By Samuel Phineas Upham

The World Series and Monday Night Football games of today mimic a spectacle that can trace itself back to man’s earliest days walking upright and trying to record history. Cave paintings exist depicting wrestling matches that drew crowds, as well as both swimming and archery. These paintings are 17,000 years old, showing the power that feats of strength and skill have to captivate audiences.

Wrestling was also popular throughout the Sumerian civilization. Various bronze statues found in Iraq depict two figures locked shoulder-to-shoulder. Boxing is a sport that can also trace itself back to ancient Sumer. Belt Wrestling, a sport still popular in places like Istanbul and Russia, was also popular and was specifically mentioned in the Epic of Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh engages in the sport with Enkidu, a wild man raised by animals, and becomes friends with the man/spirit upon defeating him.

In ancient Egypt, high jumping was extremely popular. They also popularized an early form of billiards known as Snooker, a game that is still played today. The Egyptians were fond of feats of dexterity as well, so javelin tossing was often practiced in a competitive setting.

Ancient Greece is where most people immediately go to when the topic of sports history arrives, and how could they not? Greece gifted us the Olympics, the marathon and the discus throw. They also treated sports as an elitist pursuit, available only to the wealthiest of citizens who had no need of work or physical labor. The ideal human body was a form beloved by Greeks, so much like our fascinations with celebrities and athletes, the Greeks pursued the ideal body and sports was a natural venue to display that prowess.

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About the Author: Samuel Phineas Upham is an investor at a family office/ hedgefund, where he focuses on special situation illiquid investing. Before this position, Phin Upham was working at Morgan Stanley in the Media and Telecom group. You may contact Phin on his Samuel Phineas Upham website or LinkedIn.

The batting cages can either be a fun diversion, or a serious tool to improve your hitting mechanics. Batting cages are there to simulate the perfect pitch, so a hitter can learn to identify a good pitch and discover techniques for making contact with the ball. Coaches can use batting cages to help improve the basic mechanics, turning good players into great ones.

Eyeing the Pitch

It’s important to identify a good pitch so the player knows what to swing at. It’s also important to judge the distance of the ball, and be able to see where the pitch will land in one’s hit box. Have players watch pitches thrown at them repeatedly and focus on making contact with the ball at the right moment. Film the player’s swings at the moment of impact with a high-speed camera, then show them the footage to see where in their swing they made contact with the ball. Work on consistently judging a good pitch, and more players will make solid connection with the ball.

Bread and Butter

Find out what works for a particular player and drill that hard. For instance, using swing speed radar to judge how fast your players swing and using that data to work on their power. If the player’s stance gives them lots of power, have them focus on hitting for distance. You can always work the kinks out over time, but it’s important to build good fundamentals to muscle memory.

Work the Weakness

If a player can’t bunt, the batting cage is a good chance to learn how it’s done. It will throw roughly the same pitch every time, and the player can practice hundreds of hits at a time. As the coach, your job is to give players an honest assessment of their skill set and help them improve accordingly. You can reinforce good behavior through drills, like a bunting drill. Have each player hit ten bunts in a row before taking a real swing at the batting cage. This will teach consistency, and help you find the players who need the most help.

Bring a speedtrac to the field and record pitch speeds and swing speeds. You can use this data to point out where players can put more power into a shot, or adjust swing speed to make connection with the ball.

Study the Best

Before practice, have a session with players where you watch the greats swing in highlight reels. Study players from the majors and try to point out what works, and what doesn’t. Use these players like analogies and invoke them during practice.

Keep Positive

They might still have a long way to go, but helping your team stay positive through tiny moments of improvement is important. A good coach not only leads, a good coach motivates as well.
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Radar Gun Sales sells radar guns to bring to a speed pitch cage. Improve player fundamentals with radar guns from Radar Gun Sales.

