The further adventures...

[DoctorP]

I will log my streetball adventures here for my own amusement.

Profile:
Doctor P
Strengths: Shooting, Agility, Defense, Passing
Weaknesses: Stamina, Strength, Jumping Ability
Age: 37

Saturday 12.19.15 3 hour low/medium impact workout.

Diet is so important. I've been eating mostly veggies and grains with little protein, so naturally, when I only had broccoli with some coffee this morning before going to play I didn't have much strength to play at my best level. This scenario is something I am used to so I played through the low energy, trying not to excerpt too much of myself, which kept me a step slow against really lame competition. The day was clear, but windy. Slightly cool, low-70's. The wind would carry the ball a bit at times. In the first game, the guys were older, craftier dudes with a lot of weight on them. And they were taking me down to the post so I really had little chance. My teammates were at the same level as our comp. I am the lone shark and I usually will be asked to join or I will jump in with the group. This is the usual M.O. I scored a few points but I was not in any position to be an alpha dog. Lost that game. I played 2 more games against some scrub early 20's-somethings and then against some better-skilled college guys. Lost all of them. After the games, I cooled down and put up shots for about an hour and it was over.

Lesson? I guess if there was a lesson from today's workout it's this: Sometimes not getting injured is the best victory of all. I walked away from it all pain free and I appreciated that. Some of these guys are heavy and are pushing their weight around recklessly.

[DoctorP]

Wednesday 12.23.15 3.5 hour low impact workout.

Not a very eventful day today. I just wanted to shoot around. I got to the court round 1100AM and it was very windy. This, combined with an overinflated ball and a weak wrist-whip release by muah had me missing everything. I felt real sluggish for a couple of hours. The cigarettes (Marlboro Lights) I had smoked during the week may have slowed me a bit, I'm not sure. Some kids were playing on the court but I didn't feel compelled to join in. After a couple of hours I gained my second wind and started hitting more shots. I'm still not happy with my discipline. I've been putting up J's and free-throws but I have not been doing any of my usual lay-up drills or pushups. Those drills really helped me add muscle and improve my targeting but they are boring and I couldn't hype myself up to do them. I need to get back to those drills. Still, I had fun, got sun and got a full body workout. That's a W.

[DoctorP]

Saturday 12.26.15 3.5 hour mid impact workout.

The court was packed when I got there but it started raining so I waited for a little bit and the rain went away. I found a water-sweeper and cleared the water out and it evaporated in about 8 minutes. The courts were now empty and all mine.

I worked out for about an hour and my shot was falling real nice-like. I didn't think anyone was coming so I pulled off some sprint/layup drills where I basically run up and down the court full sprint and lay it up.


This was exhausting and of course some young players got there as I was finishing my drills and asked me to play. It was a fun game, I don't even remember if I had won or not but I drove in for a sweet layup and hit a few shots. Not bad for being exhausted.

Then, some other young men came and asked me to play full-court. I was down but when we started playing I noticed these guys didn't know how to play and were starting to pick fights so I "gracefully bowed out". That shit ain't my thing anymore. I started stretching and tried to hit some frees while tired and this other group asked me to join in.

These guys were young but knew how to play. They knew how to pass and play 'D'. I was not able to show them much, though. I was exhausted. My shot was dead. I think I had one good block on em but the star of the game was a tall lanky asian/american dude. This guy was cutting well and shooting the ball at a high clip. I tried to feed him the rock every time I could and he was converting. I had 5-6 assists finding this kid.

Unfortunately, I was at my wits end. I was so exhausted I started forgetting if I was on defense or offense and I was playing bad defense. Not a good showing by me but, hey, I was tired. By the end of the match the score was close and the asian dude had the ball. He was covered by the baseline and I told him to kick it out but he wisely ignored me, took the game winner and made it. Money.

The lesson for me today was this: I need to play better and more focused when I'm tired. This means relearning and remembering to keep my head in the game and not wavering to exhaustion when depleted. When I started focusing I was able to find my way outside of the paint, provide spacing and find some open dudes for assists.

Good times.

[DoctorP]

Monday 12.28.15 3 hour low impact workout.

Did the usual, not much else to log. I have been getting my legs under me again and realizing that my leg strength is not what it was pre-injury (I had a high sprain a month back and I took a month off, was in bed for like 2 weeks straight on "meds") so now when I am hitting some turn-around J's I'm reminded that "oh, yeah... I just took a month off". I have to work more to get back to my pre-injury level.

Now I'm wondering if I should continue pushing myself until I get to super-sayan mode or if I should just chill before I get a repeated-usage injury. I've been playing consistently since spring. I'm not trying to make it into any leagues over here, I am just trying to stay in shape, plus I don't have any insurance. I'm a passionate guy but I'm also a second-class citizen. I may need to slow it down for my own sake...passion can get me killed.

A conundrum, perhaps.

[DoctorP]

Wednesday 12.30.15 1.5 hour low impact workout.

