The Sports Archives – Plan An Active Getaway On The Water With Your Family

Posted on March 21, 2018 by thesportsarchives

Sports might not be the first thing on your, or your family’s mind when it comes to planning your next vacation together. However, if you’re an active bunch; it’s worth looking into ways that you can get your team motivated to keep up the momentum on your getaway, and planning some fun things to do and see. Many people don’t have the benefit of living near water, where they can enjoy all the activities and sports it has to offer. Therefore, a lakeside or coastal getaway could be just the thing to excite your loved ones and ensure that you all have fun and stay fit (without even realizing it).

For families that aren’t used to life on the water, it’s crucial that you make plans with professional who can show you the ropes, or the wetsuits; depending on what you plan to get up to. For those with some to a lot of water-based activity experience; you’ll already understand that safety must come first, and you’ll need to book a getaway that suits the needs of everyone involved. Once you’re unpacked and ready for the fresh air, and to get wet; it’s time to make some great memories, and wear yourselves out before it’s time to eat. If that sounds like pure adventure and fun; read on for some ideas and inspiration for those who want to make the most of an active getaway on the water.

Image source: https://kaboompics.com/photo/1993/stairs-leading-to-water

Equipment Is Key

The investment in your water sports and activities will depend on whether it is or is going to be, a regular thing. If you’re planning to head lakeside, or to the coast several times a year; it’s going to work out more cost-effective to buy your own gear, rather than continuing to fork out for rental and hire costs, which can really add up. Therefore, it’s worth doing your research, and investing as you go, in the items that will help to ensure you have a successful break away with your family. Sites like smallboater.com are a great place to learn about what you’ll need to look out for in regards to your boat, and it’s motor so that you don’t end up stranded in the water. Look into reviews and research all your equipment before buying; the internet is a great resource, and there will be plenty of people giving honest feedback on everything from snorkels, to dinghies, to fishing rods.

Try Everything

Remember that it’s a getaway for your whole family, so it’s important to try a variety of activities and discover what everyone enjoys the most. It might be something you never expected, but you don’t want to invest in any of the equipment mentioned beforehand if it’s something that you and your kids will soon tire of. Therefore, it’s worth booking a few different things on your trip, and finding out just how much fun you can have on your watery vacation together. Get the right gear and the right help, and you’ll find the right sports and activities for your family to enjoy.

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The Sports Archives – Health Tips and Advice for Fighting Obesity

Posted on March 17, 2018 by thesportsarchives

Sixty percent of American adults are obese or overweight. It is a near-epidemic national health problem, one that contributes to a vast range of residual health issues, from high blood pressure to diabetes. Prevention is important, given the extreme difficulty of overcoming a problem that begins in early childhood for many people. For those who struggle with obesity, establishing wellness-focused actions—including an effective workout routine, healthful diet, sufficient rest, and more—is key to addressing what can be a life-threatening problem.

Exercise and healthy eating are a good start, but must be part of a larger wellness picture that addresses one’s entire life. People often blame their busy schedule for not maintaining a healthy regimen, but most of the following tips can easily be worked into your lifestyle.

Eating right

Fruit, vegetables, and whole grains like whole-wheat breads and brown rice should be part of your daily diet. Foods high in carbohydrates, saturated fats, and flour are leading causes of obesity and make it difficult to break the dangerous cycle that’s triggered by chronic obesity. Eating healthy portions is just as important, at least a cup of raw vegetables and one cup of fruit every day. And carefully manage your caloric intake, bearing in mind that taking in more calories than you can burn off only contributes to obesity.

Avoid fast foods like fries and cheeseburgers. If you do eat at a fast food restaurant, opt for a salad with low-fat dressing or a grilled chicken sandwich. And if you’re in the habit of eating desserts, try switching to fruit, rice pudding, or sorbet instead of cookies, pies, and ice cream.

Exercise

It’s important to couple your dietary intake with a vigorous exercise regimen. Thirty minutes a day of cardio activity, anything from walking to weight training or yard work, should be your goal. If you’re unable to work formal exercise into your day, try taking the steps at work instead of the elevator. Walk to the bank on your lunch break. And try walking to the store rather than driving the next time you need to pick up something. Remember, cumulative exercise will work, as long as you hit that 30-minute goal.

