Rolf Devinci

With shoulder issues on my drawing arm I decided a wise course of action would be to pick up a lower poundage bow to let me continue to enjoy traditional archery.It would also give my son an opportunity to learn the sport without struggling with a heavier bow weight. Picked up a 40#@ 28 Mongolian horse bow on an Ebay auction for $80 USD. It is a basic bow with a decent fit and finish. Nothing fancy by any means but nice nonetheless. In typical Mongolian fashion the bow has a string bridge which gives the bow it's unique look. As a bow designed to be used on horseback it is relatively short and quite light. Perfect little bow for shooting while bushwhacking the woods. Got out this morning to test shoot the bow using my usual bamboo arrows despite the winter like conditions. The 40 pound draw weight was ideal and my wonky shoulder did not complain as it had with my 45 pound longbow and 55 pound Chinese bow. The Mongolian felt good in my hands and had a sur...

Took advantage of the Labor Day holiday to work on my sprinting. Knowing that barefoot/minamalist shoe sprinting places me on the fore/mid foot I was now curious to see how my upper body positioning was at full stride. I also opted to finish off the sprinting session with some Tabata style barefoot sprints.20 seconds "on" with 10 seconds "off" for a brief recovery. That may not sound like much but they absolutely kick your backside. I sped up the video but you get the point.....begs the question though whether if it is a Tabata protocal or mad cow disease? I usually run the sprints the length of the field rather than in circles but to keep it in frame I had no choice.Circles it was. Wrapped up the day at the field with some core work including planks. They got some bite as well - especially after a variety of sprints. Time now to enjoy the rest of the holiday on the deck with some drink and sunshine. Cheers!

Just when you think Geo cannot get any more odd you happen upon my latest blog post. In essence I was in the woods hitting a small stick against a big stick. Things I do for fun? It occurred to me the last time out for archery practice that the dead tree adjacant my shooting range would make a formidable pell. I had purchased a couple oak bokkens last winter to practice some sword katas so figured it was time to actually put theory into practice. After some research on Google and video tutorials on You Tube I headed to the woods to start making a racket. I gotta tell you simulated sword play against a pell is quite the workout. Requiring movement, core strength, flexibility and accuracy it is challenging, fun and you work up a darn good sweat. Begs the question how fit the re-inactors are dressed in period costumes and armor. Shot some video to take home and compare to those on You Tube in regards to proper form and technique. Definitely need to work on my footwork and ...

The Ab Wheel is one simple but effective tool in any fitness program. An old school classic it isolates the abdominals,obliques, lower back and hip flexors. If I had to choose only one tool for strengthening the core this would be it. All due respect to my medicine ball but not only is the wheel very effective but it is affordable and versatile. If you have never used an Ab Wheel before you need to buy (or make) one and add to your current exercise routine. Why is it so good? "It directly targets the abdominal muscles, but it can also help build the hard to get to muscles of your lower back.....An ab wheel forces your core muscles to work together through proper execution of movement which allows your entire core to function as a group." Disclaimer - Critics would claim it places undue stress on weaker lower back muscles and under-developed hip flexors so you do need to start slow and work your way into full extension...

Headed out upon the roadways on the Giant for only the second time since last Fall. Nothing serious since I have opted not to race this season so my focus for 2012 is simply to ride my bike and have fun. No more thinking I need an "on the rivet" training ride every time I get in the saddle and no longer will I be a slave to the numbers. In fact I may just remove the damn cycle computer altogether following AB's approach I noticed last summer during the Bridgewater Century ride. My route today was really a recon mission. Now that the top of Fairview is now accessable from Bayers Lake via the Washmill Connector I now have an ideal loop literally in my backyard. I can head out Dunbrack/Northwest Arm Drive to St. Margaret's Bay road which will loop me to Bayers Lake where I climb Washmill to the top of Main Avenue then down to Dunbrack. Perfect little circuit for those days I do not have the time for longer rides. The climb up to the top of Main or, co...

Under sunny but blustery skies I got out for some archery practice this holiday. The plan today was to work on my draw and delivery.Focus was not so much on aiming the arrow but focusing more upon the target. Seemed to work good. I was consistently hitting the 8 inch diameter target two out of three times from about 25 yards. I then opted to do some shooting on unlevel ground and trying to shoot accurately at partially obscured egg flat sized targets. That is the one advantage of the Chinese recurve over my longbow as I can shoot in close quarters and surrounding brush with less effort Shooting at a static(range) target obviously is good for developing good form but stump style shooting is so fun. It does come with a price in broken arrows - I finally shattered one of my bamboo arrows when it impacted (quite unintentionally) a hard wood tree. It was a good morning in the woods nonetheless. Home to make lunch for the ki...