So, I ended up taking it easy today. The court was packed and I shot around for awhile. I met this beautiful girl who was there with her boyfriend. Her facial structure was model-quality... I don't think she was wearing much makeup. She had long legs, too. Sexy as hell. She was shooting around in golden slippers. Anyways, she wasn't sure if the guy was her boyfriend or not. He hadn't made it clear to her. She was probably 19 or 20 years old. She used to play power-forward and had a good stroke (ahem). We shot around and I had told her that I had done something similar with my ex-fiancee and that communication is probably the most important thing in a relationship. Anyways, we just talked and shot the ball around and I didn't really feel comfortable asking her for her number. She's probably too young for me and her guy was eyeing me the whole time like some kind of wild bird. Besides, my heart belongs to another gal I've been talking to...

[DoctorP]

Tuesday 1.26.16 2.5 hour low inpact workout.

I have been slowing it down a little bit as of late. Hitting the courts about twice a week but still maintaining a decent shape. I havent felt like playing in any pickup games because I have been paranoid of getting injured and because I have seen these kids play reckless as hell. For example, I saw this one kid who was much taller and stronger just bullying the other kids in the paint and he had a jumpshot so he was going full-Lebron out there on these kids. Then this 6'2'' african american dude showed up and the kids got all excited that a slick-talking black dude wanted to run with them (he actually sucked) and they proceeded to run full court. I just sat back and laughed as the teens (18-20 year olds I guess) became this dudes bitch who was barking orders and having them go all out. The bigger kid who was going full-Lebron earlier also was going all out, diving for loose balls until finally someone slammed into the side of his knee and he obviously had a problem because he couldn't put any weight on it but he walked it off and eventually played with a huge gait. The kid had potential for some small college ball so I just felt bad that he was wasting it on these little guys. Sorry, brother, looks like that knee might need some surgery now. So after seeing this shit I have been wary of going out there and playing hard with these types. I do feel great though as I have been drilling and putting up tons of shots. I am going to continue working on cardio but it's nothing like playing in a real game. I'm guessing I'll probably get winded if I ran full-court... I don't know.

The last tale for today consists of dudes that play pick-up ball after working as waiters in restaurants. Seeing these dudes play in Italian shoes and black dress pants is hilarious and unfortunately probably damaging to their feet. They asked me to play and I acted like a real cunty snob by just looking at the Italian shoes and shaking my head "no thanks".

The end.

[Lebron23]

I love reading your thread. Keep updating us with your progressed.

[Levity]

fun reads about life, love, and basketball, OP :lol

keep it up!

[DoctorP]

Monday 2.22.15 3 hour low/medium impact workout.

I've been taking it easy lately. Nothing much to report that is much different than the last few entries. I have been working on my conditioning and playing in a few pick-up games to stay in good shape. My three-point shot has become consistent which shocks me. I have always been intimidated to shoot the three but now I find that I am even more consistent a foot away from the three-point line so I can use the full extension of my arm-length.

I really have been enjoying myself. The weather has been prime and playing a perimeter-style game in street ball keeps me feeling fresh since I really don't put much effort by trying to overpower anyone in the paint anymore.

And since I have been relaxing more I have been checking out the little babies trying to play baseball at the field next to the court and it is freakin adorable. They must be like 6 years old and still trying to find their mechanics and it is not unlike watching an atari baseball game from the 80's with simplistic AI. Any time there's a base hit they will just try to field the ball and lift their hands in the air to signal that they have the ball and they don't even try to make a play at the plate. Hilarious. Probably the cutest thing I've ever seen.

It all made me realize this: Professional sports are not the most important thing about the sports world. Seeing these babies develop their personalities, physical mechanics and confidence is as (or more) important than any World Series or NBA Finals.

Then today I saw these 12 year old girls playing a league basketball game and this girl on a fast-break pulled up from the freethrow line, shot it over the backboard and all I could do was smile and clap in support at the awesomeness of it all.

PS> I have been killing everybody on the court. I need more comp. Just too easy.

[DoctorP]

Monday 2.22.15 4.5 hour medium/high impact workout.

Well, after taking the winter easy I have started to notice a gradual decline down the "mountain of fitness". I have been working out about 1 time a week the last few weeks.

This ends this week.

With spring here I have no excuse to say "well if I lived up north I would be snowed in" or "if I keep at this I will get degenerative injuries".

No. I am back on the court. Older and slower than ever but still with the best jumpshot I have ever had. And with higher IQ than most.

Today I played 5 games and won them all. I lost another game but I won't count that one because I shot 5-5 and only lost because two brothers decided to ball hog and do these wannabee Kyrie Irving dribbles into the lane and then jack up crappy shots. That isn't basketball, you dorks, Kyrie Irving knows the fundamentals at the least. You two are nut riders at worst and clones at best.

Anyways, I played with some dudes that knew how to play and killed in half court games. We had the passing going Spurs-style and both my dudes were attacking, I just had to sit back and rack up assists.

Then we played a full-court and killed the other team that had two low IQ but athletic bigs that thought I wouldn't play tough D on em. They were wrong. We won. The end. Booooooooom.

