IPLFansite

We’re all heading towards something even if you don’t think you are!  Ingrained in your brain is a desire to pursue pleasure and avoid pain.

If you have any sort of dream or anything you’d like to do with your life.  You would probably feel fully alive when you are doing whatever that dream is, i.e. pleasure.  So you’re drawn to that dream but what if you don’t have any goals to acctually flesh that dream out?  You won’t do anything!

Smart goals are the best way to actually accomplish your goals.

Smart is an accronym

Specific
Measureable
Attainable
Realistic
Time Specific

Lets say that you want to become a better basketball player.  If you just say that you want to be a better basketball player that is totally vague.  That’s not a good goal.  It won’t drive you to actually be a better basketball player.

So lets work through S.M.A.R.T. together to see how you might become a better basket ball player the right way.

What do you want to accomplish specifically this week?

I would like to make 10 free throws in a row.

So 10 free throws in a row by Friday?

That’s what I’m going to do.

How do you plain to actually attain this?

I need to focus on keeping my elbows in.

Do you think you can actually make 10 in a row just by focusing on keeping your elbow in?

Yeah….I miss my free throws because my elbow goes out.

In this example I worked through all aspects of the Smart Goal Setting Method.

So change these questions to your goals.  Answer them in as much detail as possible and your goals will be much more like to be accomplished.

Youth football rushing drills used to consist of practicing handoffs, holding on to the ball while being hit, and blocking for the quarterback. In today’s game, a running back needs those rushing skills in addition to “reading” the defense for blitzing linebackers and catching the football out of the backfield. In many cases, the running back acts as an option for the quarterback if no other play is available. To play the position effectively, the running back must be quick on his feet, drive forward with power, and be able to react reflexively in an instant.

Below are some youth football rushing drills, but you can find more free football drills online at websites like Weplay.com.

Youth Football Running Back Drills

Weave Drill
The Weave drill teaches aspiring running backs proper footwork techniques. It focuses on balance while planting the foot and driving in another direction.

Place 5 cones in a straight line on the field about one yard apart. Have the running backs line up near the first cone. To begin, the coach hands the football off to the first running back. The running back weaves in and out between the cones and returns handing the football off to the next running back.

When performing this running back drill, the focus should be on planting the outside foot firmly and then driving in the opposite direction. The proper planting of the foot will help prevent slippage when game time rolls around. The running backs should also focus on proper ball protection technique and maintain a low center of gravity.

“Running the Gauntlet“
This running back drill teaches players to receive a handoff, tuck it in, and break through immediate contact while retaining possession.

Position two dummy bags approximately 3 yards from the starting position. Position two dummy bag holders 3 to 4 yards further downfield. Have a linebacker roaming the field to force open field maneuvers. After taking a handoff, the running back protects the football while running through the two dummy bags. He must maintain control while being pursued by the dummy holders. And finally, perform an evasive maneuver to avoid the linebacker. Have each running back practice handoffs from both the right and left sides.

When performing youth football rushing drills such as these, the player should practice keeping a low center of gravity with knees up and shoulders down. Proper ball protection techniques must be employed in order to retain possession of the ball.

Every youth football player, no matter what their regular position is, should learn to throw a spiral with accuracy. It’s a crucial component of the game and one never knows when an opportunity to make a spectacular passing play may come along.

For the youth football quarterback, these tips need to be practiced over and over again to gain passing proficiency. Besides checking out the below tips, you can also learn the fundamentals from free football video tutorials on sites like Weplay.com, where top pros like Peyton Manning show the proper way to throw a spiral.

The Grip for Throwing a Perfect Spiral

It can be difficult for young football players to get a good grip on the football as their hands may not be large enough. That doesn’t preclude them from learning the proper technique with some slight modifications.

•    The football should be gripped lightly with the fingertips and not rest in the palm of the hand. The light grip allows for increased ball control. This can be a problem for younger players with small hands where there is no choice but to use the palm.

•    It’s important to place your index finger on the seam to put a “spin” or spiral on the football upon release. Don’t force the spin; let it roll naturally off the fingers.  Trying to over spin the ball is a common mistake.

