Sports Blog

When I was a kid, I always dreamed of being a professional athlete.  Basketball was my passion.  Every day during the summer I went outside behind my garage and shot some hoops.  Some days, it was only for a few minutes, other days it seemed like it was for hours on end.  I played City League Basketball when I was in 6th grade, but then didn’t play in a league again until my freshman year of high school.  I enjoyed playing a lot, but I quickly realized that I didn’t have what it takes to ever be a professional athlete, hence I gave up on my goal.  Now that I am a little older, I have realized some of the mistakes that I made in my goal.  I never really strived to be a better athlete.  Here are a few ideas that I have come up with on how to become a better athlete.

1. First thing is first… PRACTICE!  There is nothing more important that you can be doing to improve your athleticism than to practice.  If your sport is basketball, practice basketball.  Practice alone, practice with others, do drills, etc.  Also, don’t neglect other sports.  How many really good athletes only know how to play one sport?  If you are a basketball player you can benefit from playing many other sports.  Playing soccer will improve your endurance.  Football will help you learn how to be aggressive.  Basketball will improve your hand-eye coordination.  No matter what sport you play, you can benefit from practicing not only that sport, but other sports as well.  Becoming a well-rounded athlete will make you a better basketball player, football player, or whatever your sport may be.
2. Weight Training Weight training is essential to become a better athlete.  Typically football players and wrestlers have no problem with this.  For me, this was one of my weaknesses.  I thought that getting outside and shooting the basketball would make me a great basketball player.  Rather than hitting the gym when I wanted to get better, I just shot some hoops.  I have realized that strength is crucial.  Strength training would have allowed me to have more confidence while I was playing in the post.  Instead, I got man-handled pretty much all the time.  I had no control because I was over-powered by everyone.  Also, because I never really focused on strength training, I always come up just a little short on my jump because I lacked the strength in my legs.  This was a big fall-back for me.  I missed rebounds, I could never dunk, and I couldn’t push off hard enough.
3. Last but not least… Play with people who are better than you.  Being a grown-up now, I can pretty much man-handle any kids in basketball.  But who cares?  That doesn’t help me get better.  When I was young, I never wanted to play against anyone older than me.  I guess it is because I was afraid.  If I had spent more time playing with people who are older and better, I would have had to push myself harder and I think that I would have been a lot better.  I have recently started picking up soccer.  I am probably the worst player in the group that I play with.  I am picked last in every game.  But, my game is improving more than anyone else.  If I had learned this when I was young, I think that I might have been a better athlete.

I love sports.  I enjoy playing any sport.  Among my favorites are basketball, soccer, and football.  While I don’t claim to be extremely good at any of these sports, I look forward to improving.  It’s too bad that I didn’t realize how to be a better athlete when I was younger.  But there is a saying that is heard a lot in sports… never give up.  So I will continue to play and get better.

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Wade Boden is the Artwork Director of Robbins Sports, an online resource for Basketball Uniforms, Soccer Uniforms, and Football Uniforms.

Los Angeles must be a big market.  As I sit here watching Game 6 between the Jazz and the Lakers, it becomes more and more obvious that there are some NBA markets that are favored over others.  [I just watched Kobe Bryant kick Matt Harpring in the side while shooting a fall away.  Foul on Harpring.  Wow!]
The NBA has done an amazing job of keeping secret the communication between the NBA’s marketing executives and the fat, goofy bald guy (Joey Crawford ) and his buddies. [Kobe just ran over a firmly-planted Paul Milsap on his way to the basket.  Block on Milsap.  You’re kidding me!]  I can name at least ten obvious calls in this game alone that would be definite causes for firing any official in a league where objectivity and fairness is the goal. 

Game 5 was worse.  Did anyone notice a travel by Ronnie Brewer on the fast break that would have given the Jazz their first lead in the third quarter?  I didn’t think so.  Apparently the zebra found it.  He must have better eyes than the rest of us.  How about Pau Gasol charging over Matt Harpring while he was imitating a statue?  Oh, all of you saw that?  Not the sucker standing right next to the play.  Apparently he had something else on his mind.

[A valiant Jazz effort just fell short.  I guess a three-point loss isn’t too bad considering that there were 10-15 points given to the Lakers.]

A Foul is a Foul
There’s always talk about player’s having to earn the respect of the officials.  Marquee guys (Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, etc.) aren’t allowed to foul out, nor are defenses allowed to guard them closely.  We wouldn’t want jerseys sales to drop off, right?  That’s a farce.  A foul is a foul.  A no-call should be a no-call, regardless of who the player is, who the team is, or where the game is being played. After Game 5 of this series, Phil Jackson commented that the home team (he should have clarified a bit by referring to his home team) usually can expect a five- to ten-point advantage.  How is that an acceptable status quo in any professional league?

The NBA and the WWF
I remember watching professional wrestling when I was young enough not to know any better.  Even as a five-year-old it was pretty clear that, throughout the slamming, hair-pulling, screaming and everything else, the winner had been chosen beforehand.  It’s taking me a little longer now to understand the the NBA is that way too. 

So is the NBA fixed?  I wouldn’t say that.

The NBA is definitely broken!

