Fundamentals Of Basketball Defense Essays - Ball Games, Team Sports

Fundamentals Of Basketball Defense No sport moves more quickly or requires as many skills as basketball. Basketball is the most electrifying and most innovative game known to man. The primary objective of the game is to score more points than the opposition by putting a round ball through a circular band, called a rim. On defense, a blocked shot or a steal can lead to a fast break at the other end of the court. On offense, one quick move can result in an easy basket. Good dribbling and passing skill can set up wide-open shots for teammates. But long before players can be become part of the excitement on the court, they must first lean and study the basics. This takes a great deal of practice and attention to detail. The basic skills of dribbling, passing and shooting are essential to the continued improvement of every basketball player at every level. In order for a player or team to become a good offensive player they must have the ball. How do obtain or control the ball you might ask? Learning how to be a solid defe nsive player does this. Consistent winners play good defense, and good defense breeds consistent winning. Fans appreciate and identify with a strong defensive effort, and players respect a strong defensive team. Teams who take pride in, and have patience on defense have far fewer off nights than the team that relies only on offense. Strong team defense builds good team morale. We have seen a good defensive team that wasn't ?together'. Everyone respects a good defensive player especially players. Individual defense can do the following for you: it can give you self-confidence, anyone that wants to pay the price can play good defense. If you are gifted with speed, quickness and basketball sense, you can be a great defensive player. It can build you a reputation of being tough and aggressive. Help you get in the best physical and mental condition. Earn for you the special pride and self-respect you get from playing at both ends. Playing individual defense can also give you the chance to make one of the biggest plays in basketball, drawing the offensive foul. The first myth about playing defense is that you have to have speed and quick feet, which is not true. Defense is played with anticipation, or being aware of what's going on around you, good body balance and basic fundamentals. There are certain fundamentals you have to follow. But anyone can play defense. If you are willing to work and watch what's going on around you, then you can become a solid defensive player. Defense is as much a mental as a physical skill. Rather than play reactive defense a player should be encouraged to be proactive. By emphasizing active elements of defense represented as follows by the acronym ATTACK, proactive defense is encouraged. Each letter of the word stands for a must for us to be our best. A Attitude: It all starts with your attitude. The starting point of all defenses is the determination to become an aggressive, intelligent defensive player. Each player must develop and maintain control of his attitude, especially on defense. T Team: Through teamwork a collective effort of five defensive players is greater than five individual players. T Tools: The three basic tools of defense that is the most important to develop are your mind, body and feet. We play basketball with our mind, body, and feet; and foul with our hands. A Anticipation: Use your basketball sense and judgement. Know when to make your move. Eliminate moves that have little or no chance for success. C Concentration: Be alert and ready to play defense at all times. Make the change from offense to defense quickly. Defense before your opponent has the ball, and it will be much easier. Maintain a basketball position. K Killer Instinct: You must be aggressive on defense. It is essential that you force the opponent to react to you. Do not react to the offensive player. Force that player away from those strengths. Ten Cardinal Rules of Defense 1. Transition (Early recognition ? get the defense set) Quick, organized transition with communication by all five players keys to strong team defense. 2.

Capital Punishment Is it meeting its objectives essays

Capital Punishment Is it meeting its objectives essays Capital Punishment: Is it meeting its objectives? Is capital punishment meeting its objectives? Capital punishment is being applied to deter crimes that involve homicides and to punish the criminals who commit such crimes. Capital Punishment is not carrying out their intentions in a positive form. On the contrary, Capital Punishment is putting many criminals to rest in ways in which many consider to be an atrocity. Society understands that criminals have to be punished for their crimes, but should they be punished by such crucial means that occasionally give a negative impact to the public. This document will relate to, how the system of capital punishment gives the wrong idea to the public, why evidence shows that deterrence doesnt have a huge role in homicide crimes now in days, how does the system of capital punishment give a negative concept on certain points, how discrimination also applies in the system of capital punishment, how does the system of capital punishment, in a certain way, breaks the rights of humans. This paper will prove that capital punishment is not meeting its goals and objectives. The system of capital punishment gives the wrong idea to the public including the young minds of children. Justice occasionally asks for homicide crimes to be paid for by death, using the phrase paid for, which gives two ideas. One, paying with his or her life as if the criminal is debt with the law stating that it is acceptable to murder a person if the person is in debt with someone. Two, showing a sign of revenge as in saying: Ill make you suffer for that(Hugo 272). Capital Punishment provides, to the eye of the public including children, an idea that revenge is not an evil or terrible action. This idea goes against the morals that parents and society has given to children and to themselves as well. This picture of revenge can cause any person in society to kill another person because of reve...

