Konnichiwa!
And again a different week from what I was expecting, I guess I should stop expecting…?! Or just stay fit…?!
The tournament stared off exciting with a crazy game against Toyota and then a pretty good game versus SG Holdings, both teams from the top league. After the games we got to watch a part of the game of the team we will play in the opening game on March 31st. The team wears orange, that is going to be different playing against the orange for a change haha
And then the next day… my tournament was over… I had a headache and did not feel so well after some bad nights. Of course I just wanted to play so I started the warmup. During the jumping I could not even hold my tears anymore, my headache was getting worse and worse. After a physio check I was brought back to the hotel for a day of sleeping and rest. Sunday morning it was time for the second try, but even getting of the bus didn’t feel right. Another morning of sleep and an afternoon where I watched the second game of the day, but still did not feel okay at all. Some thinking and worrying I started to realize it might not be from no sleeping or too much training, but I might have made a weird move with my neck during the Friday morning game. That made it all more clear, a bit of a whiplash.
Ice, two more days of rest and the Japanese acupuncture (the picture I posted), made me feel much better. Yesterday I could practice again and today was even better, so it seems like I am back on track now, finally.
Soooooooooo definitely not an easy week, especially feeling so bad made it harder to be away from home.
But now back to the positive side of life! My apartment is ready, next week I will get my bike , the temperature is going up and then I am fully ready for this Japanese lifestyle. I even eat my lunch at home with sticks now. Funny thing I noticed when I was going to bed the first night my apartment was ready, I felt so sad my bed was in the bedroom and not in the living room. In Amsterdam I live in a one-room apartment, so everything is close and together. It felt so ‘ongezellig’ going to the bedroom haha
In the meanwhile, how is the pitching going? I have not pitched as much as I was hoping by now, but definitely working on my mechanics and spins in practice in all kinds of variations.
It is finally time to start talking about what we usually see as the most valuable part of the pitcher: the pitch arm. This part of the pitch is very important, but can’t be executed optimally without all the previous steps. So yes, the pitch arm is important, but the power comes from the strength and timing of the rest of the body. Oh and never pull on your arm, always pull the ball!
This weekend we will play 2 games on Saturday, on Sunday and then 2 on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. So 10 games to go, after I will write you again. Hopefully this time I pitched, and did not knock myself out haha
See you then!
Eva