Lesson for today: Gonna play hard, gonna feel the BURN. My legs are done for today and tomorrow. I may bike tomorrow just to stretch em. Maybe not. I wouldnt mind doing some yoga tho.

[Lebron23]

You are almost 40 and still playing basketball. Props to you.

[DoctorP]

You are almost 40 and still playing basketball. Props to you.

Thanks. This train ain't stopping until the wheels come off. I want to be 80 and still out there like a turtle throwing up some shots.

[Lebron23]

Thanks. This train ain't stopping until the wheels come off. I want to be 80 and still out there like a turtle throwing up some shots.

:cheers: :rockon: :applause: :bowdown: :rockon: :cheers:

[01amberfirewv]

Thanks. This train ain't stopping until the wheels come off. I want to be 80 and still out there like a turtle throwing up some shots.

I'm 37 as well and have the same attitudes. It seems like I go through spurts where everything is hurting or I only have 1 injury. I rarely ever play pain free but I don't want to not play. I've found myself standing on the 3 point line when I am hurting though so I guess I adjust my game for the way I feel

[DoctorP]

Friday 4.22.15 3 hour low/medium impact workout.

I'm doing okay. Has it really been a month? Unbelievable. I was doing well after my last update but then I guess I got cocky and decided I needed to "chill" to congratulate myself on feeling good about my productivity. This led to me to go into a weed coma for about three weeks. This is not productive for me in the least. I basically went into "low-power mode" and just watched terrible Youtube clickbait content for about two weeks, barely getting out of the apartment. Weed does this to me. I don't know why I keep going to it, I guess I really like it. It pisses me off that I give into my addiction and cease to function normally but eventually I was able to stop smoking enough to get my wits about me again and begin to work out. Today, I basically ran, played shitty 3 on 3s and tried to get the cobwebs out of my system. A successful re-entry back into the world of fitness. Damn, I'm sore. The worst thing was a group of high-schoolers watched me pull some old-man shit like flubbing a layup while getting no lift and did their "monkey excitement" thing where they run around and laugh like cartoon characters.

Today's lesson: I'm a weed zombie. I need to seriously limit my weed intake to almost nil. Also: Don't get cocky, stay consistent.

[KiiiiNG]

Friday 4.22.15 3 hour low/medium impact workout.

I'm doing okay. Has it really been a month? Unbelievable. I was doing well after my last update but then I guess I got cocky and decided I needed to "chill" to congratulate myself on feeling good about my productivity. This led to me to go into a weed coma for about three weeks. This is not productive for me in the least. I basically went into "low-power mode" and just watched terrible Youtube clickbait content for about two weeks, barely getting out of the apartment. Weed does this to me. I don't know why I keep going to it, I guess I really like it. It pisses me off that I give into my addiction and cease to function normally but eventually I was able to stop smoking enough to get my wits about me again and begin to work out. Today, I basically ran, played shitty 3 on 3s and tried to get the cobwebs out of my system. A successful re-entry back into the world of fitness. Damn, I'm sore. The worst thing was a group of high-schoolers watched me pull some old-man shit like flubbing a layup while getting no lift and did their "monkey excitement" thing where they run around and laugh like cartoon characters.

Today's lesson: I'm a weed zombie. I need to seriously limit my weed intake to almost nil. Also: Don't get cocky, stay consistent.
:roll: :roll: :roll: :roll:


And dude, I can kinda relate with the weed thing. I don't smoke anymore but back when I was 17-18 I smoked hella weed and basically had the same behavioral habits.... getting complacent and putting your progress on hold... :facepalm

I would justify it by telling myself I'm avoiding injuries by chilling instead of playing, but I've never had an injury in my life and really had no reason to be concerned about them. Weed just makes you a lazy ****.

[DoctorP]

:roll: :roll: :roll: :roll:


And dude, I can kinda relate with the weed thing. I don't smoke anymore but back when I was 17-18 I smoked hella weed and basically had the same behavioral habits.... getting complacent and putting your progress on hold... :facepalm

I would justify it by telling myself I'm avoiding injuries by chilling instead of playing, but I've never had an injury in my life and really had no reason to be concerned about them. Weed just makes you a lazy ****.

Yeah. Lazy and stupid. I hadn't smoked for 4 months straight but felt I needed it to relax a little but I go way too far. Thanks for reading.

[DoctorP]

Sunday 4.24.15 1.5 hour low impact workout.

I haven't had one of these low impact workouts in a while. I stretched a lot while drilling... felt like I was doing Yoga. I soon realized that my arms are feeling weakk and that my core is feeling a little weak. My arms are feeling tight at the extremities of my jumpshots because I am over-compensating for strength. I hit some pushups and ran around and worked on form and drilled a little. Trying not to shoot too much... I could tear something. All of this under an amazing South Florida sunset in perfect weather. I'm feeling good working on my weaknesses, ugh... I'm weak... I am weak right now. I'm going to hit some protein shit tonight. Ordering some honey chicken and fried rice. Boom.

Heat in 6.

[DoctorP]

Friday 4.29.15 1 hour low impact workout.

