Basketball - Things to Do Before Games

Before all training sessions and games where you know you are about to go out onto the hardwood and do some serious exercise, you need to do 2 things - warm up and stretch.

Anybody doubting whether the warm up and stretching period before exercise is essential should take basketball look at a NBA game next time. When the starting 5 from each team is called out, the players are already sweating from their warm up and stretching. Most basketball them have been at the courts for over an hour, getting ready for the game.

I guess the thing that people really want to know is why warming up and stretching is so important. Well, the answer is simple. Warming up increases the blood flow to muscles, warming them up and making them ready for exercises while stretching is a reiteration of the warm up, also working to get the muscles nice and limber.

A great analogy for this process is one involving a piece of rubber. A cold piece of rubber is not flexible, hard to deform and stretch. Going even further, cooling down a piece of rubber in the freezer makes the rubber brittle and easy for you to break. This is the state of muscles before warming up and stretching.

Warming up this piece of rubber makes it now easy to bend and stretch while very hard to break. Think of a blu-tack. When you try to rip off a piece from package it is relatively easy. But after stretching it over and over again it gradually warms up and you are able to stretch it quite far. A warmed up muscle will be like the warm piece of rubber. Now that it is warm, it is hard for it to stretch too far because the capacity for stretching is greatly increased. Risk of injury in decreased while performance in the game is increased.

Apart from getting your muscles in the mood for exercise, warming up is also important to get yourself into the game. After shooting around for a bit, not only does your body start warming up for the game but your mind gets into game mode. You will suddenly see the court through clearer eyes with your mind in the basketball zone.

Remember - warm up your muscles by jogging around or shooting the ball. After you start to sweat a little you should go into your stretches. Doing this will improve your game performance and decrease risk of injuries.

Paul is a university graduate involved with health sciences.
He has developed a basketball site catering specifically to basketball players and their needs http://www.basketball-step.com

How to Get Your Girlfriend Interested in Basketball

You love basketball basketball you love your girlfriend. Wouldn't it be nice to be able to enjoy those two things together? Wouldn't it be nice to stop having to hear her ask why you pay more attention to the game than her? One way to bring your two loves together is through getting your girlfriend interested basketball basketball.

It is not as hard as it may seem. No matter what type of girl she is, if you go about the right way you can peak some interest in basketball. When she's interested in it then you can find that great balance between watching the game and getting along with her.

To start with you have to understand the ground rules of getting your girlfriend interested in basketball.

- Make it fun for her. You can not just plop her down in front of the television and expect her to fall in love. You need to make the idea fun to her. You need to make it seem like a wonderful thing that she would really want to do. Put some thought into it and make her want to give this basketball idea a shot.

- Explain the game. You will need to explain about basketball to her. She may know some general things, but you have to explain the basics to her so she isn't sitting there wondering what is happening and why you keep jumping off the couch.

- Answer her questions. The worst thing you can do is hush her and not answer her questions. If she asks a question - any question - make sure you pay attention and answer it. Also make sure you answer it adequately. Make sure she understands the answer. This has an added perk of showing her attention, which will help keep her interested in the game.

- Encourage it as together time. The hook to get her to sit and watch a game is going to be explaining that it can be great together time. She wants to spend time with you and here you are offering that time, so chances are she will jump at it.

- Be Patient. It can be difficult to answer questions and have your girlfriends as a distraction during the game, but you have to be patient. She won't remain clueless forever. Once she learns the game you can then really begin enjoying it together. Make sure you never forget to be patient. The worst thing you can do is become snappy, which will just chase her away.

- Find common ground. Find a team to root for together. You probably already have a favorite team and you can probably find some way to make her like them. Maybe she'll enjoy the colors of the uniforms, love the city they are from or simply enjoy watching their players play. Just find some way to draw her in as a team fan.

It can be an experience to teach your girlfriend to love basketball, but it is an experience that is well worth it.

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Knee Pain Relief - Injuring Your ACL & Protecting Your ACL Afterward With a Well Designed Knee Brace

Has your knee ever made a Popping sound when you injured it?

If so you may have injured one basketball your main ligaments in your knee; your ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament). Even if you did not hear that sound, you still may have seriously injured your knee.

ACL injuries can happen to anyone. Individuals that are highly active tend to have a greater chance at injuring this ligament, especially those that can cause a lot of force placed on the ACL. Gender also seems to play a role in the frequency of ACL injuries. In collegiate basketball, women players have been noted to have an ACL injury rate that is up to 8 times more likely than men in the same sport!

Usually high speed twists can injure the ACL. Moreover, high speed bending or extending the knee beyond its normal range of motion, or awkward landings can result in an ACL injury. Many people think that football players are the most susceptible to ACL injuries but people who play basketball, soccer, volleyball, baseball, tennis, skiers etc. can also injury this ligament with the wrong kind of movement. After the injury occurs, a significant amount of pain and swelling can occur. You may also feel like the stability of your knee is basketball like it is going to "give out" on you.

An ACL knee brace can be a highly supportive adjunct to your recovery process. ACL type knee braces are usually more sturdy than your neoprene style knee braces. What this basically means is that if you injured your ACL, you will most likely benefit from a knee brace that will help to stop any bending, twisting, or hyperextension movements of your knee that will further insult your injury. Furthermore, ACL knee braces, when properly designed, can help to stop side to side movements as well that when excessive in nature can re-injure your knee.

Many people have expressed a sense of relief when they get these kinds of knee braces, because they do not feel like their knee is going to "Give Out" on them when it is worn. They also express the fact that they can still move around and the brace does not inhibit their movement to the point were it is cumbersome.

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