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Sports Then and Now



Tips on Buying the Best Portable Pitching Mounds 0

Posted on October 25, 2019 by Kevin King

A good portable pitching mound can turn any ol’ field into a baseball field, and any player into a pitcher.

What are Portable Mounds?

Pitching mounds were originally created so that pitchers would have a competitive advantage over batters. Being elevated 10” off the ground gives you the slight advantage of gravity, and gives the batter a harder time of getting a hit. If the pitcher were to pitch from flat ground, there would be a lot more home runs every game!

Because pitching mounds are so regularly used, in youth baseball and in the MLB, it is absolutely imperative that kids start pitching from a mound at an early age.

The creator of True Pitch Mounds started making portable mounds when his son pitched in a championship game and gave up runs due to the fact that he was not used to pitching from a mound!

Read the rest of this entry →

Teaching Your Kids Team Spirit and Sportsmanship 1

Posted on December 07, 2018 by Jessica Peters

team-2444978_1920Getting your children interested in sports is one of the most important things you can do for them, for a number of reasons. A child who is interested in sport is more likely to participate in it themselves, and this can help them keep fit and healthy. Children who exercise and participate in sports regularly are much more likely to do the same in adulthood, so it can bring lifelong benefits. Sports also teach us the important social skills of sportsmanship and being a team player, so here are four simple ways that encourage your kids to develop these vital attributes.

Watch Lots of Sport

Watching a sport is great fun, and your children will enjoy it even more if they can do it with their mom or dad and if they have a particular team they can cheer on. People of all ages can learn a lot from watching sport, but one of the most important lessons is that working smoothly with people as part of a team can bring great results. Even Steph Curry, for example, knows when it’s best to pass to a Warriors teammate rather than taking a shot on himself. This can be a vital lesson for young people to learn, encouraging them to think about ‘we’ rather than just ‘me’.

Learn to Trade and Share

Loving sport can give a child many happy memories that stay forever, but it’s not simply watching the sport, or even taking part in it, that’s fun. There are lots of family friendly activities that are spin offs from sport, and one of the most enjoyable is trading pin collecting. A team pin can be a thing of real beauty, and many children and adults love to wear the pin of the team they support, whether that be in football, baseball, hockey, basketball or soccer. Many children also trade club pins with school friends or at special trading events. These not only allow your child to grow their collection, it means that they learn how to trade fairly, and how sharing can bring rewards. Read the rest of this entry →

How To Improve Your Team’s Performance 0

Posted on April 24, 2018 by John Harris

baseball-2018As any sportsman knows, if you have a team that is not happy eating, sleeping and playing together, then you are less than likely to have a successful season on the track or field. No matter if you are playing in a small-time league, or are trying your luck professionally, if your team does not get on, or has found it hard to bond, then you will no longer be able to bring the trophies home. So, if you are looking to help your team improve, and bring home the gold, then you need to consider taking part in team building activities, different ways that you can train and even alter your overall mindset if you want to succeed.

Team building activities

If your teammates all enjoy each others’ company and have fun together even while they are enjoying time away from the field, then your team is much more likely to have a successful season. Consider booking your team in for a team building activities, so that they can learn to work together on each other’s weaknesses and develop their strengths. From a cookery course to trying a new outdoors activity, the choice is endless when it comes to choosing a team building activity for you all to enjoy. Consider Des Moines Escape Room if you want your teammates to work on their logic and puzzle solving skills against the clock. Team building activities should be your go-to first step to help improve your team’s performance. Read the rest of this entry →

Let Your Child Play Sport What He Wants 1

Posted on April 09, 2018 by Richard Thomas

kids-footballIn school days or college days, children always take great interest in sports, even they prove themselves good sports persons but most of times they fails to fulfill their desire of  becoming successful athletes. The reasons are various behind this. Sometimes parent do not allow their kids to go in the sports field some time they do not have sufficient money to fund the institutions or sports college to provide their children with the best training they require to make a mark in the sports world.  If you belong to the second problem that has become the hindrance of the way of your child’s career then you can take help of lending companies. Many sports lending companies are there which can provide you financial help. Read the rest of this entry →

Baseball Exercises for Strength and Flexibility 0

Posted on February 19, 2018 by Coraline Huard

Baseball-1For any baseball player, there are two important aspects which one should not ignore are body explosive power and body strength. The shoulder integrity is vital for baseball batters and pitchers. Therefore, baseball workout includes building muscles, adding arm strength and gaining speed. In case, if audience finds out that the pitcher is adding speed to the fastball, then they consider that the player is doing only upper body workouts. Whereas, building strength in arms needs more than just upper body workouts.

The most important aspect is mobility as well as stability in shoulders along with hips. Pitching is transferring the power from your legs to your upper body part of your arms. Therefore, to reduce the chances of injuries, one has to work hard not only on shoulders, arms and back but also on hamstrings, legs and hips.

Speed of pitching is directly proportional to arm speed not on the isolated muscle’s strength. It means focusing on pillar strength will increase the rotational power. Thus, the focus is on doing stability exercises of shoulder, strength work of lower body and propulsive exercises.

Exercises 1: Stride Stretch

This one will help the baseball athletes in giving more mobility and flexibility during playing baseball in their shoulders and rotator cuffs. In simpler terms, it is stretching of front as well as back of your hips. Never ignore the importance of mobility in hip as the mobility in hip is equally important to mobility in shoulders for pitchers. In the absence of proper mobility, then the pitchers will do only those actions which their body will allow them to move. It will decrease their leg drive, ultimately reducing the power and strength. Read the rest of this entry →

How To Get Your Kids Excited About Sports 0

Posted on January 25, 2018 by John Harris

Youth-soccer-indianaSports are a wonderful way of keeping your children fit and active while also doing something fun. Who knows, what may start out as a fun activity, may turn into a possible career path for your child. But regardless of what the outcome may be, sports are a way of getting your child off the PlayStation, out of the house, and doing something that is not only good for them, but that it’s something they enjoy too.

It’s not just about the physical aspect of it either though; they will also socialize and make friends, while learning life skills, such as teamwork, responsibility, and communication.

Here are some ideas about how you can get your children excited about sports. Read the rest of this entry →

  • Vintage Athlete of the Month

    • Archie Griffin: 2-Time Heisman Winner
      December 11, 2022 | 1:42 pm
      Archie Griffin

      The Sports Then and Now Vintage Athlete of the Month is the only football player ever to capture college football’s top individual award twice.

      As a star running back for the Ohio State Buckeyes, Archie Griffin claimed the Heisman Trophy during his junior season in 1974 and then was able to repeat the honor the following season.

      Griffin joined the Buckeyes for the 1972 season, which happened to be the first in which freshmen were eligible to play varsity football, and made an immediate impact. After fumbling in his only carry of his first game, Griffin more than made up for it in his second game by rushing for 237 yards against North Carolina. By the end of the season, Griffin had rushed for 867 yards.

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