Knee Arthritis|Knock Knees|Virtual Knee Surgery

Are you in the one-half of Americans who do NOT get a good night's sleep every night or even most nights? Do you get less than the recommended 7-9 hours per night?

According to polls, lack of sleep causes mistakes at work, inefficiency, car wrecks, sex deprivation and problems with intimate relationships (as if less sex weren't a big enough problem in itself!)

When women don't get enough sleep, everyone is sorry! And fatigue is especially dangerous in an age of super viruses because lack of sleep suppresses the immune system we need to fight illness.

Rest is good for you and you deserve to rest well. Give yourself permission to go to bed by putting away that To Do list and making sound sleep your priority.

Here's what else we have learned:

1. Eat supper early and allow yourself to unwind an hour or two before bed.

2. Develop a sleep ritual that signals to your body (and your mind) that it is time for sleep. It needn't be fancy, just soothing, for example: wash face, brush teeth, brew cup of herbal Sleepy tea, turn down the bed, arrange pillows, set alarm, turn off overhead light, read, pray, set book aside, turn off light, sleep.

3. Create a restful haven. Remove piles of clutter and anything that makes you tense (him, too). Freshen bedding, try new or different pillows, flowers and plants. When you sit in bed reading or praying, everything you see should please and relax you.

4. Avoid bright or noisy clocks, radios, or other electronic devices. Cover shining displays or replace them. Set them away from the head of your bed. Definitely get that computer OUT of your bedroom!

5. Buy comfortable earplugs for the nightstand and for travel. Using a white noise-generator to mask sounds may also help.

6. Pass on the alcohol. Alcohol won't keep you awake, but it will wake you up around 2 or 3 am and make it hard to fall back to sleep. If you have overindulged, some experts advise taking an antihistamine (one of the drowsy types) and one over the counter pain reliever.

7. Reading for pleasure is fine, but avoid hair-raising mysteries that keep you turning pages. Spiritual or soothing reading is best. Reading in dim light causes eyestrain and sleepiness, so use a low light setting.

8. Wear comfy loose socks and even silk long underwear when it's cold. Turning over onto cold sheets WILL wake you up. Change your blankets and your thermostat setting with the seasons so you are neither too hot nor too cold.

9. Exercise every day -- early in the day. Do your neck, shoulders, arms, hands, back, or hips hurt and sometimes waken you? Get serious about stretching during the day. Program a meeting reminder in your computer, like: "Stretch arms & hips." When it pops up, do a favorite stretch for one minute while looking away from the computer. Set your reminder to snooze for an hour. When it pops up again, repeat.

10. If you do wake in the night, keep a change of night clothes by the bed if you are having night sweats. If you don't fall right back to sleep, don't lie there tossing, turning and fretting. Instead, get up, fix a light snack (piece of fruit, some yogurt) and read in a dim light.

If that doesn't knock you out, try some progressive relaxation. Lie on your back with a pillow beneath your knees; tense and then relax your toes, then ankles, then shins, knees, thighs. Continue up the front and back of your body, doing arms, shoulders, face, scalp. Breathe deeply.

Nighty, night.

Dog jumping on family members, small children or house guests is one of the most common, annoying and dangerous problems for dog owners. This may be related to feeling of insecurity or simply aggressiveness. Dogs learn jumping faster than any other dog obedience command. We involuntarily teach them, when they are a young puppy, dog owners or other people always invite them up and pays attention and affection. Everyone goes like 'come here puppy, cute puppy' and praise them when they jump up so dog learns jumping naturally. That is the biggest reason why dog jumping up is a very common problem and big problem that 90% of dog owners are having.

Most of the time puppies get confused by commands of people around them. When your puppy jumps up, make sure to use the 'off' command because using 'down' makes your dog confuse it with the 'lay down' command.Never touch your dog or puppy, pet or praise when your dog is jumping up on you or other people. Never get into an eye contact when using the following methods to prevent jumping up.

They have to learn that the greeting has to be calm with all paws on the ground. In order to be effective with any jumping program, you have to make sure everybody comes to contact with your dog is being consistent with the same training method you choose for your dog or puppy. Using different obedience commands may confuse your dog easily. Make sure to have a no jump policy at your home. This applies to all family members and visitors.

Holding Paws

When your dog jumps up on you, simply hold the paws and hang on to them. Not crush or squeeze the paws. Most of the dogs are sensitive of their paws touched and they are not used to it. Do not let it go fast. Hold the paws until it starts to struggle and wants back the paws. That point you can use the command 'off'. When your dog is off, praise your dog or puppy and give a dog treat or another reward.

Using Coins

Puppies cannot handle weird sounds. Put six to seven coins in a bottle, when your dog jumps up, shake this bottle of coins. Your dog associates this weird sound with jumping. After using this method repeatedly, you will see that your dog does not want to jump anymore because does not want to hear that weird noise. This is a very simple method and can be used effectively to any breed type without the need of touch.

Simply Using Your Knees

Another obedience training technique is using your knees. When your dog jumps up, just bend your knees and give the 'off' command, it will try to jump couple times and just leave it because your dog did not see any attention from you. We are not trying to send them on the other side of the room, it is just a little pop to knock them off the balance and get them off. Dogs are jumping to get attention on them. This method is very useful for small breed types.

Avoiding The Attention

Your pet is trying to get your attention. Turning your back for couple minutes when you get into house not paying attention or not having an eye contact, makes them understand and gets off easily. You can also hold your shoulders and look up on the ceiling. This will make them relaxed and calm.

It might be hard in the beginning because we are social and we get excited to see our pets, too. But it is worth to teach your dog how to act properly when someone comes over to your house. There might be a lot of cases in the future that you wish you thought this before. Training your dog is time consuming but being consistent and patient are the keys for fast and consistent results.

If you are, you're not alone. The stress of grief is debilitating and it's experienced by many after the loss of a loved one. Grief has the capacity to bring us to our knees physically as well as emotionally. We can feel totally exhausted, knackered, wiped out and depleted. How about spent, fatigued, and crippled with tiredness? There are many more descriptions of the bone crushing weariness that grief and loss leaves in its wake.

It can take us off-guard, this crippling weariness and physical struggle. Every little thing becomes a major feat and a major test of endurance. When you consider what has happened though, it's not surprising. Yet often we do indeed find it most surprising!

This is some or most of what has come before:

Days, weeks, months or years of care-giving.

Days, weeks, months or years of watching a loved one struggle.

An unexpected call or knock at the door telling you of something horrific and unbelievable.

Having to make life and death decisions often at a moment's notice.

Unexpected travel and associated costs.

Surrounded by happy faces in the maternity ward.

Organising a funeral service when you're numb with pain.

Government bureaucracy.

Financial worries.

Unpaid leave or pending unemployment.

Expectations.

The feeling of being so alone and unsupported.

Dealing with the missing and the longing every single moment.

Crying day and night.

Grief triggers.

The paper jungle.

Worrying about everyone else.

And the list goes on. You could add to it I'm sure but it's revealing isn't it?

All of the above is stressful beyond measure. It tests you to the limits of what you ever believed you were capable of enduring and more! Dealing with the emotional fallout of those experiences can be utterly exhausting. It takes over your body and you can feel it creep into the very marrow of your bones.

Then on top of all that you have to find some resources within yourself to keep on keeping on with the routine of daily living. Anna from Pleasant View Schoolhouse writes, "Grief is exhausting. It is the difficulty of existing in two worlds at a time." Amidst the intense pain of dealing with your grief you have to keep a home running, talk with people, get back to work, be alone for the first time in years and much, much more.

Often having this awareness about where you have come from and what you are dealing with on a daily basis is enough for you to take pause. It is enough for you to recognise your great strength in living after loss and it is enough for you to say to yourself, "No wonder I feel tired!"

With that awareness of your circumstances, it may then become easier to accept the need for more rest, for gentleness to yourself, for time out from demanding schedules and a focus on self-nurturing and the restoration of your aching body and hurting heart.

The VMO, or vastus medialis obliquus, is the large tear drop shaped thigh muscle, that lies just above and on the inner side of the kneecap, or patella. It is one of the four quadriceps muscles in the front of the thigh, but it is the only one that attaches directly to the inner (medial), upper margin of the patella.

For this reason, it pulls inward on the kneecap and opposes the slightly outer (lateral) pull of the other three muscles. The VMO is most active in the last 30 degrees of extension, meaning that it helps to lock the knee out, fully straight. So, you can see that this one muscle has a strong influence on both the kneecap and knee stability, as a consequence of its anatomy.

Pain behind the kneecap usually results from a direct blow or a fall, or it may result from maltracking, meaning that the kneecap is pulled off its normal path, usually to the outside (lateral side), and often because the VMO is weak and can't counteract the pull of the other three quadriceps. Usually, this is accompanied by tightening or contracture of the soft tissues on the outer side (lateral side) of the kneecap, which makes it much harder to treat and correct the problem.