Challenges Using the AQHR Reseac Paradigm at an Outpatient VA Menral Essay

Challenges Using the AQHR Reseac Paradigm at an Outpatient VA Menral Health - Essay Example (WHO, 2007).Other benefits are; reduced stigma, better access to health care since the patient will be treated for co-morbid conditions such as Hiv /Aids , cancer and diabetes. Using this model enhances easier communication with practitioners and better follow-up of mental health disorders. Integrating of mental health care in primary care systems ensures early detection and prevention of mental health disorders (WHO, 2007). There are a number of challenges in using ARHQ recommendations. Time availability is a major challenge and it leads to overworking of the health care workers due to diverse health care programs. Increasing the number of health care providers can help in solving this challenge. The primary health care providers can also feel uncomfortable when dealing with mental disorders. Reluctance when working with mental disorders is also expected (WHO, 2007). Absence of a good referral system between primary health care and secondary care institutions is another challenge as it reduces the effectiveness of mental health care offered at primary care level (WHO, 2007).Another challenge is organization barriers which include lack of administrative support and appreciation of such research paradigm (Cook and Grant, 2002). Therefore, implementing of this research paradigm may be prevented by bad administrative policies. Organizational barriers are in the form of resistance to change and addition of new responsibilities. Lack of enough infrastructure and staff is another challenge and strengthening of the existing health care institutions can help in solving this challenge. This will involve enabling primary health care centers to offer mental health care services. More medical staff should be trained and recruited to increase competence and quality of services offered, Training of human resource ensures easy identification and treatment of mental disorders. However, this requires more resources which may not be available. Lack of sufficient funding is a

Ways We Change Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ways We Change - Essay Example Sometimes, the process of change takes place automatically and sometimes, one has to push himself to be a part of a particular change process as mostly, people are afraid of the consequences of the change and therefore are resistant to it. However, humans have to face the monster of change in every step they take. So, changing is an intrinsic feature of human nature. The foremost reason highly observed for being involved in the â€Å"change process† is, as human beings grow up, they get to understand themselves better; their likes, dislikes, feelings, values, preferences, environment and surroundings. All these things make up his mind whether to change himself or not. The living needs of the world, the circumstances around us and the prerequisites to survive in this competitive world actually pushes an individual to change himself in almost all the areas of life. The change process of anything can be divided into four steps; pre-contemplation, contemplation, action and maintenance. In pre-contemplation, one tries to resist the change process and not thinks about it. Then, in contemplation, one starts to think about changing by weighing the pros and cons of change. Afterwards, in action, one tries to take steps to adopt the change process and lastly in the maintenance stage, one tries to preserve the momentum of the change and tries not to dissuade the change. Human life is full of examples where he/she has to pass through the change process. Educational Traveling is one such example. Mostly, students have to go abroad for higher studies. They have to adapt themselves according to the culture, values, traditions and norms of that particular country and have to adapt themselves to their educational system. Further, talking about marriage, as one gets married, he has to go through an immense kind of change process; he has to mould his habits according to the likes and dislikes of his partner. He has to forgo his careless nature and has to be