Home Gym

For some people, exercising at home is more comfortable and easier to do than making time for the gym or a midday workout. You can easily put together a “home gym” with a few inexpensive objects, such as kettlebells, dumbbells, resistance bands, and a Swiss ball. Exercising at home can be a lot more convenient, easier, and comfortable than trying to exercise during a busy work day. Start slow and gradually increase your repetitions as you feel stronger and more confident.

Get Your Sleep

Sleep is a very important part of a healthy lifestyle. Getting seven to eight hours a night can help you manage stress, lower blood pressure, and strengthen your immune system. It can also help your body regulate functions that are important to managing your weight.

Self-Care

Don’t neglect your mental health. Take time for contemplation and the peace that comes from following a meditative discipline like yoga or breathing exercises that help you focus and relax. Self-reflection can be an effective way to manage your overall health.

Obesity is a serious health problem, but there are many ways to combat it by adapting your lifestyle and personal habits. If getting started is difficult, start by planning out a well-rounded health routine designed to keep your caloric intake and exercise routine in balance. And don’t forget your mental well-being while you’re working at it.

Photo courtesy of Pixabay

 

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The Sports Archives – Boxing Hospitality: What You Can Look Forward To This Year

Posted on March 12, 2018 by thesportsarchives

David Haye in the royal box at Wimbledon 2014

by Brian Minkoff-London Pixels

With corporate hospitality, here are a few of the fights that you’ll be able to see this year:In 2018, there are plenty of potentially historic big fights to look forward to, and we know that you’d like to go see these fights in style.As always with boxing, there are plenty of fights going on this year.

–          Haye V Bellew

–          Joshua V Parker

–          Khan v Lo Greco

Despite so many different fights to choose from, these are the 3 fights that we’re looking forward to most.

With that in mind, we’re going to tell you everything that we already know about these fights, so that you can decide whether boxing hospitality is for you in 2018.

Boxing Hospitality: Haye V Bellew II — May 5th, 2018

If you’re a boxing fan, you’re probably very excited about the upcoming fight between Haye and Bellew.

With this fight, there is much anticipation. The eagerly, impatiently waiting fans are most excited to witness the fight to find out whether David Haye can make the comeback that he has been promising for so very long now.

Although Haye is saying that it’s now back to business, and he’s fit, fans have been debating whether this is actually true; after all, injury problems go back to prior to his original fight with Bellew in March 2017. It’s a popular opinion that Haye’s time is likely up, but we’re more than happy to watch him prove us wrong in this sure-to-be fascinating fight.

Boxing Hospitality: Joshua V Parker — March 31st, 2018

In arguably the biggest fight of 2018, Anthony Joshua and Joseph Parker will finally clash.

Taking place at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium, this is touted as the biggest fight of his career. Although Joshua has never been beaten – he has won every fight by knockout – Joseph Parker is also unbeaten in all of his career fights. These two competitors coming together is a mouth-watering exciting prospect.

For the first time since 1987, two undefeated heavyweight champions will compete. On that occasion, the two participants were the legendary Mike Tyson and Tony Tucker. Whilst this means that two heavyweights coming together isn’t entirely unprecedented, it does mean that it hasn’t happened in recent history and suggests that this fight is something to get very excited about.

With Joshua’s popularity only increasing fight after fight, this battle is something that we’re all waiting for.

Boxing Hospitality: Khan V Lo Greco – April 21st, 2018

Since his last fight, Khan has seen a lot of publicity. Whether you’ve seen him loitering in the Australian jungle, or on the front page of The Sun calling Anthony Joshua all the names under the sun, he has been in the news for everything but his boxing career.

Now, Khan is back in the ring, and ready to take on experienced Canadian Phil Lo Greco. The boxer from Bolton will take on Lo Greco at the Liverpool Echo Arena in is first fight since May 2016, when he was virtually destroyed by Canelo Alvarez.

Although Khan did lose his last fight almost 2 years ago, fans of boxing in general are ecstatic to see him returning to the win – even if that is to see him lose!

Lo Greco has demonstrated that he isn’t scared of the returning Khan, and he has publicly stated that “Amir Khan will be knocked out”, so we can’t wait to see what happens when these two come together in April.

Boxing Hospitality: Watch in style

If you’re a big fan of boxing, why not watch it in style?

With boxing hospitality, you can watch the fight like nobody else can. Don’t miss out!

This article was written by Jack Mitchell with useful information from ATM Events. Jack is a Yorkshire lad who loves reading, films and the great outdoors.

