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Throwing punches or practicing a sequence of movements repeatedly while maintaining the fighting stance can help the fighter perfect his moves. This definitely improves one’s punching speed and is also a great warm-up session for intense boxing-specific workouts. Being a competitive sport, boxers need to create opportunities and land punches that can overpower the opponent. Not only should the boxer have the ability to focus and observe his opponent’s body language, he/she should also be able to make the right decisions at the right time. This can come from practice. The imagery or guided visualization during shadow boxing helps the boxer rehearse his strategic moves. To be able to win, one must first think like a winner. Visualizing yourself in the ring and defeating your opponent during these sessions is definitely the best form of motivation.

Shadow Boxing Techniques

To practice shadow boxing exercises, the fighter needs to face a light-colored wall. There is a light source behind the boxer that projects his/her shadow on the wall. The boxer then practices his/her moves and footwork by treating the shadow as his/her opponent or sparring partner. There are two methods that boxers use in the shadow boxing sessions. These are referred to as the short method and the long method. In the long method of shadow boxing, boxers practice straight punches or jabs as they shuffle their feet back and forth. On the other hand, boxers move their body from left to right while practicing short punches or close body shots while practicing the short method. There are a variety of punching techniques that boxers usually use. These include left jab, left straight, right straight, left hook, right hook, uppercut, liver shot, and other shots to the body. Combination drills where you practice a specific combination of some of these punches in a rhythm can certainly help in honing one’s boxing skills. Here are some of the common combinations one could try:
•Left Straight, Right Straight: Here you visualize throwing a punch to the left side of your opponent’s head, followed by another punch to the right side.
•Left Hook, Right Hook, Left Hook: For the Left Hook, bring your left hand near your chin and bend your hand at an angle of 90 degrees while punching your opponent’s face with your fist. Follow the same action with the right hand and repeat the action with your left hand again.
One can also graduate from the simple shadow boxing exercises to an intense form of workout. Take for instance, the 10×10 shadow boxing circuit wherein boxers can practice a 10-punch combination ten times within a minute. Besides developing speed and accuracy, one also needs to develop punching power. Once one has perfected these moves, one can attempt them while fighting one’s sparring partner. Read the rest of this entry »

The following few steps will guide you into formulating a comprehensive schedule for learning and practicing this amazing combat skill with the help of any DIY instruction material. Your journey of how to learn Shaolin kung fu at home begins here:-
•First things first, get the right instruction material. Be it an instruction DVD or an elaborate wall poster with clear depictions of postures, stances and kung fu moves, make sure you get that material whose content is comprehensive, complete and easy for you to understand. In case of an instruction DVD, make sure that the instructor is a thoroughly qualified martial artist. Check for details of the instructor’s qualifications or thoroughly investigate about the instructor’s martial arts background to get a grip of his experience and instruction style.
•Set the right atmosphere. Just because you’re practicing at home doesn’t mean you should settle with whatever surrounding is available. Make some efforts to convert an extra room into a proper practice room so that the atmosphere there is conducive to your training. For instance, you should have a lot of floor space to allow yourself to practice the rigorous moves, expansive actions and workouts involved in kung fu. Kung fu involves a lot of leaps, kicks, punches, twists and turns. You wouldn’t want your fists or feet to crash into furniture or any hard surface and hurt yourself in the process. Get proper matting for the floor so that you don’t injure yourself while practicing those falls and landings.
•Do your warm ups properly before getting into the routine practice session. Most good instruction DVDs also teach you good warm ups and flexibility exercises that condition your body to undergo the intensive martial arts routines . Besides warm ups and flexibility exercises, you may also be required to do some stamina and endurance building exercises. Do proper research into these areas before embarking upon the main training. Failure to do so would only leave you with stretched muscles, pulled nerves and painfully sore joints.
•When learning or practicing kung fu at home, it’s a good idea to get a partner. When two people practice together, both of you get to master those holds, throw, attacks and blocks better with each other as opponents. The simulation is more real as you get an idea how a real-time combat involving real people would be like because you’ll get an idea of how an actual person would react to attack you or shield himself from your attacks in a real situation.
•Draw inspiration and motivation from kung fu legends. Keep a good collection of martial arts and kung fu movies and watch them on a regular basis, not for entertainment but to pick up the various combat techniques and fighting strategies from on-screen kung fu idols. Watch videos of actual kung fu tournaments and implement the tactics and stances shown there in your practice routines.

You can try practicing the gymnastics tricks in your backyard or even in an empty room inside the house. Make sure that the room is big enough for you two move around to attempt the tricks, and has no furniture. As for the backyard, clear it out as well because you don’t want to bang into something while trying the cartwheel.