Environmental Ethics Essay Example for Free

Environmental Ethics Essay Environmental ethics falls under the discipline of environmental philosophy that studies how human beings relate to their natural environment. This is a wide study that involves a variety of other disciplines such as those that study human relationships, economics, the earth’s structure and biology especially ecology. Human beings being the most superior of all the living things on earth have an ethical obligation to the environment concerning the earth, air, water, other organisms and the human population, both the present and the future generation. Environmental ethics brigs up a variety of issues concerning what, when, how and why we should consider this area of study. Aspects arising include the environment’s moral value, how sustainable are the policies on environmental protection, and how do these apply to the developing nations, and what policies should be put in place to ensure that the environment is safe guarded for the future generation, among others. This topic has been studied by many philosophers through the years, but it only came to be recognized as an independent discipline in 1970, due to awareness of effects of increasing human knowledge on the environment. Growing economics and populations, new technologies and development of industries all have had various adverse effects on nature, although aimed at improving life. The works of Rachael Carson, Paul Ehrlich, Aldo Leopold, among others brought about ethical concerns about the environment. Under environmental ethics, human beings have a duty towards the environment, on protection and conservation as well as having a quality life for themselves. In this context, contentious issues arise as to why we should be concerned about the environment. Should it be for us, the living human beings, the future generation, or for the environment itself regardless of our own benefits? Different personalities offer different answers to this question, hence different views have come up on environmental ethics. The issues of environmental ethics is of growing concern to the government and other institution including United Nations which have come up with incentives to people to value and appreciate nature. Earth Day which is held annually (first held in 1970) continues to create awareness and sensitize people on the value of the environment and why it should be protected. The Moral Standing We cannot handle ethics without reference to moral philosophy, which is concerned with individual behaviors and conducts. the moral standing depends on what is considered ‘right’ or ‘good’ and ‘wrong’ or ‘bad’ by an individual or a society. For instance, different societies have different views on areas like land and animal ownership, rights of the future generation, and many more. Personal conduct with respect to environmental ethics defines how people should interact with nature, regarding its exploitation and conservation. The moral standing of the ethical issues on environment are wholly placed on human beings as they are the only living things who can reason and decide on moral issues. Many of the environmental concerns revolve around man and how these affect him, thus the responsibility of environmental ethics should be solely man’s. Responsibility to the environment implies that we are aware of this task, we are able to do it, we are at liberty to do it or not, and carrying out of the task has an effect to others existing in the environment. This means that we know the damage we can cause to the environment, the effects of this damage and the prevention or solutions to these problems. This gives us a moral significance in environmental ethics, and gives us a central role. The moral standing therefore means we have the moral obligation towards nature and the capability to carry out this responsibility. When we consider environmental ethics, then, look at issues such as: †¢ Should we care about nature for itself while it’s people who really â€Å"matter†?  That is if not for human beings benefit; why else should we conserve the environment? And if depleting the natural resources is necessary for life improvement, why not exhaust it? †¢ Is the loss of biodiversity, destruction of scenic geographical features for human benefit such as in agriculture so harmful to man? Where is the need to conserve a species while it has no chance of survival in the near future due to changes in earth’s patterns? †¢ Is it right for a person to own land, it being a natural resource among others, or is it morally wrong?  Is it fair that 5% of the human population use 30% of natural resources, while in other less countries the population suffers due to lack of the basic resources such as food and clean water? Do these resources exist for the benefit of a few or should they be left free for use by all? †¢ Is it possible for human beings to improve nature, seeing how man seems to have no control over nature when it comes to events such as natural calamities? †¢ Do recent developments in technology relieve us of our duty of protecting the environment? For instance, does biotechnology with potential to create new species, or bring back an extinct species, relieve us of the duty to conserve the biodiversity? Or alternative sources of fuel give us a right to deplete the natural fuel reserve? †¢ Should we let nature take its course as it always has or try and preserve it without assurance that this is of any benefit, or that this only hinders the course of nature? Is there any way that nature can take care of itself without our hand, like self renewal? The main issue surrounding environmental ethics today is the activist movements on environmental protection that focus people on the wrong issues, that is the moral standing is more emotional