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The Sports Archives – Mind Over Matter: Finding The Motivation To Get Back On The Workout Wagon

Posted on March 10, 2018 by thesportsarchives

source

Those resolutions we made in January seem like a long time ago now, and any initial motivation we had to get fit and turn over a new leaf with our health and fitness goals will be wearing extremely thin. Maybe you’ve already fallen off the wagon or you’re on way to doing so, to be honest who can blame you when the weather is cold and the days are short. Being tucked up in bed with some tasty food will win over a salad and an early morning run for most people. However it’s well worth re-evaluating your goals, our health is incredibly important- we only get one body so it has to be properly cared for. Even if you’ve not done as well as you’d hoped with your plans in the last few weeks, it doesn’t mean you have to give up. Get back out there and try again, soon the spring and summer will be here and when it comes to wearing your nice warm weather clothes you’ll be so glad you got back on your feet. Here are some of the ways you can motivate yourself when the going gets tough.

Start Using a Fitness Tracker

A fitness tracker is a great way to motivate you to do more. These little wrist-worn devices sync up to an app on your smartphone and tell you exactly how much exercise you’re doing, how hard your working, even how your fitness level matches up to others your age. You can use it to track calories, the amount of water you drink, your sleep and much more. It’s great for giving you an overall look at your health and habits. When you can see your data like this in black and white, there’s no escaping it. Many of us overestimate the activity we do, this means you can’t do that and gives you an accurate picture of how you’re taking care of your health. There are loads of models on the market for all budgets so do some research and go with the one that’s right for you.

Get Yourself Some New Workout Clothes

Feeling good about yourself and the way you look can definitely be a motivator. If you’ve already been working hard and have changed your body shape, why not buy some new clothes to flatter this? Even if you haven’t, feeling confident in what you have on can spur you on to get out there and workout. Brands like Stateline have high quality sportswear, otherwise you could try a sporting shop or even the high street. Lots of high street brands have a sports/ casual wear section and you can pick up a couple of things without breaking the bank.

Find Exercise You Enjoy

Exercise is undoubtedly hard work, but it shouldn’t feel like torture. If working out makes you feel like you’re punishing yourself and you hate every moment, then you’re doing the wrong exercise. When people think of getting fit, their first thoughts are usually going to the gym and running. These are fantastic but they’re not for everyone. If you don’t enjoy these activities there are many others you could try. A dance class, swimming, hiking, biking. You could do yoga, go trampolining, sign up for a sport. If you find something you enjoy you’re far more likely to stick it out, and the time will go quickly since you’re enjoying yourself.

 

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The Sports Archives – Boxing’s Next Big Fight: Wilder vs. Ortiz Heavyweight Title Match on March 3

Posted on February 27, 2018 by thesportsarchives

By Layton Dudley – http://www.laytondudley.com/ – https://www.flickr.com/photos/105464285@N06/16123587829/ – Deontay Wilder, CC BY-SA 2.0, Link

The Heavy Guns are in place!  Deontay Wilder will defend the WBC Heavyweight Title before Luis “King Kong” Ortiz at the Barclays Center in Brooking on Saturday, March 3, in a boxing match that ought to have taken place a long time ago. After a brief doping scandal nearly put an early end to the fight, the Cuban-born Ortiz and America’s own Wilder will finally face off and put to rest any speculations about how early and in which direction the knockout will fall. Showtime will be broadcasting this next big fight live on Saturday Night after 8 pm ET.  

We will now go on a quick examination of the records for both these heavyweight titans and venture to make some predictions for the upcoming bout, with the aid of our esteemed boxing odds expert friends for added action value.

Everyone has a Past.

Let’s face it, Luis Ortiz is everybody’s emotional favorite, he’s the older fighter -at 39 years of age- is stout-looking and hard-working man, and he stems from a country where making a name for yourself is no simple thing. When statements about some high blood pressure medications arose recently on the press, his involvement in heavyweight world of boxing was almost permanently terminated, however, luckily for Ortiz and for boxing fans everywhere, he was just fined $25,000 and let go with a grin. He seems determined to take the belt from under Wilder’s nose, and he might just use one of his devastating hits to accomplish it. Keep in mind that this type of actions will affect the betting odds of the boxing match, no matter which sportsbook we are talking about.

