I have often used the martial arts or rather, more
specifically, the practice of hand to hand combat techniques, training, and
philosophies to help players better understand instruction. I am a huge believer in “biomechanics” and
“kinematics”. Now, I am no scientist and
I certainly don’t mean to suggest that I am an expert on these topics. I don’t even use the terms in the literal sense
when I reference them. However, these
techniques have proven to work and that’s what I choose to call it, so… there.
Now, many people believe that Kung Fu is a martial art from
China and they would be partially correct. It is not necessarily inaccurate but the
literal translation for the Chinese term Kung Fu is “hard work” and can be
applied to anything someone has achieved great skill in by studying or
dedicating themselves to its pursuit.
Keep that in mind as you read on.
Paintball can certainly be approached from a martial
perspective. If you look at it from the
perspective of a set of skills to be applied in order to defeat your opponent,
it can translate very well. Especially
when applied to the physical as well as the mental. We use footwork, body positioning,
conditioning, active and reactive response to our opponents, tactics and
strategies… we apply techniques to keep us safe and to ultimately defeat our
competitors.
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| The author working some basic Kali stick drills |
That being said, starting next year and hopefully with
assistance from some friends of mine in the professional paintball community,
we will try and bring you some paintball “Gun-Fu” lessons. The details are being hashed out now and I am
really excited about this opportunity to share with you what I really hope to
be an impactful endeavor by Prime and the programs good friends and
sponsors. So keep an eye out for these
lessons in Gun Fu… they should be fun but most importantly, informative.
On a completely separate topic, I wanted to make some quick
comments about the off season. Something
that is often overlooked and every bit as important as putting in the time and
hard work required to become a better player.
It may appear counter intuitive but I assure you that is not the
case. I am willing to bet the majority
of pros use this very simplistic technique.
Let’s talk about taking a break from paintball.
Nearly every
professional athlete isn’t a professional athlete 24 hours a day, 365 days a
year. Just as important as training is the time athletes take off to rest,
relax, and recover – mentally and physically. While that off-season break can
look different for different people, it nearly always involves a few days or
weeks completely off from the sport after their last big event. It is usually a mini vacation, some time
doing other activities they are interested in and a lot of catching up on…
well…. life.
Dr. Doug Graham, who coaches elite track and field athletes
and who founded FoodnSport says, “If
you train year-round in your sport, you don’t do as well as if you take two to
six weeks off.” I agree with his
assessment. Countless times the
guys/team comes back after a few weekends off rip roaring ready to go. They missed their boys, they missed that
mission, and they missed that adrenalin that is our sport.
Most professional athletes – from the up-and-comers to the
seasoned veterans – use a few weeks to do everything they don’t during the
season: they don’t worry about what they are eating, they aren’t wigging out
about their schedule or their training. They catch up on errands, spend a lot
of time on the couch, and pig out a little.
They see family and friends and do things they don’t necessarily get to
do during the regular season. And why
not??? How many of you LIVE for
paintball? If you do, you’re doing it
wrong.
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| A little relaxation at the range |
Now this doesn’t mean you throw your regimen out the window
completely. You don’t start smoking
cigarettes, getting trashed, eating fast food every day or stop physical
activity altogether. Toxic is toxic
according to Graham and I certainly agree with him on this as well. He says, “It’s not a treat to abuse yourself
even a little.”
If I had to sum it up, it’s the time to mix it up a
little. Spend some time with the
girlfriend, go see your mother and tell her you love her, eat some pizza or
chocolate, catch up on those movies you missed, have one of those micro brews
you’ve been meaning to try, travel, hit the beach, whatever…
However, just in case you were thinking of getting straight
back into training for next year, here is some reasoning on why you should probably
take a few weeks of active recovery and definitely take a break.
The Physiological Aspect:
The end of season break allows for the body to fully repair
any tissue damage. Granted, body fat levels may increase but it will also allow
your stores of essential vitamins and minerals to be restored. And your immune system usually needs it
too. Your immune system has to work
overtime if you are constantly training.
Giving it a break gives it a chance to fully recover and reduce your
risk of illness throughout the winter.
Something I am constantly aware of is recurring
injuries. By resting and following a
rehab program for a recurring injury, you decrease the chance of… you guessed
it…the injury happening again. Use the
time off from training to get a proper diagnosis and the correct treatment. An
extra couple of weeks off at this time of year will not effect next year’s
performance but not treating an injury correctly certainly will.
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| Down time on the couch with my son |
The Psychological Aspect:
The end of season break, especially this particular off
season, has helped me see some really important qualities that I miss during
the regular season. Before I can be Mike
Bianca, member of Prime, I have to be Mike Bianca, husband, father, son and
friend. This season I have spent some
quality time with my wife, children, friends, and family. It has been AWESOME! They have helped me recover from this past
season which saw a lot of undue stress and its fair share of issues and
problems with the program. I have not
stepped on the Prime field since our tryouts back in November and it has been
incredible. I stepped out on the field
for the first time yesterday (December 13th) and I noticed something
almost right away. I really enjoyed
being there… I wanted to be there! And
my game was anything but stale. As a matter
of fact, someone said, “Whoa! You looked like a 25 year old out there!” (Take that Grayson… lol… kidding
brother! But not really…) I am going to take a few more weekends off
for the holidays and then hit it hard in January. My batteries should be fully charged by
then. I am going to use that time to
constructively review the previous season and identify strengths and weaknesses
for myself and the team. I will more
than likely set a goal for myself and hopefully for the team. I will get a certain nagging injury further
under control and finally, get ready and plan for my in depth training.
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| Serenading the wife... romantic, I know |
This post has proven to be much longer than I
anticipated. If you are still reading,
here is my suggestions/recommendations for those of you who feel taking a small
break will do you some good:
– Train when you feel like it
– No high intensity work outs
– At least two rest days per week if you do train
– Try to avoid running.
– Maximum 30 minutes per session
Remember the goals; Recover from injury, recharge the
batteries, analyze performances from
this past season, set goals for next season, but most importantly…enjoy life
man!
Be water my friends,
Mike Bianca
Team Prime
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