How To Shoot a Free Throw in Basketball

Olympics Day 6 Basketball. Digital image. Setemagali.com/. N.p., n.d. Web. <http://setemagali.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/Olympics+Day+6+Basketball+E7pzhskLN_al.jpg>.

Today, I am going to show you the steps and form needed to shoot a free throw. Free throws are used in basketball after someone gets fouled in the process of taking a shot. It is an unimpeded attempt at a basket from the free throw line worth one point, awarded to the player who got fouled. With practice, you can become a great free throw shooter. Here are the steps: 

1) Step Up to the Line - Place your shooting hand leg even to the basket. Neither of your feet can cross the line, or else it is a violation. 

2) Feet Shoulder Width Apart - I personally like to place my right foot a little bit in front of my left foot (as a right-handed shooter). 

3) Toes Facing the Basket - Your toes should be directly facing the basket. 

4) Form an "L" with your shooting arm - Your arm should form an "L", with your shooting elbow in the middle. 

5) Bend your knees - This is where the power for your shot comes from, as you shouldn't jump when you shoot a free throw. 

6) Shoot - Extend your legs, as well as your shooting elbow. Snap your dominant wrist. This should be a fluid motion. Your non-dominant hand should be on the side of the ball for balance, but fall back to your side during the follow through. Keep your shooting wrist flicked up in the air after the shot. 

Free Throw Steps. Digital image. Media.focusonthefamily.com/. N.p., n.d. Web. <http://media.focusonthefamily.com/blogmedia/images/jim-daly/freethrow1.jpg>.

Boston Red Sox are World Series Champions

The Boston Red Sox defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 6-1 in Game 6 in order to finish them off and win the World Series. The Red Sox won the series 4-2 after being down 2-1.  This is the first time that the Red Sox have won the World Series at Fenway Park since 1918. They completed one of the best seasonal comebacks ever, going from last place in their division last year, to World Series champions this year. They won 69 games the whole year in 2012, but won 97 this year, tied for the best record in baseball with the Cardinals. To help improve their team, they signed Shane Victorino, Mike Napoli, Koji Uehara, and many others during the offseason. Part of the reason that this World Series was so important to the city of Boston was because of the Boston Marathon bombings. Since the bombings, Boston players have donated money to the victims and also visited them in the hospital. At the World Series parade in Boston, the Red Sox players set down the famous trophy at the marathon finish line.

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Going back to the final game of the year, though, Victorino had a bases-clearing double to put the Red Sox ahead 3-0. The crowd, as expected, was going crazy. Stephen Drew,also a new addition to the team, hit a solo home run in the 4th inning to pad the lead. In this game, every single run was batted in by someone who had just signed with the Red Sox in the offseason. This shows what a great job the Boston front office did in bringing in all of these players to change their team. John Lackey, who has struggled in previous years, pitched 6.2 innings and only gave up 1 run. The World Series MVP was David Ortiz, who had one of the best World Series in history. He reached base in 19 of his 25 plate appearances, which is usually completely unheard of. He is the only player on the Red Sox to have been on the team since the Championship of 2004, and it showed.

Boston Red Sox Heading to the ALCS

In Tampa Bay, The Boston Red Sox beat the Tampa Bay Rays 3-1 in game 4 of the American League Division Series to move on to the American League Championship Series. The Red Sox also won the series 3 games to 1. The Red Sox headed into the playoffs with the best record in the American League, while the Rays just barely made it through, as they won their final 3 games to reach the postseason. 

In game 4, the Rays used 9 pitchers, setting the postseason record for pitchers during a game of only 9 innings. For the Red Sox, Jake Peavy started the game and he pitched 5 and 1/3 innings, giving up 1 run. 

