Basketball Hoops - A Great Way to Get Some Exercise

Watching basketball is exciting. Seeing players dribble, rebound, shoot, and score can be exhilarating. Why not take some of that excitement and get yourself moving? Basketball is a fun way to get some exercise for both yourself and your family. Basketball engages your heart and muscles for a whole body workout.

Basketball gets the heart pumping. One of the biggest challenges in America today is increasing cardiovascular health...in other words, your heart health. Basketball will increase your heart rate and a half hour of heart pumping exercise 3 or 4 days a week can drastically increase your heart health.

While dribbling, shooting and rebounding basketball will also be reducing your risks for many health conditions such high blood pressure and diabetes. Every time you go up for a shot, you can know you are strengthening your bones, expanding your lungs, and increasing the oxygen to your brain. More oxygen to the brain can result in less stress and a more positive mood.

In addition, basketball is a great way to burn fat. You can play with your friends, spouse, parents, or kids and burn away some extra pounds together. The great thing about it is you won't even feel like you are working out.

Playing basketball for exercise can also help build your muscles and strengthen your body. Dribbling helps coordination but also builds up the muscles in your arms. Shooting works both your arms and your legs as you go up for a shot. Not to mention all the running involved. Running helps build your muscles and you heart health.

Why not add this mobile exercise time to your home by investing in a portable basketball hoop? These basketball goals can be used in your front yard, back yard, or the street. You can move and store a portable system as needed. You don't have to make any excuses because you don't feel like driving to the gym. You can just go outside and have some fun playing a little one on one.

If you are looking for a basketball hoop to get some exercise with that can be in a permanent place, a mounted hoop works great. If you have a dedicated area of your driveway, front yard, or backyard that you can use for basketball consider a mounted hoop.

A mounted hoop can be hung on a garage or on the side of a house. You can enjoy many years of great exercise with a mounted hoop. Your family and friends will love getting together to shoot some hoops. With all the fun, you will hardly notice you are increasing your heart health and burning calories.

Exercise doesn't have to be boring and you don't even have to leave your home. Consider adding a portable or mounted basketball hoop to your home today. It is a great way to get your heart pumping and work together as a family towards some healthy goals. So start playing some basketball today.

Author Bill Parsons is the creative author of a variety of online specialty stores that offer both items and information for all your athletic equipment needs. Today, he writes about how playing basketball can be a fun form of exercise. All you need is a ball and a basketball goal. Bill is an expert on basketball hoops of all kinds, from residential to institutional. Also make sure to check out other basketball hoop related blogs for even more information on this subject.

When March Madness Went Mad By Seth Davis - A Review

Before there was March Madness and huge salaried NBA Superstars, there came Larry Bird and Magic Johnson. Before their time with the Celtics and the Lakers, these two gifted athletes and good friends, were but two college basketball players unknowingly set basketball change the face of college basketball forever.

In 1979, the NCAA Championship game was between Indiana State and Michigan State. According to author Seth Davis, and as many basketball aficionados will agree, this game was the turning point for college basketball and its huge appeal world wide. Back then there wasn't all the national basketball of teams as there were no huge television contracts or ESPN and other sport networks to hype the games. There were only two teams per conference in the tournament and WHEN MARCH WENT MAD tells how the game became what it is today because of this particular match up in 1979.

Davis gives a good recount of the teams and these two soon to be star players. Larry Bird who was shy and spoke very little to the news people and Magic Johnson was the opposite as he loved to talk, and came from the inner city. They both, however, loved the game and were hard workers and devoted players. Their talent made their whole team shine. However, more than just the friendship of Johnson and Bird, this book introduces us to the particular championship game these two stellar players were in and how it changed forever the face of college basketball.

Johnson played for Michigan State and Bird for Indian State. The description of the game and what led up to the finals tells how the people at NBC used this story of the 1979 national championship game to highlight two players, get viewers involved and thus take off with what would grow to be March Madness. NBC's decision paid off big time and the David and Goliath type match up of Bird and Johnson was not only entertaining but also addictive. This game and these players led to their time in the NBA and the national interest in them that helped popularity of not only college, but also professional basketball explode. Davis explains the details of the players, television coverage, the games, and the money that was involved in this turning point in sports.

The small college championship between two unlikely opposites who grew to be superstars and great friends is a good story for any sport fan or one who just likes a really good read. Highly recommended for people who didn't live through this era especially so that they may understand where all this March Madness and the trimmings came from.

Karen D. Haney, Author/Developer of BOOKIN' WITH BINGO (http://bookinwithbingo.blogspot.com), reviews books and interviews authors for her book blog. Reading and writing are her passion.

Portable Basketball Goal Systems - Options Available

When you are considering one of the portable basketball goal systems available on the market, it's important to educate yourself about the different options that are available. Once you determine what features are important to you, you can get the right model to suit your needs. You'll basketball to consider a number of factors like age and experience of players, frequency of use, and where the game will be played.

Choosing a portable basketball goal system makes good sense when you want the flexibility of being able to play the game in different locations. That way, you don't need to go to the expense of having a fixed basketball goal system installed on the property. An outdoor playground can be used for other purposes and the basketball goal can be moved into position when you need it. Between games, it can be stored out of the way.

