Thursday, June 25, 2009

Free March Madness Brackets - Everything You Need to Know

First thing that you have to know about free march madness bracketsis what its components. You have to have a better understanding of the entire thing first before you actually fill out a bracket bet form. A bracket is not a collection of bets. In principle, it is a two way graphic representation of the entire collection of all the games played during a certain tournament, which, in this case, is the NCAA. They are called 'brackets' basketball they look like big populations of interlinking brackets, and look sort of the same as brackets used in linguistics. There a lot of different brackets, depending on what the tournament that you are looking at. In NCAA, the so-called art of making up your brackets is called bracketology. It is really just a pet name, but if you are rooting to be a professional bettor, you better know the terms early.

Bracket contests are usually found, and were first used, in professional sports leagues. This is because at the end of the normal season, the entire league would conduct an after-season tournament. This tournament is commonly called the playoffs. The playoffs will determine which team is really the best of all teams. This is practiced because often, when you go into professional playing, there are separate conferences. For example, for basketball, there is the Eastern Conference and Western Conference. So after both conferences, the east and west compete to see who the over-all champion is. The practice of playing the bracket contest in college basketball is a recent twist to the play. free march madness brackets used to be just a sideline of professional league bettors. Now, they are the star for enthusiasts.

For free March madness brackets, a lot of websites will require you to register and some of them are for a fee. After registration, you will fill out a form and you will predict who will win in each and every game including, of course, the champion of the tournament. If you are a beginner, better join a group, which is another option available in a lot websites. This is because you can compare your picks to theirs. You can interact with them to know the ropes of the game.

You win in free march madness bracketsby picking winning teams for each round. Each win will give you a specific number of points and each point is equivalent to a certain amount of money. This means that you have to take a look at the statistics and make sure that you are making a reasonable match up and a reasonable decision on who will win on each game. This will ensure that you will get winners. Do not go with 'gut feel'. This may be what masters say their basketball is, but the truth is, the secret is statistics. If you know the statistics of the game and the teams, you can win. You will know which team will win over what teams. You will also know what the odds are if you know the statistics. It literally pays to know the data.

Chris Grisham is the creator of Basketball Crusher, the premier website for making money betting online sports. He has successfully been beating sportsbooks for years using his proven system and top Free March Madness Brackets tips based on lines, trends, angles, and years of experience. Learn about his system for FREE at http://www.BasketballCrusher.com

Watch NBA Games Online - Watch Live NBA Games Online

Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, or Vince Carter are superstars in the NBA universe. They will hold NBA celebrity basketball for some time to come in household around the world but especially in North American households. The fans watch free NBA games on their PC. How can they do that you may ask? Every basketball fan sleeps and eats their teams' strategies. Yet, each year some unlucky fans end up at the back of the season-ticket line just as the sold-out sign falls, and disappointed fans are left to watch the NBA games on TV.

There are however, some people who are unable to the basketball games on TV. People like me who hold jobs that see me frequently working late at night. I'll comfort myself watching my free internet streaming of NBA games onto my PC.

Of course, it was by no means the same as watching the game live and in person. I remember one time asking my friend to video tape a match for me. He did, but basketball watched the entire game while taping it, he excitedly explained all the highlights to me, and quickly told me who won. The excitement of the game was gone. As I watched the tape, I felt like I was looking at an old movie with the sound track ruined.

Then I discovered satellite television for PC's. You can watch NBA games free online. All you truly want to do this is a Pentium-notebook and an internet link. Now I would never have to miss a game! All you do is log-on, to the internet site, download, and watch TV on your PC. It's satisfying. There is never a request for satellite dishes or equipment. You don't have to learn cryptic codes and scientific setup diagrams.

There are better than 3000 channels from which to select. Satellite television for PC's is a fantasy come true. I get to watch the NBA games and my other most wanted TV programs without aggravation. Every now and then... Hey! I regularly look at programs on my workstation at work!

So, if you can't discover enough favorite basketball players, or other TV programs, don't quit. You can catch up. You can even conclude the whole season at once! As for me, I am convinced that the single most dissatisfying feeling I have is that I should have recognized this concept earlier. Watch NBA sports online free of charge!

Girls Basketball Drills

How to Incorporate Drills into Practice

Girls basketball drills can be practiced by the girls alone basketball on their own time. They can also be used in practice to help girls learn the basics of basketball and improve their technique. Coaches should consider using girls basketball drills in every practice to build confidence, instill a routine, and practice basic concepts.

Girls basketball drills are the best way for a coach to work on improving her team's ability. Drills should make up the majority of practice, but there should be several drills so that players basketball not get bored.

To incorporate drills into practice, coaches should consider their current flow of practice. Do drills fit in after a warm-up and stretching? Do they fit in after a review of the previous game and a discussion about improvement? Wherever a coach believes drills fit in should be the main concern.

How Often to Practice Drills

Girls should be encouraged to practice drills as often as possible. The majority of drills for girls basketball can be done alone or with a group. For this reason, girls should strive to take these drills home and practice them as well.

