NCAA Men's Basketball - Road to the Final Four Means March Madness For Venues

On Selection Sunday, March 15th, sixty-five teams are selected for the 2009 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship tournament. This begins March Madness and the drive to see who makes it to the Final Four tournament at Ford Field in Detroit.

The NCAA basketball tournament means it's show time for the venues who host the games. Attendance is expected to soar to over 700,000 this year, making March Madness basketball a mini stimulus package for the host city and a chance for venues to shine on a national stage.

The Road to the Final Four plays through 13 cities. Here's a tour of the first and second round venues on the Road to the Final Four with basketball games taking place on March 19th and 21st.

Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, NC
Host: Atlantic Coast Conference
The Greensboro Coliseum is an integral part of the city and the entire basketball will be working to make fans feel welcome. Fans will have no problem with parking and Greensboro Coliseum has an RV parking area for overnight stays. Don't miss a trip to the Yum Yum for a hot dog and ice cream.

Sprint Center in Kansas City, MO
Host: Big 12 Conference
The Sprint Center was named one of the top venues in America in basketball It's home to the College Basketball Experience, an interactive playhouse for fans. Its excellent location in the city offers ample parking and restaurants near the venue. Inside the Sprint Center you'll find bargain prices on munchies and drinks at the QuikTrip Convenience Store.

Rose Garden in Portland, OR
Host: University of Oregon
Guests attending NCAA games at the Rose Garden Arena may be surprised at the enthusiasm the locals have for basketball. They are loud and you can expect the arena to be filled. You may want to take the local light rail train MAX to the venue for ease and to save on hefty parking prices close to the Rose Garden.

Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, PA
Host: St. Joseph's University
This arena is set up for fun. With excellent memorabilia displays, bands playing and air hockey tables inside the arena basketball can play second fiddle. Diehard fans can rent state-of-the art electronic binoculars to get an up close view of the court from anywhere in the venue.

Taco Bell Arena in Boise, ID
Host: Boise State University
The Taco Bell Arena is located on the campus of Boise State University. It's one of the smaller arenas to host the NCAA Men's basketball tournament games, but it has a long history of success. 2009 will be Boise's 8th time hosting NCAA games tournament games.

UD Arena in Dayton, OH
Host: University of Dayton
Host to championship games for years, UD Arena has a wonderful old school basketball feel. It's loud, intimate and the fans know their basketball. UD Arena made history in 2001 when they hosted 10 post-season NCAA and National Tournament games in eight days.

American Airlines Arena in Miami, FL
Host: Florida International University
Spring is the perfect time to be in Miami and NCAA basketball in American Airlines Arena is the perfect destination for high-octane hoops and holiday. Head to the game, but hang for the sun and fun. With many restaurants and bars in and around the arena it's sure to be the hot spot in a hot city.

HHH Metrodome in Minneapolis, MN
Host: University of Minnesota and the Twin Cities
The Metrodome usually host football and baseball, but nearly every year it's given a round of NCAA games, and for good reason. This place knows its business and since they host over 300 events a year fans can depend on the Metrodome to put on a good hoop parade.

Look for more on the 'Road to the Final Four' venues featuring regional March Madness tournament sites and the Championship tournament at Ford Field in Detroit, MI.

KnowYourVenue.com is a one stop spot for information on stadiums, arenas, NASCAR tracks, amphitheaters, performing arts centers and more. We have parking information, seating tips, directions, easy to find list of prohibited items and venue policies, restaurants and hotels near the venue and more.

Know Your Venue.com Home Page:
http://www.knowyourvenue.com/

Know Your Venue Spotlight Page featuring the NCAA Men's Division 1 Basketball venues: http://www.knowyourvenue.com/Spotlight.aspx

Basketball Jumping Exercise - What it Takes to Jump Higher

Volleyball and basketball jumping requires a tremendous amount of power to explode off of the ground. It may seem to you that you will never be able to jump higher for various different reasons. You may feel that there are so many jump training programs available that you are fearful of committing to one and then finding that it didn't contain all of the right information you needed. You wasted your time and money for nothing. Maybe you just flat out don't know what to look for. My goal in this article is to give you the foundation of what it takes to increase your vertical leap and know how basketball style jumping exercises will help you.

What it takes to jump higher basically comes down to your ability to produce power. In order to propel yourself off of the floor and into the air you need to generate a sufficient amount of force to overcome the force that gravity acts upon you. For example, if you weigh 180 pounds, then theoretically you need to generate at minimum 181 pounds of force to get you off of the ground and into the air. Of course that is easier said than done.