Cartwheel
Stand on one side of the area where you are doing the cartwheel and stretch both hands up. Point the right foot forward, keeping it slightly above the ground. Lean forward from your waist, put your weight on the right foot, and keep your back and both legs straight. Lift the left foot off the ground and lean furthermore down so that your right leg bends from the knee. As you go down, bring both hands down as well so you can support your body weight on them. Lift your right leg off the ground as well and stretch both legs as far away from one another as possible. Rotate your body weight from one side to another so you can finish the cartwheel. As you come to the other side, your right foot will land on the ground first and then the left leg. You will reverse the steps on how you started the cartwheel to end it. Stand up straight, point left foot forward and that’s it.

Splits
Place a mat on the ground, kneel on the floor by keeping one foot in the front, bent at knee, and the other foot extended in the back. Push you hips forward, keep your chest up, and back straight. Here, before doing the split, your legs need to be stretched properly. To begin the split, your chest will be facing forward at all times, both legs will be straight but turned slightly outward, and the toes need to be pointed. Stay close to a wall in the beginning, bend your right leg’s knee and support it against the wall. This is done when you are in the split and you need to stretch both legs. If you want, you can even ask a friend to hold your leg instead of supporting it on the wall. Pull your chest upward, lean slightly back from the waist, and look behind as far as you can. And that is how you do a split.

Center Split
To perform the center split, sit on the floor and touch the soles of your feet together. Keep your back straight, chest held high, and lean forward, towards the floor from the waist. Extend both hands forward, keeping them straight as well, and bring your head down, closer to your feet. Place the palms of your hands flat on the floor, look forward with head still down, and open your legs. You need to stretch your legs as wide as you can with the toes pointed at all times. Now bring both legs on either sides and bend the knees at 90º angle with legs (from the knees) stretched behind you. Support the body weight on your elbows and forearms, and bend your waist just a bit; look upward. Now extend the right leg towards your right side, keeping the support on your elbows and forearms, and your left leg in the bent position. Extend the other leg as well and push your upper body upwards with both hands. Face forward with your chest up and back straight. And that is how a center split is done.

Here is a list of skills you must learn or sharpen further, if you already have a talent for them. These are the skills which your school audition panel will be looking out for, so be smart and do not refrain from working hard.

#1- Gesture Acting
You have to learn how to act through gestures. The people around you cannot see your face and do not know the real you. This actually good for those who find their real personalities coming forth, when behind a mask. All that people will see is the gestures you make and how you move in your costume. Your costume has to become you, and you have to be your costume! It’s as simple as that, and yet a very difficult task to accomplish. Pick up tricks by watching how other mascots use their body language in order to communicate with the players and the public. Watch videos and see popular game recordings of your own school too, so that you have more mascot ideas, on how to move in your own school’s mascot costume. Practice makes one perfect, and in this case, you have to get your act perfect. For the final audition, you will need to prepare a skit or a performance ritual, where you will enact different emotions, while using your costume in order to depict these emotions.

#2- Learn to Dance
You cannot be a mascot if you have two left feet! You have to learn how to dance. Which means, you have got to know the latest moves and have to move to the beat. Always remember to choose popular upbeat numbers, which are in trend and are a sure winner with the crowd. Learn modern hip hop steps and moves, and you are sure to get the crowd hooting with joy! What more does a school want from its mascot, if he is at the epitome of greatness!

#3- Gymnastic Moves
If you can manage a back flip and a hand stand, you have half the battle already won. A flexible mascot will be able to perform along with the cheerleaders. Which is very lucky, as some might say! The mascot will be able to make cool moves even while dancing or when the home team has scored. This skill will definitely make you a top qualifier during the auditions, if competition is on high gear. Read the rest of this entry »

‘How do you become a sports agent’, is a common question that intrigues many people. Many who can’t get the correct information and knowledge about becoming a sports agent leave the hope of making a career in this field. If you’re the one who is interested to become a sports agent, then read further…

How to Become a Sports Agent #1: Understand the Profession

As a sports agent, you will be expected to tour along with the team, and negotiate with various clients. Hard work and extensive traveling may often make you run out of patience but then you’ve to understand that it is the requirement of the profession. So, before entering this field you’ve to be very sure about yourself. You must have good negotiation skills and an uncanny knack to crack deals amongst brokers, investors, team members and coaches.

While some sports agents can earn tens of millions, it is a fact that very less percentage of sports agents make over USD 100, 000. Besides that, establishing yourself as a sports agent and maintaining a network of clients may take years and this may be a test of patience. While the income is generally high, it is not fixed. The performance of the team impacts the profession significantly. Anybody willing to make a career in this field must consider all these points.

How to Become a Sports Agent #2: Which Sports You Want to Enter

If you are thinking what you need to do to become a sports agent, then the answer is , choose wisely the sports whose agent you wish to become. While names like National Football League (NFL) are a dream for every sports agent, the competition is extremely high in these leagues.

You should compare and research the average salaries sports agents get in the Major League Baseball (MLB) and National Basketball Association (NBA) leagues and depending on that you can choose the leagues. You can join some internship programs in reputed firms and institutions that will also help you to get into some good sports leagues. Many sports management firms and training centers specializing in sports agent programs provide courses that help the aspirants understand the job better. Read the rest of this entry »