Some combination of these factors is usually involved in kneecap pain, which can also be accompanied by instability, or giving way of the knee. Over time, these factors can result in degenerative softening of the cartilage under the kneecap, a disease called chondromalacia patellae.

The other major source of pain in the knee comes from within the joint, either from a twisting injury that may injure a meniscus, one of the cushions within the joint, or a sprain of one of the ligaments, or an effusion, or "water on the knee," which results from inflammation of the lining membrane of the joint, the synovium. And, in the older population, degenerative arthritis within the joint is also a source of knee pain and instability.

In every case, strengthening the VMO is critical to relieving knee pain and restoring knee joint stability. So, what exercises are best for doing that? Here again, we take our lead from the functional anatomy. Since the VMO muscle fully straightens the knee, and is most active in the last 30 degrees of extension, we want to load the muscle within that range of motion, to strengthen it.

Isometric exercises, technically defined as muscle contraction without shortening, those done with the knee fully straight, can increase VMO tone and strengthen its tendinous attachments. For example, quad setting is done by tensing the straight leg, contracting the quadriceps, as hard as you can, for six seconds. This is particularly important when you have a fresh injury, or in the first few days after knee surgery. It adds strength, but without any movement of the joint.

Similar in effect is straight leg raising. Lying on your back, with the opposite leg bent up (to straighten your spine, and relieve stress across the lower back), you tense your quads, and, while maintaining the contraction, then slowly raise the straight leg up, to about 45 degrees. Then, slowly lower it again. To start with, try for 3 sets of 15-20 repetitions. This, too, is an exercise that is very useful in the immediate aftermath of an injury, or surgery.

Isotonic exercise is muscle contraction with shortening and what we normally think of as exercise, with overt movement of the joint. This type of exercise can utilize the resistance of bodyweight only, or additional external resistance, like free weights, or an exercise machine.

The simplest exercise is a quarter squat. With or without weights, with your back against the wall, simply squat down just a quarter of the way, approximating about 30 degrees of knee flexion, then stand straight and tense the quads strongly.

Even full range movements, like Full Squats or Hindu Squats, can be converted to VMO strengthening exercises by that isometric tensing of the quads, with the knee fully straight, with each repetition.

My personal favorite for working the VMO is the Hack Squat. In this exercise, you hold a barbell or two dumbbells behind your knees and leaning backward to put maximal stress on the VMO, do quarter squats. It's helpful to have a wooden block under your heels to help with balance.

Machine exercises are also useful, but leg press machines are probably better for your knee than leg extension machines, because the leg press loads your knee from above, and is more physiological (a "closed chain" exercise). This is especially true if you have kneecap disease, like chondromalacia patella, or patellofemoral arthritis. Here again, you can handle very heavy weight eventually, because you're using it for a very short arc, just 30 degrees.

Whatever exercises you choose, you will begin to notice an improvement in your pain and your stability within about 10 days, and real improvement within 30 days. As the VMO becomes stronger, your patella tracking will improve and your knee will subjectively feel more stable. Although this regimen can't cure everything, it can go a long way toward making your knees feel better and stronger. Give it a try.

Funny how the football training pendulum swings.

A decade ago, only the top College Football schools used the Olympic lifts in their programs. Then, if filtered down to the point where just about every high school football player in the country was at least doing Power Cleans. However, over the last few years there's been a backlash against using the Olympic Lifts in football weight training programs.

The biggest argument for not using the Olympic lifts comes from the Powerlifting world where Box Squatting is king. It is said that Box Squats actually produce more explosiveness than Cleans.

Once and For All, What's More Explosive - A Power Clean or a Dynamic Box Squat?

A Power Clean starts on the floor, where the bar is picked up in a controlled manor, once the bar passes the knees, the athlete explodes the bar up and catches it in a 1/4 Squat.

In a Dynamic Box Squat (using chains or bands) the athlete un-racks the bar, sits back (pre stretching the hams and glutes), descends while getting pulled down by the force of the bands, sits and relaxes some muscles while keeping others tense, then has to activate all of those muscle fibers at once to explode the weight up.

From the description alone you should see which is better for football training!

Remember, we are after explosive football training here, the goal is not just to be strong but strong and fast.

Even when doing speed training for football, we are concerned with explosiveness rather than just straight-ahead speed. We need to build the muscles to be able to cut quickly or to deliver a shot that will knock the fool out.

However, this does not mean that Power Cleans shouldn't be done!

They will still build explosiveness, but from a different path. They are hugely helpful in bulking the upper back and traps as well.

For the hip-explosiveness gained from Power Cleans alone the effort to learn at least basic form is well worth it. Use them as an alternative Speed exercise or use them as your heavy leg movement. Keep the reps low, the sets high and get the bar moving as fast as possible!

So, should you use Box Squats or Power Cleans for Explosive Football Gains?

Actually, you should use both.

Box Front and Back Squats should be the foundation of your heavy leg training and Power Cleans should be used in certain periods to build your hip explosiveness and add mass to your traps and back.

If you choose to use Power Cleans, go with multiple sets of low reps, i.e., 6 - 8 sets x 2 - 3 reps.

You can also use Power Cleans right after Box Squats. But, you'll need to use a bit less weight on the cleans and concentrate on explosiveness.

Do you have knee instability?

How about pain in your knee?

In many cases, someone can have instability of the knee and not feel any pain. In other cases, someone can have a great deal of pain in the knee and not feel any instability. When there is both knee instability and pain, the cause is usually a damaged cartilage or a torn ligament.

When you have injured your knee it is usually due to an accident or injury to the knee. Sometimes these injuries are self inflicted. Some immediate incidents, some come from natural wear and tear.

There are treatments for this type of injury that include surgery. Most doctors will prefer to treat a damaged cartilage of the knees with conservative treatment at first, rather than resorting to drugs or surgery.

Rest and Relief

One of the most common recommendations by doctors for knee instability and pain is rest and relief from the pain. The patient needs to get off their knee and keep it elevated. If the patient has to walk, they should do so by using a knee brace. To ease the pain, and add well needed stability so something bad doesn't happen. Over the counter medication can be used as well as ice packs to keep the swelling down.

Pain Medications

Many doctors will prescribe pain medication for damaged cartilage. Patients need to be aware of the fact that pain medications can be very addictive. If you are in severe pain, you can take pain medications, but be sure to take them as prescribed for the pain and do not overuse them or you will find that you build up a tolerance and need increasing amounts of the medication to get the same effects. (Speak with your physician prior to using any medications.)

Physical Therapy

Physical therapy is another way that you can treat an injured knee. A patient needs to go to a qualified physical therapist for this option, however, as exercising the cartilage or injured ligament may result in more knee instability and pain if done incorrectly. Using proper techniques, physical therapy coupled with the use of over the counter pain medications and knee braces are often very successful treatments.

Knee Brace

A knee brace is often recommended for someone that has hurt their knees, as it will help to keep your knee in proper alignment. If you have a damaged cartilage or an injured ligament, most doctors will recommend that you use the knee brace rather than opt for surgery, unless a surgical procedure is the only way to help you. This type of support will often times help to alleviate the knee instability and pain that is often the result of a damaged knee cartilage.

Surgery

Let's face it. Sometimes surgery is unavoidable. When you have no other conservative options left your physician may require you to have surgery to help treat your knee. Wearing a knee brace after a surgical procedure can also be effective because they can help provide the meaningful support you need.

Get a Mortgage Pre-Approval!
You need to know what you can afford. You have to be realistic before you jump headlong into it. We suggest making an appointment with your bank's mortgage representative and having a serious talk. Don't be afraid to shop around. Check all banks and compare rates. Don't be afraid to haggle - most banks will knock off 1% from the posted rates. Ask for it - you deserve it. This is the biggest purchase of your life. Also find out how long the rate will be "locked in" for. Usually 60-90 days. If the rate does go down in that time period normally your bank will give you the lowest rate in those 60-90 days, make certain that this is the case.

Make your Home Wish List
Do you want a townhouse, semi-detached or a detached home? What about a condo apartment? How many bedrooms do you need? What about a backyard? Is it something you want - will you be able to maintain it? Location - do you need to be near a school for your kids?

Consult with a Realtor
to find a home to suit your needs and price range. Be honest and explain your situation. We're here to help you. And realize that is not always going to be easy. If you are pre-approved for a mortgage at $200,000 and you have a downpayment saved up of $10,000 then you can look at homes priced up to $210,000. If your chosen location is central Toronto, it will be near impossible to find a 4 bedroom detached home for that price. You have to consider what is affordable. How much home can you afford in your chosen location? The farther you go out of the city the less expensive everything is. If you go to Ajax for example you could find a detached four bedroom in that price range. In Toronto, you are looking at $400,000+.