Not much energy today. Hit some pushups and drilled lightly. The sun was very strong and it was hot. I hope to get back to it tomorrow.

Today's lesson: It amazes what a huge step back it is in fitness to basically lounge for two and a half weeks.* Is it my age? I don't know. :lol I need to do push-ups everyday to gain some upper-body strength. No excuses.


*see last update

[DoctorP]

Saturday 5.14.16 2 hour med/low impact workout.

My travels on the "ladder of fitness" have become a yo-yo since hitting a high point a few entries back. I have been working nights which has me hanging around more cigarette smokers. I haven't been smoking too much but I have bummed a few squares. I really haven't been too active lately but I have been doing push-ups quite regularly so it hasn't been a total loss. When I finally got back on the court today I felt sluggish but my shot felt better than it had been feeling the last time. No muscle pinching or anything. I ran a couple of light full-court games and but was too gassed to finish the second one. Now, for reals, I will continue to get back out there two-to-three times a week to get back into decent shape. I feel flabby. I need core work.

How did I play? Pretty damn good. I blocked the shit out of one dude and hit most of my J's. I'm so glad my jumper hasn't left me. My stop and pops felt very Dragic-esque and so did some of my turnovers. We won the game I finished and we were leading 10-0 when I left the second game. I felt gassed after running the length of the court, crossing some dude and then having the ball rim out on a layup. I should have converted that.

Lesson of the day: Fitness is really about consistency. If you do a little bit every day it is better than doing a lot and then not doing anything and then going back to doing a lot and then... well you get the point. Consistency. I need to break a sweat everyday.

PS: I realized I had been labeling my last few entries as 2015. Obviously, they have been 2016.

[Lebron23]

Post a picture and videos of your game. Thanks.

[DoctorP]

Monday 5.16.16 2.5 hour med/low impact workout.

Ballers log. Supplemental.

Boring day today. The court was too packed and I was able to get one game in at the beginning but it sucked and I didn't feel like waiting and playing any more games. Just shot around and tried to strengthen my core with sporadic pushups and some little dinky shit maneuvers (also had fun doing some soccer moves with the bball, I probably looked like an idiot). I worked up a good sweat though and I am more tired than I expected to be. I ate a double dose of pasta and veggies last night so I think I had more energy than usual. I do feel myself getting stronger and my pushup count is going up. Thats a win. Not much else to report. The moon looked really cool today. It's the 16th day of the 5th month of the 16th year of the second Roman Greco Millennium.

[DoctorP]

Wednesday May 18 2016 2.5 hour med impact workout

Not much to report today. I caught the court empty after some storms passed. I was able to get a good workout in. Looks like Im back in a rhythm. Some dudes came by at the end of the workout to play some two on twos. I hit my first shot but ran out of gas. Nothing noteworthy.

[DoctorP]

Wednesday May 25 2016 2 hour med impact workout

I am in a void of repetition:
Play again
Repeat
Repeat
More endurance
Repeat
Stronger
Repeat
More endurance
Repeat
Repeat
Repeat
Stronger
Repeat
Repeat
More endurance
Repeat
Repeat....


Good.

[DoctorP]

6.3.2016 3 Hour Med/ High impact workout

My girlfriend moved in my pad and has been feeding me. Since I'm usually broke this means a lot more calories, etc. And I even ate some huge steaks. On the one hand this can be bad for my fitness since I'm intaking more crap but today I felt great on the court. I had no tiredness and I ran, ran, ran and played a full court game with no issues. I am feeling pretty strong. All this plus I hit my first floater over a 6'8 guy ever. Felt damn good. Yeah he blocked the shit out of me on a transition attempt but I got him with the floater. Not bad for a guy thats almost 40.

Today's lesson: I have to learn to not get trapped under the rim on transitions. Just float back and hit a midrange or hit someone on a roll.

[DoctorP]

Do you even own an iphone?

No. I have a rotary phone.

[TheReal Kendall]

Hey op you just motivated me to get back on the court regularly.

I was just talking to my homie last night about how we getting too old for this. I just turned 31 and he's 32. He still plays a good bit but always getting minor injuries. I only play like once a week if that.

But yeah I'm gonna get back in the swing of things starting Thursday man.

Thanks for the motivation

[DoctorP]

Hey op you just motivated me to get back on the court regularly.

I was just talking to my homie last night about how we getting too old for this. I just turned 31 and he's 32. He still plays a good bit but always getting minor injuries. I only play like once a week if that.

But yeah I'm gonna get back in the swing of things starting Thursday man.

Thanks for the motivation

Hey, thanks for reading my logs. I think you are making a good decision... def get out there if you love to play.

[DoctorP]

current log:

In the midst of a 1/4 green sesh. I want to get out into the sun and play ball but I feel like my blood pressure is low and things are flowing easily into my brain. I may skip on the workout to remain in a chill zone.

[Lebron23]

Just played basketball for 2 hours.

[Lebron23]

Going to the basketball Court at 7 am. It's time to play again.

