Be a Superstar in a Sports Costume

A Sports costume is easy to put together and wear. Here are some popular sports costumes that you can try out for yourself.

Sports Costume - Basketball

Dressing up like Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, LeBron James or any other hard-court hero is easy. You can get a basketball jersey with matching shorts from any sporting goods store or costume store. Wear it with your favorite white rubber shoes. You can style your hair in the same manner as your favorite basketball superstar - you can dye your hair in different colors like Dennis Rodman or sport dreads like Allen Iverson. Finally, don't forget the ball to complete your look.

Sports Costume - Baseball

Are you a basketball fanatic? basketball up like Alex Rodriguez and his gang with a baseball costume. The basic white baseball top with white tights makes up the baseball ensemble. Add a baseball cap with your favorite team's logo. Carry around a baseball bat, ball and mitts for an even more realistic effect!

Sports Costume - Tennis

Whether it's Andy Roddick or Maria Sharapova you're rooting for, you can easily copy them with tennis costumes. Just put on a white top and pair it with white shorts or a white skirt. Bring a tennis ball and a racket with you and you're all set!

Sports Costume - Football

The NFL is home to some of the most interesting people in sports. Dress up like Al Davis or Mike Dikta by wearing an over-sized padded football jersey over a white long-sleeved top and matching tights. Don't forget the football and the helmet. You may even want to throw in a plastic guard for your teeth and some handy Gatorade to give that extra oomph to your football costume.

Sports Costume - Golf

If you're looking for something more fashionable, try wearing a golf outfit. Be Tiger Woods in an all-white ensemble, topped with a cap. Carry around a golf club and some golf balls. Make it more realistic by driving around a golf cart and having your caddy with you!

Sports Costume - Swimming

With Michael Phelps' performance in the last Olympics, swimming has become one of the most talked about sports in the world. If you're up for the challenge and you have the right body, donning a swimming costume may just be for you. Get yourself some Speedo trunks, a swimming cap and a pair of goggles. You can also wear a United States sports jacket for added flair. Don't forget to hang 8 gold medals around your neck!

Sports Costume - Wrestling

If you're looking for something different, consider donning wrestling attire. Wrestlers are one of the flashiest and most exciting people to watch in the world of sports entertainment. Hulk Hogan's yellow Real American outfit is still a big hit at parties, especially when you start tearing the shirt apart. Don't forget to do his classic poses!

Sports Costume - Coaches, Referees and Commentators

Dressing up in sports costumes does not have to be limited to those who play the sport. You can also dress up as the coach of your favorite team, as a referee or as one of the commentators. Go for the classic, like Phil Jackson, or the more controversial ones, like referee Tim Donaghy. For girls, men will surely appreciate you dressing up like one of their favorite cheerleaders, complete with a short skirt and pom-poms. You can even choose to wear your favorite team's mascot costume!

So what are you waiting for? Gather your friends and dress up like your favorite sports teams!

Sports Costumes.

Dress up and play like the best in a Sports Halloween Costume from Adult Costume Shop.

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 and more games won. It means outplaying and out scoring basketball 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, 10, 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

Basketball Stations - Basketball Drills For a Pre-Practice Warm-up

As a beginning coach, I ignored warm-ups and used half-speed two-ball dribbling drills as a warm-up for more intense activities during practice. When I moved to Sweden to coach a professional women's basketball team, the players were married to their warm-ups and could not function without an extended warm-up period. When I practiced with the club's men's team, I felt like more than half the practice was a warm-up. I acquiesced, in a sense, with my team: we arrived before our practice time and players jumped rope for 5-10 minutes above the bleachers as our warm-up and then we did one sub-maximal drill on the court before moving into our practice.

In our first game, our opponent spent 25 of the allotted 30 minutes of pre-game warm-up using a basketball. Later in the season, I watched another player go through an extensive plyometric pre-game warm-up. While Americans criticize European players for their defensive deficiencies, the Swedish players' defensive footwork impressed me. We generally assume that a foreign-born player with adept footwork developed her footwork by playing soccer, but as I reflected on my experience coaching abroad, it appeared as though their pre-game and practice routines focused on footwork and led to its development.

The following season, as I prepared workouts and practice routines, I implemented a series of warm-ups to begin practice: drills to focus on footwork and jumping ability. Coaching women, the pre-practice jumping and agility program is an attempt to increase performance and reduce injuries, as researchers believe women can reduce the risk of ACL injury through a small plyometric routine.

I use three general warm-up routines: (1) jump rope' (2) stations or (3) full court dynamic warm-up (carioca, running backwards, bounding, lateral bounding, high knees, butt kicks and high/power skips). Our warm-up now lasts 10-15 minutes.

Warm-up Stations

When we do our station warm-up, we jog, backpedal and carioca. Since we have 10 players, we work in pairs. Our focus is to teach quick changes of direction and first-step quickness.

Station basketball Mirror Drill (15 seconds on, rest for 15 seconds, 15 seconds on)

We teach most of our on-ball defensive stance and movement through this drill and later in 1v1 drills. The players face each other and one player starts as the offensive player and one as the defender. The offensive player leads, moving laterally, and the defensive player tries to remain face to face. The offensive player's goal is to create space between the two of them, while the defender tries to stay within the width of the offensive player's body.

