Basketball Shooting – Learn How to Shoot a Free Throw and Become a Good Shooter

August 13th, 2010 admin

Any ball player will tell you that games are won and lost on free throws. A free throw is a shot in basketball that a player gets after they are fouled. It is a direct and unguarded shot from 15-feet away from the hoop. You get two free throws if your shot does not go in the hoop after the foul.

Free throws are an important part of playing basketball. I believe everyone can become a good shooter. To be a good free throw shooter, you have to make sure that you’ve mastered certain techniques with correct instruction on the fundamentals of basketball shooting, combined with drills and practice. This page will discuss the fundamentals of good basketball shooting form and instruct you in the best methods to sink your free throw. The principles are discussed below should be used as guidelines and may be helpful in correcting a player who is struggling with his/her basketball shooting, or is just learning to shoot.

1. Stance: Have your feet about shoulder width apart. Your knees should be bent a little as your thigh muscles will provide power for your shot. If you shoot right-handed, your right foot should be slightly forward. Your shoulders and body should be square to the hoop or find out which is most comfortable for you. Probably the important thing here is that when you jump to shoot, jump straight up but not sideways or backwards. Stay balanced.

2. Holding the ball: Use both hands to hold the ball, but only your basketball shooting hand which will actually propel the ball forward. Don’t shoot two-handed. Your shooting hand is the platform and should be underneath the ball with your wrist cocked back. Your other hand helps support or balance the ball, but does not enter into the actual shooting of the ball. Your non-basketball shooting hand should actually come off the ball just before you release the ball, so that you are shooting with one hand. Use your fingertips, not palms, to hold and release the ball.

3. Set Point: The set point is where you position the ball just prior to releasing the shot. If you are right-handed and shoot with your shoulders and feet square to the hoop, have the ball to the right of your face, a little toward the right shoulder. Don’t line the ball up in the center of your face, as this may result in your basketball shooting elbow flying away from your body, and could actually cause your wrist to turn sideways when you release the ball, imparting a side-spin. On the other hand, if you are more comfortable shooting with your body turned in toward the basketball shooting side, and then the set point can be more in front of your face. You will have to find which method works best for you. Also, it is best that the ball is as high as your forehead, or even higher in order to keep your basketball shooting from being blocked.

4. Upward Force: Most of the power in your shot should come from the upward force of your jump or the upward force from your thighs moving upward. You should not try to power up longer shots with your arm. Let the big muscles in the legs do the work. Release your shot on the upward force of the jump, not on the way down.

5. Aiming the ball: Pick out a spot to aim at either the back of the rim, or just over the front of the rim, or the backboard. Concentrate on this spot, and don’t look at the ball, or the flight of the ball.

6. Releasing the ball: Take the deep breath, and shoot. Use the shoulder as a “hinge”. Your basketball shooting arm extends forward toward the hoop, the elbow extends and then you release the ball with a snap of the wrist, with the ball rolling off your fingertips. This will impart backspin that all good shooters have. Backspin makes the ball land softly on the rim, and often creates a favorable “shooter’s” bounce, resulting in a score even though the shot was not perfect.

7. Follow Through: Make sure to follow through with your shot! This will help you get arc, rotation, and consistency. Keep looking at the basket and hold your basketball shooting hand in the “gooseneck”, follow-through position until the ball goes through the net.

This is important in getting the proper rotation (back spin) on the ball. Your fingers should be pointing toward the hoop, and your wrist bent forward, in a “goose neck” fashion. Hold this release after your shot until the ball hits the rim. You will notice that with a proper follow-through, the palm of your hand will be facing downward toward the floor. If it is turned sideways with the back of the hand facing outward, then you are incorrectly twisting your wrist during the release. Remember to keep your eye on the target… don’t watch the flight of the ball.

Tips

1. It is important for you to concentrate. Block out all the factors and just focus on your technique and making the shot.
2. Get into a routine. Take a few dribbles or take a deep breath- whatever makes you feel comfortable before you take the shot. Make sure to stick to the same routine every time. A routine helps program your body and mind and that will help with your consistency.
3. Don’t think too much. Even if you are in a slump, approach the line with the same routine and believing that you will make the shot.
4. Practice makes perfect! Repetition is the key to success in basketball shooting free throws. The more you shoot the more comfortable and confident you will become!

