Defend. Exploit. Attack.

Twice a week, when he’s in training, Philip Eliana runs the stairs at Vidinha Stadium. Up one set, cut over to the next row, back down, and up again. He does this over and over and over.

“At least 1,000 stairs,” he said.

On this sunny, Friday morning, the Hanamaulu man is joined by his daughter, Natasha Machado. It’s not a fun run. They’re not relaxing. They race some flights, Philip bounding up the bleacher benches while Natasha charges hard up the stairs.

Done with one side of stadium stairs, they circle the track and start up more stairs. And yet more stairs. At the top, each slows, catches a breath, and takes a break, finally.

“We try to push each other,” Natasha said. “I try to keep him healthy. He works hard, trains a lot. Very tough.”

Her father smiles. Stairs, he says, are a must at 53. The best way to defy age, he says, is work hard, but work smart. Utilize minutes wisely.

“It’s the effort that you put within the time that you have,” he says.

Running stairs meets his requirements for effective training.

“A lot of this is to gain speed. The only way you can really gain speed is to go against gravity,” Philip says.

The 1977 Kauai High School graduate loves talking conditioning. Ask him about preparation, and he’ll fill in the details.

“I do a lot of abdominal work, only because when you’re in running or anything your brain has to talk to your legs. If your core isn’t solid, think about it, you got a message going down, it’s going to get all wired up. But if it’s pretty solid from your brain to your legs, you’re good.”

Pushups, pull-ups, squats and sit-ups are key to his workouts.

“I do those because fundamental things to racquet ball are pushing, pulling and squatting,” he said.

“That’s all you really need because those are the areas of range of motion that you’ll do every day no matter what, from getting out of bed to brushing your teeth,” he said.

Hard to argue with his logic, especially since he backs it up.

Eliana recently competed in the 2013 MRF All Military National Racquetball Championships at the U.S. Naval Base in San Diego.

A member of the Hawaii Air National Guard and U.S. All Air Force racquetball team, he competed in three divisions — 50-plus singles, elite singles, and elite doubles. In 11 matches, he made it to the quarters and semi-finals. Although he wasn’t a finalist in his three divisions, he earned two awards: Farthest competitor award coming from the West and his season-ending points earned him the ranking as the 2012-2013 All Military 50-plus Singles National Champion Title.

It’s that title that brings a proud smile to his face.

“It’s always great when you can win a state or regional level tournament but to end any type of sports season as a national champion is a pretty awesome feeling and accomplishment,” he said.

Eliana, a gold and silver medalist from previous MRF championships, began playing racquetball in the 1980s when he was in Germany serving with the U.S. Army.

He’s played on and off for some time, but four years ago, he began playing with more purpose. He’s become a student of the game, analyzing strengths and weaknesses, his own and those of his opponents.

His efforts have paid off. He’s earned a collection of medals, ribbons and trophies. His recent racquetball achievements is long:

• 2010 U.S. All Military National Championships, gold and silver medals

• 2011 Hawaii State Doubles Championships, 1st place in the 45-plus division

• 2012 U.S. Amateur Nationals, 2 silver medals and 1 consolation medal

• 2012 U.S. All Military Nationals, 1 gold and 1 silver medal

• 2013 U.S. Amateur Nationals, 2 silver and 1 bronze medal

He was a member of the 2011, 2012 and 2013 All U.S. Air Force Racquetball Team  representing not only the Hawaii Air National Guard, but the entire U.S. Air Force Air National Guard Service Branch.

The man is proud, no doubt about it. He speaks with controlled enthusiasm and excitement.

“What’s so cool about my national title accomplishment is that it’s taken me 25-plus years to earn this and it’s a dream come true,” Eliana said. “Additionally, to be blessed for being in the U.S. Air Force for only a few years and at my age, selected to the highest level in the U.S. Air Force Sports Program, is something not many in Hawaii, and especially from Kauai, will achieve.”

Conditioning, training

Overall conditioning is critical to his success. Eliana carries 152 pounds on his solid 5 foot, 3 inch frame. Whereas in his younger days he did a lot of weight training and swimming, he focuses these days on a range of motions and activities to build his aerobic base, like running a half-marathon and jogging the trails and roads around the Marriott.

“Cardio is where you really need it. Once you no longer have air, you can’t think. Cardio is the biggest thing. That is what keeps you going. It keeps you in the game,” he said.

He’s careful about his diet — no carbs after 7 p.m. – and sleeps when he can.

“Recovery is important when you play a lot. You gotta give your body recovery. For me, at my age, I gotta give my body recovery.”

Eliana is a diabetic, so he monitors his sugar in-take, blood pressure and cholesterol.

“If you can control those three areas there, you’ll be OK,” he said.

As for yoga, no thanks.

“A lot of people say that’s really good for you,” he says, laughing. “That’s hard.”

Twice a week, he drives to the Pacific Missile Range Facility, where he practices racquetball. It’s the only place on Kauai to play, he says, since the closing of Kauai Athletic Club, where he was the racquetball director.

Eliana is meticulous about training notes. He records what he does well, and doesn’t do well, on a particular day to help him determine where to concentrate.

“That’s what a lot of people don’t do. When I train, I’ll write what I did that day. I’ll write how I felt that day,” he said. “If you don’t do that, you might repeat the same thing tomorrow when you train.”

Playing the game

His, he says, is a game of strategy, finesse and shot placement. It’s about hitting the ball where the opponent isn’t.

“I don’t play the power game,” he said.

He can’t be chasing down every shot and wearing himself out, so position and patience are a must. Shot selection is critical to his game.

“It’s precision that you want. You want to be able to, (snaps finger) when you need it, you can call it,” he said.

While opponents may blast away with a power game, he’ll counter-punch with lobs.

“The beauty is, I don’t have to dive anymore. I save my own body. When you start diving, it’s like, ‘why am I doing this?’” he says. “When I start diving to get to the ball, I know there’s got to be other ways.”

His basic philosophy: Defend. Exploit. Attack.

“That’s pretty much in a lot of things,” Eliana said. “You find out what they want, and you don’t give it to them. You find out what they don’t want, you give it to them.”

He watches for openings and opportunities. He finds if he hurries his game, if he rushes, he loses. Don’t play one dimensional, he says. Change things up. Keep the opponent off balance, keep him guessing.

“You have to be creative in what you do. You have to use the time. I don’t have a whole lot of time,” Eliana says.

No, he doesn’t have much time, not with jobs as a county bus driver and at the Marriott resort, as well as being in the Hawaii Air National Guard since 2009.

His family life is full. He and his wife Marlene have been married 33 years. They have three daughters and four grandchildren.

You have to be moving forward, he says. Don’t stay the same. Don’t do the same things.

“In some ways, not moving forward can be like getting worse,” he said.

If we know something for sure about Philip Eliana, he’s definitely moving forward. Quite fast, too, and upstairs, no less.

Just ask Natasha, his daughter and running partner at Vidinha Stadium.

“He’s awesome.”