Baseball can be tough on hitters, in fact it’s the one of the only games where someone can have a 20-30% success rate and be considered a superstar. Hitting well can mean the difference in a game, but finding yourself in a slump can drag you down throughout the season. There is a lot of luck that goes into baseball, part of why the game is rife with superstitious players, but there is science there too. Knowing how to zero in on that hard science will improve your game more than a lucky jock strap.

Study the Pitcher

Most pitchers, especially inexperienced ones, are easy to predict. There is usually one pitch they tend to fall back on, switching up only in special circumstances. Since there is a good chance you will play a pitcher more than once in a season, study his or her habits to see how they approach the game. Note the release point of the ball, how it rotates, whether the ball sinks or rises, and any telegraphs for when the pitch gets switched up.

Know Your Strike Zone

The umpire will always make mistakes and call pitches outside the strike zone, but you can learn a lot about hitting from knowing your personal strike zone. The best thing you can do to improve your batting average is to stop swinging at bad pitches. Approach home plate with an idea of the kind of pitch you want to hit, then wait patiently for the ball to come across the plate just so.

Swing Speed

Before you ever work a swing speed radar gun, work on the fundamentals of a solid swing. Timing will be the most important factor in facing an experienced pitcher. Start your swing a bit earlier than you want to make connection by placing your foot down. Let your body uncoil and follow through with your swing. This helps you make solid connection and keep your balance.

You or your coach can find radar guns for sale online, then use them in the batting cage to measure swing speed, and then offer pointers to improve it.

Run Faster

The final component to being a great batter over all is your run speed. Once you’ve made connection, the reaction time and speed down the base line are what makes the difference in a play. Run drills regularly and sprint short distances to build your speed. You can go on longer jogs to build your stamina over all. Once you’ve made connection and you know how to run, get out there and improve your average!
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Radar Gun Sales specializes in radar technology, and offers custom sports banners to competitive teams. Find Radar Gun Sales online.

Article  submitted by Spike Soccer Store.

Picking the right shoes accounts for a lot more than being fashionable.  Investing in a good quality pair of shoes can prevent you from developing injuries or structural issues in your body.  For some families, shoes may seem like a purchase to scrimp on, however, that’s not a good idea when discussing one’s health.  That means that you may need to stop shopping at discount shops and instead invest in a great pair like     Adidas campus shoes.  Brands such as Adidas, Nikes, Converse and Puma, to name a few, are made with high-quality materials in order to give you both support and a fashionable flair.

Some of the most common issues that develop with cheaply made shoes have to do with feet and posture issues.  The right shoes can help you avoid problems with your feet and posture.  The last thing anyone wants is to develop fallen arches, knee problems or mobility issues.  In order to combat these problems, it’s incredibly important to find shoes that offer support, flexibility, and of course comfort.  Expensive shoes are significantly cheaper and less of a hassle than having knee or back surgery!

Particularly for those that play sports or participate in activities such as hiking, it’s very important to have the right shoes.  If you’re moving up and down the football field in poorly made cleats, you have a much higher chance of injury.  The right shoe offers a decent amount of stability to the body.

Clearly, maintaining proper body structure is not the only priority when it comes to shoes.  The majority of people invest in good shoes because they know that shoes make a statement about who you are to those around you.  For example, stylish Puma suede shoes say that you are someone to be respected.  That is something very different than some worn-down $5 tennis shoes.  Fashion is another important piece to consider when picking out the right shoes.

The great thing is that today, you don’t have to sacrifice fashion for comfort or the other way around.  There are many great brands out there that consider both comfort and style.  When deciding what pair to buy, it’s vital to pick some kicks that fit into your lifestyle.  For example, if you spend all day on your feet at work, make sure to find shoes designed for that.

If you buy shoes online, you can usually find reviews that can guide you if you have a particular issue with your knees or ankles.

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Article was submitted by Spike Soccer Store, a leading online supplier of soccer footwear and apparel.  If you’re interested in things like a soccer accessories and other great deals, browse their website for more information.

Posted by: globalturfequipment.com

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Posted by: globalturfequipment.com

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