Wilder is no stranger to misdemeanor, but his offenses might more easily fall on a typical manner of American boastfulness. He has a big mouth and has run with it to depreciate his rival in every inventive fashion imaginable and during any media outlet he could lay his hands on; just recently, the “Bronze Bomber” was made to serve no less than 60 hours of community service due to a marijuana possession incident. Wilder has held the Heavyweight Championship Title since 2015, and his 83 inch reach could prove the nail in the coffin of Ortiz’ aspirations.

The Nitty-Gritty of the Affair

Wilder comes in to this fight with an unbeaten 39-0 record and 38 knockouts, he beat Bermaine Stiverne and sent him flat to the ground in under one round just last November. He’s 6,7 feet tall and possesses a powerful right arm attack that has provided him with plenty of victories throughout his career. While he may be yet lacking a strong technique to support his towering presence, he has what it takes to bring down just about any boxer he meets, and he has done so repeatedly and with tremendous speed in the past. It remains to be seen if he can endure a long session before the likes of the gargantuan Ortiz. Lest I forget, you can find odds online for the Wilder vs. Ortiz fight, as well as for other boxing matches at odds super market.

We can find just as many Knockouts in Luis Ortiz’ flawless 28-0 boxing record and he owes most of his successes also to a similar combination of colossal proportions and his unstoppable southpaw technique. This 6,4 athlete from the tropical isles of the Caribbean last tested his skills before an unsuspecting Daniel Martz, who succumbed to a knockout on the second round of the fight. Surprisingly, Ortiz has managed to keep his amazing size from curtailing his movement range on the ring, and his speed on both offense and defense might ultimately lead Wilder to make a fatal mistake and land the finishing punch.

Ortiz is unlike any other boxers that Wilder has ever encountered; the sheer size of the Cuban pugilist is the stuff of the scariest boxing fantasies and that is the main reason I’m going with the underdog this time. Wilder may still win the day and he has every tool to achieve it, but, I believe that Ortiz will find the right moment to use his legendary southpaw and become the new bearer of the WBC’s heavyweight title.

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The Sports Archives – 100 Years Of The NHL

Posted on February 26, 2018 by thesportsarchives

The 2017-18 season is the 100th in NHL history, with a Centenary Game played in December to mark the milestone.  Over the last century, some truly great players and teams have taken to the ice, producing many extraordinary moments, and the NHL has grown from a small tournament to a world-famous brand.

This infographic highlights some of the NHL teams and players (just check out Wayne Gretzky’s stats) over the last 100 years that have established some major milestones, made some memorable NHL moments and have left an impression on anyone who plays and understands the nature of hockey.

With Olympic hockey now seen as world-class competition and women’s hockey on the move, there is no end to chasing that small black object around on the ice.  Heck, there’s even a team out of Las Vegas now – who would have bet that they would be first in their conference entering the date of this publish?

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The Sports Archives – Jeremy Lin and The NBA Season of Linsanity

Posted on February 20, 2018 by thesportsarchives

“I just try to play as hard as I can every possession. If you’re aware and you’re high-energy, the ball will eventually bounce your way and you’ll be able to make plays.” -Jeremy Lin

Origins and Adversities

Born to Taiwanese-Chinese Christian parents in Los Angeles, California, Jeremy Lin grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Right up until the moment he lit up the NBA in the 2011-2012 season, Lin never seemed to get enough credit for his explosive energy and great talent on the court, and always faced some kind of resistance as he pursued his career in basketball.

Despite earning the honor of Northern California Player of the Year as a senior in high school, he received no athletic scholarship offers.

He attended Harvard University, where his playing made him a three-time All-Conference player in the Ivy League. Yet he went undrafted out of college, but managed to reach a partially guaranteed contract with his hometown Golden State Warriors in 2010.

His rookie season he was rarely let off the bench and was assigned to the NBA Development League three times. He was waived by the Warriors and the Houston Rockets the following preseason and joined the New York Knicks early in the 2011–12 season.

Facing Down Racial Stereotypes

Lin is one of few Asian Americans to play professional basketball, and the first American of Chinese descent to play in the league.

Lin has said: “I do think [my ethnicity] did affect the way coaches recruited me. I think if I were a different race, I would’ve been treated differently.”

He said that at games in most if not all Ivy League gyms he would hear racial taunts such as “Go back to China!” “Wonton soup!” “Sweet and sour pork!” “Open your eyes!” and mocking impressions of spoken Chinese.

