Tennis Fitness Is Critical For Tennis Success                                                                                                                 

 Sporting activities require players and competitors to be in good shape at all times. You will not be able to compete with your rivals if you are not fit or healthy enough, as this might pose a health risk to you. That is why both players and competitors need to follow a strict training regimen of diet, fitness, and exercise. This keeps them, and their bodies, able to compete on these strenuous, but competitive, activities. Tennis, being another sport, is no exception; tennis players need to maintain their bodies physically and mentally fit. That is why they need to follow tennis fitness programs to keep themselves able to play their favorite sport.

Tennis fitness programs make the players (or those who simply want to play tennis) undergo strict and rigorous training sessions to keep their bodies fit and healthy. These training sessions also hone and enhance their skills and abilities as well, so that they can beat their opponents and rivals in the tennis court. By following these strict tennis fitness programs, not only do they ensure their victory in the tennis courts, but keep themselves healthy and strong so that they can do other activities they like besides playing tennis. Tennis fitness programs also try to enhance two of the most important attributes when playing tennis: speed and power.


As you may know, both these characteristics are needed to win a tennis match. Speed is very important as it determines your ability to catch the ball, and hit it back to your opponent. Tennis fitness programs aim to improve the quickness and agility of a player, so that they will be able to do the latter. Training for speed also gives him or her balance, agility, as well as able to think quickly in order to formulate a strategy in beating his or her opponent. With quick movements and able to think quickly, he or she will surely be victorious and will triumph over his or her opponents. So it is important for them to be able to move quickly, and tennis fitness programs will help them develop this characteristic.

But quick movements are not enough to win a tennis match; you also need strength and power in order to win the game. Power is equally important if you want to win a game. If you are not able to "serve" with full power, you are giving your opponent a chance to hit it back easily. Also, if you can't make shots with enough power or force, you will make your shots more predictable and easily countered by even the simplest shots. That is why it is important to improve your power as well so that you can make powerful shots that will, in turn, make you less predictable. Tennis fitness programs also include this in their training regimen.


Having both of these characteristics will surely make you a formidable opponent in the court. That is why it is important for you to train on tennis fitness programs that work on these characteristics, so that you can easily win against your opponents and rivals. There are many companies out there that offer these tennis fitness programs, but only a few are capable of delivering their promises. Make sure that you choose the right one for you, as well as the one that you are capable of doing. Some fitness programs may be too strenuous for you, so make sure that you pick the one your doctor(s) recommend.

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      NASCAR Still Looking For Second Black Champion

