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Jackson Bloore

Jackson Bloore

For the past couple of weeks I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know Jackson Bloore, a personal fitness trainer here in San Francisco at DIAKADI Body.

Besides the obvious (stunning good looks with an Adonis body owing to his work as a fitness model), Jackson is one of the nicest, most approachable guys you’ll ever want to meet. He’s also in the best shape I’ve ever seen from someone who’s not a dancer or professional athlete.

I’ve watched his workouts at my gym over the past several months, and have been tremendously impressed by their caliber and quality. Though he has the muscular physique of a bodybuilder, trust me when I say that his workouts are about more than simply lifting weights.

It’s also clear from watching him (and checking out his training videos) that he has a core belief about how to train others that he applies equally to himself, and his own workouts. This is fairly notable at a gym where you rarely see trainers “practice what they preach”.

Jackson demonstrating reverse crunches.

While chatting, I mentioned that I’ve been struggling lately with on-court injuries. Though I’m in great shape by most standards, I’m pretty much at a loss on how to best train my 50-year old ex-dancer body for the rigors of my tennis game. After all, core work and biking only go so far.

We set a time to meet so that Jackson could offer some suggestions on how I could better use my gym time to prepare my body for tennis. What followed was a mind-blowing 10-15 minute chat, with specific exercise suggestions, that gave me great hope for lessening injuries while improving my tennis fitness in 2014.

I asked if I could share some of his insights with my readers, and he agreed. So as his time allows, I’ll share occasional training tips to help you all with various aspects of tennis fitness.

I know this won’t have the same impact as ‘Oprah’s Favorite Things’, but I can’t say enough about Jackson’s knowledge, professionalism, and easy-going demeanor. You can contact Jackson for consultation/training at jackson@actionjacksonfitness.com. He does in-person training as well as Skype consultations. If you’re struggling with injuries and need help with your training regimen, give him a shot.

Until next time, enjoy these two training vids featuring Jackson doing his thing.

The Wilson Steam 99 and Steam 99S

I’ve never been a huge Wilson racquet fan, but wanted to spend a couple of days with the Steam 99 and Steam 99S to see if they could change my mind. No dice! Still not the sticks for me. But I did find lots to like about the Steam 99; less so with the 99S.

Check out my preview video above, then check out the full reviews by clicking the links below:

The Wilson Steam 99: A Solid Choice For Power, Spin, and Control

The Wilson Steam 99S: Promises Spin But Delivers Frustration

Racquets provided by City Racquet Shop of San Francisco.

I’ve never been a huge Wilson racquet fan, but wanted to spend a couple of days with the Steam 99 and Steam 99S to see if they could change my mind. No dice! Still not the sticks for me. But I did find lots to like about the Steam 99; less so with the 99S.

Check out my preview video above, then check out the full review when it goes love on 5/21/14 for Racquet Review Wednesday.

Racquets provided by City Racquet Shop of San Francisco.

The Tour Pro is for players seeking control, while the Tour ESP is for those seeking more spin. Do they succeed in those goals? The short answer is yes. I’ve never owned a Prince racquet, but that might change after three straight wins in tough doubles play during my test hit. Check out the full review for each racquet on my SF Tennis Freak website.

Check out my thoughts on each by clicking the links below:

Racquet Review: The Tour Pro 98 Is an Excellent Baseliners Racquet
Racquet Review: Rip It and Spin It with the Tour 98 ESP

(Racquets provided by City Racquet Shop of San Francisco.)

It was a beautiful day in San Francisco today, so I decided to share a little of that sunshine love with my readers and make a short video message for you all.

Since I was already at my gym (FitnessSF SOMA), I drove a few blocks over to Jackson Playground and set up my tripod near the tennis court. I talked about my recent “Off-Season Tips” postings as well as some upcoming postings where I plan to share some of my own training regimen. And in this run-up to Thanksgiving, I also talk about reaching out to others who are desperately in need this holiday season.

If you have specific suggestions for training tips in this series, send me an email and I’ll do my best to accomodate the request. Have a great week!
(FYI: my occasional looks to my right are to avoid getting hit by softballs hit towards the guys practicing in the field near me. Sorry.)

This final release from this year’s Player Interview series features Adrian Chang: a fellow GLTF’er and resident Canuck. I initially grabbed Adrian for a bag check but realized quickly that he would also be a great choice for a longer sit-down.

I wish could re-shoot this video. From my first to my final shoot, I got better at exploring my subjects, and more comfortable with letting the interviews go off the beaten path. Now that I’m privy to Adrian’s inner workings on Facebook, I see that there’s a lot to explore!

Alas, there are no “do-overs”; but I’m sure I’ll be able to coax him into a video update later this year. 😉

Until then, I hope you enjoy my chat with Adrian.