•    As you step back in the pocket, hold the football next to your ear as you look for your target. The ball will be cradled in the “U” between thumb and index finger.

The Release Technique for Spiral Passes

Practice throwing spiral passes with this release technique at 50% of your throwing capacity until you perfect it. You can then start increasing your velocity as you begin to master the skill.

•    Keeping your eye on your receiver, take your arm backward and then “spring” it forward in a circular motion releasing the football at the top of the arc.

•    A good release will spin the football off the index finger as you let it go. The other fingers are used only for supporting the ball and not for putting a spiral on it.

•    As you release the football, be sure to continue with the follow through for spin and accuracy.

Passing Accuracy in Football

Now that you’ve mastered the spiral pass you have to work on hitting your target. Many football recruiters list passing accuracy as the primary passing skill when selecting potential quarterbacks. A perfect spiral is of no use if it’s bouncing along the field, or worse, in the arms of an opposing player. Again, throw the football at about 50% velocity when performing accuracy drills. They’ll be plenty of time to work on your power once you have mastered the basics.

•    Get yourself set in your stance with your non-throwing hip pointed towards your receiver. Being “set” is crucial for accuracy and power.

•    When you are ready to pass, cock your shoulder and step towards your target when you release the football.

•    Follow through on the pass with the palm of your throwing hand facing the ground.  Here is an example video demonstration of Peyton Manning follow through on the pass.

•     Throwing an accurate spiral pass in football is not a difficult process. Repetition of basic throwing mechanics is the key along with adequate rest. Youth football players should practice these passing tips every other day to master them.

Having listened to men over the years sharing their greatest ordeals as regarding dating and relationship, I can as of today authoritatively tell you that the biggest challenge men face is the challenge of approaching the woman they are attracted to and confidently expressing themselves like a real man should .Some that were able to summon the courage to step up to lady of their dreams did not know how to take things from one step to another, so they get stuck feeling embarrass.

Most married men that come to me for counseling seem to have similar problems. What is the problem, I know you are yeaning to known; that is what am about to share with you. A very large chunk of the marriage men you see around are not fulfilled in their matrimonial homes anymore. Outwardly they may pretend to be happy but deep inside they feel imprisoned by their own cowardice.

You see, my friend, the trouble started while these men were still single but they were either too scared or lacked the crucial dating skills they required to go for the woman they truly desired to be with. I will give you a true life story to illustrate my point but before I do that I would want to advise you to take your time to read this article to the end, you would be glad you did.

Now, here is my story, I hope you will learn one or two things from it. This was an account of a client of mine who latter become a very close friend. For the sake of this article let’s call him jack. Jack came to me for counseling after his marriage of two years fell apart. After listening to his story for about ninety minutes I could tell exactly were Jack missed his opportunity for true fulfillment and happiness in marriage.

Jack used to work at a cinema, there he had the opportunity of meeting all sort of people. One among these people was a lady Jack knew from high school. Her name is Jessica (not her real name), Jack have always liked Jessica. She was exactly the type of lady Jack wanted; she was just the right package, the right drug that Jack needed to cure his madness.

While they were in high school, he always sorts for the perfect opportunity to ask Jessie out, but he was always intimidated by her social and academic status. Jessica was the most popular female student in the school. She was obviously the most beautiful and plus that, her grades were the best in her class.

So Jack was scared that he might be rejected if he asked her out, but Jessica was the girl of his dreams. So, Jack did everything in his power to impress this girl. He started studying extra hours to raise his grads, he thought if he could at least get his academics right, that maybe she would be impressed and that might make her pay him more attention.

He also tried to get popular , so he became a basket ball player, but none of this change anything. He did all these nice stuffs but failed to do one thing that is most important than the other things he did; approaching Jessica and letting her know how he felt about her.

They graduated from high school and faced their different destinies. Jack parents were broke so they could not afford a university education for him but Jessica’s dad was a doctor and was rich. So, Jessica went to Georgia Tech, graduated and got a good paying blue collar job, while Jack was just a regular guy who worked in a cinema house.