[DoctorP]

Thursday 6.23.2016 low impact workout

Finally got on the court again after a bike ride. I played in surf shorts and running shoes. Didn't matter. I went 5-0 against scrubs led by a fat, short, no-vert having Kyrie Irving wannabee. His dribble-moves were a decent knock-off but he sucked. He sucked mostly because he was short, slow and fat. The 2 dudes I met on my team were good passers and we enjoyed over-passing. I dug that. Maybe over-passing is catching on? Anyways, mini-Kyrie was mad he couldnt win a game and started calling bad fouls, screaming at his boys and fouling hard. Funny, he still lost. It wasn't even close. We weren't even trying.

[DoctorP]

Friday 6.24.2016 2-hour med impact workout

Crazy day today on the courts. I was playing 3 on 3s and won a set of 3 with my usual over-passing style. I was racking up assists like a madman. Then it was on to a full-court game. We were winning and I guess I was talking too much trash because this little punk started trying me. When I tried him back his bigger brother stepped in and tried me back. I didn't back down and insulted his mother.

I wouldn't have it any other way.

Then after constant bickering back-and-forth I finally said "okay, my bad. Let's just play." But the guy wanted to fight. There was no way around it. He was melting down. He put his fists up and started going after me. Nobody tried breaking up the fight. They wanted to see it go down.

He swung at me 4-5 times, missing like a chump.

Now the rest is blurry, but, the guy swung at me and connected with my arm. In my mind I was like "let me surprise him with a kick". I was tired as **** and tagged him with a weak left kick. It was shit. Then he connected with my mouth and my teeth ripped open my bottom lip. I have a scar from the same shit happening a few years earlier on my left so now I'll have scars on my right side. Might be time for plastic surgery. I didn't go down though and his little brother swung at me and I think tagged me in the back of the head. And then they ran off.

I gave them some space to run off and then followed so I could get their license plate. I called the cops and filed a police report when the ambulance came. I was a bloody mess and didn't get a good hit in. There were dudes all around so I'm sure the footage will be somewhere on the internet soon.

I was released a few hours later from the hospital with a broken wrist (I have no idea how) and lacerations to my face and head. I will be pressing charges because I need to pay my medical bills and I have to sue somebody.

Todays lesson: Some people are too stupid to comprehend the concept of trash talk. I knew this already but I have to remind myself that there are some dumb mother****ers out there. I'm too old for this shit. I'm going to keep to myself and stop messing with younger fools that think they are invincible. On the bright side, at least there was no gunplay/knifeplay involved.

Medical ramifications: The hospital used the super glue on me. No stitches used. That's a first. I have 4 staples on the back of my head and a cast for the broken wrist. This is going to be one hell of a medical bill. Got a CAT scan. No concussion. Got XRays, fractured left wrist.

[DoctorP]

http://assets.nydailynews.com/polopoly_fs/1.2680439.1466433176!/img/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/article_750/block21s-1-web.jpg

Never give up.

[DoctorP]

Still recovering. Out 3-6 weeks.

I will start biking again on Tuesday.

[TheWinningFam]

Have fun

[DoctorP]

I had an accident and cracked my right shoulder.

Out an additional 3 months.

There will be an extended rehab afterwards.

NOT GOOD.

(sucks gettin older)

[DoctorP]

It's one month later and I am back earlier than expected! My wrist and shoulder are feeling no pain so I gave it a shot with a plan to play once a week to get back into the swing of things. Thankfully I have been riding a lot of bike these last two weeks so I have not been completely inactive.

I shot around and played some 3-on-3 with some peeps and had some issues with strength and conditioning but I have no residual pain so far ( 3 hours later) and that is a good sign that my body has healed.

Yay healing.

[TheWinningFam]

It's one month later and I am back earlier than expected! My wrist and shoulder are feeling no pain so I gave it a shot with a plan to play once a week to get back into the swing of things. Thankfully I have been riding a lot of bike these last two weeks so I have not been completely inactive.

I shot around and played some 3-on-3 with some peeps and had some issues with strength and conditioning but I have no residual pain so far ( 3 hours later) and that is a good sign that my body has healed.

Yay healing.
:banana: :banana: :banana:

[Lebron23]

Gonna start practicing again tomorrow.

[DoctorP]

Another weekend, another few games of bball. FIt felt good to play a few 3-on-3's with no pain. I feel renewed in some ways. I am not really even trying to win games right now and I am happy to be out there playing. I met this dude that likes to run pick and rolls so we crapped on these 2 youngins who wanted no part of it and barely tried to keep up. I don't think they cared, really. The pick-and-roll hooper had fun with it also and wants to team up for bigger matches in the future. Cool, I'm down.

[insidehoops]

Fun thread. I'm reading it.

[DoctorP]

Another day of games today as I have been continuing my attempt at keeping a one-game-a-week schedule going and I have realized that, as far as my conditioning goes, biking is helping me tremendously. Almost more than my bball training regimen as far as cardio goes. I like to ride fast so that aspect gives me extra incentive to push myself more than sprinting up and down court. My nutrition and calorie intake is almost at all-time low levels yet I was able to keep up a steady pace of running due to the cycling.

