BONNIE SPORT

We always hear analysts talk about studying the game of basketball and how it can help make you a better player but what are they really talking about. Does that mean that we should study basketball like we study our school work? Here are some ideas that can be used to help increase your knowledge in our great game of basketball.

1. Watch the game differently: Instead of watching the game for the enjoyment of it, try to watch the game from a different perspective. Identify the offense and defense that is being run. If you are a younger player then you first should just identify if the defense is a man-to-man or a zone. Once you understand that then try to identify what type of zone defense is being played. Is it a 1-3-1 or a 2-3 or a 1-2-2 or a 3-2? In order to really start to learn the game make sure you watch the game from a different perspective. That way when you play you’ll be more aware of what is going on.

2. Learn from others: To learn about the game it is important to get as many different perspectives as possible. That means to study all the different ideas from different coaches out there. There is a ton of great reading material on John Wooden, who is considered the greatest coach of all time. Read about him and his philosophies. Coach K is a great coach and there is a ton of great stuff on him as well. Read about his coaching theories and his thoughts on teams and players. If guys like him are willing to share their knowledge then you’d be dumb not to read it. Many coaches make videos or training books with their ideas available.

3. Use the Internet: When I was younger the internet didn’t exist and to get basketball training articles or drills we had to use connections or phonebooks to try to track stuff down. It wasn’t easy. Now you have everything at your disposal including your phones. I have a smart phone and I know there are apps today that show you drill that you can use to help you get better. YouTube has thousands of ideas and websites like ours really give you an edge that I didn’t have. Use the resources that are available to you.

While it might have seemed like Roger Feeder was about to pull off his usual championship romp at the 2010 U.S. Open, it shows just how much the balance of power has shifted in men’s tennis. It’s truly Rafael Nasal’s world and everyone else just lives in it. Despite the increasingly predictable conquest by the top Spaniard – and another terrific showing by women’s champ Kim Clysters – the Open offered up a lot of surprises and a lot of entertainment. Here are some of the highlights.

Feeder ousted in epic fashion: When Inner and Mahout locked horns up for the battle for the ages at Wimbledon; few thought better tennis could be played. Enter Novak Djokovic, who had the tough assignment of trying to keep Feeder from reaching his seventh straight Open Finals. Guess who was responsible for Djokovic exit the last three Opens? It was Feeder, so Djokovic got the monkey off his back by beating the Swiss powerhouse in what might have been the match of the year. Fans are still replaying some of the intense rallies and dramatic finishes of this match.

The weather plays a major role in the games: Tennis players always have to deal with weather, but the 2010 U.S. Open was something special. Intense heat made several players take repeated breaks and forced one to collapse on the court mid-match. Victoria Azarenka was okay in the end, but it was a scary moment for all involved. Once the heat broke, it became a question of wind and then, by the Open’s end, heavy rain. It might be your typical late August and early September New York weather, but it didn’t make it any easier on the players or the fans.

Clysters takes out Venus, romps in Final: The Belgian destroyer clinched the Open in the minds of many observers when she ousted Venus Williams in the semifinals. Clysters has been there and done that before, making this year her third Open title. While some did not expect Clysters to get by the very tough Williams on her home turf, she made it happen. Once that was in the bag, the match against Zvonareva in the Finals was basically an anticlimax. In less than an hour’s time, Clysters was ready to hoist the trophy and call it a day. Her efficiency was remarkable.

If you are an avid golfer, you may find it expensive to replace your golf cart batteries every now and then. But of course you can find ways to make your electric golf cart batteries last long.

Maintaining your electric golf cart batteries is one of the important things you can do to make your batteries last long. Of course, efficient operation of your cart depends also on how you maintain your power source to avoid problems with running your cart as well.

If you are looking for simple and easy ways to maintain your battery to make it run efficiently and make it last long, here are a few things that you may find useful.

Of course, if you want to make your electric golf cart batteries last, you have to follow the manufacturer’s prescribed manual and when it comes to the care, maintenance as well as the correct usage of your batteries. You may need to check out the time it needs to charge your batteries. You also need to check your power source regularly to check for leaks and other defects.

In maintaining this power source for your cart, it is important that you also have to have enough knowledge on how to take care of batteries. Keep in mind that maintaining the battery can be dangerous so make sure that you are well protected when cleaning the batteries. Protective clothing is a must when doing some maintenance work on your golf cart batteries.

