My players often ask me what the qualities of a good softball player are. There are a lot of them, actually, and these qualities often depend on the type of game that the team needs. For a team that has a weak defense, they need good pitchers who have a wide array of pitches, or catchers with quick wits.

But we’ll try to be general as much as we can here. We’ll focus on the core qualities that each and every softball player must have, and regardless of the position that a  player plays.

Let me run them down with some softball tips for you:

A good softball player needs speed. A typical play in softball lasts just 5 seconds or less. That’s why a good softball player needs to be quick in order to get out of the batter’s box quickly, steal bases, or track and catch fly balls.

How to build speed and quickness? Sprinting is the best way to do this. Sprinting teaches players to run and accelerate quickly.

A good softball player needs to be agile. Agility is the quality that enables the player to shift positions at the blink of an eye. A fly ball could go anywhere, which is why agility is an important quality in defensive players.

There are lots of softball-specific exercises that aim to improve your agility. Some examples include:

A good softball player has power. Power is the name of the game in softball. Whether you are a pitcher or a batter, power is your best friend. A powerful pitcher throws balls at blinding speeds, which leads batters to miss the ball entirely. Meanwhile, a powerful batter slams the ball out of the field, and out of the reach of defensive players.

Resistance training is the best way to build power. Just make sure you don’t just train any muscle, but train those muscles that you need in softball. That includes muscles in your arms, shoulders, legs, wrists, as well as your core muscles.

A good softball player has quick wits. With plays happening at blinding speed, players are left with little time to react to situations that put in front of them. That’s why it’s important for a softball player to have quick wits. Teams need players with quick decision-making skills, and you can’t succeed in elite softball circles without it.

Reaction times can be improved with exercises such as the ‘finger flash’. In this exercise, a batter is positioned on the box, with a pitcher at the pitcher’s mound. Instead of throwing the ball, the pitcher flashes one or several fingers. It is, then, the job of the batter to count how many fingers the pitcher flashed.

There you have it. I have just sharesd with you some important softball tips on how a good softball player should be. Keep in mind that in order to become a good softball player, you need to take a total approach towards your game. You cannot just rely on power to take you there. You also need the other qualities that I shared with you in these softball tips: quick wits, speed, and agility.

To speed up the development of [the Oriental White-eye] you may want to try this:

Bring them at least once a week to gatherings (“Chai”). If the form is not up to a certain level, the birds will not “Chai” but there is no need to worry about it in the beginning. Putehs are different from other types of softbill songbirds in that they are neither solitary nor territorial by nature. A Puteh that is not ready for “Chai” may in the beginning shows sign of being intimidated but this will not affect its development of its form later. A reasonably good Puteh, with patience, will develop its form when regularly exposed to environments of the “Chai” arena after overcoming its initial reluctance to “Chai”.

Of course, there are instances that no matter how much patience you have, a particular puteh will never “Chai” and can only buka at home. The reason is this type of Puteh is most likely a very low ranking individual in the pecking order of a flock of birds (please don’t ask me for scientific studies to substantiate this theory). Now, bringing up the bird’s form is not necessarily for the sake of competitions. As hobbyists, most of us would want to see that our birds are in optimal form even if it means just appreciating them at home.

If there is no “Chai” places conveniently located around you, the next best alternative is to bring the bird out as often as you can. For example, when you are going to the neighbourhood coffee shop for a drink, bring them along and hang somewhere while you are enjoying your coffee. Bring them along when you are walking to the nearby provision shop to buy groceries.

In other words, the more frequently they move around instead of staying stagnant in one place (your home), the better for them. Even the best of Putehs when kept only at home, will not be at its peak. The reasoning behind this: unlike a territorial bird that stay put in its territory to defend it, Putehs travel long distances in flocks from the time day breaks, foraging for food far and wide. Each time they stop, they will eat, chirp, buka etc maintaining contact and confirming their pecking order in the flock vocally. This is what hobbyists base their training methods upon to bring up the form of the bird to peak condition. It is about flowing along with the nature of the bird.

