2-17-2024 Esporta Valrico
Today was the last day of racquetball before our racquetball friend Mark is taking his game up to Ohio to be with his family. We wish him the best! Mark is the 3rd guy on the right with yellow on his jacket.
Here are some pics from the action on the courts today!
10-07-2023 Esporta Valrico
It’s been a while since I posted here. I got ambitious this weekend and made video recordings of some games at the Valrico club. Saturday turned out to be a good day of racquetball. I wasn’t sure if we were going to have enough players for one game and wound up with 3 courts of doubles.
This game had Dan (me), Herb, Anna and Mike.
This video is twice as long but has 2 games. Enrique teamed up with Jim and Played Lucas and me (Dan).
This game was with me, Bill, Mike and Anna.
10-07-2023 Esporta Brandon
Some tough, competitive games that night. Posting these here courtesy of Ignacio and his youtube page.
Game #1
Game #2
07-16-2023 – Team Ocala Classic 11 Racquetball Tournament
Below are some pics of the Brandon/Valrico area guys who played in the tournament this weekend. We, as a group made a good showing but I was not happy with my play on Sunday. But I think we have some good pics!
Anyway, Chris, David, Ron, Ignacio, Scott, Dan, and Lukas are pictured below.
11-03-2022
I have had a really sore shoulder and have not been able to play for the last few weeks. There was a club vs Club tournament last weekend (Brandon at Valrico) and Ignacio was kind enough to record a couple of videos to post here for your viewing pleasure :).
I may have some content in a few days after the Dovetail Open in Sarasota. I will be heading down there tomorrow.
10-15-2022 Esporta Valrico
Saturday morning Doubles. A few pics of the guys towards the end of the day:
10-10-2022 Esporta Valrico
Showed up for the singles league tonight and warmed up with a few of the guys that were still there from earlier in the day with a few games of doubles.
I have had an ache in my right shoulder that today, turned into a pain and I was not able to play any singles matches. It will be ice and ibuprophen for me for a few days until this shoulder starts feeling better.
I did stick around a take some pics of the others that were able to play tonight.
10-08-2022 Esporta Valrico
Saturday morning racquetball in Valrico. A small but competitive crowd showed up this morning, Below are a couple of videos. One of them is a doubles match where Herb and Bill kicked Lucas and my butts all over the court. They played well and deserved the win! The second video is a game of cutthroat between me, Bill, and Lucas.
A couple of Open players showed up and played a few of games of singles. I grabbed a couple of pics from their play to show some of the action between Brad and Joey!
10-05-2022 Esporta Valrico
Fun, competitive night on the courts tonight in Valico! Played with Bill, Lucas, and Scott. Below are a couple of the games I played. One of them is my last game of the night where the 4 of us played doubles.
Still trying to get more comfortable with splat and pinch shots. I used them a few times tonight, some were good and some were not. I am going to keep trying to implement them into my game until I get much more consistent and I can trust those shots from many spots on the court.
10-03-2022 Esporta Valrico
Monday night singles at Valrico club tonight didn’t start out very well for me. Scott played his butt off and came away with the win and then I took a loss to Robert. Both were close losses. I then bounced back with wins against Lucas and Raul. Below you can see the game between Raul and me.
09-26-2022 Esporta Valrico
Showed up to play some singles tonight and would up only playing cutthroat. Played a few games and then Dan and Ron wanted to endulge. We all played hard and at the end of game 2, none of us had the energy to play what we intended to…. and that was to play a few games of singles.
Below are some pics of guys that showed up to play singles during the Monday night league and actually did!
09-19-2022 Esporta Valrico
Had a good night on the Valrico courts tonight. Showed up early and had plenty of time to warm up. Scott showed up and we played a game of Singles. Scott was feeling lucky and we continued straight into a second game. You can watch the video of both our games below.