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Understanding Your Opponent In Football

August 13th, 2010 admin

The most important thing a modern football player as an individual, and players as a team, should know are the men they are to play against each week.


Every player should know well the techniques and habits of the fellow across the line from him before the game starts. Coaches give you detailed scouting reports of the various opponents and show you movies of different games. This is very good. But, for a player to be really effective instead of just average, he should look at game films before practice and at home all during the week on his own time. So you have to buy a projector! But you also become a better player who takes in more at the payroll window!


Although the coaches can tell you all about your opponents, remember that the coaches do not have to play against them. Once the game starts, it’s just you and the other fellow, just as it is in the prize ring. If you are not prepared, it can be a long, hard afternoon. And a losing one, too.


QUARTERBACK’S CHECKLIST FOR A GAME


As the opponent changes each week, so must the quarterback’s thinking in terms of personnel. In reality, the offense is trying to beat personnel, and not so much the defense which, after all, is manned by personnel. The quarterback must know the individual characteristics of his opponents, as well as their tendencies when working as a unit. Some of the problems that the quarterback must face up to each week are set forth in the following .

1. Who calls the defensive signals? Check the files for a historical report on this individual’s tendencies.

2. Who is their best pass rusher? Does he rush hard on every play, or merely when the defense signal calls for it?

3. Who is the passive type of rusher? Is he passive because of the defensive calls, or because of his own characteristics?

4. Is one of the defensive linemen very aggressive? Or are all of them aggressive. Conversely, is one of the defensive linemen of the passive type?

5. Can any of the defensive linemen be trapped? Which one? Which two, or three, or even four?

6. Does the defense “read” offensive linemen, or does it charge on a predetermined call?

7. What defensive end is hardest to run outside of? Does he square off? Does he pinch? Does he float? Can we run inside of him? What end can we screen? And on what down?

8. Do the defensive linemen use their hands effectively? Are they catchers or throwers?

9. Do any of their linemen rise up to charge?

10. Which linemen have the good lateral pursuit? Which do not move well laterally?

11. Do they hold up ends well, or poorly? What types of players are the defensive secondary? Who are the fast boys? Slow boys? Which one comes up the fastest? Slowest? Which back or backs can be beaten on the long pass? Who are strong against the long pass? Do the corner backs react swiftly to a quick pass in the flat? Slow? Who can we work on best on the third down to sustain a drive? Which back, if any, lies back and plays cautious? Which one has a history of making mental errors? Are there any backs who like to gamble on interceptions in an attempt to make the headlines? Who?

12. .Who are their best tacklers in the secondary? The weakest?

13. Is there one defender who is so good that we should avoid throwing in his area? Pick him, or them, out and keep them firmly in mind.

14. Who are the leaders on defense? Which individual seems to inspire the others?

15. What player or players discourage easily when his team falls behind?

The foregoing considerations are phases of the game that must be worked on each day of the football season.

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Street legal golf carts

August 11th, 2010 admin

People are trying their very best to assure that we’re getting the most out of our money. These days, times are a little bit tougher, and a person will have to be a bit more resourceful if they want to keep some of the money in their pockets. There are a lot of different ways that we can go about this, and that’s all about seeing where a lot of money is going. For a lot of people, gasoline is a pretty big expense. These days a lot of people are finding out there are quite a few things that they can do if they want to save as much money as possible. A lot of the time, this means that they have to do some things that they didn’t really think they’d be doing. It’s becoming quite common for a person to actually drive golf carts around, as this is definitely a great way for a person to save a good amount of money.

Street legal golf carts are becoming pretty prevalent in many different parts of the world. There are quite a few selections out there if a person is looking for a great street cart, whether it’s gas or electric. If a person is looking for a great golf cart, they’ll definitely have to be mindful of a couple of things. Firstly, it’s important that a person understands that these golf carts may come with regulations in accordance to state law, as some states have different regulations on the books. There’s nothing wrong with looking around and buying parts that will make the cart street legal, as a lot of people have found this to be one of the more cost-efficient ways to find what they are looking for. Lastly, a person should be considering whether they want a model that is either electric or a gas model, or whether a person will need to be going off the road in their golf carts, as well.

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Improve Your Punting Technique

August 9th, 2010 admin

Since every punter kicks somewhat differently from the next, he should take the stance that is most comfortable to him. Keep arms and hands flexed and in a relaxed position.