Search for your New Home
Be patient - it may take awhile to find the perfect home or conversely, it may be the first home you step foot in! A word of warning, in the current market homes are being sold at an alarming rate. If there is something you decide you like, it is better to jump on it then to wait too long and have it sold out from under you.

Make an Offer on the Home you Choose
Your realtor will take care of all the negotiations and will advise you on every aspect of the process. Standard conditions in the offer are: buyer arranging financing and inspection of the home by a qualified home inspection professional. These conditions are included to protect you - the buyer. The financing is approved by your bank and the inspection is done by a home inspector of your choice. Your realtor will have names of inspection companies to choose from or check the yellow pages and compare rates. The standard is for the inspector to supply you with a report at the end of the inspection and alert you to any concerns he or she may have. Having a termite inspection in any of the older homes in Toronto is a good idea.

Once the offer is accepted
and the conditions are fulfilled then the deal (contract) is firm and binding. You just need the Seller to move out! You will need to prepare for moving expenses and utility set-ups (water, hydro, gas, etc.)

Closing Day!
This is the day that your lawyer and the seller's lawyer exchange documentation and funds and you get the title and keys to your new home!! It may well be a stressful day for you - actually, we know from experience (we've done this twice now) that yes, it is stressful. The relief of finally having your new house keys in your hand will be such a pleasure.

Moving Day!
Careful planning ensures a smooth and painless move. Whether you are hiring a moving company or you are doing the work yourself, make certain to assess the costs and be ready. Renting a truck and doing it yourself may be cheaper at times, but to save the strain on your back you may just let the pros do it. The costs can vary wildly.

For our first home we, with a few friends and family members, moved us in. We were going from an apartment to a house and it was easy. The initial cost of the truck was not too expensive, it was the additional mileage cost that was tacked on at the end that was not so pleasant. Not to mention the pain in our backs and knees the next day from all the lifting and stair climbing! And we weren't out of shape, it was just crummy, hard work.

But here's the truth, for moving into our current home we broke down and hired a moving company - not a big name but still a bonded, insured company and the guys were great. They brought the truck, emptied out our storage locker and got everything into our new home quickly and efficiently. Yay! No sore back and knees for us! We personally are in relatively good shape and not lazy by any stretch of the imagination, but we are also not into busting our backs again. So, ultimately, the choice is yours. Yes, it's cheaper to do it yourselves just make certain you are ready for the work, that's all we're saying.

Wedge Blocking is what the Single Wing offense is famous for. This may appear like the most irregular form of blocking you will experience, but once you witness it in action, you will turn into a believer. You need to realize that it will appear different to instruct and most likely appear helter-skelter at first. It will take outstanding patience and assurance as you instruct this method to the group.

It will be a slow advancement, but as soon as it has been taught the right way, it will be a crushing artillery in your arsenal. Waste no time teaching this system and start teaching this as early as day one. Your team needs to understand how important the wedge series is to the team. You will be capable of gaining a large amount of yards, and even those vital short yardage downs.

This actually is not difficult to show, but make sure that it is taught right. All lineman have to press into the lineman adjacent to him and form an solid area, wedge or upside down V.

The goal is on the snap of the ball, all blockers need to move together and step straight forward and towards the inside together. If you are using zero line splits, it will be simple to seal shoulders with the player adjacent to them. The key is that all linemen move forward together in harmony. Once your line is as close together as they can get, they now need to move together as one. The group cannot allow any defender to break into the wedge. After the wedge is in place, the squad must practice staying together as one, while moving at equal speed. The purpose of the wedge to remain as one and keeping defenders out for as long as conceivable.

The best way to introduce the wedge is for a coach to stand with a dummy over the right side guard and make the players step, seal, and complete the wedge. After this action is perfected, then have the group move as one and try to knock the coach back down the field. Every player needs to step together, as one as they remain in the wedge. I define perfection as being able to execute the play, or in this case the drill for 10 perfect repetitions.

Opponents will attempt many different techniques to try and break up your wedge. One of the more popular techniques is to dive down at your lineman's knees. The best way to counter this move is to use high knees and step on their backs. Defenders will stop diving at your knees almost instantly when you start stepping on them. Another great counter move is to run one of the wedge fake plays. Fake plays can be extremely effective because the whole defense will be "selling out" in an attempt to stop the wedge. The speedy pass routes or delayed reverses work great. Both the Double Wing and Single Wing have complete wedge series. The wedge can be a wonderful series of plays at all age groups.

About four months ago I was suffering from severe neuralgia, a complication brought about by shingles. It was such an agonizing pain that I suffered insomnia. The pain was very stressful and depressing, much more when I learned that the anguish may last for months or even years. I thought like ordinary chicken pox, shingles will disappear even without the help of medication. So I did not bother to see a doctor. Blisters are painless, you can live with it, however, the end result is unforeseeable. The complication did not graze my mind. Later, I realized ignorance of the disease is fatal, very disastrous.

It was too late then when I learned that to avoid complication, shingles must be medically cared for within seventy two hours. I was regretful that I did not see a doctor immediately. It was futile then to see a doctor at that juncture. What was needed was over; the only thing left is pain management, to be discussed with the doctor as to the appropriate pain reliever. It was really grueling to wait and predict whether the pain will stay forever or not. I never stopped asking myself, "Do I have to accept it as part of my whole being for as long as I live?"

I am in my late fifties. I never heard of shingles before, so I was really caught unaware about the disease. Thanks to the internet. A little research broadens my understanding of herpes zoster, the scientific name of shingles. It is not the same as genital herpes that is sexually transmitted. Nonetheless, it is contagious. It can be spread to children or adult who have not had chickenpox. But, instead of developing shingles, they will have chickenpox. Before I realize it, the critical seventy two hours had already elapsed and I was deeply disheartened to learn that I had the complication already. After a month, the blisters were gone, no scars were left, skin discoloration is apparent but the pain, the excruciating and debilitating pain lingered on and continuously injured me.

Herpes zoster is commonly known as shingles because of its small waterborne pebble-like blisters on the skin caused by herpes virus. My research apprised me that those who had chicken pox before are most probable victims of this disease. Shingles commonly occur in older people from ages 50 upward. It seldom befalls to younger people. The reason is obvious. Chicken pox virus never leaves our body after the blast. They remain dormant inside. Once activated, the awakened virus travels through the nerve into the surface of the skin. With this struggle to resurface, there is friction and blisters start to appear like air bubbles in a coat of paint. The blisters are not painful; it's the undersurface where the blisters appear that is unbearable. The only positive thing about herpes zoster, it attacks only a portion of the body, unlike chicken pox, it is all over.

In my case, only my left leg and a part of my left hip were grievously affected. It was ironic, there was numbness of my lower limb and yet the pain was unbearable. Only one side of my body was smitten. I did not mind the blisters; it is the agonizing sensation underneath that brought great discomfort and pain. I really couldn't withstand it. I suffered other illnesses before, but this one it was fatally unacceptable. More agonizing and disturbing is the knowledge that it may linger for months or even years. That time is indefinite and that what made me grieve more. I had an open-heart surgery before. It was painful too but I knew for sure that after the healing process, there shall be no pain anymore. The thought that there is an end to it is already consoling.

Not with herpes, I often asked myself, "how long shall I suffer, shall I accept it and live with it as it is?" I cannot forget the trauma until now that they're gone. The feeling of despair remains and cannot even be forgotten as long as I live. If only I could roll back the time, I would never ever hesitate to take the vaccine. This is one of the reasons why I fear the thought of getting older. Older people are prone to different kinds of pain. I hate pains. I have had enough of it, physically, mentally and emotionally. It is really hard to avoid the will of nature. Nurturing is a must, otherwise, you suffer. A simple neglect may cause mammoth regret.

During those agonizing moments in my life, my only consolation is my bed. Lying comfortably in bed with soft pillows underneath my afflicted leg somehow soothed the excruciating pain. Cool compress was a great help also. I tried expensive pain relievers but they only hurt my pockets, so I tried cheaper ones but the same, of less relief like expensive ones.

For psychological reason, I did not stop using a cheaper one, one with fast relief muscle relaxant. Muscle relaxant drugs somehow lessened my anxiety that helped me get some sleep even for an hour or two. Unexpectedly, my over dependence on the drug had made my skin extremely dry and rough. I was compelled to use expensive ultra healing extra dry skin moisturizing with vitamin 3, and it works for my skin. It penetrates through five layers of skin's surface to start healing at the source.

I really don't know whether it's the lotion or the fast relief muscle relaxant that heals me, but the tormenting pain is now over. Although from time to time I could still feel some pain on my knees and the surging sensation striking a nerve fiber in my leg, but the pain is now bearable. I could even forget I had pains. Soft pillows are still my comforts when it strikes from time to time.