Yorkies feature silky, long coats, and this small breed of dogs is quite popular among dog lovers. At first, they were raised in England to help textile factories get rid of rats. Since then, these dogs have become great companion dogs and common people have started to raise them. Their real name is Yorkshire Terrier but they are called yorkies with love. These dogs are really energetic. Moreover, they require exercise, grooming and companionship to stay happy and healthy just like other dogs. Here are a few tips for you to take good care of your yorkie.

Bathe your yorkie

Bathing your yorkie is a good idea to keep them clean and odorless. Generally, you should bathe them at least once per month. Bathing them more often may cause dryness and irritation. You can use shampoo and conditioners for keeping their hair clean and strong.

Give it a haircut

Make it part of your routine to trim their hair on a regular basis. If not groomed properly, their hair can get matted and tangled. When brushed or bathed, they won’t lose too many hair. Also, keep in mind that your yorkie won’t shed its coat unlike other dogs. You can trim their hair on your own or you can hire a professional.

Brush its Coat

Yorkies have long coats that get tangled quickly if you don’t brush them frequently. You can keep their coat length short for their convenience. However, keep in mind that short coats need to be brushed more frequently. Don’t brush too hard and use a leave-in conditioner for moisturizing the hair after each episode of brushing.

Make Topknots

The hair of your yorkie will grow fast and hang over their eyes. To keep the hair from getting into its eyes, you can either make a topknot or keep the hair really short. Aside from this, you can use a comb to remove the knots from the hair and then secure the hair with a band.

Trim the nails

Just like other dogs, your yorkie will continue to grow its nails with the passage of time. To avoid overgrowth, you can trim its nails once every 2 months. If you find your dog biting its nails, it’s time to trim their nails. Overgrown nails cause pain and discomfort.

Choose nutritious food

Your yorkie won’t eat a good deal of food, especially if it’s an adult. You can feed your dog only once a day or leave the food portion in their house for the entire day. Make sure your dog has access to fresh, clean water throughout the day. You can buy a small bowl so that your dog can drink water easily.

Yorkies don’t need a special type of food and can eat commercial dog food available in the market. Remember: it’s not a good idea to overfeed your yorkie or it may run into health problems.

So, these are a few tips for you to keep your yorkie health throughout its life. Good luck with taking care of your puppy.

There are a huge number of progression options for each exercise and ultimately the level that the exercise is performed at will be relevant to the person. If you have any injuries or are new to exercise, please refer to a qualified physio therapist or personal trainer prior to trying these exercises.

Both of the following exercises are ‘super stars’ in terms of the benefits you can receive from them. They are exercises that reflect movements our bodies are naturally designed to do and they work all the major muscles in the lower body. You may wish to compliment them with some upper body exercises once you get into the habit of doing them.

1. Squat

Start with feet just outside hip distance and turn them out slightly. Sit back and imagine you are sitting into a chair. You may need to start with a small movement, in order to maintain your posture, and when you become more advanced you can work towards getting your thighs parallel to the ground, or even lower. Always ensure you maintain correct postural alignment. From there, push up through the hips to the start position.

The chest stays lifted, heels remain on the floor, and knees are in line with feet throughout – if your knees drop inwards it normally means you need to squeeze your buttocks and/or tighten your abdominals more.

Variations can include narrow squats, wide squats, and 1 legged squats.

2. Lunge

Start with the feet directly under the hips. Keeping the feet hip distance apart for balance, take a big step forward with one foot and lower into the lunge position. Both feet stay facing forward, and the back heel is lifted. Lower until the back knee is just off the ground (or start with a small movement as needed). Then push off the front leg using the thigh muscles and buttocks so that you are back in the start position.

This type of lunge is called a ‘power lunge’. Other variations include stepping back or to the side into your lunge, instead of forward. You could also perform a ‘static’ lunge, where both feet remain fixed in the lunge position throughout (i.e. there is no stepping into the lunge).

