Unlike having an expertise in fighting, being able to throw a baseball extremely well usually just earns you more and more throwing. Most people don’t pick fights with black belts. I don’t know anything about fighting but I can throw a baseball like hell, which means I was asked and gladly did a copious amount of throwing.
I’d argue that I wasn’t physically prepared enough or strong enough to sustain this throwing volume and intensity at the time. As a result, my shoulder and elbow took some damage.
I’ll never forget a year after my last season playing baseball, I was heavily immersed in CrossFit. You could find me whining about my shoulder pain and repeating that circular arm loosening shrug over and over again to communicate the pain I was in with body language. At the time my mentor, Andy Petranek, called me into his office. I hadn’t known him long and I remember his direct tone cut right to the core of me.
“What are you doing about your shoulder?”
Immersed in my apathy for the situation, I chuckled and replied, “Nothing,” as if to communicate that I was OK with a little pain and not getting better.
He didn’t think it was funny. His response was simply, “Handle it.” What he said in just two words and what I actually heard was, “Cool story, bro. No one cares. You have a thing. Fix it or at least shut up about it.”
Years later, as a coach, I observe the same behavior in students. I’ve been there, but it doesn’t change the fact that being “hurt guy” or “hurt girl” isn’t a badge of honor. Furthermore, stop talking about it. Handle it. Talking about it like you’re a victim who’s fresh out of options makes you sound like a crazy person.
Stop it.
Logan Gelbrich
@functionalcoach
4/15/16 WOD
Complete the following for time with a partner:
3 rounds:
Partner A: 400m Run
Partner B: Rest
-Switch-
-Rest 3 Min-
3 rounds:
Partner A: 500m Row
Partner B: Rest
-Switch-