Rebound Charts
Rebound charts provide the following information:

1. Number of offensive and defensive rebounds by each team.
2. Number of offensive and defensive rebounds by each individual.

Insufficient offensive or defensive rebounds can suggest areas of rebounding work in practice. If the number of defensive rebounds is not in close proximity to the number of missed shots by the opponents, stress should be placed on block-outs and other defensive rebounding techniques.

The reverse would be true if a team is falling down on the offensive boards. The knowledge of which beginners basketball players on a team are getting the most rebounds can suggest individuals who need additional work in this area and can act as an incentive to future rebounding performances by allowing competition among individuals on the team.

An accurate knowledge of the leading rebounders on the opposing team may suggest play direction. For example, if the left forward on the opponents is their best rebounder, initiating plays in his defensive area may result in shots being taken while he is out on the floor and away from the board.

Keeping the Rebound Chart
Rebounds may be recorded on the same composite chart with shots and mistakes. Simply writing the number of the rebounder in the appropriate offensive or defensive rebounding column is sufficient.

Miscellaneous Charts
One of the important beginners basketball fundamentals is to make sure you have all essential charts.A number of other types of charts are used by many coaches. Among them are:

1. Player Combination Charts. This chart records each combination of players throughout the game, the time played by each player and combination, and gives a view as to the combination of players achieving the best results. When a beginner basketball player enters the game, his initial is placed on the line under the name of the player he is replacing along with the score and time remaining.

2. Officiating Charts. Recording the type of officiating calls made by each official can suggest the type of game to be played. If blocking calls are excessive, players can be instructed to drive a great deal. On the other hand, if charging calls predominate, defensive players can be instructed to jump freely in front of drivers. Few fouls called under the basket may indicate a rougher type of rebounding play.

3. Jump-ball Charts. An accurate record of jump-ball situations may be obtained by the use of this chart. The chart records the players involved in the jump situation, who controls the tap, and who gains ball possession. The numbers of the players jumping are recorded. If your player gets control of the tap at the height of the ball toss, a plus is recorded. If he does not get the tap, a minus is recorded. A plus or minus is again used to chart the team that gains ball possession.

4. Offensive Options. Many teams keep charts that indicate play options that result in shots and scoring and evaluate the effectiveness of their offensive plays on these results.

5. Defensive Mistakes. A record of mistakes made both by the team defense and by individual defensive players is useful and can aid in determining areas needed for work in practice. The type of mistakes to be charted will depend on the type of team defense played and must be ascertained by the individual coach.

6. Center-line Advancement. These charts record the number of times ball possession is gained in backcourt but the ball is lost before crossing the center-line. Added information may be provided by charting the number of times the offense advances the ball into front-court and fails to obtain a shot.

General Suggestions
1. Make a thorough study of the information desired and arrive at a sound program of charting to obtain this information.
2. Obtain interested personnel and train them in accurate charting techniques.
3. Study the charts diligently after each game and make the results available to the entire squad.
4. Keep cumulative statistics on all charts and file charts for future reference.

Good basketball fundamentals means effective charting will improve the performance of the team.

Dr Bates championed vision improvement and devised many different techniques which he claimed improved a patient’s eyesight. He claimed that strain on the eyes to see was infinite, and he devised a method of relieving the strain to improve vision.

He particularly explained that a set approach would not work for everyone, and so Dr. Bates became a well known alternative therapist. This is still widely practiced today.

He used techniques designed to dissociate strain and then achieve central seeing; which is the central point of vision omitting staring. He claimed that all errors of refraction and disturbances of function disappear when the eyes see by central fixation; and if there were any other associated conditions they too would be relieved. He also stated that exposing the eyes to sunlight would improve vision.

Medical associates have criticized Dr. Bates methodology and have stated what negative consequences could occur if patients followed the protocol; especially if their eyes are over exposed to sunlight. They also stated that it would be negligent to not wear corrective lenses while driving and would worsen or even cause serious implications to the eyes.

One of his techniques to vision improvement was closing the eyes which would help relax them; the patient would cover their eyes with their palms applying no pressure at all to the eyeballs. The theory behind this method was to eliminate light creating total relaxation of the eyes. Although some patients stated that they have illusions of light and colour; Bates claimed these would totally disappear when the eyes were relaxed.

The Bates Association for Vision Education are qualified professionals that teach the Bates method for vision improvement. The teachers mostly work with children, but offer individual lessons to adults.

Workshops and lectures centered around perfect vision. Training is offered on an ongoing basis. Pupils are taught how to improve their eyesight without having corrective surgery; as well as teaching how to increase the chances of eliminating degenerative eye disease. Black lettering is used as well as the swing method to help correct vision.