So what does it take to generate power? Power is simply a combination of strength and speed. The greater amount of force that can be produced rapidly, then the higher you will be able to jump and explode off of the ground. The same holds true for lateral agility and changing directions rapidly. The only difference is where you transfer the energy, up or out. Your ability to train and increase the amount of strength that you can produce rapidly will determine your improvements in jumping ability. How do you improve your power?

If your goal is specifically to jump higher then your training should consist in increasing your strength at high speeds. Exercises such as squats and lunges are some of the best strength building exercises, in my opinion. basketball the speed at which you perform these exercises will determine your ability to increase your power output. Our body adapts very specifically to the stresses that are placed on it. If you train slowly you will get stronger at slow motion. However, if you perform a squat with a rapid acceleration or a lunge into a rapid jump, you will get stronger at high speeds. You may not win a contest with the amount of weight you can squat. But, who cares?

This is why basketball jumping exercises are so effective for increasing your vertical leap. By design, jumping exercises generate strength at high speeds and tap in to your body's natural ability to quickly change directions whether it is from basketball to side or from a forward motion to off the ground. If you want to jump higher then your training program needs to incorporate these jumping exercises in a structured and organized manner.

Learning the best way to jump higher can be tricky. Good professionals have spent many years of research and testing to figure what works for most athletes. I hope that the information in this article has helped you know how to judge the quality of a good jump higher or vertical jumping program.

As a Strength and Conditioning Specialist, I have spent a lot of time evaluating programs and comparing them to the principles and characteristics that I feel a good program should have. Those that include these principles will pretty much guarantee that you are successful with the program that you choose.

It is now up to you to take the steps to improve your vertical leaping ability. Go to the Increase Vertical website and find the 6 principles that I think are most important in a program. You will also find reviews of some of the top jump training programs. Go to http://www.IncreaseVertical.net and get started now!

12 Benefits of Basketball Coaching Certification

The question of why the gap has been closed in international basketball is basketball pressing one. The United States once dominated international and Olympic play. Those days are gone as our coaching structure leaves a lot to be desired. The quality of our coaching has deteriorated, therefore other countries have made great progress due to a motivated coaching movement. Coaching certification for basketball coaches was once just a topic for discussion. It has become an urgent topic and must be seriously be considered by the United States coaching community.

This article addresses the benefits of a coaching certification. Following the lead of countries such as Canada and the UK, the following list represents a good reason for us to follow.

12 Benefits of a Basketball Coach Certification program

1. By becoming certified you will increase basketball knowledge of the game of basketball.
2. You will immediately be part of a small group of certified trainers to facilitate your learning and application of the game. Your knowledge will be sought by other coaches.
3. Certification will prepare you to run your own training program or youth basketball camps.
4. A comprehensive learning approach with a classroom setting and on floor setting will enhance your learning curve.
5. 12 hours of learning will equal the amount of learning gained in several coaching clinics.
6. Can be completed in a 2 or 3 day period to fit your schedule and other responsibilities.
7. You can add references to your resume to grow your coaching network.
8. Your will gain access to hundreds of coaching contacts in high school, college and NBA basketball.
9. You will begin to compile your coaching philosophy in your own "Black Book" of coaching.
10. You will demonstrate initiative and enhance job prospects.
11. For the cost on ONE Nike clinic you will exposed to every part of the game from a teaching and philosophical standpoint.
12. You will develop your own coaching philosophy, techniques and methods of teaching the game.

The main step to take in this process has to come from those in leadership roles. The National Association of Basketball Coaches, the NBA, the NCAA, and the thousands of coaching associations around the country must all embrace this effort toward improving basketball coaching. Until we do our game will continue to struggle for identify and quality.

Randy Brown has passion for the game of basketball. He works as a basketball consultant and mentor for coaches. Visit him at http://www.coachrb.com for free resources, Q & A, newsletter, and coaching programs. A speaker and writer, he has authored 75 articles on coaching and is nationally published. His 18 years in college basketball highlights a successful 23-year career. Mentored by Basketball Hall of Fame coach Lute Olson at Arizona. Resume includes positions at Arizona, Iowa State, Marquette, Drake, and Miami of Ohio, 5 Conference Championships and 5 NCAA appearances. His efforts have helped develop 12 NBA players including Steve Kerr, Sean Elliott, and Jaamal Tinsley. To contact Randy, email him at rb@coachrb.com

Radically Increase Your Vertical Jump in 8 Weeks

Jump Higher To Win - Every Basketball player knows that maximizing their vertical leap means more dunks, more rebounds basketball more games won. It means outplaying and out scoring the other team. Its about winning or losing. If you play basketball you've probably tried many ways to improve your jump. Some with limited success, some with no gain and some causing injury in the process. The truth is there is no "one way" and no "secret method" to increasing your jump distance. The key to successfully adding 8, basketball 12 or more inches to your jump is combining the best professionally proven training methods.