So here they were again, four years later after high school. Jack could not believe his eyes the first time he saw Jessie at the cinema where he worked, it felt like an angel just fell from heaven. Jessica looked even more beautiful than she looked way back in high school but that was not even the problem. The trouble here again was that Jessica earned five times what Jack took home at the end of the month.

Those same old feelings of intimidation came back but this time with a greater intensity. Jack wanted to ask Jessica out one more time but once again he feared he would be rejected. He had that feeling you get when it seems like something you want is out of your reach.

Jessica kept coming back to that same cinema for the next three months and for that whole time Jack could not do anything about what he felt for this girl; he didn’t know how to go about asking Jessica out and not being rejected. After three months of coming to the cinema where jack worked, Jessica suddenly stopped coming and later moved out of town. Nine months after Jessica moved out of town, Jack got married to a colleague who worked at the same cinema with him.

Football is a familiar game around the world. This popular game is known by different names (say) soccer, fussball, futbol etc. With millions of fans, there are many opportunities for kids to to learn this game too. The Summer Camp is an excellent place to learn how to play flag football. Countless numbers of summer camps have started to provide football training, but not all of them will teach you the much needed skills for become a actual better football player. It is very important to make sure that the summer camp that you choose will give you the three skills that are important playing football.

1. The speed
Speed is the key factor that decides the success of a professional football player. Speed is very important for the players in the offensive position. As the offense players have an important role in flag football, he needs to be fast and precise in passing the game. It has to be noted that a slow offensive player in flag football can cause enough damage to loose the game. Various training techniques are used today to increase the speed of the flag football players. You should have noted that the very best football training summer camps will give much importance to speed than anything else.

2. Breaking towards the sidelines
The offense player of the flag football team should also be able to break towards the sidelines immediately after catching the ball. Breaking towards the sidelines after catching the ball at the highest point will prevent the defenders of the game from getting the best angle to grab the flags. Moreover, breaking towards the sidelines will limit the number of flags that the defenders of the game will be able to grab. Hence the skill of quickly breaking towards the sidelines is necessary to become successful in flag football.

3. The defense players should be fast and aggressive
It must be noted that the defense line up of flag football must be very aggressive. The aggressiveness of the defense players will force the offense players of the other team to make mistakes and will provide the opportunity to pick more flags. When compared to the skills needed for a player in offense position, the defense player skills are easy to develop.

Choosing the summer camp
If you wish to become a professional flag football player, you should select the summer camp which offers football training based on the above mentioned key factors.

In a basketball game, can you guess who often gets the most “ooo…”s and “ahh..”s from the audience? It is usually the guards ball-handling past the defender!

The purpose of this article is to teach players how to elude defenders with the dribble, creating opportunities to score on the offensive end while at the same time protecting the ball. It also has an in-depth guide section on different basketball dribbling tips to increase your ball-handling ability.

Basketball dribbling allows you to move on the basketball court while in possession of the basketball. Basketball players first learn to dribble the basketball with one hand, then to alternate hands, and progressively to increase to more advanced basketball dribbling. Once mastered, each move can become a powerful weapon. As a basketball player, a powerful and effective way to keep defenders on their toes and increase your threat as an offensive player is to develop an agile and quick basketball dribbling technique.

Firstly, basketball dribbling is not done while staring at the ball. Dribbling on the side minimizes the possibility of getting your ball stolen. You dribble with your finger tips and pads of the hands without looking at the ball. Finger tips give you more control over the basket ball. Lower your body slightly so that the ball is bouncing rapidly at waist level. When times switching the ball from one hand to another, bouncing the ball hard off the ground allows you to greatly reduce the time the ball is out of your control.Keep your head up at all gives you the vision on what is happening on the court and your defender while you dribble.

Also, to be an advanced ball-handler, basketball dribbling becomes more of a physical-plus-mental thing. There are many things you need to keep in mind. Read the rest of this entry »

There are mainly two system of money management on football betting techniques. Their detailed information are as follows:

1. Martingale: Design of this system was originally meant for the casinos. Later, professional punters started using it in football betting. You are able to control your stakes with the help of Martingale system. Even, if you are a terrible bettor with this system, you may still win money. 