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• Warm up for 5 minutes (e.g. by going for a walk or a jog) before completing these exercises

• Keep your abdominals strong and breathe continuously.

• Start with 10-15 repetitions of each exercise. Repeat for 2 sets if you are feeling energetic.

• Always refer to a qualified exercise professional for advice on technique and to determine an appropriate progression for your individual fitness level

Many people ask me, what is the best exercise for me, or which exercise should I be doing.

The answer depends on where you are up to, for example if you are just getting back into activity or if you have never been an exercise person, then… Drum Roll! The very best exercise is the one you will do!

It’s as simple as that. It doesn’t matter what the latest book say, or the chiselled trainer recommends, if you don’t like it you won’t do it.

Who cares if the celebrities are doing it (they probably aren’t anyway) who cares if your sister in law swears she got her great butt from a certain exercise, if you don’t like it then it won’t happen, at least beyond the first few days or weeks.

So many pieces of expensive lie dormant in the back of garages, or neatly folded under beds gathering dust. Because they seemed like such a good idea at the time and the TV infomercial was so compelling.

Unfortunately most of these gadgets are as good as useless and most people give up on them. So what would you do, here are a few tips.

A daily intentional walk

Walking a little further to work or to the shops.

Doing something regularly at home such as a few squats or push ups every 60 minutes.

Dance around the house.

Power cleaning!

Join a class that you would like, but don’t buy any special clothes until you are sure it is a class you will persist with.

Run, swim, cycle etc.

The bottom line is that you will make the time to do it.

If you are already in the routine of being active then it’s still important to add in exercises which you will enjoy over time.

Or you may have a sport or hobby which requires a degree of fitness and you wish to enhance it. E.g. My passion is martial arts, so I choose exercises which will enhance my strength, flexibility endurance and speed. Some Of these exercises I may not like much, but the benefits for my martial arts make it worth pursuing.

For me convenience is important I like to do body weight exercises in a park close to home, and I dislike gyms so I choose activities to suit me, and my time schedule.

There are so many possibilities, and if you are stilled confused, get out of your chair and go for a walk while you are thinking about what you will do, perhaps walk to a library or book shop and get some inspiration.

So did you just bring home a new Cocker Spaniel pup? Well, you did make a great choice. This breed is not only known for its beauty which is evident by its glorious fur, but it is also popular for its gentle temperament. But as with any new dog, she will need to learn some manners. So for your dog’s obedience training, here are some pointers to keep:

Always Start Early

While they are still puppies, the attitude and habits are still just developing. And that makes early training very effective. And although it is still possible to teach obedience to older dogs, the possibilities are limited. So if at all possible, start your Cocker Spaniel Obedience Training at an early age.

Do Not Spoil Your Dog

Cocker Spaniels are undoubtedly one of the most adorable breeds especially that they have such a lovely coat. Because of this, it becomes very tempting for owners to spoil them. But you need to control yourself. For a successful Cocker Spaniel Obedience training, you will need to be firm when disciplining your dog. She might give a sad face, but it will be for her own good.

Hurting Your Dog Is Counter-Productive

Now that discipline has been mentioned, physical punishment should never be a part of it. Hurting your dog may encourage violence on their part and you do not want this. Also, she may not understand why she is being hurt. There are better methods, and they work better. So why bother with the hurting?

Treats Do Not Always Have To Be Food

Admit it. Giving food treats is an all time favorite. Your dog loves it, and it makes things easier for you. But once you realize your dog will not obey you unless you are holding food, now there is a problem. For a more well-rounded Cocker Spaniel Obedience training, you can also use petting, playing, or giving lots of attention as reward. It can be anything that your dog loves.

Use Leash Training

This accessory may look like a harsh item for discipline, but only if used 24/7. A well-trained dog would have no problem with a leash every now and then. Also, it can serve as a great disciplining tool. It teaches your dog the importance of yielding as she backs down when you pull. Thus said, a leash is a must for Dog’s Obedience training.