Since I have been spending time hiking through the adjacent woods of late I picked up a Cold Steel Trench Hawk on Ebay. Based upon the traditional tomahawk design this is one awesome tool and one every hiker, snowshoer or hunter should have. Relatively light with an unbreakable composite handle it is made from high carbon steel and fits into a backpack with ease. The blade comes sharp and is an effective chopper. I'm guessing you could even baton with it despite the rear spike as the tang extends several inches down the handle. The spike makes an efficient digger, fire striker and I have used it to help move deadfall tree trunks. The top of the handle has integrated finger groves so it becomes a comfortable close work tool as well. It fits in your hand quite nicely. Tomahawks were originally designed as melee type weapons and this is no exception. In close this is one handy tool for self defense from man or beast. In fact it i...

Heading into my cold water dousing experiment this winter I wanted to experience all of the varieties so was happy to awake to some snow this morning. It gave me a chance before the arrival of Spring to complete the third and final douse. The plan was to tie it all together; the douse, snow roll and kneeling snow rub. Neighbors must really think I've lost my mind but it gets easier each time and does feel quite refreshing. In fact after a cup of coffee I geared up for a nice(albeit) soggy hike through the woods enjoying the fresh snowfall. Home to another cup of coffee and now to break my fast with a plate of free run scrambled eggs.

Got out on this Saturday to tromp through the woods with the intent to shoot my recurve somewhere other than the basement. A purchase made ealier this winter I have been anxious to actually get it outside for some stump shooting to test it's mettle. I also wated to test the bamboo arrows I picked up as well. Extremely stiff I questioned whether they would be suitable on the shelfless bow since the specs indicate they are good to use on a wide variety of bow poundages? Without a shelf, however, the arrows also need to flex around the bow upon release for accurate shooting so I was curious to see how they faired. It was an awesome morning in the woods. I hiked about for some time just enjoying the bright sunshine while enjoying the quiet solitude. Came upon an access road and discovered an adjacent stack of cut wood that would make a perfect shooting range. I wanted to test both the accuracy and power of the bow. Marched off about 20 yards then set u...

 Awoke today to a lovely winter's morning with temperatures hovering around the 0C mark with a light snow falling. Seemed like an ideal day to continue with my cold water dousing/hormesis experiment. "Some follow cold water dousing with air-drying outside or in wintertime taking a "snow bath" by rubbing handfuls of snow on the body or lying/moving in it....."                                                            Todays dousing would be one bucket of cold tap water but I will add a snow rub afterwards to my limbs, torso and head taking advantage of the new snowfall. Done while in a fasted state it was very refreshing and the cup of coffee afterwards never tasted better.Snow rub fel...

An excellent interview with Matt Lalonde titled The Science Behind The Paleolithic Diet. Hosted by Evolution TVOL. My takeaways..... "...vegan for two years and vegetarian for eight...."  An unique perspective on Paleo tempered from experience on the other end of the dietary spectrum.I think this important and adds balance to his views. "....Using the evolutionary approach or if you're using the anti-nutrient approach...."   .Different methodology for different folks. I know I tend to fall within the anti-nutrient/toxin "camp" and base much of my diet on the foods that work for me (and,conversely, do not) rather than assuming everything neolithic is unsuitable.It's been my mantra for some time so it is gratifying to see some of the brightest minds in the paleosphere advocating an individualist approach...... "The only way to figure out what an optimal diet is for you is to experiment and observe ."          ...

A cold Sunday morning in January meant the local murder of crows were probably really hungry so off to the feeding stump I went with todays offerings of PB&J sandwiches. Grabbing the camera I figured I would shoot some video and placed a small table next to the stump to facilitate the shoot. Crows are intelligent birds and right from the moment I walked away it was evident that they sensed something was different. On a frigid morning like today they are usually diving upon the feast before I have even departed the back yard. Not today. Acutely aware of their enviroment they knew something was afoot and were quite skittish about the table and camera. So I had some fun with the video.......the caws seemed to comprise a conversation so I ran with it.

It was a catch all kinda morning on a damp, blustery winter day. Ended up doing a real cornucopia of stuff in my outdoor playground with plenty of variety. After a warmup run it was some 50 metre sprints..... Followed the sprinting up with some deadfall squats. I really need to focus upon lower body strength this winter. Back on the softball diamond I opted to do some bokken kata. I picked up a bokken online to teach myself some sword play this winter just for the fun of it. Scratch another lifetime "must do" off the bucket list. As a historical reinactment fan sword play has always been of great interest.You Tube is great for these type of things. All kinds of instructional videos to self educate oneself. That said Aikido Ken-Gi is quite complex so my attempts are quite rudimentary to say the least.Things one does to help pass the winter away.....(wink) Followed up the katas with some sword spins. It took me the longest time to figure out the han...

