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Elite Athletes and the Steps it takes to become one

Do you want to know how all the great athletes such as Michael Jordan, Lebron James, and Kobe Bryant that you watch and idolize on TV became such great athletes? Well the answer is simple, it’s all about training.  Every athlete no matter what sport you play or what level you play on has some type of workout plan or regime.  Although a lot of their abilities are God given talent the other half is training and practice.  For example Michael Jordan was not all of sudden able to dunk from the free-throw line over night, he trained.

The first step to becoming an elite athlete is setting up a workout plan that caters to the needs of the skills you will need for your sport.  An example of that is a basketball player working out during pre-season might have a planned  something like this 6 days a week for 60 minutes Day 1: Back, Biceps Day 2: Chest, Triceps Day 3: Legs Day 4: Back, Biceps Day 5: Chest, Triceps Day 6: Legs The purpose of this phase of exercise is to gain muscular size. Make sure to change up the intensity and reps every week.  That is only an example of one work out, Kobe Bryant a Five time NBA champion, two time NBA finals MVP, twelve time   NBA all-star, and the list goes on.  Kobe Bryant is an elite athlete to say the least, his work out plan consists of six days a week, six hours a week, two hours of running, one hour of cardio vascular training and one hour of weight lifting.

Running is an important part of any athlete’s workout plan regardless of the sport you play. For example, Kobe Bryant changes up the way he runs when he trains sometimes he does sprints or distance on the track or cross country field, or sometimes running on the basketball court.  Another example of how important running is in sports is Peyton Manning two time Super Bowl winner, ten time Pro bowl winner, record holder runs after his work intense work out regimen.

Working out is one of the most important parts of becoming an elite athlete, but you cannot be an elite athlete if your mind is not where it needs to be. Yes! There are psychological aspects to being an elite athlete.  What drives athletes to want to win? What makes athletes strive to break records? The answer is one word motivation. There are many types of motivation; there is intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, competence motivation. Intrinsic motivation is the motivation that comes from inside of the athlete. For example a player who enjoys playing the sport because he loves the game, not because of money or rewards. Extrinsic motivation is motivation that comes from an outside source such as money, rewards or fame. Competence motivation is an athlete’s belief that they are competent which leads them to want to try new tasks, an example of that would be a basketball player who is confident in his mid-range shooting try’s to expand his range to become a good three-point shooter. A prime example of competence motivation would be Michael Jordan, critics told him that he was to offensive minded so he won defensive player of the year five  times.   Another key factor to being an elite athlete is flow. Flow is the highest level of motivation that one can possibly reach when competing, the athlete becomes fully immersed in a energetic focus and the athlete does not even realize how wrapped up they have become. When an athlete’s experience flow it is like nothing else , they are able to shut out their surroundings and just focus on the game.  A great example of flow is Michael Jordan on the day of the 1997 NBA finals against the Utah Jazz woke up feeling nauseated and sweating profusely.  Chicago Bull’s trainers told Michael Jordan he could not play but he decided to anyways, Jordan showed up to the arena visibly sick but he dropped seventeen points in the 2^nd quarter. The jazz gained an 8 point lead but late in the game Jordan led them on scoring run he finished the game   with 38 points and played for 44 minutes and only rested for 4 minutes. He did not collapse until the end of the game when he fell in Scottie Pippen’s arms.  That was an example of  intrinsic motivation because he was playing because he wanted his team to win the final’s and flow because he became so wrapped up in the game he forgot he was sick. That’s why those are two key factors in being an elite athlete, an average athlete would sit out or only play a few minutes but an elite will try their best to play the whole game.

After reading this paper you will now know what it takes to be an elite athlete and how they are made.  You know how they train, how they think and what drives them.

 

 

Malcolm X

There are many different definitions of freedom.    Some feel that there is no correct definition of freedom and that it changes depending on where you are or who you ask.  My definition of freedom is having the ability to control your own life and make your own decisions without the influence or control of others.   In some places in the world, people are forced by law to practice certain religions.  For example, in Saudi Arabia, in which the primarily religion is Muslim, there is a great intolerance for the practice of other religions.  In fact they prohibit the public worship of other religions.    Historically speaking, freedom may be defined as not being owned as a piece of property, which occurred during slavery time in the U.S.  Also, for some groups in our society, freedom could mean having a choice , such as those who favor abortion.