than factual or logical. The following are essential in discussing environmental ethics and policies. Western Religion and Culture It has been viewed by some philosophers that the Western religion has adversely affected the environment as it teaches that human beings have dominion over the earth and subdue it. Others view this as a command to take care of nature as we have been left in charge. The command given in the bible to the first man â€Å"be fruitful and fill the earth† (Genesis 1:28, Holy Bible KJV) raises the question of population control, is it ethical for the sake of the environment or is it a direct defiance of God’s command? To address this sensitive topic, religion should be understood in context. At the time of the command there was only one man on earth, so he was required to ‘fill’ it, but now the earth is already ‘filled’. Is it logical to still apply the very same principles now as they did then? The culture of a people defines how they relate to and use the environment. Many of the historic events that shape the western culture have had a huge impact on the environment. Events such as the industrial revolution, technological advances and the modern culture have affected the environment. Culture can easily adapt to changing environments, as well as cause permanent change to different environments. The environment is very wide and continuous, while cultural practices are defined by the environment. Therefore it is ethical to put environment before culture, and change current lifestyles towards more nature friendly practices. The future generation Most of the damage to the environment is more likely to affect the future human population. This therefore calls on the currently living humans to consider the rights of those who are not yet born. We might not know exactly what that generation will require but we are well aware of the basic needs of living beings; food shelter and basic health. Based on these we can have a model of what the environment should offer the future human beings. Therefore it is our moral obligation to them to utilize nature as much as we need to but ensure that we do not deny them the enjoyment of the same. Animals Other animals should be considered when addressing environmental ethics, since they are sentient beings, that is are capable of feeling. Although animals come after humans, they have rights and should be considered according to what they are interested in, such as feeding, living in their natural habitat, and allowed their existence. Controversy about animal rights arises in what animals exactly should we grant rights to. For instance, are insects or other smaller animals in this category? Is it right to use animals for laboratory research for medical and other studies to better our lives? The simple answer to this question is that unless it is extremely necessary, animals should not be put at risk or in adverse conditions. The harm to animals should be justified and be limited to a certain allowable level. Ecofeminism Women are seen to be closer and more in touch with nature; this is claimed by feminists concerned with the environment (Cochrane, 2007). This is because of their ability to give life, and the fact that the earth is considered female (Shiva, 1993). Thus this gives them a better understanding of nature and how to coexist in harmony. Val Plumwood, an ecofeminist believe, that feminism should go hand in hand with environmentalism as both women and the environment are under the same oppression. Another feminist argues that the problem is in trying to justify this kind of oppression thus allowing such subordination. When considering environmental ethics and policies, the domination over women and nature is a critical issue that requires attention. Economics and Ecology Economics and ecology usually appear as counter forces. Economy involves trying to allocate the limited resources while ecology looks out to protect these resources. The ever growing human population has placed great pressure on nature and thus their distribution is highly competitive. Market forces have added more pressure to natural resources and their exploitation. Rapid growth of industries has contributed to environmental deterioration. The cost-benefit considers questions like; if nuclear power makes electricity cheaper, should this field be ventured? What is the cost of preserving a forest compared to the cost of exporting timber? These raise challenges when setting up policies on the environment because of the question of cost versus the benefit of environmental ethics. Technology Technology has had a huge impact on human life as well as on the environment. The effects of technology are both beneficial and adverse. The medical, agricultural, communication and energy industries rely heavily on technology to better human life. Technology has the power to destroy nature as well as replenish it. The technological advances that are most potentially harmful include nuclear technology that is able to annihilate nature and biotechnology which has the potential to alter the natural species boundaries. Since all technologies come with potential risks along with their benefits, ethical consideration must be made with regards to the environment. Conclusion  In studying environmental ethics, the first thing is to ask the question ‘what should be done about the current environmental situation and how should it be done? ’ The other consideration is the importance of individual natural resources and how much effort and cost we should dedicate to protecting such. This should be based on facts and not feelings, like and dislikes. It is important that policies be based on an integrated system that has in mind all the components of nature, as well as involvement of the government, institutions and other countries.