Cleaning the battery and making sure that the battery terminals are clean are also simple ways to maintain the efficiency and long life of your battery. You can clean this with acid neutralizing chemicals that are readily available in the market. To have an efficiently running power source, you have to make sure always that the areas near and around the battery are clean and dry.

Charging also plays an important role in making your batteries last long. Golf cart batteries are different from your car batteries as they do not charge itself when in use. So when you charge your batteries, you have to pay attention to charging time. For these types of batteries, a 3-phase charger with a setting of six volts can help make your power source last longer. You can then set the charging voltage to 2.30 to 2.35 volts which can also help make your batteries last longer. A well charged battery will surely last longer than those that are not discharged properly.

Pool sticks were made for just that… shooting pool. And that means using pool sticks to correctly hit billiard balls on a pool table, not for javelin-throwing in the swimming pool. I have to admit that as a kid, I occasionally used my pool stick for things other than the intended use. Even though using it as a limbo stick wasn’t necessarily harmful to the stick, using it as a sword was. Take some tips from a long-time billiard player who has learned some important do’s & don’ts the hard way, and learn some important tips along the way.

Even though you can make nice chalk designs on the ceiling, don’t. The tip of a pool stick is made of leather and is attached to the shaft of the stick with a ferrule. These are tender spots on a cue stick and should not be used to come in contact with anything other than chalk or a billiard ball. If the rounded leather tip loses its shape or is transformed into the all too common “mushroom”, your shots will be less consistent and it will severely affect your play.

I know of a pool stick that was left outside for a day or two after an exhausting duel. This is really bad. Your pool stick should be stored indoors, upright in a case. Exposure of the elements (sun & moisture) can be fatal. Both the shaft and butt of a billiard cue are made of wood and can warp. If that happens, it cannot be fixed and you may as well use it as firewood where it will serve you better.

If your cue stick is wrapped, don’t peel the wrapping like you would a Budweiser label. Wraps are put there for a reason. They give you a firm, comfortable grip on your cue stick and prevent your hand from slipping when you strike a billiard ball.

Lastly, don’t bounce your cue stick to the beat of the music (or off your competitor’s forehead). The rubber piece on the end of the butt is called a bumper. The bumper is put there to protect the cue stick when it accidentally bumps a wall or the table, or when it rests on the ground. The bumper adds to the precise weight of the billiard cue and should not become loosened. Repetitive impacts to the bumper can also cause the butt to eventually crack.

Have you ever struggled to return a shot if the shuttle was hit toward the backcourt area? Most of the time, it is tiring, if not difficult, to return a shot targeted at the backcourt, especially if you are positioned near the net, or if the shuttle moves at a high speed. It can be frustrating if this happens to you, and sometimes it will leave you feeling helpless and discouraged, thinking: “how can I return such a shot?”

One of the ways to return a shot to the backcourt is to get into position quickly. For a right handed player receiving a shot to the right backcourt area, the first step is to turn the body in such a way that the torso faces toward the right side of the court and to make a small step with the right foot so that the right leg is positioned toward the area where the shuttle is anticipated to land. After this initial step, the left foot crosses the back/front of the right foot and the whole body begins to move toward the anticipated landing area.

Then, the right foot takes one more step. At this point, depending on where the shuttle is, the player can already hit the shuttle, or, make a smash or jump smash. If the player chooses to already hit the shuttle, the toe should be pointed away from the center of the court (which is the returning position) to enable the player to return quickly. If the player will follow a smashing process instead, the right foot should end up in front of the body pointing toward the center with the left foot behind and slightly stretched, again to enable the player to return quickly.

One of the most important parts of this process is the very first turn. If you do this part correctly, it will be easier for the rest of the process to follow. Also remember that while the process is described as a series of steps, the entire movement should be smooth and continuous.

This type of footwork can be modified to fit the situation. One alternative will be to jump early with the left foot, instead of taking one more step with the right foot. Jumping and hitting the shuttle high is preferred since with this stroke you can make an attacking move, like a smash or a drop. Keep in mind that it is always better to hit the shuttle high, and that the main point of good footwork is to get to the shuttle as quickly as possible to do this.