The Rays started out with a 1-0 lead, until the Red Sox piled up some runs on the Rays relief pitchers. Xander Bogaerts, a rookie for the Red Sox, pinch hit for Stephen Drew during the game and ended up scoring 2 of Boston's 3 runs. Jacoby Ellsbury, who is playing through a stress fracture in his foot, ended up having 9 hits through these 4 games. He played a crucial role in their success. As for the Rays, Yunel Escobar had a great performance in game 4, going 3 for 3 with a double and the Rays' only run. He was one of their only solid players during this game, which was surprising, considering that the Rays were 4-0 during their previous elimination games. I guess that they couldn't overcome Boston's firepower. 

Goodall, Fred. Red Sox beat Rays 3-1 in Game 4 to reach ALCS. 2013. Photograph. Yahoo! Sports Web. 9 Oct 2013. <http://sports.yahoo.com/news/red-sox-beat-rays-3-043429318--mlb.html>.

Boston Red Sox Eliminate Yankees from Division Race

 Boston Red Sox Eliminate Yankees from Division Race

On Sunday, September 15, the Boston Red Sox eliminated the New York Yankees from the division race with a 9-2 win in Boston. The Red Sox are now 12.5 games up on the Yankees with only twelve games left to play. The Yankees have not been eliminated from the division race this early since 1992, and they have won 13 of the last 17 AL East divisions. Before the game, Boston honored the Yankee pitcher Mariano Rivera, who is going into the Hall of Fame and is in his last season in the big leagues. 

Golen , Jimmy . Red Sox win 9-2, eliminate NY from AL East race. 2013. Photograph. Yahoo! Sports , Boston . Web. 16 Sep 2013. <http://sports.yahoo.com/news/red-sox-win-9-2-033647359--mlb.html>. 

In the first inning, Mike Napoli hit a 2-run homer to give the Red Sox a 3-1 lead. The Boston pitcher was Clay Buchholz, who allowed one run (unearned) through six innings of baseball. Buchholz made his second start since coming off the DL, where he missed about three months of pitching due to a shoulder injury. He is now 11-0 with a 1.51 ERA. Daniel Nava was also a big part in the Red Sox win, as he went 4-5 with 2 doubles. Jarrod Saltalamacchia, who happens to have the longest last name in Major League history, stole home after Xander Bogaerts drew the throw to second base while Saltalamacchia was on third base. That gave the Red Sox a 4-1 lead, and they never looked back after that, going on to score 9 runs and demolish the Yankees.

Gareth Bale to Super-Team Real Madrid

 Gareth Bale to Super-Team Real Madrid

This is All Sports All the Time, the newest sports blog on the web. I, Andrew Kimball, am a 9th grader at Windsor High School. For the first time ever, I will be writing online. This is my first blog, and it will have a topic of sports. I will write about many types of sports, from the MLB, NBA, NFL, to international soccer. Topics that will be written about can range from typical game recaps, to breaking news stories involving sports. The first topic I will be writing about involves internationsl soccer, with Gareth Bale being transferred to Real Madrid. 

 

 Madrid Move A Dream Come True: Bale. 2013. Photograph. Dhaka Tribune, Dhaka. Web. 2 Sep 2013.

 

Real Madrid, a huge soccer club in Spain, has finally bought Gareth Bale, 24, after weeks of speculation. Bale was bought from the Tottenham Hotspurs in England. He was bought for 100 million Euros, the largest price for a transfer in the history of soccer. There has been weeks of rumors that Bale was going to Madrid, but nothing was ever official until now. It has been Bale's lifelong dream to play for Real Madrid. At his introductory press conference, a picture was shown of Bale as a child with a Real Madrid jersey.

I think this story has two sides to it: a great one and a sad one. The great part about this is that Gareth Bale, from Wales, finally gets to live his lifelong dream of playing for Real Madrid. He also gets to play with Cristiano Ronaldo, one of the greatest players in the world. The sad part of this story is the money involved and who's spending it. First of all, 100 million Euros can be used for much better things than purchasing the rights to a professional athlete. Second of all, it's a shame how all the richest professional clubs can be spending money and just buying players that other clubs have developed. Overall , it's a great move for Gareth Bale and Real Madrid, but 100 million Euros is a bit ridiculous.