Cooperation Of All Family Members Is Important

Especially when your dog is supposed to be under disciplinary action, it will not be good if some family members do not understand this fact. Like for example, when you temporarily outcast your dog because of misbehavior, the discipline will not get through her if one family member still continues to show her affection.

Well, that is not so difficult is it not? But it should only be easy if put your heart into it. Together with effort and dedication, you should be on your way to teaching your Cocker Spaniel to be obedient.

Today, there are various machines that you can use to burn calories and have a toner body. One or the most popular fitness machines today are cross trainers.

Cross or elliptical trainers are the ideal fitness machines for giving individuals the total cardio workout. According to various studies, working out for at least 30 minutes on the cross trainer burns between 270 and 400 calories. These numbers can go higher or lower, depending on the person’s body weight.

If you own this fitness machine or regularly use one at the gym, there are some tips you can follow to make the cross trainer even more effective in helping you achieve your weight loss goals. These tips include the following:

Make sure the cross trainer you will use have the right settings. If you will be working out at the gym, ask a trainer to assist you in setting up the machine to meet your personal needs and capabilities. If you will be using your own personal machine, make sure the equipment’s stride length meets your physical requirements.

Know the minimum amount of time you need to work out each week. Use this machine for at least 75 minutes a week if you’re working at a high intensity. However, if you train at low to moderate pace, 150 minutes is enough. According to fitness experts, these specified minutes are the amount of aerobic training needed for people to experience health and weight loss benefits.

Divide the time you need to train into three separate workouts. If you’re new to using a cross trainer, you may find that trying to do your whole weekly training time in just one or two workouts can be too hard. However, by splitting your workout into shorter sessions, you will be able to work harder in each and burn more calories in the process.

Lastly, try doing HIIT on your cross trainer workout. HIIT, or high-intensity interval training, is better than steady-state cardio for weight loss and fat burning. To perform HIIT on a cross trainer, start by warming up for five minutes then go as fast as you can for 30 seconds before returning to a steady pace for 90 seconds. Repeat this process eight times, and then cool down for five minutes. You should also aim to add an extra sprint every session. Once you are capable of doing 12 sprints, increase the work to rest ratio to 40:80. Also, to get the most out of your workouts, alternate an HIIT session with a steady-state one.

Many individuals discover it tough to develop their bodybuilding exercise strategy for faster outcomes. Picking the best workouts is another huge job. Here are some tips when it comes to bodybuilding workouts.

1. Raise More Weight With Time

And to get muscle, you will have to keep including weight to the bar. The concepts you have set will not matter if you do not put more pressure on your muscles as time goes by.

2. Do not over-exhaust your muscle.

Do not totally tire your muscle or you will run into severe issues, such as your anxious system tiredness. Of course, you must extend your muscle by raising much heavier weights.

3. Concentrate on Substance Workouts

The 3rd pointer is to select substance workouts. You have to choose a set of exercises that will work for the best muscle groups.

Many of your exercise strategies must consist of workouts that will extend a minimum of 2 muscle groups in your body. Another essential exercise is bench press as it will work your chest, biceps, triceps muscles, and shoulders.

4. Feed Your body Before And After Exercises

Consume the correct amount of food before and after each exercise session. Your muscles require amino acids or carbs to develop brand-new muscle tissues. You will not be able to see the outcomes you desire if you do not feed your body before doing your exercises.

5. Prevent the Plateau

Exactly what would you do if you get in a plateau? Eventually, throughout your exercise schedule, you might wind up with a plateau. In case you do not know, a plateau is a point where you see no development for over two weeks.

All you have to do is to keep altering something in your exercise schedule. You can adjust the order of the workouts you do at the fitness center, or it might be a modification in the type of activities you do.

6. Taking Rest is a Should

You cannot construct muscles without taking adequate rest. Your muscles require time to recuperate after each training session. If you do not let them relax, your muscle will slowly break down.

