The Jazz knew that the match-up with Oklahoma City was going to be a tough one. Coming into this game the Thunder were only one and half games behind the Jazz in the Western Conference standings. The Jazz also knew that there was a good chance that they would be playing without Kirilenko again as he is still ailing from a bruised leg muscle. What they did not reckon with, however, was that they would also be playing without Okur and Ronnie Price and that Deron Williams would be playing with a very sore shoulder. Sore or not, Deron played terrifically and along with rookie Wesley Matthews put up 56 points for the back court. Unfortunately, Kevin Durrant and Russell Westbrook also play amazingly well and topped the Williams/Matthews output by 10 points.
The Jazz struggled with defense the entire game and allowed the Thunder to put up 119 points to beat them by 8 points. The good news is that the 3’s were falling for the team again (11) but the bad news is that they lost the race for points in the paint and along with it the tie breaker with Oklahoma City. Their record for the year is 0-3 against this young, talented team.
Tonight the Jazz meet the Washington Wizards and they will be playing in the friendly atmosphere of the Energy Solutions Arena so they really should win this game.
If you are a beginner to the sport of boxing, there are some tips that can help you to get started correctly. It is important to learn the correct posture, body positioning and stance early on so that you do not develop bad habits that can be much harder to break down the road.
The position of ones’ body is an important first step in learning boxing techniques. One should stand fully upright with legs apart approximately shoulder width with the rear foot a half step behind the lead (or front) foot. The proper lead foot for you will depend on whether you are right handed or left handed. Right handed boxers will have their left foot as the lead foot and left handed boxers will have their right foot in front. Toes should be pointed very slightly inward with the bulk of ones’ weight on the lead foot. Arms are raised with the lead fist at eye level about 6-8″ away from the face. The other fist should be at chin level with elbows close to the body. Chin should be down and close to the chest. This body positioning allows for the quick, forceful movements that are inherent to the sport of boxing and offer the greatest protection. Getting into this body stance should be practiced repeatedly until it feels completely natural to the beginning boxer. One should practice the various punches that are most effective in wearing down the opponent.
The “jab” is a common punch used by all boxers. It is a very quick, straight ahead punch in which your body rotates slightly. When the jabbing arm is fully extended toward the target it leaves the shoulder in a position to protect the chin area. The other fist is in a guard position near the chin as well.
The “cross” is another powerful strike that comes from the rear hand. It is also a quick. forceful and straight across movement which again results in slight body rotation. In a similar manner to the jab, the alternate hand (the lead hand) is protecting the face from counter punches.
The “hook” is performed as a semi-circular punch from the lead hand. The arm swings in a horizontal arc toward the opponent. Most hook shots aim for the chin but there can be other target areas as well. In this punch, the lead foot pivots as the rear heel turns outwardly.
The “uppercut” is performed with the rear hand as it rises in an upward arc toward its’ intended target. The knees are slightly bent at the beginning of this punch but with the upward motion of the arm, the knees also push upward. This movement adds additional power to the punch.
Training for boxing is essential if one desires to gain competence. Punching bags or punching dummies are a great way to help one become proficient at this sport.
Nancy Smith is one of the owners of RobbinsSports.com, an online retailer specializing in basketball backboards and punching dummies.
Ending a three game winning streak, the Jazz fall to the Milwaukee Bucks 87-95. Falling behind in the game, no doubt the Jazz had hopes of once again climbing out of the hole they had dug for themselves. After all they have already had at least five games this season where they have come back from a combined deficit of 88 points to claim the victory. Not so on this Friday night when Kirilenko went out with a strained left calf leaving the team without his long arm of defense combined with the ugly statistic of shooting 0-10 on three pointers. They had their chances. The score was all tied up at 87 with a mere 36 seconds to play in the game only to see Milwaukee go on an 8-0 run which sealed their fate.
Unfortunately, the teams which the Jazz are in hot contention with for top spots in the Western Conference also played last night but they each won their match-ups.
The statistics were fairly even for both teams (field gold percentage, points in the paint, assists, etc.) but the real story behind the Jazz loss was the three point drought. Utah will have to regroup and come out hungry for a win when they meet Oklahoma City on Sunday.