For certain groups in our society, freedom may mean having the ability to vote in elections, being able to attend de-segregated schools, or being able to drive without being racially profiled.  For other groups, such as teenagers, freedom may mean being able to drive, stay out late or going away to college to live on their own.

For others, such as those in the media, having freedom of speech is important to them.  Some would prefer not to have their music, commentaries or news stories monitored, as they believe in freedom of speech.

In Homeboy, which  comes from  The Autobiography of Malcolm X,  he discusses the transitions he went through after moving to Boston from Mason, Michigan and how he quickly discovered the differences in personal freedom and culture when his sister encouraged him to explore the town.  His sister lived in an upper middle class black suburb, and the people living there glorified their menial jobs.    He also referred to them as “snooty” and they called themselves “The 400”.   Malcolm is drawn to the more urban area called Waumbeck and Humboldt Avenue Hill, which he compared to Harlem’s Sugar Hill.  He felt freer there because they acted like themselves instead of putting on a front.  He felt he had the type of freedom that allows you to be yourself, and not feel pressured by other cultures to conform to their way of life.   Although he later admitted that he was not free as he initially thought, as he began to put conk in his hair to make it look like that of a white man’s.  He did not have the freedom to accept himself as he was.  He felt the pressure from his peers and friends, such as Shorty, to do use the conk and become part of that lifestyle.  Malcolm describes the physical pain he endured so that he could feel the pride of belonging to Roxboro Hill. However, he later realized that the pain he suffered for his hair was just a deceptive method used. It helped them ignore the real problems of being manipulated to cause harm to themselves by white society so that they could  fit the  white standard  or mode of beauty,  instead of having the freedom to accept themselves as they were.

In High Windows, a poem by Phillip Larkin, the author discusses how each generation has more freedom than the next.  He reflects back on the freedom that youth had to be sexually active. As the poem progresses, Larkin talks about how with every generation, it becomes more acceptable. Larkin writes the poem as an envious onlooker.  He talks about how during past generations young people did not have the freedom of those today to be open about sex. They were looked down on by the church which was very conservative. Future generations had more freedom because of birth control pills and other forms of contraceptives which allowed them to not have to worry as much about the consequences of their behavior.

In conclusion, there is no one type of freedom.  This was described in the two different literary pieces:  Homeboy by Malcolm X, and High Windows by Phillip Larkin. Malcolm X and Phillip Larkin where not addressing the same kind of freedom. The freedoms that the authors address are similar but different at the same time.  Both of them are similar because they are addressing a type of personal freedom but for different reasons.  The freedom Malcolm X addresses is the freedom for individuals to accept themselves as they are and not feel the pressure from society to conform to their standards and not feel like they are beautiful as they are naturally.  They would not have to dye their hair, or conk it to make it look like that of a white man. Nor will they have to lie about the importance of their job to feel that they fit in a place in society. Phillip Larkin was talking about the type of personal freedom in which young people who were not married could be sexually active and not have to worry about being criticized by the members of the church and by the priest.  He believes the latest generation has the freedom that everyone else dreamed of.  Malcolm X and Phillip Larkin had to make two different kinds of sacrifices. Malcolm X had to endure pain and become older and wiser to gain freedom.  His sacrifices consisted of enduring pain to be someone he was not, and taking menial jobs to be a part of lifestyle that was not what he wanted to be.  It took years for him to realize it.  The sacrifices that Phillip Larkin made were being criticized by a conservative church and priest. He, like Malcolm X , had to reflect on the past.  Freedom is a universal feeling, right, feeling and state of being that people have always wanted and searched for.  No matter the generation, or race of the people, everyone wants it.