Oftentimes, we do not give importance to little things in life. We cannot see their importance until we are faced with certain dilemma or suffering. Pillows for example, we only need them for sleeping and that's it. Its role stops from there when we woke up and left the bed. I came to realize that pillows are not meant to give comfort only while we sleep. For the whole period of my suffering from neuralgia, my soft pillows were my constant companions. Most of the time, they served as my beddings for my left leg, although the initial touch was quite disturbing. Afflicted parts are sensitive even to the touch of your clothing, even the gush of wind brought unexplainable and negative sensation. However, after a while the soft touch in my skin somehow relieves me for a moment of my suffering. A tiny but firm pillow also served a lot while I was recuperating from my open-heart surgery. The wound was painful but that little firm pillow when pressed to my chest gave me comfort and relief like a caring fellow. Ah, pillows, unobtrusive but dependable!

Four months of tormenting sleepless nights, loss of appetite, immobility and very stressful expectation in life, sometimes you will choose not to live any longer than to live with it longer. I am luckier; I suffered only for a few months, while others take years. So elderly beware. Impair not your immune system. If you could possibly have a vaccine against herpes zoster, have it right away. You may not know when shingles will knock into your doors. I tell you, it is harrowing. You can bear to remain single the rest of your life but you cannot bear to live with shingles for the remaining years of your life. However if the strike is inevitable prepare your comfortable bed, have soft pillows within your reach and pamper your shingles to relief with ice or cold compress. Prepare yourself to cool baths twice or thrice a day. At the onset of the disease, there is no pain only reddening of the skin, but when blisters appear see your doctor immediately. Beware of postherpetic neuralgia, it's painful indeed!

Conditioning Drill: Up Downs

Out of all of the football conditioning drills up downs is one of the most popular. Players will start this drill by running in place as fast as they can, keeping their knees high as possible. At the coaches signal the players will drop to the ground and do a push up, and then quickly get back up and start running again. As up downs require endurance and strength, players are encouraged to start in slow short burst and work up to longer and more intense sessions.

Catching the ball low

Great plays are made through dedicated practice of the fundamentals. Making the plays means that you have practiced the "non-optimal" situation and know how to react to them. One situation that happens a lot in a game is catching the low passes. One not so perfect scenario is a low passed catch. Here are some basics to a great low catch. This technique stops the ball from bouncing away and also helps the player scoop up the ball quickly. Locking your pinkies prevents the football from falling through your hands. Second, bend your knees and get low. Use your hands and not your body. Never use your body to catch a football. And always see the ball through, meaning that you are watching it into the tuck.

Football Catching Fundamentals

When a receiver catches the ball they need to immediately put it into a secure ball carrying position. The points of a proper catch are: First, opening up your hands with an open triangle. Second, follow the ball with your eyes from the first time you see it in the air until it is securely placed in a tight hold. Third, roll the ball into a secure ball position before you take your eyes off the ball. The problem is that receivers have a tenancy to start looking down the field before they have the ball properly secured. This increases fumbles and turnovers. To prevent this, have two receivers throw to each other and as they catch it have them slow down the motion so that they pause at each catch, follow through and tuck.

Running with the Ball: The Gauntlet Drill

Ball security, preventing fumbles and turnovers is perhaps the most important skill the offensive team can have. Quarterbacks, running backs, and wide receivers should work on this skill constantly. That is why the gauntlet drill was created, to test and practice effective ball security. This drill is set up with one ball carrier, there objective is to run through a group of opponents that try to knock the ball out. A coach can set up short fast runs or longer relays with several obstacles and defenders prying at the ball. Run each of the gauntlet drills slow and then speed them up as each player gets better at effective ball security.

Pool is a difficult sport, one requiring mental concentration, proper form and stance and a lot of practice. Being a whiz at geometry and knowing the right angles to pot a ball are no guarantees of success. Indeed, you need to make sure you have work on your fundamentals before you play and as you play.

One of the best ways to learn to play pool better is by watching excellent players. Attend a professional tournament if you can and just view a person playing. You'll learn a lot about her concentration skills, the way she approaches each shot and the way she executes it with precision. This will give you a working basis for playing like a pro.

Another good thing to do is to practice with another person who's at least equal in skill, if not better. He can watch your stance, your stroke and your approach and give you advice and guidance. You should also, if possible, make a video of your practice session. This is what pro football, golf and baseball players do, and it's an excellent learning tool. Be careful - you might cringe when you see your sloppy mechanics. If you have a partner or video to view, you can also find out why you missed a certain shot -- was it your approach, your form, your angle? Honestly, these two approaches are excellent at helping you master the fundamentals you need to be a hustler!

Perfecting your stance is of the utmost importance. It doesn't matter where you place your head in relation to the cue. Some people, especially older ones, like to keep it one to two feet above the cue, others, like me, like to have it almost on the cue. Whatever works for you is fine. When you stand, no one should be able to knock your shoulders around; rather, they should stay square and in place. This way you will stay planted in your stance. Then find out where you like to place your legs. Pretend you have a tripod and place your feet comfortably in that area somewhere. Keep your knees bent a little and maintain relaxation in your legs.

Then play a game of pool and focus on your stance with every shot. You'll then notice little things each time you shoot, such as your legs being askew or your head uncomfortable. Ask the person which whom you play to watch you, too, and offer constructive criticism with each shot. Soon, you'll be able to stand correctly with each shot you make. And your game will improve exponentially.

I cannot stress how important your stance is. Practice, practice, practice! You'll need it!

When you were a kid did you like to play with boxes? Not shoe boxes or crummy fruit boxes, but big fridge boxes or stove boxes, washing machine or tumble dryer boxes. Boxes you could really climb in and knock around in, boxes that echoed if you went, "Ooohh, ooga ooga ooga." Good boxes in other words. You had to play very carefully though; you weren't allowed to break them. Because we had to hoard boxes in those days, just in case we had to move and we needed something to pack the china ware in.

These days collecting boxes is so passé. Now we rent crates. And if you have not heard of this little phenomenon then darling, where have you been? Everyone is doing it. It's the ultimate in moving chic.

Ok, so that might be a slight exaggeration, it might still be directed more at commercial businesses than at private property or home owners right now but it's only a matter of time before the trend reaches us. Business can't have all the fun, besides I'm sure that the crate companies would like to cash in on the relatively lucrative private market. A lot of people move home you know. That's a lot of cardboard out there that needs to be replaced.

The advantages of crates over cardboard boxes are enormous. First, crates are solid. They will not bend or break thus providing better security and safety to your treasured possessions. No more worrying about your beloved books being bent all out of shape, no more worrying about the side splitting or the bottom ripping and losing granny's priceless vases. Second, the crates seal, the rain and the damp cannot get in, so again your books are safe from curling and discolouring, your curtains, blankets and bedding are safe from mildew and funky smells. Third, because they are solid and sealed they are easily movable. Fourth, because they are rented you don't have to deal with them after the move. You don't have to find space for them for the next move or throw away those that are broken beyond repair. They just get taken away. And you don't have sticky masking tape left lying around for unsuspecting bare feet to stand on. Which is always a bonus.

There is of course another advantage; because the crates can be used over and over and over again, we can all take our cardboard boxes (once kiddies have played in them to their hearts content and maybe even broken them) and have them recycled. There is no reason why we can't be more environmentally conscious while our lives are made just that little bit easier. Our homes are therefore less cluttered, we feel better about ourselves in general and we set a good example for our children. Where is the bad in that?

Crates as you can see are the bees knees, the cat's pajamas, the dog's ... well you get the point. They're very useful that's all. The time of the cardboard box is up, a new era is born, one with structure and a seal-able lid. These are exciting times. Now we just hope that that crating industry hurries up and allows us private folks to take advantage of its high quality product. Or else mild mannered suburbia might just become not so mild mannered after all.

As runners it's easy to look back after we're hurt but sometimes we forget the basics of injury prevention. Here are some suggestions to jog your memory and keep you running.

• Remember this golden rule for injury prevention: Listen to Your Body. If you have sharp pain, soreness that won't go away or you're feeling very tired and grumpy think twice about running. Use your women's intuition. Be wise, take a day or two off and rest. A few days now could save you weeks/months on the sidelines and many dollars in treatment.



• It's easy to over train. We all want to get faster and stronger, yesterday. The key is to gradually increase your mileage, no more than 10% a week and not every week. Ease into speed and hill work after you've built a good base of running.



• Invest in good running shoes for injury prevention. Compared to other sports running is inexpensive. Trying to save a few dollars by not replacing your shoes (every 300-500 miles) is not worth it. Buy your first pair of shoes from a specialty running store from someone that runs and knows how to fit you properly.