                   
In 1964 Wendell Smith became the first African American to win a race in what is now the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, which is stock car racing’s major leagues. The race took place at Jacksonville’s Speedway Park.
Smith ran 495 big league races over 13 years with 147 top 10 finishes and the one win. His last race was in 1973. If one considers winning the primary measure of success in big time professional sports, there have been no successful Black NASCAR drivers since Smith stopped racing.
NASCAR is trying to address this with its Drive for Diversity (D4D) program, which Regal Magazine covered twice in 2009. The Orlando Sentinel says the NASCAR diversity program is making progress.
According to a Feb. 18 story, NASCAR officials started Drive for Diversity programs eight years ago to develop promising Black NASCAR drivers.
Talent from other racing series, such as Danica Patrick, who juggles her time between Indy Car and stock-car races, and Colombian-born Juan Pablo Montoya, who drove in Formula1, have crossed over.
Bringing new Black NASCAR drivers up the ranks has been the bigger challenge.
Though no one in the diversity program has made that breakthrough into NASCAR's lead racing series, this year's team offers some of the best prospects, said Max Siegel, CEO of Revolution Racing. As former president of Dale Earnhardt Inc., he is one of the highest-ranking African American executives in the sport's history.
"We've had tremendous success on the racetrack with our drivers," he said. "We had a rookie of the year. We had a bunch of firsts. "We're celebrating those successes and getting attention from pacesetters."
Siegel revamped the NASCAR diversity program in the past year and set up an academy-style system in which recruits learn more than driving. They build up their physical fitness and work on their own cars, while competing in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East, a triple-A level of racing.
Still, there has been no breakthrough into Sprint Cup Series success for Black NASCAR drivers. “You win races and then hopefully, you can catch that break with the right sponsor to help you get to the next level," said African American driver Ryan Gifford, 21, of Winchester, Tenn. "It's just a matter of time and timing."
Gaining sponsorships is a significant issue. By itself, a car can cost $250,000. Supporting a team and travel can run into the tens of millions. A major sponsor can pay $20 million to put its name on a prime spot on the car. Owners and sponsors want a return on that investment, which means seasoned drivers with a track record or a pedigree have a significant advantage, as well known drivers can command higher sponsorship fees.
Still, there has been progress for Black NASCAR drivers in the D4D program.
Michael Cherry, 21, from the Tampa area, won a race at the Tri County Motor Speedway in Hudson, N.C., becoming the first African American winner at that small track, a venue similar to AA or AAA in minor league baseball.
"Keeping your name out there, winning is the number one priority, but they're giving us a great opportunity to race," Cherry said to the Sentinel. "Soon, maybe as soon as two years, you'll see one of us at the top. It might even be me."
Several factors are working in D4D’s favor: the desire to increase interest in NASCAR from non-traditional markets to increase attendance and ratings; the need to augment the pool of drivers in a sport with significant turnover; and the understanding that it does NASCAR no good to be seen as the province of southern good old boys taking care of their own. Big time teams which understand marketing and have the resources to think about the future, like Penske Racing, Kyle Busch Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing, are participating in D4D.
Bottom line: it should not be more difficult to have successful Black NASCAR drivers than it is to have an African American in the White House.
         
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List of Best Football Stadiums in America

 

Watching a live football match definitely gives a different experience than watching it on television. There are many huge and beautiful football stadiums in America. The upcoming article gives a list of best football stadiums in America.

In America, football is the second religion for many people and stadiums where the game is played are like the Duomos (The principal Christian church building of a bishop's diocese). The view of the field is 3D as opposed to the view on television. The experience of watching a football match sitting in the stadium is extra-ordinary because of the excited crowd and their exciting support. The enthusiasm among the fans almost touches the sky filling the stadium with a roar. The cheering and booing of the fans keep boosting the spirit of players as well as make them feel the pressure of do or die situation on field.

            Top Football Stadiums in America

Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor
It is the largest and one of the best stadiums in America. The stadium was inaugurated on 1st of October, 1927 and the opening game was played between UM (University of Michigan) and Ohio. Nearly, 21 acres of land was donated to the University by the Detroit native Dexter M. Ferry in 1902. After donation, the land was united comprising an athletics campus of the Michigan University. In return of the donation the entire complex was renamed as Ferry Field. The stadium could not accommodate a large number of fans hence, the need was felt to expand the stadium. A new complex was built closer to the site where the Michigan outdoor track lies. Though the new complex was constructed under the same name, Ferry Field was much more different from the older field. The older complex allotted the field for baseball, football and athletics whereas the new Ferry Field had grass that was exclusively used for football. Michigan had constructed separate practice fields so that Ferry Field was used only on game days.

Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin
It was opened in September 29, 1957. It is nicknamed as "The Frozen Tundra" as when the temperature falls extremely low, it freezes the field. The most famous game played in this stadium was the 1967 "Ice Bowl" when the temperatures dropped below -25 degrees. City of Green Bay and Green Bay/brown County Professional Football Stadium District owns the stadium and the operator of the stadium is Green Bay Packers. One of the unique things of this stadium is the "Lambeau Leap", where the packer players jump into the end zone stands as celebration. The Lambeau Leap was invented by LeRoy Butler in December 1993 which was later popularized by Robert Brooks. Another star feature of the stadium is its music. Lumberjack band played at the stadium. The live band was then replaced by recorded music. "Go! You Packers! Go!" was the theme song of the team. It was played immediately after the introduction of the packer players.