The kicker should stand with feet slightly spread, the left foot a bit in advance of the right These instructions, of course, are for right-footed kickers. A maximum of three steps should be taken forward while punting; but if more than three steps are taken, the kicker should be instructed to move back two to three yards.


The punter should face squarely to the front, looking at the ball on the ground through the center’s legs. Before the ball is snapped, he should be completely relaxed with the body weight distributed equally on both legs. The weight will be shifted to the left leg as the ball is snapped. The kicker must keep his eyes on the ball at all times in order to avoid a fumble and to mold the ball properly for the actual punt.


HOLDING AND DROP OF THE BALL


The ball should be held in one hand and guided by the other as the kicker advances in his steps. The ball is held in front of the body, out over the kicking leg. The forward point of the ball should be slightly to the left and slightly depressed. The lacing will be on the top, or possibly to the right of center.


The left hand should support the left forward side of the ball, well toward its front. Do not put the left hand over the point of the ball, as is the practice among many novices. The right hand should hold the ball at its rear point. The fingers are spread and up, with the thumb to the left of the laces and the point of the ball lying in the hollow of the hand.


The drop of the ball should be as slight as possible. The kicker should practice kicking the ball out of his hands, thus learning how to avoid a long drop from hands to foot. A long drop of the ball can cause a wobbly, inaccurate kick.


If the kicker is getting too much height and no distance, the ball is possibly being dropped with bent arms too close to the body. Another reason for the kick that is too high could be the position of the toe – it is being pointed upward instead of being kept depressed.


STEPS AND SWING OF THE LEG


As the ball approaches, the kicker may take a short half-step with the left or lead foot. The ball should be molded into kicking position as the punter takes the first step.


The kicker now takes a full step forward with his right foot . He keeps his eyes on the ball as he molds it in his hands. In fact, he should not take his eyes off the ball until it actually leaves the kicking foot and is lofted in the air.


The next and last step will be directly forward with the left foot. As the left foot reaches the turf, the whip of the right leg should be started.


The right leg starts from an extended position and becomes fully flexed to create the potential energy for the kick. The toe should be pointed forward, downward, and slightly inward. The ball should be met on the instep when the swing of the leg is about the height or a little above the hip. This will vary with kickers as nature seems to tell the individual when his leg is at the highest point of acceleration.


For proper distance, a high trajectory, and a good spiral, the punter must follow through with his kicking leg . Without the follow-through, his timing and distance will suffer. Lack of follow-through will indicate that the kicker’s timing is off and that he has made contact too late, causing a shanking of the ball off the side of the foot. I’m sure we have all experienced this type of kick.


Remember, as with all aspects of football, practice makes perfect.

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How to Pratice for Basketball Improvement

August 7th, 2010 admin

With so many drills and different ways to practice to improve your game, you could very easily get confused and frustrated trying to compile a perfect practice plan. Some of the main components I have always stressed with all my private basketball clients, whether they are beginners or a NBA Veteran, is to try and train smarter and just harder.

A major component you have to consider when trying to design a Basketball Improvement system is to leverage your time wisely and work on the areas that are most important to you and your game. To use an example, if you are a point guard, your main job is to be able to handle the rock under control and pressure, control the pace of the game, make sure all your teammates are doing their job correctly and be your coaches on the court general.

Why it would be great if you were a great rebounder, it is not something that you should spend alot of time practicing. You should focus the majority of your time practicing and improving the areas that are most required. Try not to get caught up in trying to work on every aspect of basketball, there just is not enough time to work on every thing in one practice.

I have outlined a Practice plan that I use to structure all of my Pro Clients workouts,they are very effective and time efficient. The practice will last approximately 1 hour and will begin with a Sports Warm-Up. Sports Warm Up ( 15 minutes) It is very essential you participate in an active warm up that will prepare you for a vigorous work out ahead. The days of static stretching as a team are long over,due to the fact that you want to prepare your self for moving, running, and explosive burst, you want to prepare your body to handle certain movements and game situations. I normally have all my players run 4 to 5 times around the court at about 50%, and then follow that up with 4 half court layups from both the right and left side.Then, we perform 3 full court layups on each side, right and left. Then we move onto two ball dribbling, full court and back 3 times, two ball alternating dribbling full court and back, 3 times, and then finish with a couple of dynamic warm up stretches that improve the mobility, stability, and flexibility of certain muscle groups.