John Keats Fear That He Might Cease to Be Essay -- John Keats, poetry

During his last years, Keats ponders about what it would mean to die. He translates this into fears of what he hasn’t yet accomplished and would like to have time to do. This aspect of time is emphasised with the use of the word â€Å"when† at the start of the first three quatrains which is also used in Shakespearean Sonnets. The heading, â€Å"When I have fears that I may cease to be† demonstrates Keats’ belief, or rather, lack of belief in the idea of an afterlife. In the first quatrain of the poem Keats describes his fertile imagination, yearning to have â€Å"glean’d my teeming brain† before it is too late, the image of abundance is instilled with the words â€Å"high- piled† and â€Å"rich.† The paradox of a field of grain is used to depict Keats’ brain being ‘harvested’ of the knowledge into poems of his own creation. In this stanza, Keats reveals his want for fame through his works and his fears of be ing unable to fulfil this in his time. In the second stanza Keats demonstrates his use of nature in poetry. He describes the â€Å"night’s starr’d face† which could refer to Keats contemplating the beauty...

Compare and Contrast Plato and Decsartes Essay

Descartes and Plato are two of the most influential thinkers within philosophy. The allegory of the cave and systematic doubt are also two of the most famous concepts within philosophy. Plato at the time of writing the cave allegory was trying to resist the growing influence of the Sophist philosophers who prioritised semantics and rhetoric over truth.1 Descartes by introducing radical scepticism to philosophy was challenging traditional scholastic philosophy which had dominated the philosophy for many centuries. While both pieces of writing are separated by different ages of time and space, they share many similarities as well as fundamental differences. This essay will attempt to compare and contrast these two bodies of work by firstly explaining what is Descartes’ systematic doubt and Plato’s Allegory of the cave before finally examining the similarities and differences between them in the final paragraph of analysis. Descartes in his first meditation introduces the concept of Radical doubt which similarly places suspicion on the senses and the appearance of things. This involves stripping away all one’s beliefs and preconceived notions in order to find the foundational bedrock of knowledge in which all sciences could then grow. Descartes begins his first meditation by casting doubt on all his beliefs, if a belief can be even slightly doubted it must be discarded. He wants to ‘reject as absolutely false anything in which I could imagine the least amount of doubt3’ this is called radical scepticism where all beliefs must be challenged. Through this experiment Descartes conceded that the physical senses are not to be trusted as they have deceived him before, this is known as sensory deception and this revelation forces him to doubt any beliefs about the external world and knowledge that is gathered by the five senses. His examination also reveals that dreams states can be difficult to  distinguish between waking life, this has happened before where he thought he was in bed but wasn’t. Henceforth one cannot truly know if they are awake observing reality or asleep enjoying a dream, this is known as the dream hypothesis. Descartes also uncovers the evil demon hypothesis whereby all external reality observed may be just an illusion that is perpetrated by an evil demon seeking to deceive him, also there is the problem that all previous memories about oneself could simply just be imagination and not grounded in any reality. The system of radical doubt leads Descartes into murky territory where he cannot believe in the existence of anything at all. This thankfully is changed when he discovers the cogito’ I think therefore I am’, his starting point which saves him from uncertainty, allowing him to prove that he exists. In Plato’s allegory of the cave, there are prisoners who are locked up within the depths of a cave. All day long, they are situated in front of a wall and behind them is a fire which reflects shadows on the wall. Unbeknownst to the prisoners, there are puppeteers who use the firelight to reflect shadows of their puppets upon the wall while making noises ‘the truth would be literally nothing but the shadows’. The prisoners are unaware of this illusion and mistakenly believe these shadows are real images. One day, a prisoner is released from his chains and allowed to walk freely about the cave. Although it is confusing for him to see the puppets and fire, he is forced to accept this clearer version of reality and eventually ascents through the cave, spending a day and night under the sun and the stars. As he becomes familiar with the world above, he realises the sun is the giver of light, how it casts shadows and how his prior life in the cave was an entire illusion. This newfound enlightenment Plato remarks will prevent him from ever returning to the life in cave, nor will his old inmates believe him if he tried to free him, instead ‘they would put him to