The other name for this system is ‘Double Up’. It is a more common term with punters. According to this system, you double up your stakes for the next bet, if you happen to lose the first bet. On the other hand, if you win a bet, the stake for your next bet will be the same as your starting stake. In other words, there is surety of profit. This example may help you understand the system better. If you have game odds as 2.0 for a home team victory and you placed a bet of £ 25 and unfortunately, you lose. Remember, the next time you need to place a bet of £50 on the game, and if you lose again bet for £100 on the game with 2.0 odds. If you happen to win the bet, your total stake will be 25+50+100 = £175 and you also win an additional £25 for the efforts. 

To follow this system, you need to have plenty of funds and there is no requirement for any maximum betting limit. Since Martingale involves heavy levels of progression, it is not for the average types of punters.

 2. Kelly Criteria: System such as Martingale uses high progression levels to make up for the losses of punters. In Kelly Criteria, the progression level increases with the winning rate and decreases with the losing rate. Next, depending on your funds, the percentage of stakes is decided. In this system, there are fewer chances of you going bankrupt. 

All you need is to have all the probabilities on your side, when using this system on football betting. In Kelly Criteria, you may bet even or better odds than the bookmakers. 

For instance, if you think that the home team has 50% or more chances of winning, you need to bet on the home team, who has odds of 2.0. You earn money with this system by having a small advantage on each game you choose. You need to take care about your predictions and do not overestimate your football betting amount, as this may lead to losses. 

The best advantage of this system is you lose less money, when you have low funds. The reason is the next stake will depend on the percentage of your present fund size. In other words, your stakes are also low, when your fund size is low. This system is not meant to make account bulky rapidly, because Kelly is such a system, where you not only bet for winning, but also get the satisfaction of true betting.  

MILWAUKEE – The Milwaukee Brewers have gotten used to calling Yovani Gallardo their ace. Now he’s got a contract that keeps him in the fold with plenty of time to prove it.

Gallardo agreed Thursday to a $30.1 million, five-year deal that could be worth $42.5 million over six seasons. The agreement covers the right-hander’s arbitration-eligible years and the first season after he would have become a free agent.

“It hasn’t really settled into me yet because I’m just that type of guy, I kind of try not to show too much emotion,” the 24-year-old Gallardo said. “But it’s great.”

Gallardo was Milwaukee’s opening day starter on Monday and took the loss. But in many ways, he’s long been the leader of the pitching staff by the example he sets.

“Having what we consider an ace of a staff, a No. 1 guy, tied up, it’s going to make the offseason (easier),” general manager Doug Melvin said. “In the offseason, you’re always trying to fill holes. With good health, this is one hole we don’t have to worry about for a few years.”

Gallardo receives a $1.25 million signing bonus: $500,000 payable when the contract is approved by Major League Baseball, $500,000 on July 15 and $250,000 on Nov. 15. He gets salaries of $500,000 this year, $3.25 million next season, $5.5 million in 2012, $7.75 million in 2013 and $11.25 million in 2014. Milwaukee holds a $13 million option for 2015 with a $600,000 buyout.

Gallardo could void the option if he accumulates six points under a system in which he earns five points for winning a Cy Young Award, three points for finishing second in voting and one point for finishing third.

He has a full no-trade provision through the 2012 season. After that, he can select 10 teams he cannot be dealt to without his consent.

“I think the rest of his teammates feel like when he’s out there pitching, this is going to be a ‘W,’” manager Ken Macha said. “I like what I’ve seen so far.”

Gallardo’s agreement replaced a one-year contract that Milwaukee had renewed for $450,000 last month. While sometimes renewals cause acrimony, both sides said that they were working toward a long-term deal beginning as far back as last season.

“We think it’s a huge signing for our organization to be able to have Yovani tied up for the number of years,” said assistant GM Gord Ash, who handle negotiations.