Basketball conditioning ( 10 minutes)

I have always like jumping right into some conditioning drills as my players perform better when we get conditioning done at the beginning of practice.Many practices, the exercise or drills will change and vary, but the principles remain the same. I usually compile 6 conditioning drills that we will perform only once, but at 100% intensity. I will then give them a 30-45 second break and then move onto the next conditioning drill.We do not perform the drills for certain amount of reps, but rather for a duration of time. Usually lasting 30-45 seconds. Hers is a sample Conditioning workout:

Exercise # 1 suicide ( 30 seconds)

Rest(45seconds)

Exercise # 2 ( machine guns while dribbling a basketball) 30 seconds

Rest (45 seconds)

Exercise # 3 Basketball Pushups with a basketball( 20 seconds on each side)

Rest(45 seconds)

Exercise #4 Full court Defensive slides( 35 seconds)

Rest ( 45 seconds)

Exercise # 5 Net or rim touches ( 30 seconds)

Rest ( 45 Seconds)

Exercise # 6 Push Up Holds ( 45 seconds)

Rest Until 10 minutes is up

As you can see, if you structure your workouts and practices correctly, you can get a very effective practice in a short period of time. The next 10 minutes will solely focus on shooting. I have a simple rule when trying to improve your shooting. Think of the 5 most common shots and area that you are most likely to shoot in a game and work on those 5 shots the most. It is almost a waste of time if you are a center trying to improve your 3 point shooting. Once you have figured out your 5 most common shots, spend 2 minutes each working on them and getting up as many shots as you can in those 2 minutes from those specific spots. You will be surprised when you start working on only a couple of shoots how much more you will improve compared to trying to shoot from every where. After you finish working on your shooting, you will then dedicate the next 10 minutes on ball handling. There are millions of drills that will improve your ball handling skills and you can pick which ever ones you like, but follow these rules when you do so.

1. Try not to ever look down at the ball.

2. Try your hardest not to mess up.

3. Involve as much running and movement as you can.

4.When you have mastered a drill, do not continue to do the same drill,

move on to a more challenging drill.

5. Try to incorporate multitasking drills as much as possible, like 2 ball dribbling,

the more you can do at the same time the better.

Follow those rules and you will see a dramatic improvement in your over all game.

Now that you have gotten past those stations, it is time now to move on to the most important aspect of the practice. The last 15 minutes will solely be committed to working on your niche, the most important component of your game.

What Is Your Niche?

This is by far the most over looked aspect in basketball. A niche is what you do best, it is the one thing that you do great, the thing that separates you form the baller next to you. The One thing you can provide the team, and what the coach can count on you for.Without a Niche, you have no identity on the court. If you look at all the Kings in the NBA, you will easily discover their Niche.

Steve Nash- passing

Ben Wallace- Rebounding

Dwayne Wade- attacking the basket

Mike Miller- Shooting

Kobe – Scoring

And the list goes on….

Spend the last 15 minutes working and mastering your niche. Whatever it is, whether it be shooting, rebounding, ball handling, defense, scoring, driving to the basket, 3 point shooting, ect… Work on mastering and improving it. I guarantee you that if you take this outline and use it to structure your workouts and practices, you will have more improvement in a couple of weeks then you probably have had your whole career. Improving your game is easy when you do it the right way.

Your # 1 Fan

Rali Todd

Pro Basketball Performance Coach

Go Basketball Pro

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Tips for Improving Your Football Endurance

August 5th, 2010 admin

Football is one of the most physically demanding sports an individual can play. You have to be able to move quickly, think fast, run hard and fast over long distances, all while trying to avoid be crunched by guys from the other team. With all the physical work that is involved in football, it’s not hard to understand why endurance plays such a key role in any football player’s training regimen. Improving your endurance will allow you to stay in the game longer. Improving your endurance will also enable you to give your team your very best efforts without you being too tired to be a team player.

Each and every player that is on the team should make it a priority and a goal to have better and longer lasting endurance. If one player doesn’t have the stamina to make it through a game, he is a weak link, and all it takes is one weak link to destroy the success of the team. This is why improving your endurance is so important and needs to be a priority in training.

