Sebastian Telfair NBA Or How to Dunk a Basketball

You may know Sebastian Telfair from basketball documentary "Through the Fire". Then you know the 23-year old guard can play. You know he's got some mad handles. But did you know the 5'11'' guy can dunk? I can't remember him dunking in the NBA, but there is a video on YouTube showing him dunking in high school.

Actually, you don't basketball to be tall to dunk! Former NBA player Spud Webb, standing at 5'9'', won the NBA Slam Dunk Contest in 1986. And what about "KryptoNate" Robinson (5'9''), the 2-time NBA Slam Dunk Champion? His dunk over the 6'11'' Dwight Howard in the 2009 NBA Slam Dunk Contest was simply amazing! So, it can be done - you can dunk even if you are under 6 feet!

But how can you improve your vertical jump?

1) Work on your overall fitness. Lose the extra pounds (or, if you are already in a good shape, try to reduce your body fat).

2) Use the Jumping Rope. It gives you explosiveness and calf strength.

3) Try calf raises and squats, as they train the most important muscle groups in the jumping process. (max. 1 set of 8 reps 2 times/ week).

After 4 weeks your legs should be prepared for a concrete vertical program.

But jumping is not only about strength, but quickness! Here is what you can do to improve in this area:

1) Sprints
2) Quick Jumps (for example rim jumps)
3) Plyometric exercises

P.S. Don't forget to stretch before and after your workout. It not only prevents injuries but also keeps your muscles flexible - a huge point in the vertical jump!

personal trainer

http://www.howtodunk.org

Broad Street Bully

For me, Broad Street Bully basketball a story that had to be told, and it is, in fact, a story that we can all relate to - the struggle to stay on the right path in the face of enormous odds. The main character, Eric Stiles, is a recent college graduate groomed in one of the roughest neighborhoods there is, North Philly. And despite the many challenges he faced throughout his childhood, he made it out, and not just physically, mentally as well.

Yet, despite his family urging him to stay away, Eric returns back to his hometown after graduation. He takes a job with a social service agency as a youth worker, and throughout the book, he tries to reach a teenager by the name of Michael Saunders. But Mike is a young man born to a history of violence; he is a young man on a warpath.

As the son of one of the most notorious drug dealers the streets of Philly had ever produced, Mike knew only three things, violence, aggression and rage. At an early age he was taught that these were the only ways to get what he really wanted out of life. But little did he know, he was headed down the road to self destruction - just like his father. Can Eric save his life?

In this book, the streets of Philly also play a pivotal role, in fact, they can be considered another main character. From the potholes, to the abandon buildings, to the rich culture the city has produced; Philly is a city unlike no other. It is notorious for being a rough town, but beloved as being a place that will always stay true to its own identity. It is my hometown. And after traveling the world and coming back again, I say that with pride. It is a place that builds character, and it is also a place where only the strong survive - the mentally strong.

The streets of Philly maintain a key role throughout the book, all the way up to its' basketball ending. It is an ending that will blow you away, and force you to never look at the youth culture the same again. It will open your eyes to the problems they face growing up in today's Ghetto, America.

"Stay true to yourself, and regret will never enter your mind."

Lormont "L.A" Sharp is a native of Philadelphia, born and raised. He is a graduate from Clarion University with a degree in Communications. While at Clarion, Lormont had an exceptional basketball career. During his senior year, he was named the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference "Athlete of the Year," and was selected an "All-American" by Basketball Times. After graduation, L.A. went on to play professional basketball in several different countries throughout Europe and also South America. With his great athletic ability and deadly 3-point shot, Lormont has amazed basketball fans all over the world!

Just recently in 2007, the "Sharp Shooter" stepped away from the game of basketball and began his career in sports journalism. Over the past year, he has done free-lance work for several publications in the Philadelphia and New York area. He's covered such prestigious events as the Jordan Classic held at Madison Square Garden, and the Elite 24 at Rucker Park

Along with his pursuit of sports writing, L.A. is a Youth Advocate in his hometown of Philly. Since graduating from Clarion, during the off-season of each year, he has returned back to Philly to work with at-risk youths. His new novel entitled Broad Street Bully, is a motivational tale geared towards the youth, and is based on his own experiences. The book is written in a voice and a language in which the young reader, or the educator can relate to. And although it is a fictional tale, it is rooted in reality

For more information on L.A. Sharp, or to purchase Broad Street Bully, log onto his website, http://www.youngpowermoves.com/

It is a website geared towards youth empowerment, and designed to inspire anyone to achieve their dreams. Some of the topics covered include, sports, business, literature and politics

Imprinted Basketballs

Imprinted basketballs are a great idea for promos, fund raising, and corporate events. They are popular as souvenirs and mementos, and even customized gifts.