The latest long-term contract means the Brewers now have their top two starters set for the next three years including this season to go along with All-Star Ryan Braun, who is signed through 2015. The club is also talking with Prince Fielder on an extension, but Melvin has been very cautious when discussing anything about those negotiations.

“We’ve said all along we’d like to have Prince here, too, over the long haul and Prince has indicated he’d like to be here,” Melvin said. “Between those two statements, there’s a lot of negotiating going on. That’s about all I can say at this point.”

With Randy Wolf ($29.75 million, three years) and Doug Davis ($5.25 million, one year), the Brewers have committed $65.1 million since the end of last season on upgrading their starting rotation that finished with a majors-worst 5.37 ERA last year.

Gallardo was a second-round pick in 2004 with the Brewers and went 13-12 with a 3.73 ERA and 204 strikeouts in 30 starts last season. He missed all but four starts in 2008 with a torn ligament in his right knee after starting the year on the disabled list with torn cartilage in his left one.

As Gallardo pitched well last season despite his average-looking record and proved he was healthy throughout, the Brewers expanded their offer.

“It’s just a good feeling,” Gallardo said. “Any ballplayer can say once they get certain things, contract extensions, you’re able to relax a bit more, go out there, have fun and enjoy the game. And more than anything, just go out there and pitch.”

WASHINGTON – Ryan Zimmerman drove in the tiebreaking run off new Philadelphia reliever Nelson Figueroa with a blooper to shallow right that landed inches fair, and the Washington Nationals edged the Phillies 6-5 on Thursday to avoid a season-opening, three-game sweep.

Willie Harris hit a two-run homer for the Nationals, and Tyler Clippard (1-0) earned the victory with 1 2-3 innings of relief. Matt Capps worked around Chase Utley’s leadoff double in the ninth for his first save with Washington.

Figueroa (0-1), added to the roster Thursday after being waived by the Mets, walked pinch-hitter Alberto Gonzalez to begin the seventh. Two outs later, Zimmerman lobbed a ball barely beyond the reach of sliding right fielder Jayson Werth for his second double of the game.

Attendance dropped to 20,217, after a sellout of 41,290 for opening day, then 27,240 for Game 2 on Wednesday.

After losing its first two games of 2010 by a combined score of 19-5, Washington kept taking the lead Thursday, then giving it away. The Nationals began about as well as possible: They turned three of Kyle Kendrick’s first five pitches into hits, eventually going ahead 3-0.

Nyjer Morgan led off by tripling to the gap in right-center, Cristian Guzman lined an RBI single to center and Zimmerman smacked the first pitch he saw off the wall in left for a double.

Kendrick then settled down, retiring nine consecutive batters, until Adam Dunn led off the fourth with a single. One out later, Harris’ homer put Washington ahead 5-2.

Two runs for Philadelphia in the fourth made it 5-4. Placido Polanco singled, and the ball skipped past center fielder Morgan for a two-base error, allowing a run to score to make it 5-3. Polanco wound up on third, then scored on Ryan Howard’s single.

The Phillies could have had more, because Werth followed with his third double of the game, but Howard strayed too far off third rounding the bag and was tagged out on a play scored 7-4-5-2.

Kendrick left after throwing only 55 pitches across four rough innings. He allowed five runs and six hits.

Washington’s Craig Stammen was barely better, lasting five innings, and giving up four runs and nine hits. What he didn’t do was walk anyone, a rare feat for a Nationals pitcher, given that the team issued 17 free passes over the opening two games.

So what did Stammen’s replacement, Sean Burnett, do? The lefty reliever began the sixth with two walks. After a bunt put the runners on second and third, Burnett exited. And what did his replacement do? Clippard hit a batter to load the bases for the top of the order.

Jimmy Rollins’ sacrifice fly tied it 5-all, before Clippard got out of it by getting Polanco to ground out.

After Zimmerman put Washington up 6-5, Rollins’ two-out double in the eighth put runners on second and third. But Brian Bruney got Polanco to ground out again.

