Work within an 8U Attention Span
Players at the 8U level can get bored and distracted very easily. Keep them involved by splitting them up into smaller groups. Have coaches work with as few players as possible so that there is minimal standing in line time. If you don’t mind parent help, ask parents to come out and help roll grounders, throw fly balls, or take care of other simple tasks. This can help move practice along and keep groups or stations small.

Everyone is Involved
Strive to have your players understand that even if it’s not their turn, you expect them to be involved and pay attention. Explain that they can learn by watching their teammates do drills. They can also help their teammates by cheering them on. Just like in the game, even if it’s not their turn to field or catch the ball they are still involved in the play (i.e. cover a base, let your teammate know where to throw, etc). Also make it clear that no one should be talking or playing games as they wait in line. You can explain that practice is similar to school, there is no talking simply because the focus is on someone else. No one should be talking when the coach is talking just as no one talks in school while the teacher is talking.

Take Away the Fear Factor
Many players in the 8U division will be learning many of the skills you teach for the first time. Obviously, this means they may not be able to correctly perform certain skills, catching a thrown ball for instance. If a player at this age gets hit with a ball they try to catch, they may become afraid of catching. If you’ve ever seen a scared player trying to catch a ball, you know that it’s not likely. The shy away from the ball, they turn their head, or they close their eyes. None of these actions will help them get better at catching. Help them stop doing these things by taking away the “fear factor.” You can do this by using wiffle balls, or even crumpled up paper balls until the player becomes confident in their own ability to catch a ball. An added bonus is the fact that a paper or wiffle ball often moves in flight. It does not travel in as straight a path as a regular softball. Therefore, if a player can learn to catch a curving paper or wiffle ball, catching a softball that travels in a straighter path should be relatively simple for them.

Cover fundamentals
Cover fundamentals over and over and over and over and over again. I think you get the idea. If a player learns nothing else this season, they should at least learn good throwing and/or fielding mechanics. I say “or” because everyone has a different learning curve and you may have that one player who, for whatever reason, masters skills at a much slower rate than usual. Fundamentals are also the basic building blocks these players will fall back to over and over again throughout their career if they begin struggling with a particular skill. If they never learn these fundamentals, they’ll have no clue how to “get back on track” later on in their career when they need to.

Have Fun - this is not the Olympics
Last but not least, players at this age will play because it’s fun, not because they see that they are the best in the league. Never underestimate the importance of enjoying the game. It’s what keeps players coming back season after season, year after year. Keep the softball fire burning by making practice and game experiences fun!

For help on Keeping Softball Fun ~ don’t forget to check out the e-book at All About Fastpitch.

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Pro wrestling or professional wrestling is a form of wrestling in which the wrestlers get compensation for participating in a wrestling event or match. Their winning or losing is based on a set of rules that determine the award of points. Freestyle and Greco-Roman are the two wrestling styles commonly practiced by pro wrestlers. The only difference between the two styles is that in the Greco-Roman style, a wrestler can hold his opponent only above the waist. Women’s wrestling competitions are always held in the Freestyle category.

The governing body that administers professional wrestling matches internationally and in the Olympics, is known as FILA (F

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Billiards has always been a family of games that is played on a table, with a cue stick. The cue stick is used to strike balls that move around on the table. There are different types of billiard ball games. In eight ball games and straight pool, 16 balls are used - 15 are colored and one white ball or “cue” ball. Object balls are numbered one through seven and are solid colored. Balls nine through 15 are white and have a colored stripe that matches a corresponding solid ball. The nine ball has a yellow stripe, the 10-ball has a blue stripe, etc. The eight ball is always black. Regulation balls measure 2 1/4 inches and weight about 5 1/2 to 6 ounces.

On of the easiest games to play is Three Cushion billiards. It is played on a table that has no pockets and is slightly larger than a pool table. Three Cushion billiards is played with three balls that are red, yellow and white. The object is to have the cue ball hit the two other balls on the table along with three or more rails.

Other games include the Straight Rail or Free Game. It requires the cue ball to hit only the two other balls in order to score a point. Balkline is another game like Straight Rail, but the table has lines that are 18″ from each rail that create nine boxes on the table. If a player makes one or two, depending on the game, Straight Rail billiards in a box and drive it across a line. Players try to make the ball come back into a box to continue playing. Three Cushion billiards is the most popular game of all billiard games played.

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There are many types of Bar Darts available. You can find soft tip Brass bar darts, tungsten bar darts and nickel bar darts. They are available in many colors and thread sizes. Bar darts are used according to the nature of the game. If a professional game of darts is to be played, you can use a Nickel silver soft tip bar dart. This type of bar dart can be upgraded to a deluxe one. A brass soft tip dart can be used for normal intermediate or beginner level.

An individual can also purchase an economy set of three, soft tip Brass bar darts that is reasonable enough and will fit a person’s budget. There are a variety of bar darts, both brass soft tip and steel tip available. Many times a person buying bar darts may be confused due to the variety offered. In such cases, the expert advice of the salesmen and the assistance of a shopkeeper help the customer make a good choice.

Bar darts are also available made of brass barrels that have plastic moulded shafts with attached flights in

economy sets of three. Sellers of these bar darts accept payment in cash or by credit cards. Bar darts are available in almost all the sports shops. The manufacturers of bar darts also sell their products on their own website. They also give you expert bar darts information. Moreover, you can view the type of bar dart that suits your requirement. Some of them take up the extra responsibility of home delivering the bar darts.

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For those who have been under a rock, Dwyane Wade is amazing.

The Miami Heat superstar started Game 1 of the NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks by scoring his first nine points in the paint. What makes that statistic amazing is that Wade is a guard, someone many may not expect to continuously attack the basket. One only needs to watch Chauncey Billups to know what a stereotypical guard looks like. Sure, Billups will occasionally take the ball to the bucket, but Wade does it on a consistent basis.

Why does Shaq constantly get wide-open flushes? The opponent is worried that Wade is going to posterize them, which means that the defense will shift to Wade, leaving Shaq open for a dunk.

Dwayne Wade is fun to watch, because unlike many guards, he is fearless going to the basket. At least twice in Game 1, Wade missed a powerful dunk over Dallas big men. He did miss the dunks, but it wasn’t because Wade didn’t try to put some emphasis on his attempt. Both times, Wade exploded to the basket and took it fearlessly at his opponent. It took two hard hacks to keep Wade from finishing in Jordan-like fashion. The best guards don’t just shoot. They take it to the basket, take their lickings, and keep on ticking.

Here’s some food for thought. In the NBA this year, Dwyane Wade led the league in free-throw attempts per game with over 13 attempts per contest, according to NBA.com. This is a guard we’re talking about, not Shaq, Tim Duncan, or Dirk Nowitzki.

I am watching this series because I look forward to watching guards like Wade and Mavs guard Jason Terry try to flush it down the throats of their much taller opponents. Nothing is better than watching a smaller guy pick on someone much larger than him.

SOURCE
http://www.nba.com/playerfile/dwyane_wade/index.html

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