One of Lin’s Harvard teammates, Oliver McNally, says he once heard another Ivy League player call Lin a “chink.” Lin defines himself not according to his race, “Asian American,” but as a basket player.

“Maybe I can help break the stereotype, I feel like Asians in general don’t get the respect that we may deserve whether it comes to sports, basketball, or whatever it might be.”

Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey admitted to racism affecting his team’s decision to pass on Lin, citing Lin’s performance in pre-draft testing:

“He lit up our [statistical] model. Our model said take him with, like, the 15th pick in the draft.” A year later, the Rockets began using the speed of a player’s first two steps as a critical performance metric.

Lin was the fastest of any player measured and his agility was far above average in the NBA. “He’s incredibly athletic,” said Morey, “But the reality is that every f***ing person, including me, thought he was unathletic. And I can’t think of any reason for it other than he was Asian.”

The 2012 Season of Linsanity

During the 2011-2012 NBA season, while playing for the Knicks against the New Jersey Nets and their All-Star guard Deron Williams, Lin scored 25 points, 5 rebounds, and 7 assists— all career bests, leading a 99–92 win for the Knicks.

Following this performance Lin was given his first NBA career start in a game against the Utah Jazz. The team was missing two of its all-star players because one had to leave the game with an injury and the other hand a death in the family.

Lin repeated his stellar performance, scoring 28 points and 8 assists, leading the Knicks’ 99–88 victory. The amount of fan attention and good will was nothing short of a marvel. Amid the swell of enthusiasm, Time Magazine ran an article entitled, “It’s Official: Linsanity Is for Real.”

Sports Illustrated put Lin on its cover with the headline “Against All Odds,” which the New York Times called “the greatest tribute.” Lin also graced the cover of Time in Asia prompting Forbes Magazine to write, “Congratulations Jeremy. You have now made the cover of Time the same number of times as Michael Jordan. Linsanity reigns on.”

NBA commissioner David Stern said,” I haven’t done a computation, but it’s fair to say that no player has created the interest and the frenzy in this short period of time, in any sport, that I’m aware of like Jeremy Lin has.”

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The Sports Archives – 4 Martial Arts Disciplines that Can Make You a Better Athlete

Posted on February 5, 2018 by thesportsarchives

The conventional view about professional athletes is that they stick to a single sport or discipline and then train vigorously within that discipline to reach new levels of skill and physical achievement. However what many athletes often do is mix and match various disciplines in order to complement their training regimen.

This is especially true when athletes incorporate martial arts into their training. The martial arts involve a variety of disciplines that are highly effective at helping their practitioners achieve peak physical and mental condition. Martial arts serve to build focus, mental discipline, flexibility, energy, strength, and other critical attributes in practitioners. Specific martial arts disciplines can even be utilized to develop targeted skills such as footwork and pass protection in football.

Whatever type of athletic activity you’re involved in, martial arts disciplines are some of the best elements you can add to your training regimen to achieve higher levels of conditioning. Here are 4 martial arts disciplines that are sure to make you a better athlete.

1. Muay Thai

Muay Thai has become wildly popular among martial arts enthusiasts for its unique style that emphasizes creative usage of unconventional parts of the body for striking. Sometimes referred to as the “art of 8 limbs,” Muay Thai makes use of elbows, shins, and knees in addition to fists and feet.

Because of this full range of physical contact, Muay Thai training tends to be extremely intensive and thorough. Athletes who practice this martial art are able to derive the benefit of a full body conditioning that has few rivals. Like many other martial arts disciplines, Muay Thai makes use of shadowboxing, running, jump-roping, weight training, medicine ball and abdominal exercises to complement technique training. This discipline also makes extensive use of the heavy bag to strengthen less-examined regions like the shin bone, which can have practical applications for other sports as well.

2. Karate

It is common in Western societies to generalize many types of martial arts as “karate,” whereas karate itself is a distinct martial arts discipline with its own body of techniques, training methods, philosophy, and history. There is a good reason for this generalization though, since karate gained international fame for its legendary power, and the discipline was catapulted into the mainstream thanks to martial arts movies focusing on karate. Today karate is still revered as one of the great martial arts disciplines to come out of the East, and enjoys a dedicated following.