I played several games and as I got more and more tired I kept talking too much shit. I am an old school point-guard that likes to communicate on court but against this lower level of comp it's not necessary at all and most-likely excessive. Plus, I put up shit shots due to pushing myself too hard and not being able to relax.

It's the same deal I have already written about. A need for mental toughness as fatigue sets in, a need for more nutrition to offset fatigue, bla bla bla.

The thing is this, I am going too hard and maybe this is the time, at 37 years old, to sit back and enjoy myself. Maybe not try too hard and enjoy the people and the game yet these guys are competitive and I know I can kick their ass which makes me want to compete.

But maybe this is not my time to compete in basketball anymore.

I'm a writer.

Maybe it's time to take in less calories and more books and tea and preserve my healthy body. The era of competition is over for me.

I'm almost at scrub level now, just happy to be out there and laughing and making a good time of this game of basketball. But my jumpshot can't be ****ed with... leave me open and I can school you.

[Lebron23]

Just shoot around in the court wearing some pants.

[01amberfirewv]

Another day of games today as I have been continuing my attempt at keeping a one-game-a-week schedule going and I have realized that, as far as my conditioning goes, biking is helping me tremendously. Almost more than my bball training regimen as far as cardio goes. I like to ride fast so that aspect gives me extra incentive to push myself more than sprinting up and down court. My nutrition and calorie intake is almost at all-time low levels yet I was able to keep up a steady pace of running due to the cycling.

I played several games and as I got more and more tired I kept talking too much shit. I am an old school point-guard that likes to communicate on court but against this lower level of comp it's not necessary at all and most-likely excessive. Plus, I put up shit shots due to pushing myself too hard and not being able to relax.

It's the same deal I have already written about. A need for mental toughness as fatigue sets in, a need for more nutrition to offset fatigue, bla bla bla.

The thing is this, I am going too hard and maybe this is the time, at 37 years old, to sit back and enjoy myself. Maybe not try too hard and enjoy the people and the game yet these guys are competitive and I know I can kick their ass which makes me want to compete.

But maybe this is not my time to compete in basketball anymore.

I'm a writer.

Maybe it's time to take in less calories and more books and tea and preserve my healthy body. The era of competition is over for me.

I'm almost at scrub level now, just happy to be out there and laughing and making a good time of this game of basketball. But my jumpshot can't be ****ed with... leave me open and I can school you.


I just turned 38 and I feel your pain. I was never the most talented guy playing but I was always one of the quickest. Now that my body is older those days are over. I'm good for one or two quick moves a game but that's about it. If my body is hurting I've got no quickness, no smoothness it's to shoot and I can't guard a stop sign.

[DoctorP]

I just turned 38 and I feel your pain. I was never the most talented guy playing but I was always one of the quickest. Now that my body is older those days are over. I'm good for one or two quick moves a game but that's about it. If my body is hurting I've got no quickness, no smoothness it's to shoot and I can't guard a stop sign.

Thanks for reading. I can get hot with the J and I am a decent perimeter defender but my best days of athleticism are behind me. I would play you tho

[01amberfirewv]

Thanks for reading. I can get hot with the J and I am a decent perimeter defender but my best days of athleticism are behind me. I would play you tho


We need more guys my age to play. I keep saying we need to find older guys to play but I think that's what all the 20 year olds are doing with us

[DoctorP]

Sept 16, 2016

I guess this is why health journals are so obnoxious and unentertaining. At this point I sound like a broken record.

1. Young people, not my thing to be around anymore. I'm like the old guy at the club, not a good look. So I prefer playing alone and this way I can avoid stupid fights.
2. After being inactive since last game I struggled through fatigue today.
3. Now I have to fight through scar tissue pain on my right shoulder, yet not on my left wrist, which is surprising.
4. It's still an uphill battle to get the right nutrition, I don't eat enough protein.

I think my conclusion has become this: I find that the healthiest lifestyle for me is not even when I'm playing a lot of bball, its when Im up early walking around, using less desktime (sucks cause I draw a lot) and when I am constantly active throughout the day. If I am inactive, sitting around (even if im working) and just not being mobile I will easily lose all of the cardio gains.

It sucks but it looks like from here on out playing competitive bball will always be an uphill battle. So not fun but, **** it, this is how it's going to be. I am going to try to get into a lot more biking and use basketball as more of a compliment to the biking. Maybe I will get more inspired during the season.

And I now owe eight thousand dollars because of that fight early this summer. No insurance in this country is Fd. Credit? Fd. I can see why people in the hood would rather kill or be killed, fighting is too expensive. That's a terrible joke.

[DoctorP]

Anyways, years later and I'm livin in the city and after slackin last year due to city adjustment and then a brutal winter, I am back in somewhat of a rhythm.

The city is cool. Smarter people and a great variety of people that gives you that american world feel. It's an american city.

After a few training sessions and consistent play, I have noticed soreness whereas befoe the soreness would go away earlier, but when I'm on it feels good. Got a good chi energy lift from the repetition.

