A Few Of The Dozens Of Benefits Of Running

Running has been an aerobic activity that has proven its value for centuries – long before the days of Bowflex or total body gyms. The convenience and anytime availability of this exercise is matched in greatness by its many benefits. People of all ages can run and live healthy and fit.

Some of the biggest benefits of running include:

Keep your bones strong: By keeping our bones active and off the couch, we are keeping them strong and able. Keeping our bones strong is especially important in the prevention of bone conditions like osteoporosis.

Keep your heart active: Training and running for as little as thirty minutes a day can improve blood flow to your heart and strengthen the overall condition of your cardiovascular system.

Calorie cruncher: Running is said to be one of the highest calorie burning aerobic exercises!

Stress buster: Many avid runners claim that a long run after a tough day at work or a long day at school is just what they need to clear their mind, loosen up and feel empowered.

Economically affordable: The great thing about running is that you don't need fancy gym equipment or even a membership to your local fitness club. Your legs are part of your body and require zero down payments and no monthly bills.

These are only some of the dozens of reasons to begin or continue running. All you need is a pair of quality running shoes and a killer playlist and then you're ready to rock and roll. Get started on your own adventure and be sure to come in and let us know how it feels to call yourself a runner.

Baseball Hitting Drills May Help You Learn To Play Softball

To be successful it is important that a baseball player be able to handle today's increased pitching speeds. There is a sound answer for this coming through the experience of a former baseball coach. Sound baseball hitting drills focus on the correct stroke principles. These principles are also the same for fast pitch softball.

In today's environment it is necessary that a good hitter remains short to the ball. This is accomplished with a solid compact stroke. A major characteristic in one maximizing their skills is making it difficult for a pitcher to strike them out. Striking out has no chance of helping the team. The odds of winning go up when the ball is put in play and the defense is challenged to make a play. A complete hitter will have no more than a ten percent strike out ratio.

Even though no offensive player has to be convinced that striking out is bad, one cannot fear it. One must be completely bold and confident when coming up to bat. When it comes to striking out, one should never learn to love it and should avoid it at all costs, but NEVER fear it. A batter must be confident that every time they bat they will make SUPER CONTACT. The initial part of the process has to be TOTAL CONFIDENCE in order to totally remove the fear of striking out.

The Super 8 Hitting System will give an aspiring player keys to eliminating strike outs. It will explain the greatest secret to efficient hits. It is known as the DRIVE action. This is a short and direct approach which will improve bat to ball contact immediately.

By practicing the drive action consistently, a baseball player will be assured she will improve her ability in putting the ball into play over ninety percent of the time.
To accomplish this a player will get into a 45 degree drive position. This means that before initiating the stroke the hips must be rotated half way to the pitcher. For right handed batters this means pointing the belly button and the knob of the bat in the second baseman's normal position. At this point all the hitter has to do is snap the bat onto the ball.

The batter will have better sight of the ball. This allows for better reading of the ball movement. Hip movement after this is reduced since the batter is already in one half of a pivot. This will make the stroke distance extremely shorter and quicker. The body has in essence completed its role in the batting process. Now the hands only need to snap the bat.

Seeing the approaching ball should be twice as easy for the hitters. This will help reduce the probability of swinging and missing a pitch inside and outside the strike zone.

How To Keep Your Children Safe in Youth Sports

Over 3.5 million youth sports injuries occur each year, yet the majority of these incidents can be easily prevented by taking precautionary steps. Here are six tips on how to help children avoid injuries while participating in any youth sports program:
• Monitor daily/weekly activity to avoid overuse - Each year, as many as half of all youth sports injuries are the result of overuse. Overuse injury, which happens over time from repeated motion (such as throwing a baseball too many times), is completely preventable by implementing variety, moderation and rest during practices and games. Bones and muscles are still under development in children, and overuse leads to 1.25 million injuries that require medical treatment annually.

• Stretch Properly - Warm-up exercises, such as stretching and light jogging, can help minimize the hazard of strain and soft tissue injury. Stretching prepares the muscles for physical activity and allows blood to flow through them. Once a game or practice is complete, cooling down exercises loosen the body's muscles that may have tightened during the exercise. Encourage both "warm-ups" and "cool-downs."
• Don't play through pain or injuries - Respecting the healing process and your body's wishes is absolutely essential. When there are aches and pains, it's your body's way of telling you to slow down. Playing through pain greatly increases the risk of further injury and extends the recovery time.
• Use proper footwear - Approximately 1 million ankle injuries occur each year, and 85 percent of them are sprains. In addition to stretching properly, the shoes an athlete wears can make a world of difference in preventing sprains or other ankle and foot injuries. Most studies suggest that wearing tightly-laced, high-topped shoes is most beneficial.
• No matter what the sport, wear a mouth guard – Mouth guards are effective in the prevention of minor injuries to the teeth, lips, tongue, face and jaw. Furthermore, mouth guards can help prevent serious injuries to the brain (concussions) and roots and bone that hold the teeth in place. If you need convincing, consider this - in 1962, mouth guards became a requirement for high school and college football. Consequently, the percentage of mouth injuries dropped by over 50 percent annually.