Imprinted basketballs are retailed by many websites. Imprinted basketballs are almost always available in bulk, since corporate and promotional companies order them for distribution at various events. Extra-Mile.com, for example, retails imprinted synthetic leather and rubber basketballs, which can be purchased wholesale. In fact, purchasing wholesale custom imprinted basketballs is very cost effective. For example, at ArmuProducts.com, you can purchase a single ball for $9, but on purchasing minimum basketball mini basketballs, the price for basketball ball comes down to $2 each. The imprinting charges are extra, and vary depending on the logo or design imprinted, and the number of colors used in imprinting. At ArmuProducts, imprinting costs $40 per color (for a set of balls). The colors are orange, red, blue, white, green and yellow. Of these, only two colors may be selected. Ink color matching costs more. Also, back and white, or color artwork imprinting service is available, and charges vary depending on the complexity of the design.

ArmuProducts.com is one of the best firms retailing imprinted basketballs, since it deals almost exclusively in imprinting and customizing sports goods. You can choose from materials like rubber and foam, which are inexpensive at $5 each for 100 balls, or leather basketballs at $15 each for 50 balls. Mini basketballs which glow in the dark are available for $8.50 each.

Another website retailing unconventional basketball souvenirs is AceNovelty.com. At AceNovelty.com, a 14 inch inflatable basketball is imprinted at a cost of $3 each for 50 basketballs.

Imprinting basketballs adds a special touch to the ball, and they make great gifts for basketball fans. They are distributed to participants at events and gatherings as mementos, and they boost the sales of a product when handed out at promotional events. And the cost effectiveness of imprinting makes customized basketballs a very viable option for these purposes.

Basketballs provides detailed information about basketballs, imprinted basketballs, and more. Basketballs is affiliated with Hockey Goalie Equipment.

The Art of Rebounding a Basketball Without Letting the Ball "Slip" Through Your Fingers

You cannot become a championship caliber team or player without dominating the backboard! The team that controls the backboard during a basketball game would most likely win. Why? More basketball rebounds leads to more possessions, and more possessions lead to more second-chance scoring opportunities. And, the team with the most second-chance scoring opportunities will win.

How important is rebounding? Every player on a team basketball learn how to rebound effectively, regardless of your position on the team. The reasoning behind this is that, every player should form the habit of attempting to grab the rebound after either an offensive or defensive shot has been made. Each player should always assume that the shot will be missed. With that being said, a team should have five solid rebounders on the basketball court at all times during a game.

What are the traits of a great basketball rebounder? Although your size and height as a basketball player could give you an advantage when attempting to rebound a basketball, they're not the primary determining factors to becoming a great rebounder. For example, Dennis "the worm" Rodman was one of the most prolific rebounders in the NBA (National Basketball Association), despite the fact that he was an average height of 6-7" as a professional basketball player and barely weighed 210 lbs. Although he was not a great scorer, his uncanny yet masterful ability to successfully grab rebounds (both on offense and defense) helped his teams win several NBA titles and earned him two consecutive defensive player of the year awards, which is an incredible accomplishment. What Dennis Rodman and other great rebounders knew is that, one of the main keys to effective rebounding is Positioning--not your height or size.

Floor Positioning

A great rebounder always establishes an excellent floor position when attempting to grab a rebound. An excellent floor position means that you fight for the inside position by being closer to the basketball hoop than your opponent, regardless of whether you are trying to grab an offensive or defensive rebound.

Grabbing the Rebound

Once you have established an inside position, the most effective way to grab a rebound is by leaping straight up in the air with great explosiveness and power using both feet, keeping your legs spread apart and butt pointing outward, and grabbing the basketball with both hands. Bring the basketball in front of you after you grab it instead of keeping it over your head.

This keeps your opponent away from you, and prevents him from grabbing the basketball or smacking it out of your hands as you are coming back down after you have grabbed the rebound.

Catch all rebounds instead of batting the basketball into the air or out of bounds. This would allow you and your team to maintain possession of the basketball.

Protecting the basketball after a Rebound

All your effort to grab the rebound and regain possession of the basketball would be in vain if you do not protect the basketball on your way down. Remember, after you grab a rebound, you will usually be surrounded by opponents that are standing by ready and eager to steal the basketball from you. Be alert and vigilante!

As you land after grabbing a rebound, bring the basketball in under your chin (Chinning the basketball) with your elbows out and with a hand on each side of the basketball gripping it tightly. Do not swing your elbows wildly in order to keep your opponent(s) away from you, because doing so might lead to a foul violation.