The Rampage is a high quality unit that can be adjusted to different rim height levels. The rim height can be adjusted to any level desired between 6'6" and 10'. Changing the height involves using the crank handle located at the back of the vertical mast. Using the crank means that you will have better control over the level you want to set the rim to than if you choose a unit with a spring slide method for making adjustments.

Moving the Rampage involves pressing down on a foot lever at the bottom of the unit. When it's time to set up the basketball goal system for play, all you need to do is flip the lever back up. If you want to move the Rampage from a storage area to the outside, the unit's extension arm can be dropped very easily. Padding around the base of the unit is an additional safety feature.

In a situation where you want a portable basketball goal system for a rec center that will stand up the demands of adult users and youngsters alike, consider the Fury. One advantage to choosing this model is that it is very easy to move from place to place. It is light enough that it can be moved by one person, if need be. Grip the lower pad and flip it forward. Move the Fury into its new location and then return it to an upright position. This will lock the base into place and your players can go ahead and enjoy the game. No tools are needed when you want to lower the extension arm to users to move the Fury through doors for storage or to set it up in a different location.

Since the Fury basketball a high (48") backboard to base extension when the rim is set to regular height. This means that the unit can sit off court and is a safer choice for players than one that extends too far into the play area. Again, heavy padding is provided to protect the players if they happen to collide with the unit during play.

When flexibility as far as location is important to you, do consider a portable basketball goal system for your rec center or church.

Author Greg Williams is the creative author of a variety of online specialty stores that offer both items and information for all your athletic equipment needs. Today, he offers advice on the different options available for portable basketball goals. Portable systems vary greatly, depending on whether you're looking for an outdoor basketball goal or indoor.

Great Ways to Jump Higher For Basketball

So you can't dunk. Who cares if you can't can't even touch backboard. Your okay with not being able to dunk on someone. Are you really content with just taking lay ups the rest of your basketball career? I hope not. If you are ready to take your game to next level, keep reading.

You need to begin by doing some power exercises. To dunk you need the leg power. If you want the Explosiveness to jump out of the gym you need some strength in those legs of yours. You can start with Squats, and can do some weight lifting to really build up that quad muscle and get you to jump higher.

Another way is to do some calf raises. You will be needing these calf muscles for quick jumps. If you have ever seen a kangaroo jump that would sum up the way you will be jumping by using your calf muscle. Those quick, spontaneous jumps is exactly why you need to work on you calf muscle. basketball grab some books, find a staircase, and do those calf raises.

Lastly if you want to to jump higher, you will have to increase your speed. Do some speed training. Head out to the track do some hard running. Sprint instead of jog. Run as far as you can by sprinting, hard sprinting. This should increase your speed and make it easier to start dunking on people. What does speed have to do with anything? Speed has a lot to do with how high you jump.

If you work hard enough you will be dunking on people easily. Opponents will fear you. You will not only be able to jump higher, but you will be faster as well. basketball get out there, stay focused, workout, and you will find yourself jumping higher in no time.

Do you really want to know how you can jump higher and add at least 6 inches to your vertical jump in 60 days? Check out my Review of the top Vertical Jump Programs On the Market at http://www.simplywonderful.info/vertical.html

Rajon Rondo Dunk - How to Jump Higher Without Calf Raises and Squats

Did you see Rajon Rondo dunk on Jason Maxiell? What about his baseline jam on Vince Carter? Not only fans know that the Boston Celtic Rajon Rondo is quick. But most people don't even suppose he can jump that high.

Actually, standing at only 6'1'', Rondo is one of the best rebounding guards in the NBA as he grabs 5,3 boards per game. He's in fifth place this season (2008-2009), right behind Kobe Bryant, who is 6'6''. So it's obvious that the 22-year old Celtic can jump. His vertical might be in the 38-inch area. But the cool thing about vertical jump is that you can increase it with special exercises.

Now we all have heard about squats, calf raises and lunges. These exercises are good and will help to improve your vertical, but they might not be the most effective ones. For that, try some plyometric exercises, as they are designed to improve your explosiveness. And this is a crucial factor in the jumping process, as it's not only about muscle strength, but quickness. Here are two exercises that will boost your explosiveness:

1) Burnouts: Stand on your tiptoes. Now jump as quickly as you can about 1/2 to 1 inch off of the ground. Do about 50 repetitions per set.

2) Step ups. For this exercise you need a stable box or chair. Put one foot on the box/ chair that your thigh is basketball to the ground. Now use this leg to push yourself off of the chair and jump in the air as high as possible. Try to switch the legs in the air so that you land with the other leg on the box/ chair.

Another basic exercise that will improve your quickness are Wind Sprints (sprint basketball 60 meters, then rest for 20 seconds, 4 reps, 3 times a week). But those exercises are worthless if you don't know how exactly you have to do them and how many repetitions/ sets are effective. A lot of people are highly motivated and overtrain at the beginning. They simply jump too much and don't really care about proper execution of the exercises which is crucial. Doing so they only train their jumping endurance which is actually counterproductive if you want to improve your explosiveness. They don't really gain inches on their vertical jump and give up.

To avoid this, I can recommend the brand-new The Jump Manual, as you will find videos and pictures inside that guarantee a proper execution of the exercises.

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