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When a new mother leaves the house to head for the hospital, there always seems to be something that the couple has forgotten. It may be a nice idea to create a hospital gift basket that you can give to the new couple ahead of time that includes everything that they will need during childbirth. The advantage of placing all of these items into a basket is the fact that the couple can grab just one item in their rush to get to the hospital instead of searching for several.

You can purchase relaxation CDs and a small CD player to place in your hospital gift basket. There are CDs that play relaxing music as well as those that coach deep breathing relaxation exercises. These CDs can be extremely helpful in the hours leading up to the actual childbirth.

You can also purchase wash cloths and hair clips to place in your basket. The hair clips can aid in tying the mother’s hair back as she begins hard labor while the new father can use the dampened wash cloths to keep the mother cool.

If the new parents have attended a Lamaze class, you may want to include a Lamaze booklet in your gift basket. Even though the couple may have attended numerous classes, once the labor sets in they may forget most of what they learn. By having a booklet with them, the father can reference it to remember the techniques used to help his wife relax.

Back labor can be an extremely painful aspect of childbirth. You may want to include a pair of tennis balls in your hospital gift basket. If the new mother does experience back labor, the father can place these balls underneath her back to help ease the pain.

As well as items needed during the long hours of labor, you may also want to include gifts that can be used immediately after the child is born. You could include a camera and film in your hospital gift basket in case the parents have forgotten to bring these items. This gift will ensure that the parents are able to record the first minutes of their baby’s life.

Another item that you may want to include in your gift basket is bottled water. The mother will be very thirsty after her ordeal and most hospitals offer only tap water. You may also want to include crackers or some other food items that the mother will be able to digest easily right after childbirth.

You may want to include an outfit for the new baby to wear home in your gift basket. With all the other things that are going on in the young parents’ lives, they may forget to bring something to the hospital to take the baby home in.

A final gift that you may want to place in your hospital gift basket is a bottle of champagne or sparkling cider with two glasses so that the parents can drink a toast to the new addition to their family and enjoy a little relaxation time as a couple.

New mothers are usually frightened and nervous when they make the trip to the hospital. New fathers may not be doing too well either. A hospital gift basket that contains everything that they will need during this ordeal will be greatly appreciated.

Football (or soccer as the \’non-Brits\’ refer to it as) is the most popular sport in the World. Millions of people play, at various levels, every single day. Most  people play for fun, others professionally, however the aim of the game is almost always the same – WIN! During the course of the article I am going to suggest ways to becoming a better footballer (and thus increasing your and your teams chances of winning matches). All the suggestions made will result in improvements in your game, however some will take longer than others to \’flourish\’. Here goes:-

FITNESS:

Watch the top footballers and you will notice that they produce a lot of movement during the 90 minutes, often running 10-15km in the process. To do this requires high levels of cardiovascular fitness. To gain such fitness requires dedication and discipline. Another sport where participants have very high levels of fitness, probably more so than footballers, is boxing (maybe not always the heavyweights!). Therefore, my suggestion to improve your fitness would be train like a boxer! Not in sparring etc, but by rising early (ideally between 5-6am) and putting in a session. This should ideally include a distance run followed by cardiovascular activities such as skipping, star jumps etc. Add to that push-ups, crunchies and sit-ups and your fitness will begin to improve significantly. Ideally I would suggest your session should be no less than 1 hour, at least 4-5 times a week. Training so early will kick-start your metabolism for the day plus psychologically it will give you a sense achievement which should motivate you day ahead.

GOAL!:
 Rise at 5.30am, 5 times a week and complete a 4-5Km run followed by 5 x 20 push-ups, 5 x 20 crunchies, 5 x 40 star jumps, 5 x 20 burpees, then hold the PLANK POSITION for as long as possible.

TIP: This will seem difficult at first, but once you are into a routine it becomes easy. Have training clothes next to your bed and focus your mind so that you get out of bed immediately when your alarm goes off. Don\’t think about what your about to do, JUST DO IT!

DIET:

You are what you eat / drink. You wouldn\’t put the incorrect fuel into your car, so why put it into your body? Your performance will be effected by what you eat / drink – in the short term and in the long term. Therefore, your overall diet should be well balanced with large potions of green vegetables and salad. Avoid junk food which you know to be detrimental to you – I don\’t need to list these foods, you know them already, but they just taste too good! Right? \’Garbabge\’ – they taste good at time of consumption, but how do you feel afterwards once your taste buds have returned to state – I\’m guessing it\’s not great! Improving at anything requires discipline and often sacrifice. Give up the junk food and the benefits which follow will be far in excess of the \’quick fix\’ pleasure these foods provide.

Your water intake should be high – you should never actually feel thirsty as this is an early sign of dehydration. Replace consumption of fizzy drinks, tea and coffee with water. Drink a minimum of 2 litres and maximum of 5 litres (dependant on body size and intensity of exercise(s) performed) each day. Carry water with you at all-times, don\’t leave dehydration any invitations into your body!

GOAL!:
 Drink 2-5 litres of water everyday , whilst avoiding fizzy drinks, tea and coffee. Eat portion(s) of green vegetables / salad or fruit with every meal. Snack every 2-4 hours on fruit / salad / vegetables or nuts. Eliminate junk food from your diet completely.

TIP: Discipline and dedication are again the key. You don\’t become an extraordinary footballer by doing ordinary things!