death5’ This intellectual awakening will cause the inmate to grasp the idea of good, the eternal form which will urge him to act ‘rationally in public or private life6’. Ultimately Plato suggests the inmate should return to his old friends and seek to help them. The cave analogy is concerned with the human condition and its’ lack of enlightenment, for Plato the prisoners represent ordinary citizens who hold false beliefs (shadows), reality is dictated to them by their senses (appearance of things) allowing them to be easily manipulated. Ignorance is then symbolised by darkness and the  intellect and reason is symbolised by the light. The journey of the inmate from darkness to light is a metaphor for education which allows one to progress from the ignorance in the depths of the cave to the intellectual plains of the enlightened one in the outside world. The outer world symbolises true knowledge, the realisation of eternal forms while the cave again illustrates the world of appearance and false beliefs, Woozley writes ‘most men without knowing it live in this shadow world’9 The cave analogy and Descartes systematic doubt have much in common. Both are concerned with the illusory nature of the senses and external reality, for Plato people place too much emphasis on the senses, on the appearance of things as illustrated in by the shadows on the wall, this leads them to hold false beliefs and to be easily misled, only by entering the realm of thought can people free themselves by gaining knowledge and becoming enlightened. Descartes through the systematic doubt also maintains that external reality cannot be truly known; the sensory deception and evil demon hypothesis cast doubt on the authenticity of the outside world. Indeed the evil demon hypothesis is an almost identical scenario to that of the prisoners whose sensory per ception is distorted by the shadow wielding puppeteers. Only through the mind or intellect can an individual overcome the illusory nature of the senses, it allows the prisoner to access the outside world to gain enlightenment and help his fellow inmates while for Descartes the mind by way of the cogito is the one thing that cannot be doubted which through it allows him prove the existence of the outside world in his later meditations. The cave is an analogy which illustrates how people can possess false consciousness and how through reason and knowledge one can overcome this while systematic doubt is an instruction on how to discard false beliefs, the ascent through the cave into the intellectual world is the finishing point for Plato while the cogito for Descartes is a starting point for further investigation. The two authors also differ on the type of philosophy employed in their argument. Plato insists that after the ascent , the prisoner will experience the idea of the good ‘ the lord of light in the visible world, and the immediate source of reason and truth in the intellectual’10 the good then is the highest point of knowledge and represents Plato’s philosophy of perfect types or forms known as idealism, Descartes through highlighting the sensory, dream and demon hypothesis  illustrates how the external world cannot be relied upon as a basis for true knowledge, but the cogito is a start ing point, the attempt to find secure beliefs that allow a foundation for further knowledge to be rested upon is known as Foundationalism which is credited to Descartes. In conclusion, both Descartes and Plato in their attempts to challenge the prevailing doctrine of their respective times introduced two of the most influential concepts in the world of Philosophy. Descartes through his examination of systematic doubt uncovers the limitations of the physical senses in acquiring knowledge and introduces further challenges to understanding external reality with the dream, memory and evil demon hypothesis. Only through the mind alone can one grasp the nature of reality starting with the cogito. Likewise Plato is concerned with the appearance of things, how the senses can deceive us and humanity like the inmates in the cave can live in a state of ignorance or darkness if they don’t use the power of the mind to acquire knowledge and reason. Only through using the intellect can humanity gather true knowledge and escape the darkness in the cave. For both the intellect is the only means for gathering true knowledge, the senses are illusory. Descartes s ystematic doubt and cogito provide the foundational starting point for the sciences while the cave allegory offers advocates a way of life for humanity to feign the world of ignorance and seek true knowledge so that those who acquire it will return to the cave and help their fellow man. Works Cited: Annas, Julias. An Introduction to Plato’s’ Republic. New York: Oxford University Press Cottingham, John. Descartes: Meditations on First Philosophy. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2013 Cottingham, John. Ed. Ray Monk. Descartes’ Philosophy of Mind. London: Phoenix Publishers, 1997 Plato. The Allegory of the cave. Week 5 Handout Woozley, Anthony. Plato’s Republic: A philosophical commentary. London: MacMillan Publishers, 1989