Karate is a versatile system of martial arts that includes punches, kicks, throws, grapples, and joint-locks, and you can expect to get a full-body workout practicing it. One standout attribute of karate is its unique emphasis on mental discipline. Every martial arts discipline involves some sort of mental conditioning, but with karate it is something that has been a major part of the practice for centuries.

Those practicing karate can expect to work on mental focus, humility, and conscientiousness among other things. This can help athletes perform better on the field, execute various actions more effectively, and get more out of their training because they are better absorbing instructions.

3. Boxing

Boxing is the premier Western martial arts discipline and physical training pastime. Regarded as  a combat sport that is thought to have its origins in ancient Greece, boxing has been further developed since then in Great Britain and the United States.

Boxing places a greater emphasis on developing upper-body strength, as the sport’s rules require punches with the arms and fists that are to land no lower than the belt. Boxing is an engaging way to build up core strength and work on the arms and shoulders. Of course boxing also requires carefully coordinated footwork as well, so you can expect to work on overall coordination, flexibility, and cardio in your training.

4. MMA

MMA has become a popular martial arts discipline of choice for many athletes thanks to its versatility and flexibility. It is in the name: Mixed Martial Arts is the practice of many different techniques and styles taken from all sorts of disciplines. Originally MMA was conducted as a competition to find out which martial arts disciplines were the best, and since then the competition style has really taken off.

You could say that MMA includes all of the martial arts disciplines mentioned above as well, except that practitioners of MMA are less inclined to devote themselves to unique martial arts disciplines and their given emphases and constraints.

The “no holds barred” ethos of MMA means punches, kicks, wrestling and grappling, and many other techniques are accepted in the sport. This translates to a highly variable training regimen that can be tailored to the athlete’s specific needs.

Whatever the martial arts discipline, athletes undergoing training almost universally opt for safety gear like boxing gloves and mouth guards to accompany their training regimens. Demanding workouts like these – and the sparring that accompanies them – can be dangerous without adequate protection. With the proper training and technique, anyone can become a better athlete by applying the lessons and benefits that martial arts have to offer.

Author Bio:

Carl Turner is a personal trainer and freelance lifestyle writer from Los Angeles, California. With over 10 years of experience, he has trained many clients and has helped them to reach their personal fitness goals. During his free time, he enjoys kayaking, hiking, and reading.

Images:

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Martial_arts_in_the_sunset_Stefano_Kocka.jpg
https://www.flickr.com/photos/genista/263238241
http://www.af.mil/News/Photos/igphoto/2000784383/
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The Sports Archives – Muhammad Ali: The Greatest of All Time

Posted on January 25, 2018 by thesportsarchives

“I am the greatest, I said that even before I knew I was.”

Born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. in 1942, in Louisville, Kentucky. Muhammad Ali was an African-American descendent of slaves in the pre-Civil War South.

Humble Origins

Ali grew up in a time of racial segregation and discriminatory Jim Crow laws in the south. His mother once recalled a time when he was denied a drink of water on account of his race:  “They wouldn’t give him one because of his color. That really affected him.”

In addition to facing societal adversities in the America of his time, Ali also had personal struggles due to spelling and writing abilities far below average and learning disabilities that caused him graduate school at the bottom of his class.

He became interested in boxing at the age of 12 when a Louisville police officer and boxing coach encountered a young Clay fuming over having had his bicycle stolen. The officer encourages Clay to learn how to box.

He made his debut in amateur boxing in 1954 against a local amateur boxer and won by a split decision of the judges, then went on to win six Kentucky Golden Glove titles, two National Golden Gloves, and the Light Heavyweight gold medal in the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome.

Meteoric Rise

Clay’s amateur record was a solid 100 wins and just 5 losses. After winning a gold medal in the Olympics he made his professional debut in October 1960, winning his first match.

The winning streak would go on until the end of 1963 through 19 boxing matches with 15 wins by knockout!

He defeated many of the great boxers of the time, including Tony Esperti, Jim Robinson, Donnie Fleeman, Alonzo Johnson, George Logan, Willi Besmanoff, Lamar Clark, Doug Jones and Henry Cooper.

The Greatest of All Time

Clay developed a notorious and not always respected reputation for his trash talking of opponents, a strategy he would use his entire career to get in the other fighter’s head and provoke them to make mistakes in the ring out of anger or fear.