TEMPERAMENT AND FOCUS:

Temperament and focus before, during and after a match is a key ingredient to making a footballer better. Before a match you should  focus on what the overall aim is. That focus must remain strong and constant throughout. This should not make you fearful or nervous, but ultimately guide you  towards achievement. If you make an error or wastes an opportunity, this should not affect your focus as your goal is still the same. It is unlikely that your overall aim was to score at that particular moment or not to make that error at that exact time. Therefore, concentrate on what you can achieve in the remaining time, there will be plenty of time to review performance after the match has finished.

Finally, once the match has ended focus on winning or losing with dignity. This will not just make you a better footballer, but a better person.

GOAL!:
 Before a match spend 15-30 minutes focusing on what you actually want to achieve. Be clear of your outcome. So often people fail because they don\’t know exactly what they are wanting to achieve.  

DO THE SIMPLY THINGS WELL AND OFTEN:

Not every footballer can do the things Cristiano Ronaldo, Zindine Zidane or Lionel Messi can do. But, all footballers can learn to do the simply skills often and well. I\’m not wanting to banish \’flare\’ and extravagant skill, rather dilute it. Learning to play short passes accurately and directly 100% is an enormous advantage to any player. Great players such as Paul Scholes and Claude Makele are experts at doing the easy things well. This is something all players adopt.

 GOAL!:
 Practice short passes, correct positioning, striking off the ball, tackling etc often and for a long period of time. Many players believe because they have mastered a technique they don\’t have to practice it any more – when in fact mastery and improvement comes from repeatedly practising an already learned skill. This sort of dedication and commitment ensures that in the crucial moments of a game when performing a skill or technique is vital you will be prepared.

LEARN FROM THE BEST:

Why re-invent the wheel? If you want to become a top footballer, benchmark a top footballer. They may have natural skill, but to get to the level they have achieved is not by chance. If you want to get to the level of a certain player(s) copy what they do on a regular basis (the beauty of benchmarking is you can take the positives and eliminate any negative routines the player may have!). With footballers living their life in the media spotlight and all sorts of data being openly available on the internet, it\’s never been easier to benchmark.

GOAL!:
 Chose a World Class player(s)  you admire both on and off the pitch. Collect information regarding their diet, training methods and fitness ideas. Study their movement and all-round play in a number of games. Record games which they have played extremely well and analyse their qualities. Possibly contact them directly for advice and hints – if done elegantly, with your reasons for contacting them clearly stated,  they should be more than happy to oblige.

Combine all the above with belief and you will most definitely become a better footballer

A good passing team is a beautiful sight to watch. A team that can handle the ball and pass well is a tough team to beat.

Many coaches will agree that passing is the most important fundamental in basketball. Throwing a ball is not passing! Passing is an art which is controlled by very definite fundamentals.

The usual passing situation is one in which an offensive player must get the ball by his immediate defensive man and to a teammate who is also guarded. Preferably the offensive man should be no more than three or four feet from the opponent he is attempting to bypass. By getting close, he shortens the pass and decreases the danger of the opponent deflecting or intercepting the ball. Many times during a game passes are thrown away because the passer is too far from his opponent.

Pass the ball to a teammate who is away from his defensive man in order to minimize the danger of interception. The receiver can help by coming out to meet the ball and offer a target away from his defensive man.

Do not make a blind pass! Choose your receiver! Learn to pass without staring at your receiver. Do not give your opponent the advantage of knowing where you will pass. Try to pass to a teammate by looking out of the corner of your eyes – split vision. The passer should see but not look at the intended receiver.

Pass the ball ahead of the receiver, waist high. Pass the ball so that it can be handled easily. A ball thrown hard at close range is difficult to handle. Chest-high passes are handled easily and they also enable the receiver to gain some time for his shooting and passing.

Never pass to a teammate cutting away from you with his back turned; wait until he has turned.

Do not pass to a player who is calling for the ball if you think he is cornered and will not be in position to receive your pass.

Keep the ball moving; never hold onto it! Holding the ball gives the defense a chance to get set. When you keep the ball active, the defense is more likely to make mistakes.

Use a fake when necessary! Fake to the left and right, fake up and down. Pass when you see an opening. Avoid cross-court passes, especially in front of the opponent’s basket. If they intercept the pass, they can easily score two points.

Do not force your passes once your team has possession of the ball; it is important to keep it until you make a score! While you have the ball the other team cannot score.

Many good passes are fumbled because of the inability of the receiver to catch the ball properly. In receiving a pass, keep your eyes on the ball. Receive it with relaxed hands, fingers spread with thumbs in. The receiver should give slightly, relaxing arms and shoulders.

From this position the player can receive and pass in one smooth motion without shifting his hands on the ball.

Passing Tips:

1. Do not use “blind” passes (looking one way and passing in the opposite direction).

2. Make your passes chest high.

3. Gauge the speed of the pass with that of the receiver.

4. Pass to the side of the receiver away from his guard.

5. Make the passes snappy and deceptive.

6. Get as close to your guard as possible before making the pass.

7. Never pass to a teammate cutting away from you with his back turned.

8. Use a fake whenever useful.

9. Avoid cross-court passes.

10. Do not force your passes.

11. Do not hold the ball; keep it moving.

12. Keep two hands on the ball so that you will be ready to dribble, shoot or pass.

13. Pass with your wrist and fingers, keeping the palms off the ball.

14. Meet the ball; do not wait for it.

15. Use bounce passes against big men.

Practice these points and you will become expert in passing.