I played a few more games and I was seeing the court well tonight. I did a good job of controlling center court and made some good shots. I am still continuing to practice splat shots so I can trust this shot and not just use it when the point doesn’t mean too much.
09-01-2022 Esporta Brandon
08-31-2022 Esporta Valrico
Played at both local clubs this week. Here are some picks from the Brandon club and a couple of videos from the Valrico club.
08-27-2022 Esporta Brandon
I showed up this Saturday morning hoping to hit some demo Gearbox racquets and make a new racquet purchase. I hit a number of racquets but narrowed it down to two. I liked the GB3K 17G Teardrop and the 165 Quad. Quad and Teardrop is the shape of the racquet. They are very similar in appearance but the quad has a bigger bend towards the bottom of the stringed area of the racquet making it a bit wider in that area.
I won a couple of games and lost a couple of games but that can be expected when changing racquets like I was. I also got to play a singles game with a ranked open player. He kicked my butt but it was a good experience. He made a bunch of great shots but I was able to extend some rallies and made him run a little bit too.
Below you will see some pics from today, what my broken racquet looked like, and my new racquet purchase. I heard of a company that can fix a broken racquet so I send this one off to see how the repairs hold up. Ill post pics when I get it back.
08-25-2022 Esporta Brandon
Last night (Wednesday), I was working through some drills and found my racquet was broken. I must have actually cracked it the last time I played without knowing and it finally broke when hitting balls during practice. Bummer!
Showed up today (Thursday) and immediately we had 3 cull courts of Doubles games going on. I was matched up with Chico and the fun began.
My backup racquet has a larger grip than my broken racquet and I did not realize how much different it would be to play with. I started out on the backhand side but soon found that I was struggling because of the grip size difference. Chico and I switched sides and we went on to win a couple more games playing the forehand side. We did lose a couple of close games to Bobby and David, but all in all, it was a good evening.
Now I am in the market for a new racquet. This should be fun.
08-22-2022 Esporta Valrico
Tonight started out with a game of cutthroat with Speedy Dan and Robert. I was hitting the ball pretty well but I have a bad habit of placing the ball in the corners when I’m in the front court and not hitting good corner shots with emphasis. When I do this, I leave the ball up and allow my competition time to get to it if they want to hustle. Yeah, we have played those people who don’t want to chase a ball that far forward, but most people that I play will chase these balls down. Some make it, and some don’t. It is definitely a habit I need to change.
After this, I played a couple of games of singles and although I won, every point was a rally or contested. My serve was working pretty well and I did get a few aces. In every game, I gave up an early lead and had to fight back by controlling the center court. I talked a week or so ago about making better corner shots and that is still something I want to make more consistently. I have put in some practice time on the court, but to make it a shot I trust and use during a game, I’ll need to make it more consistently.
Below are a few pics of the players at the club tonight. Below are Maria and Dinah, Raul, Saul, Scott, and few others.
08-20-2022 Esporta Valrico and Brandon
This Saturday I split time between 2 gyms. In the morning, I went to the Valrico club and played doubles and then visited the Brandon gym to play some singles at Denis’s invitation. Denis runs a few leagues at these two gyms at various times and skill levels.
At Valrico in the morning, we had a good crowd. I think there were 3 courts of doubles going at once. I showed up just before Elvin and we were teamed up. We played nearly unbeaten. We lost one game to Ron and Bill but redeemed ourselves with a win against them in the next game rematch.
I left Valrico gym and on the way to Brandon, tried to repower and rehydrate with a small meal and Powerade.
What I did not know was that there is an 11:00 singles league and this was the day Ignacio and Ryan were playing for the league championship. Ignacio won the match with an 11-10 decision in the 3rd game. Very close match and fun to watch. Congrats to them both!
I got to play a couple of games and once my back and hamstrings uncoiled from stiffening up on the ride over, I played okay. I got in a couple of games of singles and a game of doubles with Zsolt who has been recovering from a sciatic nerve injury. Zsolt is also our local Gearbox Representative.
