Basketball

How to dunk

2011-11-23T10:48:00.000-08:00

How to Dunk a Basketball?

Work towards increasing your vertical leap. You need to have the power to lift your legs to get your body in the air to reach the basket. You can gain such a strength to jump higher for basketball by doing squats on a regular basis. An alternative to how to increase vertical jump to dunk is to do wall sits. This exercise will also help you gain some extra inches.

You need to have strong muscles all over your body, particularly in the lower portion of the body. These muscles include quadriceps, gluteus, hamstrings and calves. You need to increase flexibility in some groups of muscles. These muscles are hamstrings and hip flexors. You need to have tight hamstrings to impede the knee extension while you jump to dunk. The hip flexors controls the hip extension while you jump. You can strengthen the given muscle groups by doing a very simple workout. It is to run the stairs for 15-20 minutes for at least 5 days a week.

Apart from mental and physical strength, you need to have the right pair of shoes to dunk a basketball. Get a pair of good-quality shoes for yourself. Such shoes will protect your knees and ankles from developing disorders associated with frequent running and jumping. High quality shoes have good shock-absorbers. They prevent you from getting hurt while playing. Thus, they are a must for practicing as well as playing. According to many basketball players, such shoes improve their capability to dunk a basketball.

You have all the information on the requirements of dunking. Work regularly to become skilled at it. Jump across the whole court. Try to cover at least two laps. Practice to jump and touch the net with a running jump. Keep trying till you are able to do it ten times in a row. While practicing in the described manner, keep your eyes set at the rim until you are able to touch it. Spend some time on recognizing your inner feel for inertia. This will help you make effective use of inertia to control the ball while you have your arms extended. This is very important as some players who can comfortably palm a basketball lose grip while dunking.

The best way to start with the given technique for dunking is to play with an adjustable height basket and use basketball drills for beginners. Keep the height of the basket lower so that you can reach it easily and dunk. Practice dunking with this height till you learn to use your body and mind to dunk comfortably. Raise the height of the basket after a significant period of time. Practice dunking with the new height. Keep doing this till you get adept at dunking with the standard height of the basket. This is a superb way to learn how to dunk a basketball for short people.

Always remember, self-confidence, determination, consistency are the secrets to becoming a good basketball player. You can dunk irrespective of your height and strength. You only need to have confidence to use your strengths and work upon weaknesses in order to learn how to dunk. Always be alert, active, and use the right technique for dunking while playing basketball. No doubt that you will amaze the crowd and your teammates hundreds of times in a single game.

LeBron James free agency period begins, several cities in running

2011-11-23T10:46:00.000-08:00

The list of cities who have a shot to land LeBron James - and possibly one or more of the other major free agents in the NBA - include Chicago, Cleveland, Miami, New Jersey, New York and Houston, just to name a few. At this point, it appears that LeBron is going to listen to proposals from several suitors and announce his decision on or before July 5th. Early indications are that Cleveland remains a solid contender to retain LeBron, but that cities such as Chicago, Miami and New Jersey have stepped up their efforts to make deals that might change LeBron's mind.

Perhaps the most interesting proposal thus far has come from the New Jersey Nets and their billionaire owner. The Russian billionaire who owns the Nets, along with minority owner Jay-Z, have approached LeBron with a proposal that stretches far beyond the basketball court.

Mikhail Prokhorov has a global financial and entertainment empire that he claims will offer LeBron a blueprint on exactly how to accomplish the same. Prokhorov's international presence and his proven track record in markets that are literally foreign to most other owners may prove irresistible to LeBron. James has been known to speak directly with Warren Buffett and he has always made it clear that his personal aspirations extend far beyond basketball.

In much the same way that Tiger Woods was once the most powerful figure in sports, LeBron is likely to ascend quickly with his new team. After locking into a long-term deal, LeBron's new team will be expected to contend on an annual basis. But it will be through endorsement deals and global marketing that LeBron will truly have an opportunity to make his mark. The clock is currently ticking for teams trying to land the greatest free agent in NBA history.

How to teach a child to play basketball

2011-11-23T10:43:00.000-08:00

Teaching Kids to Play Basketball

There are certain pointers to keep in mind when you are learning how to teach a child to play basketball. These rules apply to pretty much any other sport as well, so they must be adhered to for some time at least.

Do not push the child too hard and let him take his own time to learn the game his own way.
Start teaching him the game from the basics and do not over complicate things by telling him too much.
Make the game rewarding for him by setting some goals and then giving him something when he achieves those goals.
Show him some movies and video clips of the best players from the game and tell him more about the adulation that they receive.
Buy him some merchandise if he has a favorite team, and get him some high quality equipment to play with after some time.
Make the whole experience fun and enjoyable and do not try to cramp his style and change it too much. Kids learn best when they are given their own time to do so.

A lot also depends on the actual age of the child. Children who are around 5 years old will not understand the game properly and will simply like to run around a lot. Humor them so that they associate the game of basketball with having fun, and as they grow older they will start taking the game more seriously. You should also focus on teaching them how to toss the ball and catch it at this stage, and you can even use a smaller sized basketball if possible. Older kids can be taught the rules of the game eventually, but it is more important for them to play the game with a bunch of other kids who are their age and their size. You can subsequently enroll your child in a coaching school for his age group, because there comes a point when basketball can only be learned further by playing competitive games with others.

How to Teach a Child to Play Basketball

For your child to learn how to play basketball better, he must know the basics about shooting the ball, dribbling it, passing it and blocking other players. Teaching them the concepts behind these moves is not very hard, but they should be clearly told what their purpose is. Constantly talking to your child while playing basketball is highly important because of this, and this is something that every parent should remember. Younger kids can be taught the game with smaller hoops as well, and they can end up having a lot of fun as long as they have a constant practice partner. It is of vital importance to not criticize the child harshly if he is doing something wrong or if he is taking time to learn a certain concept. The whole idea here is to teach the child how to have fun and enjoy the game so that he does not view the sport as grueling or taxing.

Once the basics of how to play basketball have been learned, you can start teaching your child the ideal positions and body movements for each action. Long drills and stamina building exercises will also prove useful as this will allow the child to play the game for longer hours without getting tired. You must also not forget the importance of the right diet and sufficient amount of sleep as well.

Most importantly, a parent should not obsess about his child becoming a pro at the game. He should allow the child enough freedom to choose for himself, and then work on advanced techniques only if the child shows a genuine interest. Learning how to teach a child to play basketball is not very difficult, it is keeping them interested in the game through encouragement and positivity that is the difficult part.