As a basic guideline, you might wish to take 24 Hr of rest after each weight lifting session. Aside from this, if you are cardio-minded, the guideline does not indicate you must do an extensive cardio workout for 45 minutes. This implies you ought to rest your body for reaching its optimal capacity.

Follow these 6 tips, and you will get more powerful muscles before long.

MLM is a big adventure that intertwines around you and other people. Like a big swirl cloud, it connects you and demands of you to push yourself. Great leaders and teams are balanced on one thing, and they work together like cheese and wine. This industry is really not a solo operated one, considering there are different ways to get compensated. The strongest way is to build downlines. Now we can take on today’s lesson, which is about long term success with downlines. Are you ready to create a team that is there for the long term? Read on, my dear champion.

Long term success is collective spirit of team, training and effort

Long term success is the name of the game. Nothing is fast, especially if you want a livable income. It will take work and lots of patience. As you build up your team, you have to train them in the best practices for creating a reliable business. As time goes by, you can refine your training methods with better tips. You should want you team to have success, this will in the end give you the success that you want. Time is a factor, so early on in your business, get all of your education that you want and need. This will help smooth over bumps that could arise in the future.

If your team is lacking motivation, maybe it’s time to rethink your MLM training. People need encouragement and guidance in order to cross over their first obstacle. Your training material is important and it may need a yearly audit to it. In the meantime, your positive messages and life examples can show your team where you made mistakes. This can help them achieve faster results.

Guiding your footsteps in the darkness…

As you mature in the MLM environment, your experiences will help new people save themselves from the traps and other dangerous snares. In the meantime, if your new and just starting out. You can protect yourself from many traps and tripwires. You can talk to your mentor, sponsor or friend that has more experience in the industry then you. Create a marketing plan, but don’t be afraid to make changes to it. It’s hard to accept a setback, but it’s not defeat. Learn from your mistakes and use it to light the torch so you can avoid others. Stay focused and positive, this is a business about people. You can do this; it takes time and a good team.

Treadmill meditation is a way to not only exercise your body, but also simultaneously relax your mind. It may sound a bit strange, but it is a perfect combination to make your treadmill workout timeless.

Before addressing the two together, it is important to fully understand what meditation is.

Meditation

It is a discipline where the person strives to go beyond the “thinking” mind into a deeper state of relaxation or awareness. Although, meditation has been a core for many religions, it can be done without any religious intent. Some practitioners believe that it is a way of life, and the word “meditation” means “a cessation of the thought process”. Some may misunderstand that meditation is some sort of spiritual practice where the practitioner sits down with their eyes closed and empties the mind of thoughts to gain peace. This is a form of meditation, but being in the moment and focusing on what you are doing without letting your mind wander is also meditation. While on a treadmill, being mindful can really help you get the perfect workout.

Mindful Meditation

This is a form of meditation which focuses on being fully present. This meditation may appeal to those who aren’t looking for a spiritual focus, but a way to truly “exercise” the mind. You walk through life with words and actions flying at you at an unstoppable rate. The mind rants on and on about paying bills, cooking dinner, picking the kids up, meeting the work deadline and so on. But with mindful meditation, you are stopping the ranting and focusing on one thing.

Mindful Walking

You may hop on the treadmill and sigh. How are you going to get through the next half an hour? Treadmill meditation may be your answer. Instead of drowning your session in TV watching, being aware of every step and help you enter deeply into the present.

So many times, treadmill users miss a step or lose their balance because their mind is lost in a thought, or their attention is on a song or magazine. With treadmill meditation, you can enter a state of flow. You are taking it one step at a time. Think about how your foot touches the treadmill belt and pushes off, or what sound is made when it touches it.

Once you’ve practiced treadmill meditation, you’ll probably notice that your workout is less dreaded. Also, keeping your mind focused will become easier. Treadmill meditation is an interesting twist to any walk, and this type of mind discipline can assist you in other areas of your life.