The Warrior Mentality

[johnyandell]

What did you think of Geoff Williams' article "The Warrior Mentality"?

[gzhpcu]

Nice article Geoff, but, not meaning to be disrespectful: a warrior should be lean and mean. So many guys put on weight after 40. Take Gardnar Mulloy as an example: he practically never gained any weight in his life.

I was 176 lbs at the age of 20 and now at 69 am 190 lbs, which is only 14 lbs more. Am trying hard to go down to 180, but it is too tough. Am 6'2"

This helps a warrior be lighter, faster and less prone to injuries.

[gzhpcu]

Saw you are a gear head.

Here my 1996 Porsche 993 C4S with following mods:
- Special short gears, steel synchros (Steve Weiner., Rennsport Systems, California)
- Euro MO30 Sport suspension with Bilstein HD's
- Euro M030 sway bars
- strut tower brace, front protection bar
- RS engine mounts, RS Light Weight Flywheel
- 3 spoke steering wheel
- alu gearshift, handbrake, FVD pedals, carbon interior parts
- BBS wheels, 8.5 and 11 x 18
- 2S split grill , Becker Grand Prix

[GeoffWilliams]

I'm blazing fast with someone with severe gout, the worst case my doctor has ever seen since January.

Nice. Jy is referring to tennis equipment as a gear head, not automotive.

Piece was filmed during a gout attack, and I have been unable to work out/practice since January. Been shot, stabbed, thrown out of helicopter, beat up by nine guys at a time, but nothing matched gout for pain! Can't walk right or plant. Not too long ago, couldn't even make it to the bath room. Not much of a warrior any more, but the mind set is what it's all about. Gout got both feet, both ankles, a knee, a hand, and this is all that's left of me. Held 175lbs for 20 yrs. until I met my wife! Ha, ha. Now it's 220lbs, a sad day for my once in shape body.

I used to have a consistent set I could fall back on, when the opponent had good returns and passing shots/lobs, but now, the weapons are the only way I can beat younger better players. Only so much a 60 yr. old can do against a 20 yr. old 4.5, but I can still beat them with the attacking game. Grinding is long gone. Tactical changes are also. It's plan A or the highway when you are fat and older. The good thing about this site is that it expresses and exposes many types of weapons for analysis. Disruption is a valid attacking method that works well against big hitters who are affected by it, ie, Safin. Santoro was a master at it, and beat: sampras, becker, safin, etc, with those tactics. Along with Becker/sampras/edberg, Santoro the magician is one of my most missed players! Becker for his mouth and weapons. Sampras for the best serve ever. Edberg for the best volley. Santoro for the best disruption.

[arturohernandez]

The warrior/disruptor

I like the warrior idea. But it seems that there is a bit of disruptor needed when facing a skilled opponent. Tennis is such a game of adaptation that even when one can play like a warrior and feel in control, things can change quite quickly. In that sense, I think the disruptor is always there. Think about Sampras hitting down the line forehands to get Agassi out of his preferred inside-out forehand pattern. Or Nadal hitting high topspin forehands to Federer's backhand. Or Federer slicing his way around a clay court to break Djokovic's winning streak in 2011 at RG. All of them play like disruptors because it is impossible to beat someone at that level through pure skill. Being a warrior is great but I have lost many matches by being outwarriored by a better opponent. But I have won many matches by adapting and finding a way out when I thought it was not possible.

[GeoffWilliams]

None of those shots that change pattern were hit softly.

[GeoffWilliams]

There is more than one way to be a warrior on the court.

Domination, Disguise, diet,

training, tactical changes, attacks, psyche, jamming shots, base line game, transition to the net, net play, all have their own mind sets besides serving and returning mind sets, although first strike of the ball in most matches, always determines who will dominate play. Returners of note do it with aggressive returns, and servers of note do it with aggressive serves. Those who don't take chances or who don't outright attack, are not in the top tier.

Being over weight is obviously a horrible way to start the match! That and gout are the reasons I don't belong on the arena any more. It is an arena. It is a war out there when your self and pride are on the line. Those who claim their self is not on the line when playing matches, are not being honest. If that were the truth, we would neither feel good nor bad upon victory or defeat.

It's not cheifly symbolic when you come off the court hurting inside and out. If you play hard the pain is there whether you win or lose.