It is debatable as to whether these eye therapy methods really work; or maybe it is mind over matter and those that claim that there is improvement could be purely from "autosuggestion". Dr. Bates and vision improvement has no solid evidence of proof that this therapy actually works. However, many individuals claim that it does.

William B.B.

*Disclaimer: Please be advised that this article is for information and entertainment purposes only. It does not intend to advise on, treat, or diagnose any health condition including, but not limited to, vision problems. If you have or think you might have a vision problem, please visit your doctor for advice, diagnosis and treatment.

One of the primary concerns of every coach is the development of a tall beginners basketball player. By much individual coaching and special drills, the tall, awkward player often can be developed into a smooth, coordinated big man that can wreak havoc with the opposition. Most championship teams have at least one tall player to control rebounds and present a dangerous scoring threat.

Where to Begin

The beginning point for developing a tall player should be in the lower grades.

Developing Strength, Jumping Ability, and Agility

Weight training can be an important factor in developing strength and jumping ability in the tall player. A program of weight training is more important in the development of the tall player than in any other. It is the tall player that needs a good amount of strength in his upper body, particularly his shoulders, arms, and hands, for the rugged rebounding work. The increase in leg strength brought about by work with weights can add inches to his vertical jump and improve his speed.

Rope skipping is one of the better drills for developing this agility. Developing Shooting Ability

Basketball instruction includes developing shooting ability. Most good offensive centers use the following shots:

1. Lay-up.
2. Jump shot.
3. Hook shot.
4. Tip shot.
5. Free-throw.

The “George Mikan” drill is an excellent beginning point for developing the player’s shooting ability. He stands under the basket and shoots a lay-up shot with his right hand. The shot is taken off his left foot. Jump Shot. In developing the jump shot, the tall player should start close to the basket and gradually move away as his shooting proficiency increases. A minimum of fifty shots daily is absolutely essential. Keeping a record of the number of shots attempted and made daily will enable the player to check his progress and will add incentive for additional work.

Hook Shot. The hook shot should be developed with both hands. With his back to the basket, the beginner basketball player should step onto his left foot and hook the ball with his right hand. After a number of shots with his right hand, he should move to the other side of the goal and shoot the left-handed hook shot off his right foot. As his ability to shoot the shot improves, he should move further away from the basket.

Tip Shot. The the team mate will be in offensive rebounding position on most offensive plays. The perfection of the tip shot will enable him to increase his scoring effectiveness. A variety of tipping drills are available and at least one tipping drill should be used daily. As the fundamental technique is learned, a defensive rebounder should be added to the drills to contest the tall player for the rebound and simulate game conditions.

Free-throw. Since the tall player receives the ball in the highly dangerous area around the basket, he often will receive more free-throws than any other player on his team. Therefore, he must develop his free-throw technique to reach maximum effectiveness. However, no special free-throw program is necessary. The tall player should follow the same free-throw practice plan as the other members of the squad.

Good basketball instruction involves, among other things, taking care to develop your tall player.

Maintaining good vision is very important, as much as 80% of the information you obtain from the world around you is received through your eyesight! The history of natural eye correction dates back to Dr. William Bated who was born in 1860 and died in 1931. He was a distinguished eye surgeon who was not happy with the fact that glasses were used as a standard for curing visual impairment.

Over the millennia our eyes have changed in keeping with the way we live our lives. Hunter, gatherers of the past used their eyes for both long distance and close examination at all times, for example looking into the distance in search of food or enemies, and in the next breath closely examining a berry filled bush. This kept the eye muscles agile which in turn allows for keen vision.

Times changed, particularly with the industrial revolution, and today people spend many hours immobile with their eyes fixed on a specific task. The eye muscles no longer receive the type of exercise they require to keep agile and many unnecessary eye problems occur.

Dr. Bates spent many years researching vision, he concluded that strain in the eyes was caused by mental strain or stress and poor lifestyle. This led to ocular dysfunction such as double vision, blurriness, sensitivity to light and other problems. He also spent time studying people with perfect sight and noted that the function of the eyes was different.

The outcome of his studies led him to treat his patients by teaching them to relax and also vision training. The outcome of this was that the visual brain and eyes were often restored to maximum potential.

His techniques have spread and are still used world-wide, many people have improved and regularly perfected their vision by means of his methods. He wrote a book for this purpose called "Better Eyesight without Glasses" which is published by Grafton Press.