NOTES: The Phillies optioned RHP Andrew Carpenter to Triple-A Lehigh Valley, making room for Figueroa. Carpenter did not appear in either of Philadelphia’s first two games. … Guzman made his first start of the season at shortstop after losing the everyday job to rookie Ian Desmond. Manager Jim Riggleman plans to use Guzman at SS, 2B and RF to get him playing time. “I’ll take it,” Guzman said. “The toughest part is I don’t know what position I’m going to play.” Riggleman said: “I couldn’t ask for anything more, as far as the way he’s reacted to it.” … Desmond has 15 extra-base hits among his first 25 major league hits. The last player to do that was Cincinnati’s Chris Dickerson in 2008.

MINNEAPOLIS – In 31 seasons on the bench, Don Nelson has clashed with players, management and ownership, leading to much debate about the legacy he will leave when he finally walks away.

There is no arguing this: ol’ Nelly is the NBA’s winningest coach.

Nelson surpassed Lenny Wilkens on the career list with win No. 1,333 in the Golden State Warriors’ 116-107 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night.

“It’s just such a neat feeling,” Nelson said, his hair soaked with a fizzy concoction of soft drinks and water after a wild celebration in the Warriors locker room. “This is probably why we end up coaching, for moments like this.”

Nelson’s career started in 1976 when he took over the Milwaukee Bucks 19 games into the season. He has also coached in Dallas, New York and with Golden State twice during his colorful career, but has never made it to the NBA finals as a coach.

“His style has always been a little unique,” Warriors GM Larry Riley said in a statement. “But the fact that it has resulted in over 1,300 wins, the most for a coach in the history of the NBA, certainly cements his legacy as one of the greatest in the business.”

He won five titles as a player and has been named coach of the year three times, but is the only coach with more than 1,000 career victories not to be inducted into the Hall of Fame — another indicator of the mixed reviews his career has received.

“The success he’s had, the longevity he’s had, it’s tough to be a coach in this league and to stick around as long as he has,” Timberwolves coach Kurt Rambis said. “To have the success that he’s had, the numerous situations he’s been in. He’s done a great job.”

Nelson has 13 50-win seasons, third most behind Pat Riley and Phil Jackson. But he has also presided over 10 teams that failed to reach .500 in a year.

“He hasn’t had a championship yet, so this is kind of like his championship,” said Warriors forward Anthony Tolliver, who scored 34 points against the Timberwolves. “We wanted to make it as special as possible.”

Whether his teams were winning 15 games or 60, they have almost always been entertaining.

His trademark “Nelly Ball” style is wide open, often using three guards on the floor at the same time to push the ball up the court, shooting first and asking questions later.

Nelson has built a reputation as a “mad scientist,” experimenting with lineups and offensive sets to cater to teams that were not always the biggest, strongest or most talented. In his first stint with Golden State in the late 1980s, he employed the famous “Run T-M-C” lineup of guards Tim Hardaway, Mitch Richmond and Chris Mullin in a run-and-gun attacking style.

In 2006-07, he led the undersized and eighth-seeded Warriors to a stunning upset of top-seeded Dallas. This year, he has captured the victories record despite a roster that has at one time or another used seven players with experience in the NBA Development League.

“I told the team that I loved them dearly, that they were very special to me,” Nelson said. “But sometimes they don’t play like I want them to.”

This has been a long season for the Warriors (24-54), who have been ravaged by injuries and are a lock to finish with their fewest wins since 2001-02. But in some ways, this was the perfect team to take Nelson to the top of the record books.

“For us to get the record is a big accomplishment for us,” rookie Stephen Curry said. “We call it our championship game.”

It was extra special for Nelson to do it in Minnesota. He has a daughter who lives in the Minneapolis suburb of Minnetonka and had 20 family and friends at the game, including his wife. He also said Wilkens has been in contact with him recently as he neared the mark.

“Lenny’s been an idol of mine for a long time,” he said.

Among active coaches, Utah’s Jerry Sloan (1,188) and Jackson (1,095) are closest to Nelson on the list.

“There’s plenty of guys close to that if they want to coach a couple of years,” Nelson said. “There’s coaches out there that win 50 at a time, 60 at a time. Not like me, winning 20 at a time, it’s a little harder.”