But my days of going maybe twice a week or at least once a week of good hard action may be at an end. We will see.

Hitting threes like Kawhi.

Feeling the wingspan.

I'm too short for the pros.

Maybe Europe.

But I'm too old now.

Maybe I could do a season in Puerto Rico or something. Nah.

[DoctorP]

I beat this guy one-on-one today. I was surprised I won.
This guy he was an outside shooter with this Kyrie Irvingesque dribble-play. He faked me out pretty good at first, I had to adjust to that snake dance haha
He creamed me off the bat with multiple threes but I started driving and actually working on finishing my drive game with soft touches.

That felt good.
Hit a runner off the backboard.
Hit a bank shot from the wing.

ENded up winning the 2nd match and ended it there.

A great workout for sure

[DoctorP]

Well we have passed the halfway point of the summer and I seem to have physically peaked. I'm feeling strong and physically fit but my body is beginning to get tired of working out. I'd rather not spend so much energy on something that takes me a while to recover and use the energy more wisely. I don't want to risk injury trying to prove something and over-exerting myself. I can walk without soreness and I want to keep it that way. This is called getting old.

I've won some battles and Ive gotten my ass handed to me. There are definitely some ballers in NYC, a lot of dudes here have polished post moves which is against the current NBA trends (maybe that's why they are not in the NBA) but the half-court dominance (so many half court games, no full court) is a bit annoying. I like to run and spot up to shoot and that is severely lacking in the half-court. Maybe it's the courts i'm visiting so I'm still looking for more full-court challenges. I mean, players basically sit at the half-court line watching the game. That shit doesn't go down in my hometown.

Anywhoo, a good summer so far. I love it. Sun and basketball. The best.

[DoctorP]

One good thing about global warming is that it is mid October and I just had a helll of a session playing outdoor BBall with no shirt, getting sun. My 3 ball was legit today, I must have shot like 75 percent on jumpshots and like upwards of 65 percent on the 3 ball. Ridiculous. HItting stepbacks now regularly. WTF. Being skinny has its advantages. Im really thin now.

One of those good days.

Annihilated this hefty dude with ease. He was a good dude, very chill. Had to slaughter him, though.

Didn't feel the slightest pain from anything. It had been probably 2-3 weeks since my last game where I felt tenderness in my achilles. None of that today.

I have been walking a lot more lately. Just walking. It helps.

This little kid wanted to play as I was heading out, I felt bad he was alone. He was bored and didnt know what to do. I told him to try 50 layups and see if he can do it without getting tired. He liked the idea. Good luck, kid.

[hiphopanonymous]

What a cool thread - thanks for continuing to post :applause:

[hiphopanonymous]

I've got a very weird start to my basketball career. I didn't start playing until I was about 23, I'm 32 now and will be 33 soon. I haven't felt the athletic decline yet other than recovery period but I know it will eventually come. In my late 20's I noticed I wasn't getting as good as I'd hoped through merely playing games. I only started practicing with any regularity about 2 years ago. So for a long time even though my brain began to understood the game, my body still couldn't do much that was effective.

Finally, after the few years of practice I'm having a big break out year, my teammates say it looks like I get better every game. I got one of the biggest compliments after the last game, which was that though most of our team is viewed as athletes (hockey, football, etc backgrounds) I am now viewed as a "basketball player" like our teammate that played in college. I like reading the posts here, I may be finally hitting my stride in the game but I know I will need to temper my game at some point here in my 30's so I'll probably have a very short window of experiencing the game at a level that feels impactful. Especially since much of my game is based on quickness.

I'm curious, at what age the few of you posting in your late 30's felt any sort of decline and what declined? Speed and quickness? Jumping? All of the above?

[DoctorP]

What a cool thread - thanks for continuing to post :applause:

:cheers: THANKS! :)

Today I played a quickie. Got some good running in to counteract the 2 packs of cigarettes I smoked this month. VERY BAD! I was winded but made it through my reps. And then played a quick halfcourt set against these youngsters. They could shoot pretty good from midrange and this one dude was the alpha, he was tall and made some solid contested drives. I made a few shots from the perimeter but rolled my ankle on the way down from a jumpshot so played halfspeed and racked up a couple of assists before bowing out.

We shook hands afterwards and that was that. Now my ankle is tender. I had to walk a mile back home and that sucked, hopefully that does not further damage any soft tissue. Im now chilling, watching a game on TV and taking all the weight off of it.

Drinking a chocolate milk. It was a good workout. I feel good.

[DoctorP]

After a winter of gaining about 5 pounds of fat and then a Corona break where I barely went out for a month (probably another couple of pounds of straight FAT), I finally said "**** this" and ventured to the courts for a workout. I thought I was going to be weak as hell but my shot was pretty decent. Mind you, I had a flatter-than-usual ball so that was a boost but yeah... I was hitting shots, running and gunning and keeping my distance from ignorant fools trying to get close to me to start a game.