There are a lot of theories and methods for improving your endurance that you could research and put into your training program. One of the most basic elements of endurance training is long-distance running or jogging. It’s best to incorporate this technique in moderate amounts and increase the distance and time you run gradually over time to avoid injury. A lot of players train in a gym using equipment like treadmills to work on their cardiovascular training. Treadmills are great for improving your endurance because they allow you to be in complete control of how many miles you run and how steep the incline for your run is so that you can decide how intense you want your workout.

Another great tip for improving your endurance is to do interval training. Football is a game that is played in intense bursts of energy with a lot of stops and pauses in between plays. This is why it can be very effective to train your endurance in intervals as well. It helps you to avoid overworking your body and at the same time prepares you for game day. The level of your performance during the intense burst is what needs to be examined during the training, along with how well you recover.

It’s important to note that while you’re improving your endurance, you’ll need to make sure you are taking in the nutrients that your body requires in order to achieve the results you are desiring. When participating in an endurance training program, you’ll need to increase your carbohydrate intake to replace the glycogen your body loses while you’re training. You will also want to increase the amount of protein you’re getting daily as well.

These are just a few helpful hints for improving your endurance. Improving your endurance will help give you the edge you need as an individual player to give your all in the game.

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Romantic Gift Ideas For Men Or Women

August 1st, 2010 admin

Gift baskets are great gift choices to express your feelings for one another. Because a gift basket can contain virtually anything, it is a very easy gift to decide on and shop for. Of course, the easiest way to give a romantic gift basket is to choose one from one of the hundreds of websites that specialize in all types of gift baskets for any occasion.

Maybe because gift baskets have the word, “basket” in it, many people may think that it is a gift choice mainly for women. That is just not true. What man who enjoys golf or any sport for that matter would turn down a tin box of chocolates, assorted snacks, and different golf or sports paraphernalia? Or a gift of their favorite colognes and aftershave with other daily grooming gadgets? How about a wicker hamper full of bottles of wine, different types of meats and cheeses and crackers? The possibilities are endless and it isn’t a gift that is only for women.

Rather than getting each other separate gifts, you could splurge on one large gift basket of decadent chocolates, champagne, along with countless other treats. Next, take your large basket or hamper and check into a luxurious downtown hotel for the night and enjoy romantic picnic for two on the large king sized bed as you gaze out at the city lights.

Another idea is to get his and hers spa treatment gift baskets and take time to relax with each other and treat yourselves to a day of pampering. Choose a day when there are no children in the house and postpone any household chores to another day. Start the day out by cooking a beautiful breakfast together and taking that breakfast back to bed with each of you. Soak in a bathtub together. Feed each other strawberries and champagne. View a movie that has special meaning to both of you and thoroughly enjoy the day and each other’s company.

Pack a gift backpack of nutritious treats and a nice lunch and take a hike in a nearby state park or nature trails. Find a secluded spot to have your lunch and enjoy the sights and sounds of nature all around you.

Some romantic gift baskets are geared for very specific romantic times. Many gift basket retailers offer a gift basket called Wedding Supper. This basket includes a quick and easy pasta meal to prepare, some wine and bread and a romantic scented candle and decadent chocolate truffles. This would be a wonderful gift basket that one of the couple could get the other or that the parents could chip in together. This would be a perfect choice for the happy couple’s first night in their home or apartment.

Another romantic gift basket idea for either him or her is to include an “I love you” jar. This is a jar that has 365 personal messages of love. Everyday the couple can pull one message from the jar and relive their romance daily. This is a good gift to give each other an empty jar first and for the first year of marriage write a reason why you love the other person, read it aloud and put in the jar. The day after your first anniversary begin taking one from your spouse’s jar every day and read one of the reasons why they love you and reminisce about the memories that these words evoke.

One romantic idea is to give your love the world. You can do this by visiting sites that sell items such as an acre of the Pacific or Atlantic Ocean, or an acre of the moon or your own star. Another clever enterprise sells 1 square inch of land in every state and bundles it up in a package deal, which includes a deed to the United States. Show him or her that you not only would give them the world, but that you have!

There are many gift baskets that revolve around adult beverages. Of course, there are wine packages, but that is not all. You could give a romantic gift basket that includes everything needed to make your own sangrias or margaritas. Both of these gift baskets include a hand painted pitcher and 2 glasses along with some snacks. This is a truly romantic and fun gift.