Memorial Stadium, Nebraska
In the year 1922, funds of around $430,000 were collected to build a new football stadium, by the faculty, students, and well wishers of the Nebraska University. The stadium is located on the campus of the university of Nebraska and has around 83,000 seating capacity. The name Memorial Stadium is given in the honor of all the Nebraskans who fought in the Civil and Spanish-American wars and 751 Nebraskans who died in the first World War. One interesting thing to know about the stadium is that the stadium is referred to as the "Sea of Red" because of the red apparel of the fans.

Neyland Stadium in Knoxville
It is one of the top college football stadiums belonging to the University of Tennessee. The stadium was built in the year 1921 and the owner of the stadium is the State of Tennessee. It is the 3rd largest stadium in the country with the capacity of around 102,000 seats. The Tennessee river flows close to the stadium which adds to the scenic look of the stadium. The stadium offers you an awesome view of the "sea of orange" because of the two tiers wrapped around with no openings. There is a tradition associated with the stadium. The band and the fans together form a walk way for the players through which they enter the stadium. It is called the Vol walk and it happens a few hours before the game. The band plays Rocky Top, loud and proud with the fans singing along.

Sanford Stadium, Georgia
The stadium is named after Dr. Steadman Vincent Sanford who was considered to be the early force behind UGA (University of Georgia Athletes). It is the fifth largest stadium in the country. The stadium saw its first game on October 12, 1929. The highlight of the stadium is the theft happened at the stadium. Three hall of fame certificates including photographs were stolen from the stadium. The certificates belonged to the three Bulldog legends, Herschel Walker, Fran Tarkenton and Vince Dooley.

Since it is impossible to talk about each and every important stadium in detail, here is a list of all other major stadiums apart from those mentioned above:

• Jordan Stadium, Alabama
• Kyle Field, Texas
• Rose Bowl, California
• Tiger Stadium, Louisiana
• Beaver Stadium, Pennsylvania
• Ohio Stadium, Ohio
• Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Florida
• Darell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, Texas
• Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
• FedEx Field, Maryland

All the stadiums mentioned above are not only popular in America but also around the world. If you still have not watched a match in any of these stadiums, you have missed a worthy event. If you are a true football fan, go get yourself an opportunity to enjoy the exciting atmosphere on these stadiums. 

                  By/ Snehal Motkar
      


           http://www.buzzle.com/articles/list-of-best-football-stadiums-in-america.html
 

                           

          History of Chicago Bulls
 

The history of the Chicago Bulls goes back to the Chicago Stags (Bucks), one of 11 teams in the American Basketball Association (BAA, Basketball Association of America), one of the Predecessors of the NBA league. In 1949-50, and in the NBA, the Stags decided not to continue in the league.

After Several years of absence from professional basketball in 1961-1962 created the Chicago Packers, But after two seasons of failed Decided to change last name and move to historical another city, like Baltimore Zephyrs (Which would be the ancestors of the Washington Wizards) .

In 1966-1967, the city Creates a new basketball team to Represent Them and get future sporting success. So the Chicago Bulls are born, Whose name Referred to the power and strength of a city based Whose Was The meat packing. Were Considered other names like Matadors or Toreadors, But Were discarded by Shorter, as are other city teams (Bears, Cubs).

Arrival of Jordan

After years fighting in the mediocrity of the table, the fate of the team changed Windy City in 1984, When They get the third draft pick and choose the Promising star of the University of North Carolina, Michael Jordan. After an amazing debut year, Jordan Became one of the stars of the league and Chicago Began to form a competitive team around him. In 1987, the Bulls made a major change with your choice of getting the draft forward Scottie Pippen.

After years of adaptation, Jordan and Pippen marked with Before and After in the league, Being Considered one of the Most Successful duos in basketball history (they are the only two players who've Been to all the titles That got the Bulls).