The sport of soccer has been around for a very long time. It has been played for centuries in China, Japan, Italy, Greece and other parts of the world, however it was not until 1863 that the game as we know it today took place in England. It took much longer for it to make its’ for Major League Soccer was only 14 years ago in l996.
For a sport that started out so slowly it has since caught fire in this country. It is currently the most popular and fastest growing youth sport in America with over 18 million participants. Major League Soccer continues to grow in popularity as well to the point that some of the matches draw crowds of over ninety thousand people.
Beginning soccer is a sport that is taught to children as young as four years. The skills associated with this sport are easy to learn and young children can usually be taught very quickly. Thousands of people have found soccer to be a great way for a young person to practice their running, kicking and ball control skills. The repetition that is so much a part of this sport is great exercise and allows one to improve physical skills at the same time they are developing confidence.
The pace of this sport is fast which is a great thing for young people who often do not have very long attention spans and can become easily distracted or bored. The quick pace of soccer has been found to keep their interest and their focus.
Playing this sport develops the stamina which is an essential element of most any physical activity that one might pursue. It also helps with the development of coordination, muscle control, balance and flexibility, all of which are important components of an athlete.
Nancy Smith is one of the owners of RobbinsSports.com, an online retailer specializing in basketball backboards and punching dummies.
The new buzzword in exercise circles these days in “HIT” which stands for high intensity interval training. The promise with this type of workout is that it can give identical benefits to a much longer but less rigorous exercise routine in a fraction of the time. Sounds almost too good to be true doesn’t it? It has been proven to be just as effective as it claims but the catch is that this new strategy calls for not just a step up in your normal effort but a all out, hold nothing back effort for each and every workout.
A friend of mine recently decided to tackle this challenging routine thinking of all the time she would save with shortened workouts. Her first routine required only 9 minutes of intense effort (one minute, two minutes, three minutes, two minutes, one minute) with an equal amount of low energy movement (rest time) in between each segment. This sounded like an absolute piece of cake to her. Her view changed rather rapidly once she got started and realized how difficult and demanding it was to maintain that level of effort for even 2 or 3 minutes. She confided that she felt physically ill (nauseated) at the conclusion of her 9 minute workout. That did not deter her from showing up for the next scheduled exercise session however. She found that she did realize similar results to those she derived from her marathon 2 hour workouts and vowed she would continue with HIT. She also confirmed that she felt a good deal more pain and physical discomfort with her new training methods. All things considered, she felt it was worth the effort.
This new approach is working for my friend but it is definitely not for everyone, especially those who require a low-impact, non-strenuous form of activity.
Nancy Smith is one of the owners of RobbinsSports.com, an online retailer specializing in volleyball nets and basketball backboards
The Utah Jazz matched up against the Chicago Bulls Tuesday night. The Bulls had an overall record of 31-31 coming into the game including three losses in their last three games.
It was an interesting match-up against two all-star caliber players in Utahs’ Deron Williams and Bulls guard, Derrick Rose. Both played very well on this particular night with Deron taking the edge in the stats with 28 points and 17 assists to Roses’ 25 points and 13 assists.
The first half of the game saw fairly equal performances from both teams which the halftime score reflected but the Jazz kicked things into gear for the second half. Improved hustle gave the Jazz a 9 point lead with a minute and a half left in the third quarter and they owned the final quarter of the game finishing with a score of 132-108. C.J. Miles came up big racking up 26 points for Utah.
The Jazz have now won eight of their last 10 road games and with a grueling schedule for the remainder of the week with games against Detroit, Milwaukee and Oklahoma City, the hope is that the winning trend can continue.
As a youth I did not participate in any type of sporting activity. I was on no youth team, I did not ski or skate or play tennis or any other of the dozens of possibilities that might have been available to me. It was not until much later in life that I realized that I had missed out on some incredible opportunities by being uninvolved.
Besides providing an outlet for excess energy and a great workout, playing sports is just plain fun. It offers an opportunity to meet new people with whom you may find many commonalities. It is also a laboratory for learning important skills and even more important qualities of character.
It is a great thing that today there are so many possibilities for a young person to involve themselves in some type of physical activity and it is a very sad thing that so many of them do not take advantage of the opportunity. If you talk to almost any professional athlete today they will tell you how important sports were in their young lives. They will relate how it helped them to overcome weaknesses and to gain the confidence that is so essential to ones well being. Many of our present day athletes who grew up in very disadvantaged circumstances, credit sports with changing their entire lives and providing them with the forums to succeed. For everyone of those athletes who have made it, there are thousands more who need the same chance for a better life.
