Thursday, June 04, 2015

Glove Angles and Parachutes

I was walking into the rink with Eli 13.10 yesterday, and we were (in good humor) barking back and forth about his glove angle.

Here's the theory on glove angle. If the glove is always square to the shooter, then the amount of movement required--and its complexity--is as minimal as possible. If the glove isn't square, though, then movement--and the complexity of that movement--is greater.

If you want to be really, really good at any sport, deconstruct every movement and make it as simple as you possibly can. The efficiency makes you, in effect, much faster.

Eli's glove is not square at times. It's not off by much, but the rest of his technique is so precise that I notice the glove.

We were still talking about it as he walked into the locker room, and then I said "That's IT, punk! Arm on the bench! NOW!"

Eli cracked up.

"Okay, let's go, old man," he said, laughing. I can't beat him in arm wrestling anymore. I can beat him in just about everything else, but not arm wrestling.

Well, not conventionally, at least.

He put his arm on the bench, still laughing, and I put mine down as well. We locked hands.

We were even for about the first ten seconds, but I was fading. Right then, I yelled "PUNK!" and he burst out laughing again. That's all I needed to eke out a win.

"Hey, don't worry about that glove angle," I said. "You'll have plenty of time to fix it when you're LIVING in a VAN down by the RIVER."

Seriously, if you've never seen that sketch, it's one of the funniest Chris Farley moments ever. And even if you have, go watch it anyway.

He spent the night last night with one of his best friends, and I texted him this morning. I do the standing long jump with him during his dry land workouts so that he can get a good laugh at my old man jumping ability. I jumped 6'5" last week (he almost landed 8'7"). Here are the text messages:

Me: I'm jumping 6'7" today. May need a parachute to land. 

Eli: I'll bring the stretcher

Me: Better bring binoculars, if you want to see me in the air.

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