• Run on level grass fields, dirt trails or medium-hard paths. Avoid doing most of your running on hard asphalt or concrete to save your legs from excessive pounding. Look out for ruts, rocks, tree roots, holes, uneven turf, banked roads, sand, water, snow and ice when you're running.



• Include stretching as part of your workouts, especially after you run. Tight and shortened muscles are more at risk for injury. If you're short on time try stretching while reading, talking on the phone or watching TV.



• Improper or over stretching can also cause sports injuries. As a runner you'll probably never be as flexible as a yogi. However, you can easily learn proper stretching techniques. Remember stretching should never be painful.



• The buttocks, hamstrings and calf muscles can become overdeveloped with running. To prevent imbalance of the opposing muscles include strengthening exercises for your abdominals, shins and quadriceps.



• Structural (physical) problems such as weak feet, short leg, knock knees, bow legs and postural faults put extra strain on muscles, bones, joints, tendons and ligaments. Visit a sports medicine expert for a checkup, treatment and injury prevention.



• Good technique can prevent running injuries. We all have our own unique style but try to avoid leaning too far forward or back, swaying from side to side and over striding.



• Always warm-up and cool-down. You might be pressed for time but it's not worth skipping these. Ease into running, don't pick up the pace or begin speed work without 10 minutes of easy jogging. When you finish your workout jog slowly or walk for 10 minutes to cool down.



• Remember the hard/easy rule. When you train hard, think speed work, racing or long run, make the next day an easy running day. Perhaps take the day off or try a low-impact cross training workout for injury prevention.



• It's tempting to keep running while injured as you don't want to lose fitness. However, you may favor the injured area and cause stresses on other parts of your body. This may lead to more injuries.



• Take extra time when returning from injury. Reassess your training and goals. Scar tissue and stiffness in old running injuries can cause them to recur or give you new ones. Pay special attention to those areas, strengthen and stretch.



• Keep a running log for injury prevention, to track your training and habits. Rarely do running injuries occur by accident, usually there will be a sign. Reading your running journal helps you pin point where it started and you can (hopefully) learn from this.

Over the past 25 years in the martial arts I've seen many people and fads come and go. However, one thing that seems to stay the same is the romantic notion of what a "real fight" will be like. Women seem to have their heads on fairly straight when it comes to self defense but I'm sorry to say that generally I can't say the same for they guys, especially the young guys. I've asked many women why they're studying self defense and their answers seem quite realistic. Generally women talk about a guy getting too "touchy feely" and having to stop them, a guy following them home and trying to rape them, or being car jacked. Where it starts getting interesting is when you start talking to the guys.

I place a certain amount of the blame on TV and the UFC personally, but when it comes to guys nine times out of ten they almost always envision a bar fight. Women picture some drug addict kicking in their front door and coming in to rape them, but guys picture some macho scene in a bar where they go outside, put up their hands, and square off with some other guy and having some big fight like in the UFC. It takes a lot of work to break these guy's romantic notion of squaring off in a bar and trading blows with another guy while their girl cheers in the background.

The truth is that people actually squaring off and assuming fighting stances rarely, if ever, happens during a real violent encounter and if you look at statistics you'll see that they show this. After spending 5 years as a bouncer I've seen all kinds of things and hundreds of fights but never once have I seen two guys model the "sparring scenario" which is to put their hands up, get into fighting stances, and then fight. Even in a bar or nightclub there is no "stepping outside" or putting your hands up; if a guy gets pissed off and wants to get you they'll walk right up to you with a smile on their face and when they're standing right next to you they'll sucker punch you with an ashtray and then start kicking you when you're down and helpless.

The point I'm trying to make is that the notion of putting your hands up and getting in a fighting stance is really just romantic B.S. Sure if you're just messing around or in a competition you have the luxury of "getting ready" but when someone really wants to hurt you it's not a luxury you will have. If someone wants to punch you they won't put their hands up first so you can see it coming, they will walk up to you and sucker punch you. A common tactic that I've seen used time and time again, and is also commonly used to mug people on the street, is for the "bad guy" to pretend to ignore someone and walk up to them like they're going to walk right past them, and then when they get right next to them they suddenly turn and punch, grab, shoot or stab them. Another popular tactic is to maneuver behind them and punch them or jab an object in their kidney which can completely incapacitate them.

The threat that people face isn't some big guy in a bar, its violent crime which is aggravated assault, forcible rape, robbery, and murder. It would be great if someone that wanted to rob or rape you would walk up to you and announce their intentions so you both could get into fighting stances and use your best sparring techniques, but statistically the encounter will actually start with you being blindsided and punched, stabbed, bludgeoned, or shot. Statistically, when you actually become aware that its time to start defending yourself its far more likely that you'll be laying on the ground and bleeding with one or more people standing over you, then dancing around in your sparring stance.

Luckily there is a silver lining and that lining is that since the person that actually wants to hurt you isn't going to bother with putting their hands up, getting in a sparring stance, dancing around with fancy footwork, worrying about kicking and punching ranges, setting up combinations, and pretty much everything else that is a part of sparring, you don't have to worry about that either. When a real criminal attacks you they won't be in a fancy stance or using fancy footwork, if they attack you they will just walk right up to you and attack leaving themselves wide open and completely vulnerable the entire time. If they throw a right hook, which is how most assaults and fights start, they'll just walk right up to you and throw it which means that every single target on their body will be exposed and unprotected.

If you're walking down the street and someone surprises you by coming out of nowhere and punching you in the face, as long as they haven't knocked you out or incapacitated you then you can defend yourself. You don't have to worry about all that fancy sparring b.s. because your attacker will be standing right next to you completely exposed. At this point he will probably be grabbing you with one hand and punching you with the other, but as long as you're still conscious you can turn the tables. All you have to do is locate one vulnerable area on his body and hit it as hard as you can.

Let's say you're bent over and he's repeatedly punching you in the back. While he's doing this you look up and see his eye so you simply step into him and jam your finger into his eye as hard as you can and push as aggressively as possible. You've just collapsed the dome of his eyeball and now his optic fluid is running down your arm as he drops to the ground, grabs his eye, and begins screaming, giving you a chance to run away.

He may have broken your nose and nearly ruptured your kidney from the repeated punches but he didn't knock you out or incapacitate you; while all you did was look at someone who was completely open, pick a vulnerable area, step in and hit that area, and then follow through. As long as he didn't knock you out you can defend yourself and you have a completely open and vulnerable person right there.

Since criminals like to surprise you and sucker punch you its very unlikely that most people will ever see the attack coming unless they've received the proper training and are using it. Even then you can be surprised which is why a lot of situations start with someone bent over covering their head, or on the ground, with someone standing right there hitting or kicking them repeatedly.

Here's a quick technique that has saved several people. You're walking down the street minding your own business when you notice that just up ahead there is a man leaning against a building looking at you. As you get closer he comes off the wall and walks towards you. He's now just about 6 feet away and he says, "Hey, do you have the time?" You instinctively look down at your watch and just as you're focusing in on the dial you feel like a bomb exploded in your head. The stranger managed to distract you for just a second and as soon as you looked down at your watch he came forwards and punched you in the face with this right hand. Now your head is ringing, you're seeing double, and your knees are starting to buckle. You've just been knocked nearly unconscious and you never saw it coming.

You're a little dizzy and off balance as you instinctively bend forward and cover your head with your arms. Your attacker grabs your left shoulder with his left hand and begins to repeatedly punch you in the back of your head with his right hand. You begin to curl into the fetal position as you open your eyes and see the ground... and his knees. You stare right at his nearest knee as you take a small step into him with your nearest leg, drop shoulder first right into his knee, and roll towards him. Your entire body weight has just crashed through his knee tearing his joint as he falls to the ground. As soon as you hit the ground you roll into him and grab his head with both your hands and you push it to the ground and use it to help you come up to a knee. Once you're on your knee you strike his head into the ground once, twice, or as many times as you wish and then run away.

Most people like this technique, especially after they practice it, but often ask, "what if you miss the knee?" Since you're entire body weight is falling down onto his leg you can pretty much guarantee that you'll knock him down with your weight. If you don't think so then just practice is a few times and you'll see how easy it is. Since you're entire body weight is crashing into his leg, even if you don't fall directly on his knee there is a good chance that you will still tear his ACL (the ligament that connects the front of the knee joint) on the way down.

But what if you don't tear it? Well you will still knock him down which means that he can sustain other injuries from the fall (broken wrists, broken arms, head trauma, etc.) but even if he doesn't you'll catch him by surprise and when you roll into him and hold his head down as you get up you ensure he stays on the ground because it is impossible to get up if someone holds your head on the ground. After that you strike his head into the ground which will most likely knock him out right away and could very well kill him.

I've taught this technique for years and more than one person has said that it had perhaps saved their lives. Many people have adapted it to use it before they get hit. The way this works is when someone confronts you, you go submissive, put your hands up, tuck your chin, and curl your back. Then once get right next to you, you just drop onto their knee and do the technique. Either way it is very effective.