[johnyandell]

Phil,
How many many horsepower?

[gzhpcu]

Phil,
How many many horsepower?

285 bhp, but with the very short gearing, it feels like a lot more. The gears are about 20% shorter. Lowers the top speed, but ups the acceleration and pulll, and that is what I need on mountainous roads. Much better than engine modifications which lower the lifetime of the engine. I could have made it a turbo, but then would have to install the picnic tray which I don't like and also have the turbo lag. My Dad had a Porsche dealership in Bakersfield mid-1950's, and that is when the Porsche bug bit me.

[don_budge]

This, that and the other thing...

285 bhp, but with the very short gearing, it feels like a lot more. The gears are about 20% shorter. Lowers the top speed, but ups the acceleration and pulll, and that is what I need on mountainous roads. Much better than engine modifications which lower the lifetime of the engine. I could have made it a turbo, but then would have to install the picnic tray which I don't like and also have the turbo lag. My Dad had a Porsche dealership in Bakersfield mid-1950's, and that is when the Porsche bug bit me.

From "Warrior Mentality" to "Elite Porsche Dealership". Cue "The Disruptor". Biting tongue.

I haven't read the article yet…but having read everything else from "Equipment Guy" I look forward to the experience. Certainly one must be a bit of tough guy…with an assassin's heart. Relishing the kill. But there is another side of it too. One must also be philosophic about the whole deal. It isn't brute primal force. In fact there are many facets to this "Diamond hard look of a Cobra".

Most sorry to hear about the gout. Terribly debilitating…particularly when coupled with extra pounds. This is the real fight in life…where the real inner warrior kicks in. Tennis is small potatoes when compared with issues like these. God speed…man.

[gzhpcu]

Geoff, sorry to hear about your gout problems, but remember that diet is also a contributing factor and being 220 lbs doesn't help. Avoid rich food. Get better soon...

[bowt]

seems like you have been really disrupted by joel druckers article and his pretty backhand drive lol

honestly this article is absolutely ridiculous apply your warrior mentality to food

should be removed

[GeoffWilliams]

I'd take my back hand over Joel's any day! As soon as I got gout, I stopped eating: alcohol, coffee, meat, bread, tomatos, beans, mushrooms, dairy, etc. The pain has not stopped, just dropped down to about 10%. The article is only ridiculous if you think so? That would make your opinion the deciding factor. The truth is, I'd beat any 60 yr. old in the world with the same amount of gout with these tactics! Ha, ha. Just putting on the tennis shoes for this filming of the pieces was bad. But Jy needed some footage, so. Tennis is a warrior sport, for some, and for most, it's not. Those who adopt the warrior mentality go furthest, learn the most, train the hardest, take losses harder, work harder to improve, remember more, and improve faster, for a longer time period.

The truth is, regardless of past life truth or history, all of us have in our DNA: killing and being killed in war. sporting games are just the symbolic by product of our need to kill and be killed. Nothing is more enlightening than death, and nothing is more obvious than loss. Those who are oblivious to loss don't care about their own history. We should train as if our lives depend on it, because they do.

Paraphrasing U. Grant: "There's no secret to the art of war. Go out, find your enemy, hit him as hard as you can, as much as you can, and move on."

Or the Asian master of war: "Those who go into battle not knowing if they are going to win or lose have already lost."

Or: " I am not afraid of an army of lions led by a sheep; I am afraid of an army of sheep led by a lion." Just insert disruptor as a sheep! Ha, ha.
Alexander the Great

So anyone with the desire to see my article removed has already lost the battle. So, I dub thee, Battle Boy Bowt.

[lobndropshot]

The only unfair advantage a player can hope for is a true love for the game.

[ghl312]

I really liked reading the article. Great insight into the mind of clearly a very mentally tough player. I think anyone can take a lot from the article. Even a great disruptor has to have a warriors mindset. However one chooses to play in order to maintain a high level the mindset must be there. An unrelenting burning desire to impose your game on your opponent is what it's all about. Nadal imposes his game on federer by forcing longer more physical points by taking away his opportunity to attack. Federer imposes his game on djokovic by disrupting his patterns with big forehands, although it's not always enough. The best players of all time have been able to impose their game on their opponent with whichever style they happen to play with.