 

 

 

 

 

Role Models in Sports

Should Professional athletes be role models? That is an age old question; there really is not a correct answer to that question because it is more of an opinionated question than a straight forward one.  Athletes are often considered role models because they are not only extremely gifted, highly paid and highly respected but there always the center of media attention. Every time you turn on your television you see a professional athlete endorsing a product, being broadcast playing their sport, showing off their riches on television shows like MTV Cribs where they show their lavish multi-million dollar homes with 80 inch screen TV’s in every room, personal movie theatres, full court basketball courts outdoor and in, football fields in their back yard and half million dollar cars.   What young up and coming person or child would not look up to that?

In sports there are what considered to be good and bad guy’s, the good guys are the athletes who are considered to be positive role models. These athletes who are considered to be positive role models exemplify traits such as staying out of legal trouble, donating money to charities, volunteering in the community and maintaining a positive image.  For example athletes like Dwane Wade who is a star player for the Miami Heat and is well known for his philanthropy. In 2003 he founded The Wade’s World Foundation, which provides support to community based organizations that promote education, health, and social skills for children in ask risk situations.  He is a good example of what a good role model should be for children because he is successful, maintains a good image, gives back to the community and helps the needy.

There are some athletes who managed to stay in the public eye for all of the wrong reasons. Examples of these athletes are Michael Phelps, Michael Vick, O.J Simpson and Ben Roethlisberger. Michael Phelps who is an Olympic gold swimmer won 16 gold medals. Michael Phelps was adored by many and had many sponsorships such as Kellogg’s and Subway. Phelps’s has a somewhat lengthy   list of things that role model’s should not do.  The list includes getting a DUI at the age of 19 in Salisbury Maryland and then in early 2009 tabloids surfaced a picture of him smoking marijuana from a bong. The picture caused him to lose an endorsement with Kellogg’s, which caused him to have his picture removed from millions of boxes of cereal, Subway took his picture of their website and was also suspended from competition and denied finical support for three months from USA Swimming.  Michael Vick a once star quarterback for the Atlanta Hawks served 23 months in prison for operating a dog fighting ring.  He lost many sponsors including Nike and Coco Cola because he did not suit there company image and did not set a good example.  O.J Simpson a star NFL player was accused of murder and was the center of a big media frenzy, many believed that he did commit the murder although he was found not guilty many believed that he was guilty. He later would for kidnapping and robbery charges in Las Vegas Nevada.  Ben Roethlisberger a super bowl wining quarterback for the Pittsburg Steelers was accused of raping three women which led to suspension from the NFL because he violated the NFL personal conduct policy. These are just a few athletes who make people feel that athletes should not be role models because their behavior was less than acceptable.

I personally believe that professional athletes should and can be good role models.   It takes hard work, determination,   skill, faith, and confidence these are all traits that can be admired. If you look at athletes such as Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan they are the prime example of why athletes should be role models. They used sports as a tool to make it far in life, give back to their community and be wise business men. Magic Johnson a NBA legend and successful business man now owns Magic Johnson Enterprises that has a net worth of $700 million.  He also is a activist for HIV/AIDS and created the Magic Johnson Foundation to help combat HIV/AIDS. Michael Jordan a NBA Legend now owns a show widely popular shoe line and is the Majority owner of a NBA team.   In conclusion athletes should be role models because they show that if you work hard enough anything is possible, you can go form a nobody to a star athlete to a business owner and philanthropist.

 

 

I choose to write my blog about …

 

I choose to write my blog  about racism, it is a very controversial but an old topic.  It has been around for probably as long as people have been living. Racism is defined as race based prejudice, violence, dislike, discrimination or oppression.  How can I relate to this issue?  I can relate because for most of my life I have lived in southern states, it is well known that the south has more problems with racism then the north and the west.

 

I can personally say that I have experienced racism directed towards me and witnessed it direct towards other people.  My first experience ever was in first grade, in Mrs.  Class and she told us to name an important figure in history. I chose Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  When I told her that I had chosen him she told me that he was not important. Another child in the class chose Christopher Columbus and the teacher told him that his answer was a great choice that Christopher Columbus actually was an important part of history.  Another experience of mine with racism was when I was in middle school, one of my white class mates  a little white boy named Logan called  me a stupid “n word” when I told the teacher nothing was done although I was highly offended.  Once again the same student called me the same name once again so I decided to do the right thing and tell the teacher this time the teachers took the situation more serious. The teachers called the principal and the guidance counselor. The only thing they did was warn him and told him not to say it again. That highly offended me because of how lightly they took the situation, the administrators treated it as if he had called me dumb or a childish insult.