With Jordan as a leader, the Bulls During The Decade of the 90s managed to break Many brands on the NBA's best record in the history of the league's best record in away games, the more local unbeaten streak, best start to season six NBA championships in8 years, Including Some Achievements, Considered one of the biggest teams in league history.

Following the "Step Jordan" (completed after second historical retirement in 1999), Chicago has never again be a team leader in the NBA, Reaching the postseason in only 6 of the next 12 years, and can get past the first round in just a chance.

In 2009, the Bulls get the first pick Suddenly in the draft at a rate of 1.37% to take it. The team selected point guard Derrick Rose, a player Known For His speed and offensive power, skills earned him That Rookie of the Year award and Became the new darling of the city of Chicago.

The 2010-2011 season, Means to bid for the Bulls. After Trying to keep the services of Any of the three major players ending contract (Chris Bosh, Dwayne Wade and LeBron James), Chicago Decided to Complement the young core team Consisting of Derrick Rose, Luol Deng and Joakim Noah forward post, With That players fill the gaps of equipment Such as power forward Carlos Boozer, Which would Provide domestic game and rebounds, and guard Kyle Korver triplero.  


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First Time Training For A Half Marathon

Completing a half Marathon is not something you can do without some serious training. That said the training doesn't have to be that extreme or held to an any rigid regime. There are a few main points to follow to ensure you'll complete your first half marathon without any injuries or needs for medical attention during your first race.

If you can't already run 4km without stopping I wouldn't enter a half marathon to start with. If you can, and you have at least 3 months till the race day then it should be an easy task assuming you don't get any injuries during training. Avoiding injuries is always the number one priority.

Measure Your Progress

The most important motivator in my view is to record your runs and be able to see improvements over time as you analyse them later on graphs. The most popular fitness/running monitors based on the upgradeyourbody fitness directory are currently Garmin Watches, followed by iPhones with apps such as Runkeeper. Which ever you choose, the main thing is to be able to record your distance and average pace using GPS. There's no better motivator than watching these measurements improve over time, and in my opinion there's no better competitor than yourself.

Two Short Runs A Week

When training for my first half marathon I used to run twice through the week. These should be your shorter runs where you focus on improving speed. A short run can be anywhere from 4km minimun to around 8km. Try to run the same track each time so you can compare times and pace and make your goal to improve the overall pace. Running for at least 30 minutes should be the aim and it can be increased to anywhere up to an hour as the half marathon day approaches. Be careful though not to make your short runs so long where you'll become reluctant to do them at all. If you find yourself thinking it's too hard to go for a run consider shortening it or making it easier by making your front door the start and finish line.

One Long Run A Week

On the weekend pick either day, depending on other schedules. Keeping it flexible will keep you happy. This run should be an endurance run. The goal here is to run as far as you can without doing injury, or wearing yourself out so much that you can't perform your two weekly runs. For me I started my long weekend run at 8km and increased it by around 10% each week. The goal should be to get up to around 2 hours worth of running for your long run. Any longer than 2hrs and you'll find the recovery time is too long and painful. So the main point here is to remember it's not about pace its about endurance. Take it easy and most of all don't get injured. If you can work up to running for two hours, no matter the pace you can do a half marathon.

Supplements For Half Marathons

You'll soon notice during your long run each weekend that running after one hour becomes incredibly grueling. After the body has used up its readily available reserves of easy to burn carbohydrates, burning other sources of fuel is much harder. Your legs become tired, heavy and the psychology tells you to stop and walk or give up. At this stage it's greatly beneficial to consume any of the energy gels that are readily available on the market.

Energy gels usually come in plastic tubes which contain about 100 calories and some come with optional caffeine. Caffeine is more psychological, as its known to the professionals to aid in covering pain during extreme exercise and increase endurance. For me, around 10 minutes after consuming these 100 calories you feel your legs come back to life and the energy boost usually lasts for around 20 minutes. Everyone is different so experimentation with brands and frequency of use during your long runs will help you understand what to consume during your actual race.

