[Houdini]

I've used it to warm up for bouldering.  Just the ticket at lower revs.  Obviously you must take it.


What's the betting Akis et al use creatine?   

[dave]

looks to me like akis uses scotch eggs, pork pies, fried bread, sausage & mash etc.

[Jaspersharpe]

And lots of training with his "harpoon gun". 

[Houdini]

The mystery of Scouses' beastliness revealed @ PBHQ:

I know this ball in fact, I purchased on (sic) about 3-4 years ago after spotting it in the online store of an prominent UK high street chain calling itself a "Powerball" and wondering why we hadn't seen it before!

It was actually a 'rollerball' (not a Powerball) and you'll recognise it by the little "rocketship" symbol on the screen of the three function counter where the 'lightening bolt' symbol should be on ours. I managed obscene scores on my one too, simply because the counter is about 30-40% off the mark in terms of accuracy but it hurt like hell due to the vibrations at the higher speeds.

Mystery solved for sure, I wish I had seen the post sooner, thanks for the feedback regardless.

They're obviously winding you up, Scouse.   Doubt you'll get the new counter (hey!  Maybe they've posted it!?) 

[Scouse D]

Basically my ball is shit, and not a powerball. you can buy em for less than half the price here
http://www.kiteworld.co.uk/acatalog/Kiteworld_Catalogue_Games__Toys_and_Indoor_Fun_Ideas_142.html

[unclesomebody]

 

[dave]

and thus ends the legend of the world's most optimistic powerball.

[Scouse D]

sorry Unc. I really appreciated your belief!

[Houdini]

Tips from the man himself, Akis Kritsinelis (March '05) -

POWERBALL: Tips and suggestions for achieving those high speeds
Here are a few powerballing “tips”, meant to assist you in raising you scorings and generally improving your powerballing ability.

Spinning technique:
Firstly you should get accustomed to the correct spinning technique. There are detailed guidelines and also some videos in the official site, but generally you should keep in mind the following:

-You should always rotate your wrist and never your forearm.

-You should “listen” to the ball and try to be synchronized during the session, “following” rotor’s rotation.

-You should not whisk it either faster or slower than it is “willing” to take.

-At very high speeds, there is no actual rotation of the wrist, but high intense “jolts”.

-A very tight, “locking” grip should be established in order to reach really high speeds.

Exercising:

Repeated exercise with the powerball is absolutely necessary in order to improve your ability. You should not try only highest rpm sessions. Training under strength / endurance mode is essential.

I would suggest you to use 30-sec and 60-sec sessions on one hand and 90-sec session on both hands (switching during session). Make sure to spin the rotor up to a sufficient level before resetting the counter.

And don’t think that you will improve by just spinning to a modest level (like 5000-6000 rpm). This is useful only for relaxation and rehabilitation purposes. In order to improve your strength and ability you must literally suffer!

You should use about 80-90% of your capacity when practicing and feel like your arm is about to fall down! This way, not only will you be improving your powerballing ability but you will also exercise your arms and feel strengthened and “pumped’ from shoulders to fingertips.

The frequency and tension of the exercise should be formed according to your temperament and capacity. A general scheme would be to exercise for half to one hour day after day.
I would also recommend that you use two powerballs. One for high scores and another for practice. This is due to the fact that while practicing you will often become exhausted and it may be difficult to always keep a firm grip on the ball. This results to rotor “bumps” and generally improper operation, which may reduce the ball’s highest speed capacity (though it does not really affect it as an exercising tool). On the other hand, a ball which is used only for high score attempts, is easier to be held firmly and will progressively be “settled” in such a way that all inner parts co-operate most efficiently hence allowing it to achieve really high speeds.


Reaching really high speeds:

In order to achieve really high scores, try the following:

1. Perform exhausting exercising sessions for a week. Practice more intensely than you usually do.

2.If you exercise with weights, you may need to “lighten” your weight exercising for that week. Weights may make you stronger, but will generally make you sluggish and reduce your wrist’s and forearm’s mobility.

3.Select a day on which you will have enough time available and generally be in a good physical condition.

4.Commence highest speed sessions and persist eagerly until your scores improve.

5.After some time (it might well be a few hours so don’t be in a haste!) you will enter a really “hot mode”, where you will magically begin to hit scores far higher than usual.

6.Now you should really go berserk until you hit 15k. Or at least until you hit a really smashing score!

Hope the above helps a little!

[GCW]

Tips from the man himself, Akis Kritsinelis (March '05) -

-You should always rotate your wrist and never your forearm.

By using a strange wrist swirling technique?  Ah, now I get it.

Don't forget GCW, the powerball is actually a forearm trainer.   

 

[Houdini]

Rotating your forearm trains your bicep/pec.

Rotating your wrist, the forearm.



Your reply is double confusing for this.

[GCW]

What are you on?  I must have misunderstood your original post or summat....