I got to meet a couple of new guys like Aron and Mike today. It was good playing with you both!
below is a picture if Ignacio and Ryan right after their hard-fought match. Ignacio who won is in the red shirt.
08-15-2022 Esporta Valrico
The Monday night league ended tonight with Raul topping Clayton to take the trophy. Nice work Raul! Below you can see some pics from their match.
I struggled tonight. I lost 2 out of the 3 games I played. I lost 15-13, won 15-4, and lost 15-11. Tough night on the courts. I am going to blame it on my visiting family… too much good food, drinks, and shenanigans.
Realistically, I need to get better at hitting the corners low enough where the ball does not cross near center court. I can make these shots in practice, but I don’t trust them enough to play them during the games. I may have to force myself to include them in play and live with the outcome. #livinontheedge
I may have my practice partner toss me some balls so I can practice these shots in a controlled environment. This should help build my confidence in making these shots so I can use them during gameplay.
08-06-2022 Esporta Valrico
Got to partner up with Ron today. That is always fun. We played a few games together and we were pretty successful. Towards the end of the day, we played Elvin and Lucas who both played well and the games were hard fought.
For the last game, I teamed up with Lucas and played Ron and Elvin who are pretty familiar with each other’s games. I think they played in a tournament together in the last few years. Here is the video! This is the first video I am posting. I think it turned out pretty good!
There was a good turnout at the courts this morning. Here are some pics:
08-04-2022 Esporta Valrico & 08-04-2022 Esporta Valrico
Combining two nights of racquetball into one post. Played 2 consecutive nights at the Valrico club this week which I do not do often because I usually what to give my old beat-up knees a break.
Wednesday I went to the club to get in some practice time. When I got there, a couple of guys were involved in a singles game and I took court #3 to run through some drills. Before long, there were another 3 guys strapping on the court shoes and loosening up. There are a limited number of courts in working order at this club due to lighting issues and Dennis was doing a lesson on another court. I decided to play singles as there would not be enough courts otherwise and someone would have to sit out.
I played 2 good games of singles and came away with wins but then Scott played a great game and beat me. He was hitting good forehand kills and did a good job of returning my lob serves. Afterward, Lucas and I played Ryan and Scott in a game of doubles and I got my revenge.
Thursday I got to the club later than I wanted to but there were still a few guys willing to play some doubles. I teamed up with Elvin and then with Louie for a couple of games. The games were close and Bill, Louie, and Elvin played well. Elvin eats up the forecourt, Bill as always hits the corners and Louie was killing the forehand shots. I wish I had that kind of power…..
The crew was about to leave and Elvin asked if I wanted to play a game of singles before he had to leave. I initially jumped out to a small lead and then we fought back and forth and remained tied up at 11 for a bit. Elvin does a good job with his serves keeping the ball close to the wall on my backhand side and heading right into the corner. You have to play his serve very defensively and when you do that with a ceiling ball, he prefers to cut them off and punish you with dinks in the corners. He is very proficient in playing this way. I wound up with the win, but the game was close and fun. This was also the first time I won against Elvin so that’s exciting.
07-30-2022 Esporta Valrico
Played with the group from Valrico this Saturday morning. There were 2 games in play when I showed up and I got teamed up with Bill. I like playing with Bill. We beat this team holding court and went on to win a couple more. We finished our day going 1 and 2 against Mike (Truck Driver) and Elvin in a 3-game series.
Mike and Elvin both made it difficult for us because they both like to cut off ceiling balls and they make good shots when upfront. It was hard to get them out of the way so we could control the court. Elvin has a good overhand serve that seemed to always be heading right into the corner which makes it hard to tell where it was going to end up.
This was a fun day on the courts. I can’t go without mentioning Joe, who you have to stay on your toes against. When he returns a ball, you really have to wait and watch to see where you need to be. It could be a low shot into the corner, a Z-ball, or an around-the-world shot at any time. Whatever works!