Maybe natural vision improvement can help to improve the health of the eye. It is a holistic approach which includes simple exercises and habits which are key to maintaining and improving good eyesight. The majority of your vision occurs in the brain, these exercises help the brain to make more meaning of the visual world.

Author:  William B.B.

*Disclaimer: Please be advised that this article is for information and entertainment purposes only. It does not intend to advise on, treat, or diagnose any health condition including, but not limited to, vision problems. If you have or think you might have a vision problem, please visit your doctor for advice, diagnosis and treatment.

We are sure you know just how important it is to keep your body fit. We do this by jogging, swimming, biking and going to the gym. However, do you know how important it is to exercise your eyes for better vision as well? What? Did you just say that you never heard of eye exercises before? Honestly, there are simple eye exercises you can do that might help out. What do eye exercises do? Well, they may help to minimize eyestrain, improve eyesight and help to keep your eyes healthy. If you like the idea of keeping your eyes healthy, then continue reading the rest of this article to learn some simple exercises.

First of all, find a comfortable seat to engage in vision therapy. Rub your hands together until you have generated some warmth. Close your eyes and cover them with your palms. You should not put any pressure on your eyes. Make sure no light is entering the eyes. Imagine a deep area of blackness and concentrate on that blackness. Evenly and slowly start to take deep breaths as you are thinking of something happy. Begin to visualize a distant scene. When your eyes do not see anything but blackness, move your hands away from your eyes and repeat this.

For anywhere from three to five seconds, you should close your eyes tightly, then open them for another three to five seconds. Do this for about seven to eight times.

As you are sitting in a comfortable chair, roll your eyes clockwise, then roll them counter-clockwise. Do this five times and blink in between those times.

Sit in front of a window, put a mark on the window. This could be a small sticker that is either red or black. Look through that mark and then focus on something that is far around for about fifteen seconds. The,focus on that mark again. As you see, there are many simple eye exercises that you can do.

William B. B. is a pen name created to explore the world of natural vision improvement.

*Disclaimer: Please be advised that this article is for information and entertainment purposes only. It does not intend to advise on, treat, or diagnose any health condition including, but not limited to, vision problems. If you have or think you might have a vision problem, please visit your doctor for advice, diagnosis and treatment.

An athlete with adequate muscular strength, cardiovascular endurance, good nutritious diet, muscle endurance, along with flexibility will be ready for starting some intense vertical jump training exercises. You will increase your fitness level by overloading your body with more intense exercises, but the overloading must be appropriate to your current fitness condition.

Improve Your Fitness Level With These Exercises

1) Aerobic (or Cardiovascular) Exercises

Aerobic exercise (which is repetitive movement of large muscle groups over an extended period of time) will produce cardiovascular endurance. Examples of aerobic exercises include swimming, rope jumping, jogging, and playing basketball.

2) Enhance Muscle Strength

Muscle strength is improved by applying resistance to a muscle group. Lifting weights is a good way of improving muscle strength. Calf exercises, squats, lunges, are some examples in increasing strength for jumping higher.

3) Increase Muscle Endurance

When the muscle repeats movement over a period of time, muscle endurance is created. Muscle endurance increases in conjunction with muscle strength. With regular exercise, your muscles burn energy more efficiently and endure overloading for longer time. Running long distance for a long period of time is an example for building endurance.

4) Increase Joint Flexibility

Joint flexibility refers to the range of motions (ROM) the joint can undergo as limited by the joint’s structure and surrounding connective tissues. Warming up and then stretching your calves, hamstring and quad muscles are important activity in preventing injuries and increasing your fitness level. Joint flexibility can also give dramatic increases in vertical leap height.

5) Daily Nutritious Diet

A good healthy diet promotes faster recovery and is important for your body to repair itself. Avoid eating junk food or sugars, and make sure you diet includes protein, good carbs and fats, along with vitamins. Drinking plenty of water will also enhance your growth and ability to handle an increase load of exercises.

6) Reduce Your Body Fat

If your body fat index is less than 10%, you can increase your potential in jumping higher. You need to concentrate on building muscle and limit your caloric intake. A nutritionalist will be able to design the proper diet that makes sense for you specific needs. Vigorous exercises like running will also help you to lose those extra pounds and condition your lungs.

Remember, obtaining a good fitness level is the start of your jumping higher program. After that, you can begin to do exercises to increase your vertical explosion. Plyometric exercises, along with the previous steps, will help you jump higher. Plyometric training develop quick twitch muscle fibers needed to increase your vertical. Many athletes omit these exercises, resulting in them not drastically increasing their vertical jump.