Unfortunately few martial artists or martial arts schools realize that real violence doesn't start with two guys squaring off in fighting stances and everyone seems to be only preparing for the one-on-one sparring style fight, and that would be fine in criminal wanted to "fight", but statistically they don't and they seem quite content with leaving fighting stances out of it.

How many times throughout the day do you hear "Mom, can you get me some juice" or "Dad, I need some milk?" If you are raising kids, then you know exactly how many times. Thing is that kids simply cannot lift a gallon of milk without help until they start getting older. Otherwise you are risking tip overs, spills and huge messes. Does this sound like a great way to start or end a day? Of course not, but what can you really do about it? How about using the Magic Tap Automated Drink Dispenser?

The battery-operated Magic Tap Dispenser is an outstanding way to help your kids feel a degree of independence by easily allowing them to get their own milk, juice, water, or whichever drinks you want to be accessible with ease. It uses a super powerful mini motor to drive the liquid up the straw and into your bowel or glass easily and cleanly. No more worries about reaching in to snag a jug only to knock it over making a huge mess. It is as easy to use as pushing your glass or bowel against the tap and watching it fill in no time!

Want to leave the milk jug or juice in the fridge? Want to eliminate the need for your kids to be lifting the containers? If so, then I feel totally confident in recommending that you try the Magic Tap Spill Free Drink Dispenser. This will eliminate those 6 a.m. spills (that you may not even notice until 9 a.m. while also offering your children a degree of independence that they will absolutely love.

With a gallon of whole milk weighing in at 8.6 lbs, if you lift it twice per day (once out of the fridge and once back in) for a year, then you will have bent and lifted a total of 6278 lbs for the year! Doesn't sound like a lot, but if you're constantly lifting from a lower shelf in the fridge it can add up quickly. Imagine how your knees and back will thank you when you eliminate the need to do this over and over. That's why I think the Magic Tap is a great not just for my kids, but for my parents who are getting up there in age.

Sure, exercise is great when done properly, but constantly bending to drag that much weight in and out of the refrigerator is worse for you than you might imagine. With this little nifty device, I'm looking forward to not just saving spills, but also saving my back.

Skills

The skills listed below are in a general progression order. Start parent and tot classes at Level A as well as all other preschool groups to make sure they understand and have mastered the basics. Keep a checklist for each class. Record and date each skill when you introduce new ones to the class. This is helpful when a substitute teacher is needed. He/she can immediately determine the group level and teach appropriate skills. Also, the checklist is helpful to show parents how their children are progressing.

A few notes on teaching skills:

A back hip pullover seems to be a difficult skill for young students to master. Use a ladder hanging from the high bar for students to walk their feet up. When their tummy is near the low rail, tell them to do a chip-up and kick their feet over. You can also use stacked panel mats or a trapezoid piece to assist the kick over action. When using stacked panel mats, unfold a section to make the kick-off point lower as they get stronger. After these drills, have them do chin-ups for strength development. When teaching the back hip circle insist that the feet stay high on the front support finish position.

For front supports, I suggest that you chalk the preschooler's thighs where you want them to touch the bar (the little ones have a tendency to lay their tummies on the bar). I don't recommend most classes use chalk. However, there may be some girls and boys in the older classes that might need it. Don't sacrifice safety for cleanliness.

For casting, tell the children to first hunch like a cat, lock their legs and squeeze their bottom. To keep their legs together, have them hold a foam piece or beanbag between their knees. Tell them to lock their arms and raise their chest high with their necks stretched tall like a giraffe.

A single leg stemrise is a favorite old skill I love to do in beginner classes. It's like a single leg kip. When teaching them a stemrise, tell them to ride the bar with their thigh and pretend their leg is a piece of bread. There is butter on the top bar. They are going to butter the bread by sliding their extended leg against the top bar and then throwing their tummy over the bar to end in a front support on the high bar.

A drill you can use for glide kips is to have the child hold a bean bag or foam piece between their ankles. Have them try to glide out and drop it into a laundry basket, hoop, or on a chalk circle drawn on the mat. You can put a wedge in front of the set of bars. Have them practice stretching to kick the incline to achieve a glide action and body extension.

Preschool Bar Skills

Uneven Bars

Level A Level B Level C

Long hang Casts (3) Leg-ups (5)
Swing in long hang Swing and regrasp Cast to pike
Possum hang pull ups Tuck shoot Cast to straddle
(laterally hang under the single bar and Straddle shoot Back hip circle
chin-up to left ear and then right ear) Back hip circle (spot) Bent arm hang (12 sec) Straddle hang Pike hang (10 sec) Sole circle dismount
Shimmy across (lateral moving) Straddle hang Basket hang (inverted pike)
Hang in tuck Bent arm hang (6 sec.) Free L support
Front support Cast to tuck Underswing DM over pole Fwd. Roll dismount(DM) Swing half turn Back Hip C high bar
Swing, drop bean bag in hoop Run under and arch Stemrise Swing in pike Single leg cut Birdie Perch
Belly- button push-ups Swing in straddle
Sole circle swings Back hip pull over
Leg-ups (2) Glide swing Pull ups or chin-ups (2) Pullover high bar
Hang in pike L-sit on low bar Single knee touch (front support, bring

one alternately to the bar) Hang (walk forward & backward)
Space walks (ft. support & swing legs under
bar)
Leg-ups (3) (toes to bar
Back hip pullover (spot)

Safety Notes

Because the bars involve height, many parents are apprehensive about this event. It is imperative for the coaches to become "safety-maniacs" at this event. Here are some key points to keep in mind:

1. Don't put a child in a support position that's above their waist level. Lower the bar to the appropriate level. If the bar won't lower, you can build up the height of the mats under the bar.
2. During the first lesson, teach the students how to fall, rollout and dismount correctly.
3. Teach the proper grips and the need to rotate the grip for skills such as a forward roll dismount. (Tell the kids it's like Daddy on his motorcycle- vroom, vroom).
4. Provide your preschoolers with a set of bars just for them. A set where the rails are small enough for their small hands to grasp.
(Equipment notes: Jr. Swing Bar- this is a small single rail that is adjustable to heights needed for preschoolers. Because it breaks down into three small pieces for easy transporting, it's perfect for a mobile program.)
5. If you use a ladder to help them get to the low bar, make sure you have a foam piece under it so that the ladder doesn't ruin the base mat. Use mats, inclines, or barrels underneath to protect the preschooler if their foot goes through rungs- they always do!
6. Any time a student is hanging from a height where they can't jump down safely, always have your hand on their wrist. If the student says, "I can do it by myself", you can reply, "I know you can! I'm just going to be here as a helper!"
7. Skin-the-Cat can be a dangerous move for preschoolers and I don't recommend it unless it is spotted. Too many times the child lets go in the middle of this skill- if the instructor doesn't react fast enough, the child falls. A Penny (or Cherry) Drop is a difficult skill for new instructors to spot, therefore, I don't recommend them. I also avoid any skills that require swinging from one bar to another. Forcing a child to do skills on the high bar before they're ready isn't necessary. Teachers of preschool classes should have the philosophy of "teaching within the comfort zone." If a child doesn't want to go to the high bar...don't. Do the skill on the low bar and encourage them. But, if they still don't want to go, don't force them, try again in a few weeks. If they are really afraid of the bars, let them do strength work instead.
8. For landing purposes it is advisable to use a 4" landing mat, not an 8" skill cushion. If new skills are going to be taught, you can keep a skill cushion under the bars, but not for dismounts. If an 8" skill cushion is all that's available, use a panel mat on top for landings.
9. A child should never hang without tension in their chest and arms. Explain this to the parents in parent and tot classes and to all your instructors. The children shouldn't be allowed to hang until they understand this concept.
10. Some gyms use a rebounder or min-tramp for younger students to jump to front support. If you do this, I recommend you to pad the bar. Many kids have hit their teeth while their jumping gets out of control.

Spotting

Remember to always keep a hand on the child when they're hanging upside down-this will prevent a number of problems. When spotting and working with the child on the bars, position yourself so you can maintain supervision of the other children working at the other bar stations. When spotting a back hip pullover, position yourself in front of the bars to assist lifting the hips. One hand goes under their legs and the other on their back. At the end of the skill, one hand should be under their legs to help them achieve a good front support position. Be prepared to assist them if they rotate over the bar too fast and start to fall.

Circuits

For parent and tot classes and five-six year old classes you can utilize a number sets of bars at one time. With students who are 3-4 years old, it is sometimes hard to keep them from running away if you have too many stations. In this case, I recommend that you use just two stations in the circuit.

