Hey all..
Not a bad turn out last night (considering the Yankee Wild Card game).
I had a tough night, as well. Will get to that (if you want to be bored with my foosball analogies?)
Results ... He's Back w/ the help of Kuba Kai.
1 -- Jakub & Victor
2 -- Nastia & Teddy
3 -- Ilya & Alex
4 -- Tom & Rob
5/6 -- Kevin K & JJ
5/6 -- Birte & Henry
Didn't get to watch alot of Jakub & Victor, but saw some crisp shot out of the back from Jakub and a couple torched passes stuck on the 3 Rod.
Victor's 5 and 3 both looked just solid.. but I'm a little bias, having played with Victor at some of the Big Tournaments, with the full arsenal on display.
Alex looked good to me.. crafty and smooth on the rods, it was nice to see him actually trying instead of messing around on the table during pick-ups. The Push side pin looks nasty. Don't be scared to open the goal up with that shot a couple times, first.
Can't decide if Ilya should be primary Defense or Offense, or if he should 5-Bar pass Near Side or Far Side. Tempted to say Offense / Far Side, but jury is still out. Solid Dee last night thou... work the passing lanes to open that push. See'ing it, timing, and proper force on those passes, depending on Lane, middle, or wall.
Teddy says he had an off night, but took 2nd on the books!! we're all still coming along, it'll get there better than it was ;)
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Like the Yankees.. I had a tough night ...
(STOP NOW -- My self-critique Ahead)
FOOSBALL ... which I sometimes correlate to Yankee Baseball (or Lacrosse), and so many other sports, involves 2 key functions when handling a moving ball ...
1) "keep your eye on the ball" when hitting a baseball -- in foos term, I refer to as "Hand-Eye Coordination". Watching the the ball, anticipating where the ball will be, and moving your man (or bat) to that spot.
2) for Part Two, I flip to fielding (with regards to Baseball) ... the "Catch" -- in foos terms often referred to as "Trapping" the ball. When catching the ball you're taught to give a bit with the catch (especially in Lacroose), but in baseball as well. Give a little with the glove and then "Trap" the ball in the pocket. This is the 2nd crucial part of succeeding at handling a moving ball.
Then, other things will come into form... ie. the speed at which you can complete these tasks, the power you use to strike the ball when you've moved your man into postion, etc.
Last night, I got a bit frustrated early and lost my "keep your Hand-Eye Coordination on the Ball". If you take too long to assess and fix the error in your game, you lose out on time spend assessing your opponent's game.. ie. "tough night". Lesson learned, i HOPE.. take a time-out, assess what's off, and get back to focus.
Sorry, if I just bored the hell out you - Happy Foosing -\("j)/-