It's Here!

It's finally time to unveil the new League Life blog! Thank you all for supporting us at League Hound! If you have any suggestions on what you would like to see in the new blog let me know!

Here is the link:

http://leaguelife2012.wordpress.com/

New Site In the Works!

Hey guys!

Following in the footsteps of LeagueHound, our blog is also in the process of making some huge changes! I am pleased to announce that we will have a new blog site up and running some time this week. Sorry about the lack of postage today, but I have been working hard on the best site League Life has to offer.

Anything you guys want see? Any topics you'd like to read about? Let me know! I would be more than happy to take any and all suggestions!

Golf

If you are looking for a low-key way to get some sports action in this week, you should try to play a round of golf. I really like this sport because you have to use a lot of discipline and control and really understand the way that you use your body. There are tons of different variations of golf that you could try.

Traditional 18 Hole Course

I think that you have to have either a lot of patience or a great love of the sport for this. Get your friends together and play the whole 18 holes. If you don't have a full set of clubs, there's a good chance that you can rent them at the golf course your playing at. If 18 holes are too many, most courses have the option of only playing 9. Just remember to bring water with you because it can get pretty hot out there on the course.

Mini Golf

This is a great family friendly way to play golf without having to really know how to play the actual sport. Instead of using all of the different methods of moving the ball, you focus mostly on putting which is a lot easier. Mini golf is a lot of fun.

Driving Range

This is my personal favorite way to golf. Whenever I need to let go of some stress, I stop at the driving range by myself and buy a bucket of balls. The purpose of the driving range is to practice your drive (aka your long range shot when you tee off at the start of a hole). You basically get to whack a bunch of balls as hard as you can. Whether you want to practice your technique or just have some fun, it feels really good and it's a great stress reliever.

Frisbee Golf

This is a little different from the traditional game of golf. The rules of the game are the same, but instead of a golf ball, you play with a frisbee. This could be better for you if you are not as good at golf. Sometimes regular golf courses also offer a frisbee golf course, but you can also find them at most local college campus'.

Let us know what your favorite way to play golf is! Never played golf? Give it a try this week. Don't forget to visit our website www.leaguehound.com for leagues in your area. And be on the lookout for a new and improved League Life blog that is on its way!

Three Keys to a Successful and Active Summer

Okay, I know that this post might be a little bit obvious. But with the weather getting warmer, it is always important to remember the three keys to staying healthy this summer. If you follow this blog, you probably lead a pretty active lifestyle. Add the stress of daily life into all of the workouts you do, and it can be easy to forget take care of yourself. If you don't, you can run the risk of serious injury which could be a major setback to your summer fun.

Don't Forget to Stretch!
I am guilty of this one almost every day. No matter what you're doing, whether it's going for a quick jog or playing a game of pickup basketball, you should always stretch before and after. Everyone is always in a huge hurry these days, and it can seem really efficient to cut corners like this. However, in the long run, your body faces the risk of serious injuries such as muscle strains or even ligament tears. What is the best way to get a good stretch in during the day? Yoga. It may seem really girly, but you would be surprised how many professional athletes use this as a way to keep their bodies nice and limber. Give it a try. You won't be disappointed!

Get Enough Sleep!
People with hectic schedules may also find it hard to get enough sleep at night. Doctors say that this is very detrimental to the body. A person who has an active lifestyle should be getting between 7 and 9 uninterrupted hours of sleep. Why uninterrupted? Because your body goes through different cycles while you are asleep. Each of them is important to restoring your body's energy in a different way. If you wake up in the middle of sleeping, the cycle begins all over again. If you have trouble sleeping there are a few ways that you can help yourself to fall asleep. The best way is to get into a routine where  you go to bed and wake up at the same times every day. That way your body knows when it should be sleeping.

Drink Plenty of Water!
This is probably the most important key to success. We can stay alive for a pretty long time without food, but we would never survive more than a week without water. The biggest function of water, is to help remove waste from our bodies. Water helps to cleanse our systems and keep us feeling fresh and ready to go. Without enough water, you can become dehydrated and lose a lot of your energy. You also run a much greater risk for heat stroke. The average adult should consume about eight 8 oz. glasses of water per day. I learned a really helpful tip to keep track of how much water I drink throughout the day from one of my friends. Mark two water bottles with how much water you should have drank by a certain time of day. Here is an example:

No matter what you do this summer, remember to stay healthy and safe! Use these three keys to help you out, and don't forget to visit our website leaguehound.com for some fun leagues to join in your area!

Volleyball

Happy Memorial Day everybody!

Sorry for the late post, but I was spending the day at the East Coast Championship for club volleyball in Pittsburgh. The tournament was three days long, and there was a great turnout with around 250 teams. I used to play in the tournament when I was in high school, but today I went to support my sister and her team, Westmoreland Elite. Volleyball is a great sport to play in an intramural league. In fact, it is one of my all-time favorite sports to play.