His brash confidence and pointed taunts were something he observed and borrowed from professional wrestling. He called Doug Jones “an ugly little man” and Henry Cooper “a bum.” He said he was embarrassed to even get in the ring with Alex Miteff.

By the end of 1963 Clay was the number one contender for Sonny Liston’s world heavyweight title. Clay was considered an underdog by bookies 7 to 1, but that didn’t stop him from taunting Liston before the fight, calling him “a big ugly bear,” and saying, “Liston even smells like a bear.”

Clay even joked, “After I beat him I’m going to donate him to the zoo.” During the pre-fight weigh in, he shouted at his opponent, “someone is going to die at ringside tonight!”

During the fight, Clay opened up a cut under Liston’s left eye, the first time he’d ever been cut in a boxing match. By the seventh round Liston did not answer the bell and Clay was declared the winner and world heavyweight champion by technical knockout.

He was the youngest boxer, at the age of 22, to ever win the heavyweight title from a reigning champion.

Muhammad Ali would go on to win many fights over an unusually long boxing career. His talents and personality always made for a great media spectacle. He died in 2016, one of the most beloved and admired professional athletes in history.

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The Sports Archives – Eliminate Stress With Alternative Activities

Posted on January 16, 2018 by thesportsarchives

tandem skydivers

Credit

Life can be incredibly stressful – there are no two ways about it. But the main issue is how to stop stress from ruling your life. There are so many blogs out there that give tips on how to reduce stress – but a lot of them focus on calming your world through meditating, yoga and clean eating. And that does work for some people, and it can be a really beneficial way of relieving stress – but it isn’t for everybody. Sometimes the best way to shake off stress is to scream about it or to go base jumping. A lot of stress works its way into our lives in the form of pent-up emotion, whether that’s anger, sadness, or even giddiness. And the former two can really bring you down, making you feel worn out, ill-tempered, and even aggressive. And one of the best ways to deal with pent-up aggression is through physical exertion. One trick therapists use to help people with anger management issues, is to tack up a sport like boxing. Where you have to focus that energy into an activity, and where you have to be focused and disciplined enough to avoid injury to yourself and others.

Here are some high-energy or alternative ways of getting rid of your stress.

Adrenaline Junkie

Connect with the adrenaline junkie with you. Going base jumping, skydiving or bungee jumping are all ways of getting that adrenaline pumping. The natural endorphins released by physical activity still occur when you are throwing yourself off a cliff, and the experience will be extreme enough that you won’t be thinking about tomorrow’s meeting or presentation while you are plummeting to the ground. If you are going to be taking part in any activity like these, then make sure you’re doing it with a licensed company.

Intense Sport

All high-intensity sports have the same effect as the above, just for a prolonged amount of time. Where a bungee jump might last for an hour – including the talk and gearing up – a sport can take all day. Some ideas would be rapid kayaking, free-climbing and hang-gliding. Even slightly calmer sports like ones including paddle boards, offer the same level of concentration. And the more experienced you get, the more extreme you can take the waves. These prolonged times of intense activity gives you no room to think about anything else, and can actually help boost thought processes and creativity.

Work Out

You might just need a good round in the gym, or a run or bike ride. There are plenty of stress-busting workouts out there that are proven to deal with all the pent-up frustration you keep bottled up. You might want to look into a full body workout, and, like we said; sometimes you just need to hit something – boxercise would be a good option. You might find that you need to not think about what you need to do next, in which case, hiring a personal trainer can really push you to the limits without you getting sidetracked by next week’s deadlines.

Gaming

Gaming consoles have become an integral part of most people’s homes – especially millennials. With over 50% of millennials owning a gaming console, and many owning more than one. Gaming can be a good stress-buster, as it allows the gamer to become immersed in a different world where the worries of real life don’t matter. It’s like reading a really good book, except it’s you shooting the mob boss in the head, or you scoring that impossible goal, and not the character.

Binge Watching

We’re all guilty of it, and we all love it. Sometimes the best way of dealing with stress is to curl up on the couch with Netflix and binge watch your favourite series, or a show that you have had saved to your list for a year. Just taking the time to indulge yourself by doing something ‘naughty’ will help reduce your stress levels.

Dance

And not professionally – although if that helps you then go for it! But sticking on a playlist and dancing around like a fool. The exercise releases endorphins, and the childlike freedom you get while dancing like an idiot will make you smile. It might not get rid of the stress but it will help you to get in a better frame of mind to deal with it.

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