It may be the twenty-first century and the United States elected their first black president, racism is still a major issue in today’s society.  Some people believe that racism has faded away but that is obviously not the case if you watch the news, read various internet blogs or even different radio talk shows where callers call in and express their views on different controversial topics.  For example Rush Limbaugh a popular conservative radio host on several instances has made racist remarks about the president, blacks, and other races.   A prime example of is Rush Limbaugh called Barrack Obama “Barack the magic negro.” I personally believe that it is completely inappropriate to talk about the president in that manner his race does not change the fact that he is the president. Another situation that shows that racism is still prevalent in today’s society is The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission received 29,000 complaints in 2003 of racial bias in the work place.    A CNN news poll reported that most Americans black and white still see racism as a lingering problem in the United States in the twenty-first century.

I think racism affects society in many different ways.   One way that racism affects society is that it causes hatred between races, communities, and different groups. For instance you have hate groups like the KKK and the Neo-Nazi’s.  Racism also effects education by denying equal opportunities to those of color. Most predominately black schools are underfunded which leads to unqualified teachers, insufficient learning materials and many more problems. Racism is also a major problem in employment.  An example of this is 10.7% African-Americans are unemployed as to 4.1 percent of whites in 1995.

Hopefully one day Dr. Martin Luther King j.r’s dream will come true and racism will be nonexistent and an out of date thought and concept.  People will no longer struggle to find jobs because of their race.  Individuals will not have to worry about being called out of date racist names.

 

Main points of article: 1) Playing ga…

Main points of article:

1)    Playing games, watching and participating in activities that show cruelty and bloodshed maybe therapeutic. Watching the violence on the page or the screen helps us understand death. Gerard Jones the author of “Killing Monsters” explains that watching it is the same reason is why young children need fantasy, and make-believe violence. He says that with them letting out this rage with imaginary combat with a violent protagonist they satisfy a need to release a rage that can apply to life’s challenges.

 

 

2)    A study done by Lawrence Kutner and Cheryl K. Olson, founders of the Center for Mental Health and Media (a division of the Massachusetts General Hospital Department of Psychiatry), and members of the psychiatry faculty at Harvard Medical School found that since the use of video games has drastically increased in the last two decades that the juvenile crime rate has actually fallen.

 

 

3)    Youth have always been drawn to things that people may find disgusting. Even if the state of California placed a ban on violent video games youth would still be able to occupy their idle hands with such vices as online porn, cigarettes, beer and television.

 

 

 

 

 

How article is relevant to psychology:  This article is relevant to psychology by discussing how social influences affect children. Also it discusses if social influences can promote behaviors that are found deviant by most of society. This article is also relevant to psychology because it ties into the attribution theory.  The attribution theory explains someone’s behavior by crediting either the situation or the person’s disposition. The  violent video games would be the situation that is blamed for the individual’s behavior.

 

 

 

 

Conclusion: In conclusion the author discuses  how violent video games  can be therapeutic and they are not the blame for all of the violent problems in today’s society, in actuality  a study done showed that since the increase of  popularity of violent video games in the last two decades the juvenile crime rate has actually decreased. Also violent video games can be therapeutic because it helps the individuals who are witnessing the violence cope with death and by participating in the fantasy violence it allows them to release a  rage that they can apply to real life problems that can help them cope.

I found this article fascinating because I played a lot of video games when I growing up and sometimes I still do when i have the free time.  I also found it fascinating because growing my Mom would often times not let me play violent video games because she did not want it to influence me in any type of way.  I can also remember watching  the news and hearing about youth committing crimes such as stealing cars or going to school beating up or stabbing and even sometimes shooting school mates and the police and other people such as school principals would blame it on violent video games such Grand Theft Auto, Bully, Tomb Raider and a long list of other  violent video games.   I want to see   how research like this effects the video game industry in several ways.  I want to see how it effects what kind of games that  the companies will develop and who they will market them to. I also want to see  how it effects the rating of video games, there is  system to rating call ESRB or better known as Entertainment Software Rating Board. They control all of the ratings and what is suitable for who. Now that people are starting to see trends like this article I wonder how it will effect the ratings of games will more violent games  become deemed more suitable for younger children. Who knows only time will tell.