Another option for newly married couples is a gift basket that includes items for the novice cook including simple cookbooks and 2 enrollments to a basic culinary art cooking school. These are classes that the couple can take together and learn some basic techniques, which will allow them to create and learn elementary skills and find a new hobby that they can do together.

For the couple that loves the outdoors and loves to play games, there are gift baskets that include games like croquet and bocce ball or volleyball. This gift basket has the romantic couple out in the sunshine spending time with one another as they enjoy a competitive sport or two. This is a very appropriate gift for a fun couple.

Sticking with the outdoors, give a hammock filled with wind chimes, birdhouses and hummingbird feeders, along with some snacks and treats. It may not sound very romantic, but just you wait until you are both snuggling on the hammock in the shade with a cool breeze as you watch the birds feeding and the hummingbirds flitting nearby. So, so romantic.

Still another decadent and romantic gift basket is to place two spoons, some water and as many different pints of deluxe, “designer” ice cream you can fit in a soft-sided cooler pack. Meet at a local park or nature view and share tastes.

There are so many romantic gift basket ideas. You can purchase one ready made or create one of your own. Either way, the gift baskets are a simple way to keep the romance spark kindled and keep you as loving as newlyweds. So, at the next opportunity or “just because”, use one of these ideas or come up with even better ones and give a romantic gift basket.

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The Effective Techniques of Football Betting in Running ? 7 Important Tips on Betting Exchange

August 1st, 2010 admin

Assuming that in a match day where there are packed with eventful matches. You are busy watching TV, glancing thru the internet bookmaker odds, waiting to place bet on the football betting in running. But are you going to switch from one channel to another or does it deters you from having the advantages on your in running games?

In today betting world, as long as you have a computer internet connection, you can always turn on to the sporting website such as soccernet, sportinglife etc. Visit the “GameCast”or the Live updates will provide you with some useful information. With the update, you will not place bet blindly. A well informed and well equipped punter will always have the betting edge, and if you always do, over a long period of time, you will win more money than you lose.

 

Below are some of the important factors that you must know when you place on football betting in running:

 

1.)Fast internet connection: it will help you to get information faster and updated. You will have a quick understanding of the games on the grounds.

2.)Focus: Concentrate on a league that you are familiar with. You will have the betting edge if you know the leagues well.

3.)Don’t rush into the game when a game has just scored a goal. Wait for the game and the odds to be stabilized. Because some the skillful players are using software bot or tools to control the odds, they are out they to fish for a better odds. Situations like that will cause inexperience punters to panic. If you are not well equipped, my advice is to wait for the odds to be stabilized. Don’t jump into the game immediately.

4.)Most of the Live match although are shown “live”, but it may be delay for a few minutes. This may cause a huge difference in football betting in running.

5.)Do not ever think that a team with 3 goals down will certainly lose the game, and hence place a huge bet on the leading team. Just recall the match played in  2005, the champion league final match , where the magnificent Liverpool made a sensationally come back from 3 goals down at half-time, and eventually beat AC Milian and win the champion league. Many punters were seriously hurt by this particular game, which cause a huge damage on their bank roll.

6.)Always start with small bets and slowly built up your bank roll. If you are using a correct betting tool or strategy, you should make money in the long run. Otherwise, with a big bank roll will not make you any good too.

7.)Have fun in football betting in running, and don’t chase your losing stakes. It is where disaster happens

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Football on Pc – Easier Than You Think to Watch Soccer on Your Pc

July 28th, 2010 admin

Football on PC is not some pipe dream. It’s a reality and there are a few million people who watch live matches in this way every day. In this article, discover how to make it a reality.

The Old Way

In the old days, you had to wait for someone to post a link on a forum and then at kick off, everybody would flood onto the channel and it would become completely unwatchable in no time!

Pretty soon you maxed out at a frame rate of about 1 image every 2 seconds and lots of “blocks” and “buffering”.

Today

The situation today is very different. Today, you can easily watch live football streams on your PC.

The best thing about it is that once you know the right techniques to access football on PC, you don’t need to pay for streams at all.

The quality is also much better. For instance, I can hook up my PC to my TV screen. It actually looks better on my TV compared to my monitor.

But even if you have just a monitor, like thousands of others you too can enjoy a version that is still of very excellent quality.