07-27-2022 Esporta Valrico
I got to play with a few guys that I had not seen in a while tonight. There were 4 of us and we decided to play singles in a round-robin format. We separated into 2 courts and whoever won would play next, and then the final game would be played against whoever had not yet faced each other.
My first game was against Bill. Bill has a strong forehand and like many other players, you can’t give him opportunities off the back wall. If you do, he will usually hit a good kill shot.
Next, I played Nick and I jumped out to a good-sized lead initially but Nick fought back and at one point, we were tied at 11. This was one of those back and forth games, with really good rallies, but not a lot of points being scored. Nick makes good shot decisions. He hits it where you aren’t. Seems like a simple concept, but not so easily done. This was a fun matchup.
Then I played Lucas, who I have played against more than a couple of times. This is going to sound weird, but Lucas thrives when you hit the ball away from him. He is long and fast and gets too many balls that you don’t think he should. But it is not that he just gets to them…. he generates a good return. He has this little flip forehand shot that catches a bit of the side wall and then hits low off the front wall.
Finally, the group decided to play a game of doubles. Lucas and I teamed up against Nick and Bill. I always enjoy a good game of doubles with good people, and good players.
I don’t remember much about this game of doubles, other than it was fun. I finished the day 4-1. Now heading home to ice the knees!
07-23-2022 Esporta Valrico
Tonight we adjusted and played games to 11. Two courts were unusable due to issues with the lights. With the league down to 3 courts, the wait times between games were long and it also impacted the number of games we would play.
But this didn’t stop me from having a good night. My lob serves were pretty good and my passing shots were not coming off the back wall which made it difficult for my opponents. I was able to mix up my shots and hold center court for the most part. My backhand was pretty consistent although I want to get to a point where I have more confidence in it. This will only happen from practice and I need to make time for that.
07-23-2022 Esporta Brandon
The Brandon group was out in full force this morning. At one point there were 4 courts of doubles games going on. If my math is correct, that is sixteen players! When I got to the club at 8 o’clock, I was already the 8th player. I got teamed up with my buddy Ron and after a short warm-up, we started up a game.
We both struggled in our first game but rebounded well overall. We finished the day with 3 wins and 3 losses. We both were hitting the ball well but sometimes it is all about which team benefits from an unsuspecting crack shot or a lucky bounce.
07-21-2022 Esporta Brandon
The evening started with a game of singles with Willy. He jumped out to an early lead, then we went back and forth for a while and he wound up winning 15-11. You have to stay on your toes against Willy because you do not know what kind of shot he is about to pull off. He is also pretty quick and gets to a lot of good shots.
Next Willy and I teamed up to play a few games of doubles. We pulled out a record of 4 and 2 but the 2 losses came down to the wire.
I played okay tonight. I was hitting good ceiling balls and wide-angle passing shots but my straight passing shots down the line were missing some pop. I hit a couple of good pinch shots but my percent of good vs. bad pinch shots could use improvement. I feel like I need some good alone practice time at least once a week or once every 2 weeks to keep things in perspective.
07-16-2022 Esporta Brandon
Today (Saturday) Mike and Ron made the trip to play in Brandon but I only got to play against Mike once. There was a good crowd and the group kept 3 courts busy.
I was initially teamed up with Paul who I have been told is 83 but doesn’t play like he is a day over 53 😉 !! He has a solid game and moves around the court with the best of them. We ran off 2 consecutive wins against good competition and then ran into the freight train called Willy and Mack.
Next, I teamed up with Enrique and lost a frustrating game to Mack and Albert. Ceiling balls either went too long off the back wall or got caught up and presented them a good return opportunity.
Even good shots took a bad bounce or wound up right on our opponent’s racquets! In the next game, against the same opponents, we played better and came away with the win.
