Monday, September 21, 2009

The Art and Skill of Shooting a Basketball

I want to share some basketball shooting tips which I have collected in some articles and some literature in my library. They are as follows:

  • Set up with foot opposite the shooting hand a little in front of the other.
  • Always eye on your target. Focus on the front top of the rim.
  • Keep the ball close to your body with your chest high and elbows in.
  • Bend knees vaguely.
  • Don't let the ball rest on your palm. Let it rest on your fingertips like you're carrying a waiter's tray.
  • Keep your shoulders square to the basket and maintain good balance.
  • Keep your guide-hand just that - a guide. Just let it rest comfortably at the side of the ball.
  • Have good control of your fingertips. Let the ball come off your fingertips for a nice, "light" shot.
  • Create a good backspin. The ball will roll off your fingertips if you follow through correctly. In your follow through, extend your elbow and snap your wrist. This creates the proper backspin.
  • Keep the back of your hand toward your face and palms faced toward the hoop.When the ball leaves your hand, keep your head moving up and directly towards the hoop.
  • Keep a medium arch to your shot. Not too high and not a straight arrow. Arch!
  • Use your legs for power.
  • Achieve quickness through proper wrist action and fingertip control.
  • In order to select the proper shots, get to know your range and skill.
  • Don't keep experimenting with your shooting form. Find what works and then develop it.
  • Always practice your shots at game speed.
  • Take shots you're most likely to face in a real game - invest more of your time developing these shots.
  • If you don't develop the proper quickness to your shots, there is a very good possibility you'll be blocked.
  • Know when to take the shot. If you can't finish the shot with your head moving up and slightly forward and your shoulders squared away, you might generally want to re-think that shot attempt.

Monday, September 14, 2009

Common Mistakes in Mutual Fund Investing

Appropriate asset allocation, effective diversification and suitable fund selections are some of the fundamental goals that every investor should desire in a mutual fund portfolio. Whether an investor is in one of the various stages of asset growth or in asset removal, these goals are necessary for mutual fund portfolios to be successful. However, an investor can come across many roadblocks or pitfalls in the quest to attain these goals.Investment decisions without any strategy, probably the most frequent mistake in mutual fund investing. Many investors may actually define and identify their investment objectives, but then skip the next vital step in establishing a successful mutual fund portfolio: creating a detailed asset allocation strategy. Without a well-defined, appropriate asset allocation strategy that accurately reflects individual investment objectives and preferences (time horizon, return objectives, risk tolerance, etc), the selection of mutual funds is haphazard instead of a logical, clear-cut process. On the other hand, effective diversification is a direct result of an appropriate detailed asset allocation strategy that fits individual investment objectives and preferences. Effective diversification spreads investment assets among different fund categories to achieve both a variety of distinct risk/reward objectives and a reduction in overall risk. Proper asset allocation not only reduce adverse characteristics of over-weighting, under-weighting and inappropriate funds, it accurately matches fund categories and their percentage of portfolio assets to specified objectives.

Establishing a successful mutual fund portfolio is a three-step process:
  • Identifying investment objectives and preferences, including portfolio amount, return objectives, time horizon and risk tolerance.
  • Formulating a detailed asset allocation strategy by fund type category to reflect chosen objectives.
  • Suitable fund selection to match each category.

The second step is the most challenging due to the abundance of asset allocation theories and strategies. Most asset allocation strategies fall into two groups: one primarily treats risk as a stock/bond allocation, with risk tolerance changing the percentage of stock and bond funds; the other is primarily a fund category allocation, with risk tolerance affecting the type of fund categories and their allocation percentages within a basic stock/bond allocation.

Monday, September 7, 2009

All about Vehicle Fluid Maintenance

The vehicle's fluids are very important and should be checked regularly. These fluids include the following:
  • Brake Fluid - This check is done by loosening the clip on the master cylinder and removing the lid. If fluid is needed, consult the vehicle owner's manual for correct type and fill to recommended level.
  • Engine Oil - Correct engine oil level should be maintained to assure proper lubrication of your vehicle's engine. It is best to check engine oil level approximately five minutes after a fully warmed up engine is turned off or before starting the engine after is has sat for a long period of time. Remove the engine oil dipstick, wipe the dipstick clean with a lint-free cloth or paper towel. Reinsert dipstick until it fully seats in its tube. Remove dipstick and read oil level. Add oil only when the level is at or below the add oil mark.
  • Power Steering Fluid - This check is done by removing and checking the dipstick. The dipstick is attached to the cap of the power steering fluid reservoir. Use the dipstick to check fluid level in the same manner as you would check engine oil.
  • Transmission/Transaxle Fluid - This check should be done while the engine is running in neutral with the parking brake securely set. The transmission should be at operating temperature. Remove dipstick, wipe clean, insert and remove again to check fluid level. But, do not overfill!
  • Windshield Washer Solvent - This check should be done by removing the cap and reservoir and refilling with solvent.
  • Antifreeze - This check is done by removing the radiator cap from the cool engine and refilling, if needed, with antifreeze.

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