Jump Experts - To all coaches, trainers and athletes out there...before you spend another dime on any other training program you need to check out the 8-week e-book course "Jump Experts" by Virgil Aponte. Master of the hugely popular Staircase Exercise Program and former WNBA strength trainer, Aponte has compiled the best training programs and specialized techniques of the world's top strength and jump coaches. "Jump Experts" guarantees to radically increase your vertical jump in just 8 weeks. The experts in Aponte's course are all world class, highly sought after pros. They will coach you in the best and most critical strength training programs, plyometrics, ankle and foot complex exercises, kettleball techniques, Flex Band workouts, static stretches, nutritional guides, and much more.

Who are these experts? - They are pros like Jon Hinds, Founder of The Monkey Bar Gym and Former Strength Coach of the LA Clippers; Dave Schmitz, Director of Performax Performance Training and Certified Physical Therapist & Athletic Trainer; Steve Cotter, Strength & Conditioning Consultant to the 49ers, the Chargers and the United States Marines; Lee Taft, Vice President of the International Youth Conditioning Association; Gray Cook, Reebok Master Trainer and Consultant to the NFL, NBA, NHL & WNBA; and many more world class jump experts. There's no doubt about it, the specialized training in "Jump Experts" will put you at the top of your game because you'll be coached by the top trainers in the world.

What's in it and Where to get it - There are over 440 pages and 7 hours of audio in this amazing e-book and MP3 course. Aponte has put so much specialized training, coaching and assessment in "Jump Experts" that its impossible to go into the full details here. So if you're serious about dramatically improving your vertical jump then you must visit the URL below for more information and where to buy "Jump Experts".

To learn more about Virgil Aponte's amazing e-book "Jump Experts" and how to order your copy please follow this link.

http://www.jumppros.com/page10.php

You may also read more about it here: http://www.squidoo.com/Jumping-Higher

3 Powerful Basketball Jump Training Exercises

Is basketball jump training an important element in the overall development of a basketball player? The answer is a definite "Yes". If you basketball a basketball player or coach, then you understand how important the vertical jump is in the game of basketball.

Having an explosive vertical jump is a critical part of a players' ability to rebound, block shots and shoot a jump shot. Basketball players that have an explosive vertical jump are able to basketball these skills more effectively and efficiently.

There are three basketball jump training exercises that athletes can perform to help increase their vertical jump - the squat, lunge and step up. These vertical jump exercises are all compound exercises working both the knee and hip joints. These exercises are simple and effective, yet produce incredible results for the basketball player.

Basketball Jump Training Exercises

Squat

The squat is the most effective exercise to increase vertical jump...if performed correctly.

Key points to remember...

• Start in an athletic stance.
• The bar should be placed across the upper back - not the neck.
• The chest should be out. The back should be tight with a slight forward lean.
• The knees should remain directly above the feet.
• Squat to a parallel position, keeping your weight on the heels.
• Concentrate on technique to insure your safety.

Lunges

Lunges are done in one of two ways...Holding dumbbells or with a bar across the upper back.

Key points to remember...

• Start and remain in an upright position.
• Step forward as far as possible without leaning forward with your upper body.
• Step until your front knee is at a 90 degree angle.
• Step back to starting position in one step.
• Perform 10 lunges with one leg, and then repeat with the other.

Step Ups

To perform step ups you need dumbbells and a bench or step-up box. The bench or box should be 16-18 inches high.

Key points to remember...

• Start in an upright position with a dumbbell in each hand.
• Step up on the box or bench with one foot so that your knee is in a 90 degree angle.
• Step up with the other foot so that both feet are on the box or bench.
• Step back down one foot at a time.
• Perform 10 step ups with one leg, and then repeat with the other.

Performing these basketball jump training exercises on a consistent basis will help players dramatically improve their vertical jump.

Want to fly with the big boys with a 40"+ vertical leap?

Elevate your game today at http://www.ultimate-youth-basketball-guide.com