To be successful in creating a well-rounded fitness program as well as making it gymnastically oriented and fun, design a circuit for every lesson that includes a skill teaching station, a strength game, an imaginative play area, and a hand/eye coordination station. For instance, here is one lesson where you can use a four-bar- station to incorporate these ideas:

Bar #1 Skill: back hip pullovers with the instructor assisting.
Bar #2 Hand-eye coordination: the child hits a foam ball with a bat off a cone and the ball
goes through a hoop hanging from the low bar.
Bar #3 Drill: Stations where skills are practiced safely
Bar #4 Strength game: child holds a bent arm hang, or hang in tuck, pike or straddle while reciting the ABC's. Or, Imaginative play: the child hangs from the low bar and tries to knock off dinosaur eggs(disguised as bean bags)

Body/Eye Coordination Stations

1. Hang plastic bowling pins from the bars. Have the students push them alternately using the "tracking" principle with their eyes. (Ocular Pursuit)
2. Hang a plastic tire or hoop from the bar. The preschooler throws bean bags, foam balls, or small footballs through it. (Hand/eye coordination)
3. Place wedge mats up and down under the low bar. The students roll beach balls to partner. At the same station have the students walk up the incline and do a front support and then forward roll dismount to a forward roll down the wedge mat.
4. Hang balloons from either bar and kick for foot-eye coordination or hit with paper plate racket for hand-eye coordination.
5. Hang large and small aluminum pie tins that have been taped together with dry beans inside them. The children throw beanbags at the plates. The preschoolers love the noise this makes!
6. Hang foam shapes and letters from the high bar for the students to kick while hanging or swinging from the low bar.

Imaginative Games

1. Have the children hold foam vegetable shapes between their feet and do leg-ups or hold it as long as they can.
2. Hang holiday balloons from the bars- Easter eggs, valentine hearts, pumpkins, etc.
3. Gorilla turns- "How many times can you hang and turn?"
4. Frisbee catcher- one child hangs from the bar while another child or instructor tosses foam Frisbee for the first child to try to catch with their feet.
Other ideas for bars:
1. Hang bells from the high bar. Each child shimmies (moves laterally hanging from the bar) while attempting to ring each bell in succession.
2. Hang rings from the bar to have the children do inverted pike and straddle hangs.
3. Hang a plastic coated 5-lb. Weight plate from a climbing rope with a knot under it to use as a swing for toddlers. Be sure to instruct them to keep hold of the rope until they have dismounted from the swing to their feet.
4. The students can bring a stuffed animal to class and try to hold it between their knees and chest while in a tuck hang. Hold this for five seconds or shimmy down the bar and through a hoop.
5. Place a plastic slide under the low bar...the child does forward roll dismounts from the bar to land on the slide. When they slide down -Ta-Da!
6. Take a segmented hoop, pull it apart and rehook it around the bar. Have the student possum hang or shimmy in tuck position through the hoop.
7. Put a trapezoid piece or stacked panel mat in front of the bar at an angle. Have the students jump to the low bar from the various angles increasing the difficulty as you pull the trap piece further away. From the trapezoid they can:
A. Jump and swing
B. Jump, tap, front support, and jump down.
C. Jump, swing from high bar five times and jump off to the front.
D. Jump, cast 3 times and then forward roll dismount.
E. Handstands- jump, tap, handstand. (Tell them to "pinch my finger in your armpit")
8. Use cones, ropes, a small barrel, or the instructor holding a stick as a barrier (visual cue) for them to dismount over.
9. Use chin-up bars on the walls around the bar area to keep the students busy doing strength work: pull-ups, chin-ups, leg-ups, hang in pike, straddle, tuck, and bent arm hang. This can be its own mini-circuit.
10. Use various methods for the children to mount the bars: a take-off board, a mini-tramp, a jogger, a ladder or plank, an inclined beam (have trapezoid pieces underneath), panel mats, 翻 donut, incline mats, slide, stairs, barrels, octagons, or a "mountain." The mountain is a 4" mat hung over the low bar with trapezoid pieces, octagons, or other mat shapes underneath for support. This is useful for skills that you are teaching on the high bar (HB).
11. Use combinations. As soon as the students have learned a few basic skills, have them combine the skills together into sequences such as:
A. Long hang, shimmy, straddle shoot, L-sit.
B. Jump, front support, forward roll dismount.
C. Long hang shimmy, tuck shoot drop to hock swing (from knees). (Be sure to spot this)

Benefits

The bar area is a great place for preschoolers to learn some very important organizational and social skills. Not only are they having fun with the different circuits, and are being kept busy, but they are learning to take turns as a member of a line. Sometimes they have to wait their turn. You can have them stay on a carpet square, sit in a hoop, safety spot, or use other means to control their activity while they are waiting. It's too abstract for you to just tell preschoolers to wait in line for their turn. Be specific. Tell them, "I want you to sit in your hoops on this blue mat and watch the other students do this skill. You can learn by watching and listening." Use colors of the mats as indicators or small motor equipment as visual cues. Remember most preschoolers don't understand prepositional phrases such as behind, in front of, or beside.

Take the challenge- use the bars as a positive circuit for preschoolers! Remember to use a teaching station, a strength game or an imaginative area, a drill station, and a body/eye coordination station when designing your circuits. When formulating your lesson plans, select achievable skills, introduce skills in a logical and safe progression, use constant positive reinforcement, keep the students active, and plan for fun!

Safety Notes for Bars
1. Not above eye level
2. Teach how to fall first lesson
3. Teach proper grips and how to rotate- motorcycle
4. Special size set of bars- Jr Swing Bars- Gibson/ Norbert's
5. Mat under ladder or octagons
6. Always have your hand on their wrist
7. Proper landing mat
Not to do:
1. Skin the cat
2. Penny drop
Create a 4 Bar Circuit
1. BHP with teacher- skill
2. BHP with ladder- reinforcing skill
3. L support, slide down and "Ta da"- strength
4. Chin-ups and knock off dino eggs- fun imaginative

Myth Number 1 declares that performance nerves are to be expected; everyone has them. Further, that they are necessary. They are what give a speaker the energy to be exciting or interesting.

Let's take a hard look at these assumptions. What happens to you, personally, when you have an attack of Performance Jitters? of a rollicking Stage Fright?

In other words, your body tries to shut down! Now why would such unpleasant body symptoms serve you? Do they really make you an exciting and interest speaker?

It's important to separate stage fright and the deep fear of speaking in public from excitement. Think of excitement, not as dread, but as pleasant anticipation. When you're looking forward with pleasure to an activity your body does not try to shut down. It perks up. Your brain goes into high gear. What is about to take place feels good, fulfilling, gratifying, perhaps fun.

You may be one of those people who has some of the good feelings, but still suffers from some of the nasty ones.

Here're some things that will help you:

During my thirty-some years as therapist and public speaking coach I've observed that these techniques work very well for many people. If, however, a person has underlying and deep feelings of insufficiency, counseling may be helpful in clearing out the personal debris to free up a person to
be--and to feel--truly successful.

Another knock, I open the door, and again I'm surrounded by monsters who come up to my knees. "Trick or treat!" In the US, October 31 is Halloween, when it's a tradition for parents to take their children knocking on neighbors' doors, to get their bags filled with goodies.

It's too much fun. There's no chance these kids are going to no-show for their appointment with the neighborhood.

Except that there some houses kids just avoid. Just like some of your clients cancel or no-show on you.

Those skipped houses have candy for the kids. You have better than candy for your clients. Why do some kids skip certain houses and some clients skip appointments?

Don't they know how painful it is to be all ready, and have no one show up?

Why a kid would no-show and miss the candy. There was one house in my neighborhood when I was growing up that really did it up for Halloween. Their front yard looked like a grave yard, and the front hallway was filled with dry ice smoke, with a wicked looking witch stirring a huge cauldron waving her pointed fingers for us to come in.

Every year when I was little, I told myself I was going to go up to that house. And every year, when the time came, I never did. It was years before I felt brave enough to face the witch.

You are that witch with the cauldron. Yes, your clients are adults, and yes, they really *should* call in advance to cancel. But, it's hard. Your client made the appointment because they want help, so they aren't really wanting to cancel.

But, when the time comes, they just don't want to go up to the witch with the cauldron. You know you aren't going to eat them, but for them, they're wondering... and because they're adults, they aren't allowed to say 'I'm scared.' Instead, they're 'Too busy.' Or 'Don't have the money.' Or they 'forgot.'

Should you charge them double for pain and suffering? I don't know if Halloween trick-or-treating was something you did growing up, but think about it from the kid's perspective. You're young. You're small. You're dressed in a funny costume. And you're about to knock on an adult's door, someone you might not know at all.

For adults, it's a fun holiday. But for very young children, Halloween can sometimes be a little too real, if an adult doesn't make the effort to make it really clear.