There was no 3rd “Championship” game. My knees were feeling sore and I wound up with 4 wins, and 2 losses for the day. I’ll take it!
07-11-2022 Esporta Valrico
Singles at Valrico tonight. Had a good time visiting with Lucas, Jonathan, Scott, and Clay between games. There were a lot of people there tonight and courts were hard to come by.
I won 3 out of 4 with my only loss being to Clay who could not miss a shot. Even mis-hits cracked out. That is the way it goes sometimes I suppose.
I have to do a better job of not taking some points off, especially at the beginning of games. I tend to give my best effort after the first few points and sometimes I find myself behind and have to work harder to catch up and reverse the momentum.
Here are some pics from tonight!
07-09-2022 Esporta Brandon
Took a bit of time away from the court this past week with the July 4th holiday to visit and spend time with family. I hope you all did the same and enjoyed yourselves.
A good crowd turned up at the Brandon courts this morning. I was lucky enough to play with a couple of different partners; Chris, Chico, David, and Kenny. No points came easy today and that resulted in only winning about half of the games I played.
I had never played with Chris before and he has a solid game. He has great touch in the front court and it took about 1/2 a game for our games to gel. We let our competition jump out to big leads early and although we found back, it was too little too late. Chico makes a lot of good shots on the forehand side of the court and we played well against some tough competition.
David and I struggled and could not seem to make a shot when we needed to. That can be incredibly frustrating. We both felt like we left a lot of opportunities on the court today. Kenny and I stuck around and played together as it was getting late. We played against Mack and Ignacio. Everyone played well and the game was hard-fought. They took the win in the end.
06-29-2022 Esporta Brandon
Showed up to play at the Brandon Club yesterday. A good crowd of skilled racquetball players gathered and there were some competitive games. There were even a few games I enjoyed watching.
I partnered up with Enrique for a couple of games and although we played well, it was not our night and lost 15-14 (more than once!). Those are tough losses and make for more time outside the court waiting for the next game than inside playing 🙁 which I am not a huge fan of.
One of those losses was to Anthony and Mack. There were some good rallies during this game and some great shots. I’m sure we will get them next time!
06-27-2022 Esporta Valrico
This evening Marvin and I had a hard-fought match that went 3 games. We both played well but only one can win and I took the tie breaker. Marvin moves around the court really well and plays hard. His serve seems to always be near or find the crack of the back wall and side wall on my backhand side. If you are not paying attention, it will pop straight out at you or shoot forward along the wall. I played well but I felt like I was lacking control of my backhand. Backhand pinches weren’t working out for me tonight so I had to change it up… try to pass more or go to ceiling shots to get front-court control. I am happy with the adjustments I made tonight but need some time on the court to work on my backhand.
I then played against Jacque. Jacque has a pretty good serve and touch game. He doesn’t give away the direction of his serves which is something I am envious of. You really have to pay attention or he will ace you.
After this, I was ready to head home but stuck around and grabbed a few pics of a doubles match between Maria, Dinah, Jacque, and Lucas. I don’t have any pics of my match with Marvin because I was on the court 🙂 but I wish I did. I found out just before we left that Marvin is moving to Texas in 2 weeks. I wish him the best!
06-25-2022 Esporta Valrico
This morning I played racquetball with a few guys who have not played together in a while. The games were close and competitive and everyone played hard which always makes for a good time.
Ron’s backhand was on point and Anthony was moving around the court well after being out for a while with an ankle injury. Enrique played a couple of games with us as my partner and as always, made some great backhand and forehand shots.
Bill was there and we teamed up to play a few really good games together. We hung in and even won one against a couple of guys who can really cover the court.
Bill was picking apart the corners as he usually does. Lucas showed up and got in on a game or two. He played well and his touch shots are getting much better. I felt like my game was pretty good today. I played the backhand side except for the last 2 games and had some good success with cross-court passes.
I am sure these posts will get more detailed and working on posting pics. Stay tuned!