Psychology Of Running A Half Marathon

The average time for a beginner to complete a half marathon will typically be 1:45 to 2:30 depending on age and fitness level. Running continuously for this length of time is not natural and you'll fight a constant battle to not stop and walk. That urge that keeps a successful runner going through the pain all comes down to psychology.

If you need to stop and walk, it's always OK, as long as you intend to get going again once recovered. The main thing is to keep focused that you'll keep going as fast as you can. Beating previous personal record paces or distance records always provides a great sense of achievement that keeps long distance runners satisfied and motivated.

Having said that if you ever feel sick or unwell during a training event it's important to stop and recover properly so you can resume training with the least downtime.

Two Weeks Before The Half Marathon

Now is the time to begin your training wind down. Nearly all half marathons are held on weekends so make your last long weekend run two weeks before the event. It takes two full weeks for the body to recover from a half marathon which is the reason this will be the last long training run. Be careful again to take it easy and focus only on running for 2 hours. As a beginner you should be able to now run at least 17kms in two hours, meaning you will probably run your half marathon in 2:30.

For your weekly shorter runs which are normally go as fast as you can, it's time to introduce tempo runs. Tempo runs are where you warm up for about 10 minutes, then run flat out giving it all you've got for 30 seconds, then run slow for a 1:30 or so to recover and do it again. This is repeated until the end of the run. I found the Runkeeper App on my iPhone was the best for programming this. After setting the intervals, it has voice prompts that tell when to run hard and when to recover. Overall, this technique will teach your body that it can run at a faster pace and has been proven to have significant results.

The goal of tempo running is to not have to stop and walk. You should feel what your body can do and push only so hard during the fast running that you don't need to walk during the recovery. Run as slow as you like to recover, but listen and feel to your fitness level so that when you run hard you won't be so exhausted that you need to walk to recover. Tempo running should teach you to feel how hard you can run, and how to run slow enough to recover without having to stop or walk.

On the last weekend you can actually take it off completely or go for half a long run. It's up to you.

During the last week do one more tempo run early in the week.

The day before the run you should be feeling heavy and lazy again. This is exactly what you want because it means your body has recovered from all the training, your muscles are recovered, and energy reserves are resupplied. If you're feeling keen you can do a quick 10 minute warm up just to get those legs moving again but don't over do it. You'll now be fully trained and recovered, ready at peak performance for race day.

The Night Before Your Half Marathon

Carb loading the night before a half marathon is key because carbs are the preferred fuel to burn during running. Eating processed carbs like white pasta will burn faster, but since it was the night before and still twelve until the race, I decided to eat wholemeal pasta with a little mince. 60% carbs, 30% meat and the rest as vegies should be fine. Home made spaghetti bolognese was my choice in the end. Obviously avoid alcohol at all costs and drink plenty of fluids all day.

Morning Of The Half Marathon

Eat a light breakfast based on white carbs. White toast with you're favorite spread or a banana but just enough to stop the hunger. You can also choose to have a good strong coffee as the caffeine will stay in your system for 6 hours and increase endurance. Pack your energy gels and head off to the event.

All the training and preparation above will ensure you finish comfortably and achieve your goal of completing your first half marathon!

 Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joshua_M_White

  

            

         

       Where To Go For Fantasy Football Advice For The Newbie

You may think you know all there is to know about football in general and fantasy football in particular. My best friend has a plaque that never fails to amuse me. It says “Those of you who think you know everything are annoying those of us who do.” All I am saying is that everyone could use a little fantasy football advice from time to time. There are people who do nothing but play and analyze this game for a living. Most of us do not have the time or resources for that, so we can easily take advantage of their expertise.

Now you can rely on the advice of your friends provided they are not playing in the same league, but there     are unlimited resources out there so check a few of them out. There are any number of magazines you can buy that have tons of information on fantasy football. Probably the best ones to get before your draft are the preseason issues. They have every player ranked and lots of articles about up and coming rookies and players who may n a decline. ESPN, Fox sports and the NFL all have magazines.