On the heels of my hormesis post, inspired by KT's polar bear swim and a natural extension of my fasting regimen I have decided to tackle a cold water dousing experiment this Saturday on my favorite guinea pig......me!(wink) "Reporting benefits of improved circulation, healthier skin, overall vitality, and faster recovery from injuries, people from many cultures still swear by the age-old practice(cold water therapy) and it is recommended by Russian Systema teachers and some of the Asian (including Akido) Martial Arts practitioners."                                 G. Carver http://gregcarver.com/blog/2011/hydrotherapy-cold-water-dousing/ According to Russian Systema the practice of cold water dousing involves....."taking a large bucket, filling it with water as cold as you are able to get it from Nature (in our ca...

 Today is probably the coldest day yet as we awoke to a dusting of snow and -6C temperatures made all the worse by a windchill.My adopted murder of crows were hanging out in the back yard awaiting breakfast and I did not disappoint - on the menu this morning were trimmings from a cross rib steak, a dinner roll and peanut butter sandwiches.Once recognized(yup - they know me) the sentinel crow then "caws" the dinner bell and the rest of the posse arrives in short order.   Fortunately they enjoyed the steak and leftover roll before the gulls made the scene and gulped down the sandwiches after having chased off the Starlings. Gulls are definitely the T Rexes of the local bird population.Two of them singlehandedly finished off the cubed sandwich in short order. Generally my crows will either pick up a cube of sandwich or offal and scoot off to enjoy the meal or fill their beaks and then depart the scene completely. My understanding is the male crow wil...

I guess the title pretty much sums up the body of this blog post. I was feeling good heading to hockey today and was seeing the ball well so I have no excuses. The first game was tied when a late comer arrived and defaulted to the other team who had one less player. Problem was he is inarguably the best ball handler and playmaker we have on the roster. His presence quickly un-leveled the playing field as the opposing squad began to dominate. We kept the first game competitive but lost 10 -8. Second game began badly as we dropped three consecutive goals but did rally to make it a close game. The other squad were dominating the match forechecking, passing and taking advantage of our lack of a backcheck.We kept it close thanks to one of our forwards singlehandedly scoring at least 6 of our 8 goals. It quickly was becoming one of those days for me. Despite my best efforts I was unable to make that critical save or control that important rebound and the frustration in my g...

 Last winter I picked up an American hickory Modoc style longbow and self taught myself(with the help of You Tube) the basics of traditional archery.Heading into this winter I decided to expand my knowledge by purchasing a 55# traditional Chinese recurve hunting bow. Much shorter than my Modoc bow it will facilitate indoor(basement) shooting much better so I am anxious to string and shoot it. Unfortunately it is a Christmas gift to myself so will be off limits till Christmas Day. Stay tuned.....

Quite the day in nets.Saw lots of rubber today....whew!

Today was my return to playing nets at Sunday ballhockey for the first time since my bike crash on the Thanksgiving weekend. I have played out for a couple games and all felt good so today was the test to see how the knee felt playing goal, specifically the demands of post to post mobility. Still sore to the touch the knee worked fine, albeit in a losing effort. I lost the coin toss and didn't get the first draft today so the opposing goalie ended up with the first, third and fifth picks.Since we were missing a couple skilled players today he definitely ended up with the stronger team. Luck in the draft also meant he had an extra spare which played a role later on in the day when fatigue became a factor. I was rusty! Not seeing the ball well and turning it over behind my own net in an attempt to clear the play. My game quickly because nothing more than making myself as big a target as possible in an attempt to stop the ball. . Despite the speed, s...

Today was the start of the 2011-2012 Sunday Ball Hockey season and my return to a winter of goaltending. I was looking forward to the start of hockey and actually got an early primer on Thursday night. Scheduled to play out I got the "call" late that day to play nets as the regular goalie was unable to make it. I have made a change this season by picking up a newer pair of goalie pads over the winter. The Itechs are much lighter than my old leather Browns with a smaller side profile but much improved protection and strapping, including a thigh pad. I also picked up a goalie specific jersey which is way more comfortable with far less restriction and binding of my regular style jerseys. In hinesite it was good to play goal on Thursday. It gave me an opportunity to test the new pads and make adjustments accordingly before todays match. I needed to punch some new holes in the straps to snug up the pads to my comfort which made a world of difference this afternoon. Other th...