Pivot away from an opponent that might be trying to steal the basketball away from you. Do not put the basketball on the floor immediately after going up for a rebound, especially if you are surrounded by your opponents.

Keep your head up after grabbing the rebound so that you can easily scan the entire basketball court to see if you can find an open teammate who might be positioned to lead a fast break for an easy score.

There you have it...Becoming an awesome rebounder is as simple as (1) Establishing great inside position; (2) Grabbing the rebound; and, (3) Protecting the basketball after you grab the rebound. With constant practise, there is no reason why you cannot become a top, if not the best, rebounder for your basketball team. In addition to mastering the mechanics of grabbing a rebound as illustrated above, equally as important is developing a mindset or attitude that you will attempt to grab every rebound during a basketball game. Remember, it is not the "size" of the rebounder that matters; rather, it is his burning desire to go after every rebound.

Would you like to learn how to master the other fundamentals of basketball (shooting, passing, dribbling, playing defense and so on) so that you can elevate your game above the rim? You can do so by basketball http://www.basketball-drills-and-tips.com

How Hustling & Being in Shape Contributes to Scoring More Points

Way too many basketball players underestimate the power of hustling basketball being in top physical condition. It seems like a no-brainer but that's not the case at all. It's usually the more talented and skilled players that overlook this important aspect of the game too. What happens is these players get use to dominating their peers at a young age and because they didn't condition a lot then they have this idea in the back of their mind that it's over-rated. They eventually get to a level (usually High School or College) where they are matched up with equally skilled players and they get their lunch eaten because they have never had a true belief in getting their bodies in top physical condition. Don't ever let this happen to you. The fact of the matter is, whatever level of play you are at, you need to understand the importance of hustling and conditioning. It has a gigantic impact on your level of play and it especially has a lot to do with your ability to score points. I don't care how well you can shoot, how well you can dribble or how fast you are - if you are out-hustled you are going to end up looking like a very average player.

Why You Will Score More Points

Way too many basketball players underestimate the power of hustling and being in top physical condition. It seems like a no-brainer but that's not the case at all. It's usually the more talented and skilled players that overlook this important aspect of the game too. What happens is these players get use to dominating their peers at a young age and because they didn't condition a lot then they have this idea in the back of their mind that it's over-rated. They eventually get to a level (usually High School or College) where they are matched up with equally skilled players and they get their lunch eaten because they have never had a true belief in getting their bodies in top physical condition. Don't ever let this happen to you. The fact of the matter is, whatever level of play you are at, you need to understand the importance of hustling and conditioning. It has a gigantic impact on your level of play and it especially has a lot to do with your ability to score points. I don't care how well you can shoot, how well you can dribble or how fast you are - if you are out-hustled you are going to end up looking like a very average player.

Hustling also creates a lot of opportunities to get easy baskets. If you have the energy to put some intense pressure on the players you are defending then you are going to cause some turnovers, get some steals and have some easy fast break lay-ups. I know some players that are obsessed about scoring points so they try and preserve their energy while on defense so they can be explosive on offense. This is not only against everything the game of basketball is about, it's flat out stupid. You are more likely to increase your scoring average if you have more high percentage shots during games and lay-ups are basketball high percentage as they get. And we haven't even talked about loose balls. It's the scrappy hustle players that always get the loose balls and those almost always turn out to be transition scoring opportunities. You can easily add 6-10 more points to your scoring average by hustling because of the added scoring opportunities you'll be presented with.

Then there's the common sense factor. If you are in better condition you are going to perform better on the court. It's a given. Your legs won't get tired in the 4th quarter, you won't get winded and you'll be able to beat your defender off the dribble. It's a sad thing when I see really talented players not be able to score on their opponents simply because they are too tired to make their move. Don't be the player that thinks your talent and skill can carry you all the way to the top. If you ever start to think that it's only about how well you can shoot or dribble go research how much the Harlem Globetrotters get paid vs. players in the NBA and then breakdown the difference in their game.

How Bad Do You Want It?

Hustling and conditioning go hand in hand because you can't hustle for very long if you aren't in really good condition. It doesn't take special skill or natural born talent to hustle. It takes sheer will and determination. It takes the type of self-discipline that guys like US Olympic Swimmer Michael Phelps has. He isn't known for having some secret talent that not very many other swimmers have. He is known as a man who works his guts out and wants to be a winner more than one could possibly imagine. Do yourself a favor and take a lesson from his book. There is nothing but good things that will come from you getting yourself in top physical condition and deciding that you are going to be known as the player that is constantly hustling. Players will hate defending you and you'll be presented with a lot more scoring opportunities than you ever have.

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