If you check online, the fantasy football sites are just too numerous to name. Everyone has a favorite and they all have similar offerings. You can get cheat sheets, draft sheets, all kinds of statistics and predictions for the coming season. Many of these sites are free and some allow you to subscribe for a small fee. The internet is a wonderful resource and most people either have a computer or have access to one. No, I don’t mean your work computer. Do that at your own risk, but the public library often has computers you can use. When we visited my family in Georgia, my husband was frantic about his fantasy team and my mother did not have a computer so we went into town and used the ones at the library, crisis averted. Thank goodness we have a lap top now.

Satellite TV has so many sports channels; they have to have fantasy football information in addition to all the other sports news. Many sports radio stations and internet radio stations have fantasy football programming. You can even get apps for your phone to keep updated. Even if you are a new fantasy football enthusiast, you can get up to speed very quickly taking advantage of all the fantasy football advice available.


              http://www.football-fantasy.us/

                                    How to Bench with Proper Form  

 

 Let me start by saying that I believe in lowering the weight to my chest. I prefer to touch-and-go with most exercises, and I’ve never experienced any negative repercussions using that protocol. Using touch-and-go is the only way to be sure you are lowering the weight to the same spot each time.

When you use proper form, there is no reason for you to feel discomfort in your shoulders.

If benching is causing you shoulder issues it is likely due to at least one of the following possible reasons:

* You have weak rotator cuff muscles. To fix this, read about how to avoid rotator cuff injury.
* You are benching too wide. Extreme wide grip bench pressing is not advised if you want to save your shoulders.

To find the right grip for proper bench pressing form, follow these tips for for proper arm placement:
1. Lay down on a bench (or stand up if you want).
2. Put your arms in the bench press position with elbows bent at a 90 degree angle between forearms and biceps, and another 90 degree angle at the arm pits, between the upper arms and the back. This is how NOT to bench press.
3. Now decrease the arm pit angle to only 45 degrees. This will increase the tension on the triceps and decrease the tension on the shoulders. Over time your shoulders will experience less strain and your triceps will get much stronger.
4. Grasp the bar with your hands directly over your elbows, with thumbs 2-3 inches outside of the shoulders.
5. Elbows should stay under the hands through the descent and should flare out when pressing the bar through lockout.

Although you will keep your elbows in at a 45 degree angle, this is not a close grip bench by any means.
* The path from the top of the press to your chest is too long. You want the shortest path possible from the bottom to the top of the rep in order to save energy.

As you lay on the bench to begin your set, be sure to use these tips for proper bench posture:
1. Puff your chest out by elevating your rib cage like you are about to strut your stuff in front of the super-sexy girl next door.
2. Retract your shoulder blades by pulling your shoulders and elbows back.
3. Push your traps and upper back into the bench while keep those shoulder blades back and in.
4. Only your head, upper back, and buttocks should actually be touching the bench, but you should NOT have an exaggerated curve in your lower spine (the lumbar curve).
5. Finally, attempt to flare or flex the lats. This will give you a wider surface area on the bench and will help when pushing the weight out of the hole. That is why elite powerlifters will tell you that you need a big back to have a big bench.
* You set up too far away from the bar. When you unrack the bar, it should be nearly in pressing position. Lay down so that your shoulders are only an inch or two forward of the unracked bar. Pull the bar forward off the rack rather than lifting it up and over.
* You are not using your feet properly. For maximum strength and stability, you want your feet to stay planted on the floor directly underneath your legs at all times. Your feet should not jump around during the set, and in fact you should drive through your heels to generate additional force when pressing.

This does NOT mean that your butt should leave the bench at any time during your lift, or that you should exaggerate that lumbar curve we were talking about earlier.
* You are not using your triceps properly. Once the bar passes the half-way point in a rep, you want to try to break the bar in half, which activates the triceps to assist in locking the bar out at the top

 

 

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