Traditional Volleyball

This is the original type of volleyball that is played either inside or outside on a grass or concrete surface. Usually, each team would have six players on the court at once, and the object of the game is to hit the ball over the net so that the other team is unable to return it. The main ways to score points are on the serve and the spike, but there are other ways to play the ball including passing blocking and setting. Volleyball is a non-contact sport, but it is far from low-key. You might find yourself running all over the court diving to make some sweet saves.

Sand Volleyball

This is the same as regular volleyball except that it is usually played with only 2 players on each side of the net. However, this can be changed if you aren't in a really serious league. Playing in the sand is a lot more challenging because it is more difficult to run and jump. When I played volleyball in high school, part of our summer conditioning was playing on a sand court because we got a better workout and it was a lot of fun.

There are two main types of volleyball that I have talked about in the post, but there are all different kinds of ways that you can have a good time without playing the real sport. If it's a hot day out like it was today, get a group of friends together and play in the water to cool off. If you're short handed you can always pepper with just a few friends. What is your favorite way to play volleyball? Let us know! If you are looking for a league to play in check out our website leaguehound.com for one near you! Here are just a few areas offering volleyball leagues:

Cleveland

Syracuse

Queens

Hockey

We are currently in the midst of the semi-finals for the NHL, and I thought that today would be a great time to talk about hockey. Hockey is a very popular sport in the north east, but you don't just have to play it on the ice. There are tons of different ways that you can get involved with the sport.

Ice Hockey

This is the traditional form of hockey played on, you guessed it, the ice. There are six players for each team on the ice at a time, and their aim is to be the team that scores more goals within three periods. A full set of pads is usually required when playing this type of hockey because it can get very physical. The game is a bit harder because you have to be able to skate well but it is a ton of fun!

Street Hockey

Based on ice hockey, this version of the game is played on foot without skates. A puck is rarely used in this form of the sport. Instead, a rubber ball is used. Street hockey is much easier to play, and it is just as much fun as ice hockey.

Field Hockey

Field hockey is a combination of hockey and soccer. It is played on a field that almost resembles a soccer field. There are eleven players on the field from each team at a time, and the purpose is the same as ice hockey. The positions are very similar to soccer but instead of kicking the ball, the players use a stick much like the ones used in ice hockey.

If you are interested in joining a league check out our website, www.leaguehound.com, and see if there are any leagues near you. Here are some of the cities with leagues that you might be interested in:

Albany

Buffalo

Long Island

Manhattan

Cleveland

How to Handle an Upset

First, I just want to say that I am SO sorry about posting this a day late! I had a lot on my plate with track and finals, but I am also glad that I waited because I was able to see the huge upset between the Lakers and the Thunder last night. For those of you who missed it, Oklahoma City won with a score of 119-90 in the first game of the series. Everyone already knew this was going to be a tense game because the last time the two teams played, Ron Artest (otherwise known as "Metta World Peace") knocked out James Hardin with a vicious elbow to the back of the head that left him with a concussion.

There are, however,  a lot of lessons that can be learned from this game. The most important lesson being how to deal with an upset. It's something that a lot of teams face no matter what sport you're playing, and everybody handles the situation differently. Here are some tips on how to deal with an upset with good sportsmanship:

Keep Playing Your Hardest

No matter what happens in the game that you are playing, you should keep playing your hardest. A lot of players tend to give up when things start to go south. They feel as though it is worthless to waste their energy on the rest of the game that they know they are going to lose. This can cause a bad dynamic within the team.You owe it to yourself and your teammates to continue on and hope for that win. 

Don't Abandon Your Team

This is in tandem with the previous tip, but it goes a step further. Some players don't just give up, they completely walk out on their team. World Peace did this at one point during last night's game and I just had to shake my head. When you sign up to be a part of a team, you are a part of that team no matter what and you should always be there for him. I understand that he has anger issues, but he should have just sat himself on the bench and still showed a little support for the team.

Congratulate Your Opponents
This one is a little tricky. We have all been pushed to the point where we do not want to shake hands after a bad loss. But this move really shows maturity and class. It may not be the best feeling in the world, but giving the other team the cold shoulder won't make you feel any better either.

Don't Sweat It

This is the most important piece of advice. I was once on a club volleyball team that had a season of 2-35. My dad would always tell me that "when you look back on these moments as an adult, you will hardly even remember how angry you were after this game." Even if it's an important game like the playoff game between the Lakers and the Thunder, there is nothing else you can do except to get over it and move on to the next game with a fresh start and a new attitude. 

How do you handle a bad loss? What is the biggest upset that you can remember in sports history? Let us know! And don't forget to visit our website www.leaguehound.com!