schedule will be released? Thanks, Steve
Todd,
Thanks for the words. Couple of good books I have read: I just re-read Shopgirl by Steve Martin (short novela). I also recommend, "Underboss: Sammy the Bull Gravano's Story of Life in the Mafia." Love reading anything about the Italian Mob.
Arsenal
Steve- Can't comment on that but I am strongly hoping for a tourney later in the year.
Todd
SB tour stop weekend sept 6
Jeff
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