In practice, coaches should consider how much time they can devote to drills. It does no good to teach a drill and then run through it only once. Athletes need time to learn and practice, so they need time to repeat a drill several times. A good rule of thumb is that athletes should do a drill five times. If there are multiple positions to the drill, they should do each position five times.

This may make a drill too long, so coaches need to adjust. The main point is that athletes need some type of repetition so they can consolidate their learning and not only focus on remembering which step comes next. By creating muscle memory, coaches allow athletes to focus on other areas of the drill.

Choosing Appropriate Drills

Many coaches struggle with decisions on which drills to choose for their athletes. If athletes are young or not fully mature, choose drills that are simple enough to learn quickly. Young athletes get bored and frustrated easily, and coaches need their athletes to be paying attention fully.

These drills should be easy to learn and work on a specific skill. Drills should be focused and short, so that athletes know what skill they are to improve and how to do it.

Older athletes may be able to handle drills that are faster-paced and involve more strategy. These drills become almost like a scrimmage, with players making quick decisions in order to reach a common goal. These drills can be longer and more complicated to keep athletes interested and challenged.

Final Thoughts

Girls basketball drills are an essential part of practice. Coaches should also encourage girls to take drills out of practice and use them as much as possible. Athletes should use drills in practice to learn new skills, build discipline, and create a routine. Drills for girls should be chosen based on the difficulty of the drill, its specific skill focus, and its ease of mastery.

Coach Anderson's passion is basketball. You can get his printable drills, plays and practice plans in addition to lots of other basketball drills for girls on his website:

http://www.ebasketballcoach.com

Top 5 Ways to Improve Your Basketball Post Moves

In basketball, the big man sometimes gets lost in basketball game of quickness, flash and finesse. We often forget about the importance of having a strong post presence to run your offense through. This may be because nowadays big men want to play small. What's the fun in that? Embrace your big frames and use it to your advantage. The following are five top ways to improve your offensive inside game.

Physicality is essential if you want to be a quality post player, so get mean. This will create space for you to work, putting defenders at your mercy. Make sure to keep contact with your defender. Learn to go from soft to strong to soft. When you first receive the ball you want to display soft hands by using your finger tips to embrace the impact from the ball. Then secure the ball with two hands and place the ball under your chin (this is the strong part). Gain leverage and make sure you have a solid foundation to push back your defender. Finally, when shooting, the ball should roll of the tip of your fingers. A nice touch around rim goes a long way.

Big man footwork is one of the hardest things to teach. So the basics must be stressed when learning proper footwork. Start out in triple threat with your back to the basketball in a slightly squatting position. Most of your moves should be very decisive, always keeping you pivot foot on the ground. Start off using the drop step and the power dribble move as it is a powerful but easy to learn move. The hook shot is great to gain separation (Antawn Jamison is the prototype for the mini-hook). The up and under is a powerful tool for a more advanced post player.

Learning patience and not forcing anything that is not there is essential to a big man's success. Just because you get the ball at the block doesn't mean you should automatically throw the ball up. Recognize what the defense is giving you and take it! If a double comes, someone is open. If a shorter player is guarding you, a simple drop step will clear some room (rotate and take a big step with your non-pivot foot towards the hoop). Most importantly, be patient with your development process. Taller players have more body to control, so body control takes a little more time to develop basketball with shorter players.

Understanding that Positioning is Everything, is everything. Get low with a wide base to gain leverage. Elbows should be out to maintain ground and not allow your defender to move around your body freely. Ideally you would like to be posting up with your back to the basket in the middle of vertical free throw lines on either side of the basket. This allows you to be out of the center where help and congestion may be and still use the backboard to your advantage. You can utilize your hook shot, power moves, fade away, almost any move from this position. One thing that may seem counter intuitive is to take what your defender is giving you. If he is playing you high side (he is closer to the passer allowing you to be closer to the basket) roll off toward the rim or push him towards you passer so you can receive a lob pass underneath. If your defender is pushing you far out, square up and face the basket. If you are at the elbow or closer to the base line give him a quick jab step and go the other way. Always understand where you are in relation to the basket and passer!

Understand the importance of post play and be assertive! Understand that a major key to any teams offensive success is working the ball in and out of the post. Call for the ball constantly and fight hard for position. First, getting the ball near the basket is one of the first steps to getting the ball in the basket. Second, after you establish a presence down low, you will create opportunity for other players. From clearing out the lane for dribble penetration or kicking out to jump shooters you are the foundation for a properly ran offense.

Never forget the importance of big time post game. If you have size, embrace it. There are way too many big players trying to be smaller. It's basketball and the hoops are ten feet tall, be happy with your height. However, do not step onto the basketball court without the proper tools.

Brenton Gieser is a contributing blogger to http://www.BlackTopHoops.com/blog, the ultimate blog for street, recreation and pick up basketball. On Blacktop Hoops you will find articles on: improving your game, the newest basketball kicks and gear, the best leagues, tournaments and courts to play at and much more!

For more tips on how to improve your basketball game for the blacktop or the hardwood visit BlacktopHoops.com and subscribe to our free feeds.