Don't try to out-SCIENCE me!  You shouldn't have edited in "pec" cos they do nowt for forearm rotation.  Humeral internal rotation I assume you meant to say 
Houdi, repeat after me:
Pronation:  Pronator Quadratus, Pronator Teres (anconeus and FCR do very little, despite what some people say)
Supination:  Biceps brachii, Supinator

Any more poor anatomy will be punished.....   

[GCW]

Just got 5,271 on the 30 seconds strength thingy.  Pumpy.

[Houdini]

What are you on?

  Tawny Port. 

I must have misunderstood your original post or summat....

Bingo!

"pec" - blah - forearm rotation. 

You're right.  Rotation is the rogue word here.  The forearm doesn't revolve so much as move in a circular motion.  Wholey, no internal movement.  When I do this my pec is operating.  Think Akis was talking about training speed, not training per se.

Whatever...  When this fat ass postie pulls his finger out, I'm gonna nail your Personal Bests to the latrine door.


(I've reading up on how long some people train on these balls:  seems to be between 1/2 and 1 hour a pop.  Akis has written something about entering a "Hot Zone",  (Soapy!  Do you know anything about this?)  after he's been training for at least an hour his grip goes through the roof.  I'm about that stage now.  It all seems to click after 40 mins or so.)

That's right,  the latrine door.

[Bubba]

When this fat ass postie pulls his finger out

Watch it sonny jim

[Houdini]

S'OK  Bubs,  I don't think I'm on your round 

[Houdini]

That's right,  the latrine door.

Ain't irony great?



Got it!

Bit afraid to use it mind (bastard session yesterday)  Mid 12's.  See what the weekend holds.

[Jim]

just got 11496

[Houdini]

12885.  I'd go on but lunch is waiting.

[Houdini]

Had one pre-dindins whack and got 13232.

[GCW]

Had one pre-dindins whack and then got 13232.

Do you always masturbate before dinner?  If you did the PowerBall first, you may score higher.

The UKB 250Hz PowerBall league
Irish Alan  Somewhere over 14,000
Houdini  13,232
GCW  12,529
Scouse D  11,934  (but honourary champ for keepin the faith)
Dave  11,930ish
clm  'bout 11,800
Jim 11,496
Falling Down 10958
SA Chris  10,475
Dave  10,293
PaulB  9942
slack---line  8577
 
30 second strength
GCW  5,271
No other offers?
 

[Houdini]

Do you always masturbate before dinner? 

During, mostly.

I was in a foul mood yesterday.  I couldn't believe how crap I was at Powerballing after 4 months of regular use having watched my forearms go Popeye.  On reflection I'm glad as the competition will be closer.

I'm not massively keen on the 250Hz model: the counter takes my tips further away from the rim and it's significantly harder to grip.  The wail my original ball makes is much higher than the 250Hz.  I'm experimenting with different grips.  My R hand is far stronger than the L yet the L is faster.  The bigger ball makes it darn hard to grip in my L so I've learnt to use it with the counter facing out of the palm, I get better purchase on the ball.

If anyone is serious about training for high speeds they should find another ball for ordinary training (perhaps a cheaper Original ball) and keep the 250Hz for p/best attempts.   I paid €40 for my 250Hz;  I think that's quite steep. 

Todays high score came easy, but then I didn't warm up using a ball but ran for over an hour then speed skipped for 15 minutes.  I think this is the way to go vis-a-vis highscore attempts.


And there shouldn't be any "-ishes" or "'bouts" in your score.  Write the score.  And may the beast man win!

[GCW]

30 second strength
GCW  5,271

Make that 5,349

[unclesomebody]

Do you always masturbate before dinner? 

During, mostly.

I was in a foul mood yesterday.  I couldn't believe how crap I was at Powerballing after 4 months of regular use having watched my forearms go Popeye.  On reflection I'm glad as the competition will be closer.

I'm not massively keen on the 250Hz model: the counter takes my tips further away from the rim and it's significantly harder to grip.  The wail my original ball makes is much higher than the 250Hz.  I'm experimenting with different grips.  My R hand is far stronger than the L yet the L is faster.  The bigger ball makes it darn hard to grip in my L so I've learnt to use it with the counter facing out of the palm, I get better purchase on the ball.

If anyone is serious about training for high speeds they should find another ball for ordinary training (perhaps a cheaper Original ball) and keep the 250Hz for p/best attempts.   I paid €40 for my 250Hz;  I think that's quite steep. 

Todays high score came easy, but then I didn't warm up using a ball but ran for over an hour then speed skipped for 15 minutes.  I think this is the way to go vis-a-vis highscore attempts.


And there shouldn't be any "-ishes" or "'bouts" in your score.  Write the score.  And may the beast man win!

Are you taking this a little bit too seriously? 

[Houdini]

I never joke about training Unc'.

Facts:  since using this ball my wrists no longer dislocate on footless sloper climbing;  my power-endurance has come on in leaps and bounds;  pinching (previously a weak point) is now a strong point of my bouldering; and my handshakes are firmer, fuller, longer and less camp.   

I expect to see similar gains in drunken armwrestling and especially in the murky world of sadistic Shithead forfeits.