Station 2: Mikan Drill

The first player goes for 30 seconds and then the second player goes. Drill practices baby-hook shots. Start under the basket and step out with the left foot on the right side to shoot with the right hand; grab the ball from the net, keeping the ball above your shoulders and step to the left side of the rim with your right foot, shooting with the left hand. Continue.

Station 3: Jump Squats

Squat and jump as high as possible, swinging arms high into the air. Focus on a soft landing so they land properly from a vertical jump and absorb the force of the impact throughout the muscles of their legs, not just in the quadriceps and knee joint. Squat to a half-squat, with the bottom of the thighs parallel to the ground before jumping.

Station 4: X-Lay-ups

Make as many lay-ups in 30 seconds and then switch. Start at one elbow, dribble and attempt a lay-up. Rebound and run to the other elbow; dribble and attempt a lay-up from the other side. Continue for 30 seconds.

Station 5: Partner Shooting

Player 1 passes to Player 2 and closes out. P2 catches, shoots and follows her shot. P1 contests the shot and relocates, moving continuously and calling for the ball. P2 passes to P1 and contests shot. Partners shoot for one minute.

Station 6: McHale Drill

Left hand tips ball continuously against the backboard while the right hand grabs the net basketball Do six and switch to the right hand side. Right hand tips ball against backboard while left hand grabs the net (rim). Repeat on the left hand side for a total of 18 tips. Switch partners.

Station 7: T-Drill with 2 Ball Dribbling

Set up the T-Drill with cones 5-7 feet apart in the shape of a T. Start at the base of the T and sprint forward while dribbling two balls. Shuffle to the left cone, then to the right cone and finally back to the intersection. Back pedal to the base of the T. Go three times and rotate. The other player practices stationary two-ball drills while resting.

These quick drills provide a fast-paced warm-up that needs little instruction and insures the players break a sweat. Our focus is getting through the drills quickly: players sprint from station to station and practice with intensity in each drill. The warm-up focuses on ball control (6 and 7), quick changes of direction (1 and 7), jumping (3 and 6) and shooting (2, 4 and 5), training a variety of skills in a short amount of time.

For more information on youth basketball coaching, visit The Cross Over Movement.

McCormick is the Performance Director for TrainforHoops.com and the creator of 180Shooter.com. He is a coach, trainer and author who penned Cross Over: The New Model of Youth Basketball Development. McCormick has coached professionally in Sweden and Ireland, and coached and trained youth, high school and college teams and players in the United States. He currently advises clubs, schools and federations on their development systems and coach education programs. He is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Coach (NSCA) and Performance Enhancement Specialist (NASM). He lives in Irvine where he trains players.

How To Create An Outdoor Family Room

More and more families are enjoying time spent outside. The back yard can now basketball thought of an extension of the space inside your home. Here are some things basketball will want to keep in mind when creating an outdoor family room at your home.

Consider Your Family's Needs

The ages and interests of your family members will need to be taken into consideration when you plan your outdoor space. A family with young children will have different priorities than a household made up of two retirees or a single twenty-something. The best way to proceed is to make a list of who will be using the space and in what way.

For example, is the space a place to sit and read? Will young children be playing there? Do the owners enjoy gardening or hosting friends? If so, how much time do they have to spend on these activities?

If you still need some ideas, check out some decorating magazines or visit a retailer to see what is available. Leave room in your outdoor decorating plan for flexibility. Decide what elements are "must haves" and which ones can be relegated to the "would be nice to have" list.

Set a Budget

Now that you have come up with a wish list of what you want your outdoor living space to do, you need to decide how much you can afford to spend. Your plan can be implemented in a number of installments, so don't think you have to do everything in one season if that is not feasible. Consider buying items for your yard at the end of the season, when you can get them at a better price.

Include Seating Areas

Whether the family includes young children or not, you will want to include one (or more) seating areas. Patio furniture comes in a variety of styles and colors, from simple tables and chairs to a chaise lounge with colorful cushions. Whatever style of chair or bench you choose, position them near points of interest in space.

If you have a beautiful flower bed, you will want to position your seating so that you can see and appreciate it. The same is true if the back yard includes a pool, fountain, or a fire pit for visitors to gather around.

Consider Cooking Outdoors

Being able to eat outside is an important consideration when planning an outdoor family room. Many people enjoy cooking over a BBQ and you will want to position this item close to the house to make it more convenient when carrying food back and forth. Likewise, you will want to place a table and chairs nearby.

When considering where to put your BBQ and patio table, you will want to take into account which parts of your yard get direct sunlight at the times of day you are most likely to be entertaining. Adding a patio umbrella will make eating outside more enjoyable on sunny days, while a chiminea will chase away the chill of a late night gathering.

Planning is key to getting the outdoor family room that will fit your needs. So take the time to think about what the space is being used for before you start shopping.

Another great thing to add to your yard is the addition of a basketball hoop. An outdoor basketball goal is a fun way to get the family together and keep the kids around. Shop from all sorts of basketball hoops at this great online store.