The More The Merrier

Even better is that the more people tune in, the better and higher quality the image becomes!

That’s because today’s live football streams utilize the power of “peer to peer” technology. Instead of everyone requesting data and overloading a single server, every PC connected to the stream lowers the overall load and spreads data around.

It’s a truly “win-win” situation!

Posted in Football Tags: , , , , , 2 Comments »

The Missing Link to All Basketball Players!

July 26th, 2010 admin

With all the new talent, changing of the game, transformation of the play, there is still one vital aspect that most basketball players completely miss the boat on. Think to yourself what one of the most important aspects of the game is and how can you get better at it. What is one thing that you can do that will improve your defense, ball handling, shooting, rebounding and also improve injury prevention?

The answer, bending your knees!

That’s right, getting lower to the ground. If you do not believe me I want you to try a few things.

Right now I want you to stand up and put your feet together. Next I want you to try to jump with out bending your knees. Most likely you tried it but you still bent your knees. So this time I want you to really try and jump with out bending your knees. If you did it correctly you would find that it is nearly impossible to perform a jump without bending your knees. So what does this mean? Well I will get to that in a second. The next one I want you to try is a defensive slide. I want you to try to slide across your room or wherever you are without bending your knees. Again, if you performed it correctly you will find that it is impossible to do effectively. Now I want you to go back to the first one and bend your knees. So now I want you to bend your knees and jump. You will find that not only did you jump significantly higher but it was also a lot easier and more effective. Now try the same with the defensive slide. Again, you would have found that you can slide laterally a lot easier and effective with your knees bent!

So what’s the point?

The point is that almost every basketball player plays with their legs straight and knees not bent. This plays a major role in all aspects of the game. Because as you demonstrated that it is almost impossible to move and jump with your legs straight. So what does your body do? It does it for you. Let’s look at an example:

Let’s say that you are coming off a screen preparing to catch the ball and shoot but you are playing tall, and not bending your knees. When you catch the ball you will have to dip down (bend your knees) in order for you to jump and shoot the ball. This will take slightly longer that if you already had your knees bent and did not have to dip down to shoot the ball. It may not seem like a big difference, but in the game it could be the difference to someone blocking your shoot and you getting your shoot off faster.

Another great example would be rebounding.

If you are under the basket preparing to rebound a missed shot with your legs straight, you will again have to dip down and bend your knees in order to jump. But if you already had your knees bent you would just simply have to jump straight up while your opponent had to take the time to bend their knees and then jump. Again, this might only be half of a second, but that is all it takes to grab a rebound.

So do you see how important it is to bend your knees and stay low? That’s why almost all shorter players are faster than taller players. Their center of gravity is lower to the ground which provides them with an advantage.

So how do we correct this problem?

Well besides consciously trying to remind yourself to bend your knees all the time, it is all a form of muscle memory. You have to train your body and the muscles that are most used in this position (your gluteus, hamstrings, quadriceps, and calves) I will tell you that this position hurts and most players are very uncomfortable in this position because it is painful. But if you are truly seeking ways to improve your game you should be willing to do whatever it takes to get better.

Here are two drills that I have found that are the most effective in training this position and the muscles that are used.

1. Two ball pounding

Start off with your legs wider than your shoulders. Squat down bending at your knees and not your back. Get two basketballs and try to dribble both of them in between your legs at the same time. Your focus should be at pounding the balls into the ground and staying low. After about 20 seconds this drill will start to hurt but push yourself as much as you.
Try to perform three to six sets of at least 45 seconds of duration.

2. Squat explosive lay ups

Start of right under the basket with a basketball, legs wider than your shoulders. Hold the basketball with your arms straight down by your knees. Squat down bending at the knees and not your back and touch the ball to the ground, as soon as the ball touches the ground explode up and lay the ball up. Perform ten lay-ups in a row and then switch sides. Your focus should be to explode up while keeping your back straight. Perform two to three sets on each side of 10 made lay-ups.

Staying low is one of the most important aspects of basketball and you should focus on bending your knees and keeping your back straight. If you can train your body to stay in this position you will have a huge advantage over your competition.

Yours in hoops,
Rali Todd
Basketball performance coach
http://www.gobasketballpro.com
Remember Training hurts…. Sitting on the bench hurts more!

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