Richard Robbins is the VP of Operations for Robbins Sports, a supplier of basketball uniforms, scoreboards, and other sporting goods.

I usually don’t play baseball or softball too much.  However, last weekend, a friend invited me to the park to hit some softballs.  I was extremely bored, so I quickly agreed. 

As a kid I was never really into the sport of baseball.  I thought that the game was too slow and boring.  I was more in to basketball or football, where the ball is moving quickly and there is constantly something going on.  Another thing about baseball that I never liked is that it takes so many people to play a good game.  If you are playing basketball in the playground you can do just fine with 4 people or even 2.  Backyard football can be played just fine with 3 or more people as well.  But coming up with 18 people to play a game of baseball is just way too much.  Well, last weekend I learned a couple of games that can be played with 12 people or less.

A great way to play with 12 people is that you split up in to 4 teams of 3 people.  1 team is up to bat and the other teams share the field.  You play 2 outs instead of three, since your batting team is so small.  Also, if all of your players on are base then you have to take an out to send up a batter. 

Another game that you can play if you have less than 12 people is that you split in to 2 teams.  One team is up to bat.  The batting team doesn’t run the bases since there are not enough players to field.  Instead you just use ghost runners.  The fielding team will cover only the left side of the field.  If the batter hits the ball in the infield and the fielders cover it without errors, it is an out.  If the infielders make an error, it is a single.  If the batter hits a ground ball that makes it to shallow outfield, it is a single.  If the outfielder makes error fielding the ball, it is a double.  Lastly, if the ball makes it to deep outfield, it is a double.  If the deep outfielder errors, then it is a triple. 

I really don’t know what these versions of the game are called, but they were pretty fun to play.  On a warm spring day, it sure was fun to be outside and hitting some softballs, even though it isn’t one of my favorite sports to play.  Either way, it was great to be with friends and also to make new friend on the field.  I look forward to playing some more and maybe one day, I will enjoy and appreciate the “All-American” sport a little more than I do now.

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Wade Boden is the Director of Artwork at Robbins Sports, an online resource for Baseball Uniforms, School Bleachers, and Catchers Equipment.

During a basketball game, free-throws are extremely important to a teams success.  These crucial shots can be the difference between winning and losing a game.  Free-throws are shot as a result of a technical or flagrant foul, a foul while in the process of shooting, or any foul after the opposing team has exceeded the foul limit.  Since these shots are so common and important, everyone from beginners to pros should spend plenty of time working on their free-throws.  The following is a list of ways to improve your free-throw percentage:

1. Practice, Practice, Practice! Shooting free-throws is a great way to warm up for a practice.  Also, since it does not take a lot of energy, it is a practice routine that one can do for a long time without getting tired.  I would suggest spending about 30 minutes a day working on free-throw for a serious basketball player.
2. Start with a good Base When facing up to shoot a free-throw, many beginners make the mistake of lining up exactly in the middle of the free-throw.  Instead one should line up their dominant foot(right if shooting right-handed) with the center of the court.  Your feet should be about shoulder width apart and facing straight(no pidgin toes).  Your leading foot should be directly behind the free-throw line and your other foot should be a few inches back from the line.
3. Get a Good Handle on the Ball First, position your arm so that your shooting elbow is directly above your foot.  Your elbow is bent at a 90 degree angle.  Your wrist is parallel to you bicep and the ball sits on the fingers of your hand.  Your non-dominant hand is placed on the side of the ball and acts only to guide the ball.  Your should not use this hand to generate power to move the ball. 
4. Perform with Style  The act of shooting the basketball becomes an art.  Crouch down as you will use strength from your legs to generate a forward flow of your body.  As you begin to move upward from your crouch, your forearm should move upward as well.  As you approach the max height, your will begin to move your wrist forward.  Right as you reach the top of your upward acceleration, you quickly flick the wrist forward and let the ball slide off of your hand.  You should end with your shooting hand still above your front foot and your middle finger in line with the rim.
5. Concentrate Concentration is key when facing the challenge of the free-throw.  Use a routine that will help you relax and stay focused.  This could be to dribble the ball two times or three times before taking your shot.  Maybe, your routine is to not dribble the ball at all.  Do whatever works and makes you feel comfortable.  You get 10 seconds to take your shot so you have plenty of time.  Don’t rush your free-throw.  NBA star Tim Duncan is one of the most delayed free-throw shooters that I have ever seen, so don’t feel like taking time to concentrate and hit your free-throws means that you are not a good player.
6. See the Vision Have a positive mentality when shooting free-throw.  Be confident that you can make the shot.  Keep your eye on the back of the rim as that is where you want the ball to go.  Image the ball leaving your hand, floating through the air, and falling straight through the net.

Remember the good old saying, “Practice makes perfect”.  While you while never be a 100% free-throw shooter, practice will definitely increase your performance.  Hitting every free-throw is probably impossible, so just set your goal to have a better free-throw percentage than the day before.  Some time you will make it, some time you won’t.  That’s okay because overall, your free-throw percentage will improve and maybe one day you will be hitting the free-throw that adds the icing on the cake in an important game.

 

Wade Boden is the Artwork Director of Robbins Sports, an online vendor of Basketball Uniforms, Gym Bags, and Residential Basketball Goals.