Tomorrow there will be pushups and let the road to summer fitness begin!!!! BWAHAHAHAHAHHA

(working out has got me feeling hyper as hell. hopefully the crash from the work-out high won't be too bad.)

[DoctorP]

I've got a very weird start to my basketball career. I didn't start playing until I was about 23, I'm 32 now and will be 33 soon. I haven't felt the athletic decline yet other than recovery period but I know it will eventually come. In my late 20's I noticed I wasn't getting as good as I'd hoped through merely playing games. I only started practicing with any regularity about 2 years ago. So for a long time even though my brain began to understood the game, my body still couldn't do much that was effective.

Finally, after the few years of practice I'm having a big break out year, my teammates say it looks like I get better every game. I got one of the biggest compliments after the last game, which was that though most of our team is viewed as athletes (hockey, football, etc backgrounds) I am now viewed as a "basketball player" like our teammate that played in college. I like reading the posts here, I may be finally hitting my stride in the game but I know I will need to temper my game at some point here in my 30's so I'll probably have a very short window of experiencing the game at a level that feels impactful. Especially since much of my game is based on quickness.

I'm curious, at what age the few of you posting in your late 30's felt any sort of decline and what declined? Speed and quickness? Jumping? All of the above?

I began to athletically decline at around 36 myself. I just got a lot slower, less agile and jumping was slower too although my vert is about the same.

[DoctorP]

After what seemed like the longest, most depressing spring of all-time, the sun came out at the beginning of June and I am back LIKE A BEAST!!!
The cops still haven't put the rims up so I am basically playing by shooting at the square on the backboard, it ain't perfect but it gets the job done.

I gained about 10 pounds and probably 10 percent bodyfat since the last one on account of not being able to work out so my first workout was a slug but I pushed through it and I felt IMMEDIATE RESULTS (I kid you not). My bloated beer belly almost disappeared overnight and I felt like my brain was washed over with dopamine. I had so much energy afterwards and I was hyper-FN-active! I felt alive!!!

Two days later, my second workout was even harder because my body was tired and my muscles were still sore. No matter. I slogged through that ****er like a bat outta hell and felt good afterwards. My heart was killing me but it toughened up. I'm focused on cardio I want my heart to strengthen.

That week I ended up having 3 workouts. I felt like I shaved the frosting off of my body. My posture is improved. No soreness. One of the upsides to not exercising a whole damn season is the fact that your joints and limbs get a break. My knees and ankles are fresh and springy. I have the legs of a 25 year old again. This ain't gonna last and I'm not going to push myself like a kid. I'm going to let my body recover so I don't tear anything and then I'm gonna get out there again.... race war or no race war!!!

I haven't lost any moves. My dribbling is still tight and my jumpshot has good form. It's like ridin' a bike.... the skills remain.

[DoctorP]

Im living in Manhattan now and im playing more ball than I have in years. Feeling good, not pushing it too hard but today was one for the ages.

Started warming up with this dude that was like a 6'2 AD. He was talking about Jokic and how clutch he was, I agreed with his sentiments.

Anywhoo, we played these younger cats and they had a 14-6 lead on us and then I hit a two and dished out assists to my guys to tie it all the way up at 15.

Then I said "were gonna have to do you like Denver" and we closed them out as I assisted mini AD with a three ball.

Game. Set. Match.

[DoctorP]

It still fascinates me how something as small as a calf strain can completely throw me off my game. Ive been balling out recently, playing well, moving well, shooting well. Then as I played a simple two-on-two my calf cramped up. I stretched it out and kept playing but I wasn't the same player. I had my jumper and could still play some D. But that was about it. Movement and cuts were in slow motion. I don't know how pro players do it. I will rest a full week and see what happens next. A shame as the season is beginning to cool. But I am happy with my output this summer. I feel I cut weight and am in good health going into winter. Peace, readers.

[DoctorP]

Played a good session today. Felt great, legs were strong. Shot like 70percent, hitting threes. All by the colombia campus. Wn both games.

A little sore now. Will take a nap soon.

Wow, I still have it and it feels soooo good.

Killing peeps half my age on the regular.

[DoctorP]

Furthermore, when you're playing painless and have energy it is a marvel to feel the distribution of physics through the body and will shots in like nothing.

Surely, this is peak form. Max skills and range, body not too broken yet.

[DoctorP]

Its all about balance. At peak form you just have a mastery of balance that can't be explained. You can easily shoot at strange angles and instinctively know how to put the ball in.

Every glide, every step is smooth. You have a bounce in your step that feels almost like a dance. You become a wave of smoothness, vibrating with each step

Your legs lift, your arms respond, your wrists punctuate.

The ball splashes the net to confirm the motion.

[DoctorP]

I'm clearly out of shape right now with a little belly. Overdid it with carbs but I still can dominate casuals with my floor game and shooting ability.

Was down game point and went on an evil ryu super combo tear for a 7-0 spurt to beat these Israeli dudes. I have zero lift but no pain.

Fun times.

[DoctorP]

Currently out of shape but back on the health wagon.

Jumpshot is still pure but it comes and goes due to being out of shape.

To be continued.