One does not have to become a professional athlete to reap the rewards that involvement in sports can provide. Most people do not have the skills or the drive that will take them to the pinnacle of success in the sporting world and that is as it should be. Success can be found in hundreds of different areas that are just as important and with the potential to be just as fulfilling. Sports can provide an early training ground to help one to reach those successes in whatever field they might choose.
Nancy Smith is one of the owners of RobbinsSports.com, an online retailer specializing in basketball backboards and punching dummies.
In the game of baseball, the need for a good batting helmet cannot be overstated. In Little League and pick up games among young people, errant balls are common place. Many injuries occur to young people who play without using the proper equipment. Getting hit on any part of the body is not a pleasant experience, however being struck by an object as hard as a baseball which is traveling at a significant speed can be much more than unpleasant. It can be deadly. For this reason, it is essential to find a helmet that has been designed for optimum protection.
Devastating injuries have occurred in the professional leagues that have precipitated the development of a new design in helmets. This new design features additional padding and other protective features. Not all players are thrilled with the prospect of sacrificing comfort and style in favor of wearing the more advanced designs which they feel are too big and awkward looking and feeling. The exception would be those players who have previously sustained injury. For the most part, these players are more than willing to wear the new helmets in an effort to guard against any further injury which might be career ending or even life threatening. This is smart thinking on their part because experts claim that if someone is hit on the head without protection by a ball that is traveling even 32 miles per hour (which is one third the speed of most professionally thrown balls), it will always result in a fracture.
The warnings are quite clear. If you are going to play baseball, get yourself a helmet that will offer adequate protection. Become educated on the elements of a good helmet.
Nancy Smith is one of the owners of RobbinsSports.com, an online retailer specializing in volleyball nets and basketball backboards.
Meeting the Los Angeles Clippers for the second time in less than a week, the Jazz again came out definitely “not on their game” and shooting only 36% in the first quarter. One might have expected that the Clippers would be the ones to be playing without energy since it was their second of back to back games on the road. Instead they were burning up the nets while the Jazz exhibited almost zero defense. Early foul trouble kept them from finding any kind of rhythm. They found themselves down by at least ten points for a good portion of the game. It’s true that Utah has played several games this season where they have come from being down at least 13 points and come back to win but that is certainly not something they can count on happening rountinely. On this particular night, however, they were once again able to come from behind and claim a victory. The credit goes in large measusre to Boozers excellent play. He earned his 40th double double for the season in this game. While the shooting percentage for the Jazz ended up being only 45% for the night, they were able to pick up 45 rebounds and 54 points in the paint which along with 28 assists was enough to win the game. The Clippers finally ran out of steam in the fourth quarter and allowed the Jazz a 107-85 win. We’ll take it.
Many of us have hunkered down indoors over these long winter months, no doubt spending way too much time in front of the television or computer. We know that spring is coming and with it will be the opportunity to participate in one of our favorite sports, baseball.
Although the beginning of the season is still some weeks away, it is now time to begin preparing for the action that we are eagerly anticipating. Chances are that all the sitting around we have been doing these past months has not done any favors for our physical condition. Ones’ body will not be at it’s best to start the season unless it has had a degree of preparatory conditioning. In much the same way that a brief warm up before a long run serves to reduce the likelyhood of injury, so does a degree of body conditioning before jumping full steam into a regiment of practices and games associated with your sport of choice.
Consistency is the ticket when it comes to getting your body in shape. Stick to your routine or chances are that your good intentions will go unfulfilled.
Keep in mind that a warm up does not have to be a lengthy activity in order to serve it’s intended purpose. 5-8 minutes of doing something as simple as running in place to get your heart pumping will be a good start. After your body is sufficiently warmed up and your muscles more agile it is time to stretch them out in order to get maximum flexibility and to reduce the possibility of injury. Decide on some form of exercise to participate in that will strengthen your body and increase your stamina. Perhaps bicycle riding or jogging?
If you begin now with some type of consistent reigment that will have your body ready to go when the season begins, you will not be sorry.