Older, more experienced kids love witches with realistic cauldrons. Young kids don't.

You can avoid cancellations, but not after the fact. Managing cancellations after the fact is so painful to your heart, because almost anything you do is going to feel like punishment to them and to you. And punishment isn't really how you want to run your business, is it?

The truth is, cancellations either happen or don't at the time the appointment is made. So, that's the best time to handle it. And not with strict policies, because that's not what your clients really need.

What they need is to have clear expectations. If you make it clear that the smoke is just dry ice, and that the witch is just a costume, and that there is actually plenty of candy for them, then their fears won't get the better of them.

Are there specific ways to set their expectations, so you don't have cancellations? Yes, as a matter of fact, there are. Just come up to my door, and I'll tell you about them. And I promise I won't boil you in my cauldron.

Keys to Canceling Cancellations.

o Looking through the appointment.

When a client makes an appointment, can they see what comes after? If you take time to explain what kind of benefits and experiences they will have after the appointment is over, then they have something to look forward to, beyond just the experience.

It may seem obvious, but it can be easy to get carried away talking about the work you do, and forget to emphasize how rested and relaxed they'll feel after the treatment you give, for instance.

o Show them the dry ice machine.

The witch in my old neighborhood probably had a lot of fun with the dry ice machine, and perhaps forgot that as a little kid, I had no idea what a dry ice machine is and what it does.

For your clients, explain to them what they can expect, and why. What happens during the appointment? What do they need to do to prepare? Ask, and ask again, if there is anything that they are unsure about, or that they are nervous about. Do your best to empathize with their fears, and soothe them.

o Let 'em go, and learn from 'em.

Despite your best intentions, some people cancel. That's okay. Don't chase them down, or fret about it. If you've put in a good effort to be transparent and safe with them, and they still don't show, then chalk it up to experience.

However, think back over your interactions. Did you have any niggling thoughts early on that they might not be a perfect client, or that they might not be 100% committed? When you are wanting appointments, it's easy to run roughshod over your own intuition.

Make a mental note of any signs you picked up, and add them to your experience, so that you don't ignore them next time. Sometimes clients say "Yes" when they really aren't ready. Your job isn't to force them into an appointment, but to see what they need to be ready.

Every business has some cancellations and no-shows. But, you can keep these to a minimum by coming out from behind the cauldron, and making things as clear and transparent as possible to your potential clients.

It will be a lot more fun when they actually show up for the candy, and you get to work with them.

These are very important aspects to practice and remember with the closed guard. These tips are especially helpful with no-gi.

• When having your opponent in closed guard you don't want to give him any space. Space for him means more opportunities to work a pass.




• As with space you do not want to let your opponent get his posture. When he has his posture he is now able to get his elbows in and head up to work out of your guard.




• You want to get control of your opponent's hips, head, and upper body.




• Always have your legs higher up on your opponent's waist, closer to his upper back. When they are higher up it is much harder for him to sit back and get his elbows in. You also have your hips off the ground, which allows for better movement on the bottom.




• Knock his hand off your body. When he has his hand flat on your body he has the opportunity to push off of you. Like stated before though, if your legs are higher up his waist/closer to his upper back, it is much harder for him to push on your body and regain his posture.




• Pull him in with your legs. Do not rely on using just your hands to pull your opponent in close to you. It will not work. Your hands against his whole body are not an even battle. You want to close your legs tightly around your opponent and bring your knees into you, which will cause your opponent to lunge forward.




• Control his head. This is a really important point. Where ever the head goes the body goes. So you want to try to control your opponent's head most of the time at least until you have moved onto something better. If you have ever experienced someone constantly pulling down on your head while you were in their guard, you would probably agree that it is very frustrating at times. Also when you pull down on their head you want to pull down on the upper back of their head because that is where you get the most leverage. It is much harder to pull down on your opponent's head once you get closer to his neck area. Don't control directly on the neck




• Try to control his arms/shoulders. Immediately when you gain control of your opponent's head and bring him close to you, you want to get control of at least one of his shoulders or arms. This gives you a lot of control. You can either overhook one if his arms or underhook one of his arms, but always remember to keep control of his head.




• After you gain control of your opponent you want to start moving your hips out so you can start working some attacks. Most attacks are going to come from the side or with your hips out. So you need to be a step ahead of your opponent and start moving your hips out right away. The more you stall the more he has to work. Many people make the mistake of not angling out while having a closed guard. It is very possible to have tight control with a closed guard and work angles at the same time.




• Any movements you make, you want to stay tight at the same time. An example would be to place one of your feet on the ground to aid in scooting your hips out, but as you do this you will always keep control of your opponent's head and shoulder/arm. This way he can't sit up. Once you get your hips out you want to immediately get your legs tight around your opponent's body again. Think of yourself as a Boa Constrictor, always on the move but staying tight at the same time.





• If you feel you can't stop your opponent from getting his posture and opening your legs. You need to always open your leg voluntarily before he does. Remember you want to always be a step ahead. If he forces your legs open, he will have the upper hand and will most likely be able to control your legs and hips. Always be ready to react and go into a position if you feel your opponent is going to open your legs.




• When he sits back, try to sit up with him. Remember you always want to be tight. When he goes to push you back, lots of times he will open up an opportunity to gain control.



• Always practice regaining guard control. During your practice sessions work on letting your partners open your guard and work passes. Then fight your way back into guard. First off, always practice your hip scapes (shrimps), this is a really important fundamental movement that is used in a ton of techniques involved in grappling. Secondly, do not let your opponent get control of your legs above your knees, close to your waist. You are in a bad spot if your opponent gains control of your legs close to your hips, or even worse gains control of your hips all together.




• Remember a lot of the grappling game especially on the bottom is in the hips.




• Always practice your backward rolls. These are very important in getting back to your knees if your opponent stacks you up and there is no way for you to stop him from passing your guard. If you can roll back to your knees, you're in a much better position. Also work on getting back to your knees during your grappling sessions so you can increase your reaction time.




• Always practice your shoulder bridges. These are very important for you if your opponent does pass your guard. You can develop the right mechanics and reaction time to bridge into your opponent and back on your knees, or make at least enough space too scoot back into guard.

Also remember that the closed guard can be a great tool and many attacks and advantages can come from it. Remember to work with it. Too many people use the closed guard to just hold their opponent and stall.

An MMA fighter uses his feet more than any other body part, whether it be shifting his position for strategic advantages when facing an opponent, dodging punches, or delivering kicks as an offensive move during a fight. One swift kick can knock an opponent off his feet, and the feet and lower legs take quite a bit of abuse in the process. MMA shin guards are designed to protect these crucial areas, preventing injury while allow the fighter to move and use his legs freely without any restrictions.

This is especially true with kick boxing, or Muay Thai as it is often referred to in Thailand, where it is the national sport of choice. Muay Thai involves rigorous training, and there are a number of kicks, knees, and foot thrusts that a fighter uses to weaken and defeat his opponent. This is why Muay Thai shin guards are so important, since a competitor uses the legs so much more than in other types of MMA competition.

These guards protect all areas of the lower leg, including the knees, calves, shins, and ankles, safeguarding them from serious injury or fracture. In the old days, athletes had only straps and buckles to wrap around the hands, knees, and feet for protection. Since then, the technology in manufacturing protective equipment for fighters has come a long way.

Several vendors now offer MMA shin guards that meet UFC standards for protection and performance during championship matches, including Hayabusa Fightwear, Warrior, and Combat Sports. These companies use ergonomics and applied engineering to make functional protective equipment to improve the quality of the sport and help fighters have long-lasting careers.

Combat Sports is one of the better brands that designs top quality Muay Thai shin guards. Several superior models are available, like their Gel Shock Grappling Shin-Instep Guard. An inner gel lining offers maximum protection among other brands and the guard itself even has neoprene support and lining at the back to help the guards stay in place. They also carry youth guards for younger fighters and Ergonomic Shin Guards for a more basic look with dual hook and loop closures.

Hayabusa Fightwear is another quality brand name that always offers professional quality and utilizes the latest technology. Their Pro Shin-Instep Guards not only look sharp, but are shaped to fit well, protect well, and breathe well, while not being too heavy or cumbersome.

Regardless of the design, MMA shin guards should not hamper the individual - rubbing, pinching, or binding are signs of an ill-fitting guard that should be avoided. Concentration in the ring is of utmost importance, and fighters don't have time to worry about equipment that doesn't perform as well as it should or becomes a weakness that an opponent can capitalize on. It pays to pay special attention to these factors when fitting yourself for a pair of these all-important Muay Thai shin guards.

Likewise, if the guards are difficult to get on or off, the convenience factor is lost. Most vendors size their shin guards for the weight of the athlete, usually in either regular or large. A proper fit is paramount, as a competitor doesn't want his guards to shift or slip off during an intense sequence of moves.