 

 

Iron Mike V.s The Real Deal

The date was June 28^th, in 1997 in Las Vegas Nevada at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.  Iron Mike Tyson versus The Real Deal Holyfield or also known as Evander Holyfield, in the previous fight between them which was seven months earlier Evander Holyfield faced Mike Tyson as the underdog. Evander Holyfield knocked down Mike Tyson in the sixth round, and scored a TKO over Tyson in the eleventh round which was only the second time it ever happened to Tyson.

The fight began with Holyfield dominating Tyson. Holyfield won the first round and the second on.  Two minutes and nineteen seconds a over hand right jab from Holyfield shocked Tyson but Tyson automatically responded sending Holyfield backwards.  With thirty two seconds left in the second round, Holyfield ducked from a wild right swing from Tyson; with Holyfield moving penetrating forward with his head, their heads clashed making a large cut over Tyson’s right eye. Tyson had complained to officials multiple times about head butting from Holyfield.

It is almost the end of the second round the third round is approaching rapidly.  As the round is about to start the   Tyson inserts his mouth piece, got back into his famous southpaw position and the round begins.  Mike Tyson come out in the third round with a furious almost enraged melee.

With forty seconds left in the round Holyfield puts Tyson in a clinch, and Tyson elevated his head above Holyfield and did the unthinkable, biting Holyfield on his right ear tearing a one inch piece of cartilage from his ear, and to add further insult he spits the piece of cartilage into the floor of the ring. You can look at the expression on Holyfield’s face and see both the anger and the pain.  Every single spectator was stunned in amazement, even the referee looks flabbergasted by what just happen and you know that threw out your career as a official in professional boxing you would have to have seen some gruesome things but I am sure that has to be the most gruesome of them all, his facial expression tells it all. You can tell that Holyfield is in so much pain that he does not even has his eyes closed in a regular manner, they are squinched together tightly and you can tell that he is gritting his teeth together although he wearing a mouth piece, how tight the muscles in his jaw are gives it away.

This single moment will forever be remembered in sports history as the most shocking and one of the most gruesome. Tell this day this moment is still brought up whenever boxing is discussed. The name of the match is ironic; it was promoted as The Sound of Furry ,  it almost to a certain level can be a bad joke the sound of furry sounds like having your ear bit off.

Factors of the person I want to be

When we are little we all say we want to say we want to be a doctor,lawyer,fire fighter or an astronaut.  If you think about it even then we knew thee characteristics of what we wanted to be, a little boy might want to be a police officer so that he can catch bad guys. I have wanted to be a doctor since I was a little kid. I never really knew what kind of doctor exactly I did not know what exactly I wanted to be tell near middle and high school. I want to be sports medicine physician/orthopedic surgeon. I do not want to be a doctor because of the money, I want to be one so that I can help people.  The factors of the person I want to be is a educated person, a  giving person, some one who makes a difference in their community and some one that is successful.  I want to be known as someone who is educated because knowledge is power the more you know the farther you can go in life.  I want to be a giving person because most doctors make a lot of money  $297.000 to $500,000.  I would like to donate to different charity’s and be a sponsor to different local sports teams(high school, middle school, aau or recreational).  I also would like to be somewhat involved in the church because it is good to be religious and the church is a great way to both become involved in the community and give back to the community. Most churches have things where the feed the homeless, do clothing drives,  raise money for different important causes such as some one who needs help paying their bills or to help pay for an important medical procedure.  Overall the person I want to be is like the song by Drake and Trey Songz successful.  I do want the money, who does not want enough money to blow on any giving whim and not  miss it. I want several cars, expensive cars such a Lamborghini, Porsche or a Ferrari.  I also want to own a huge house that sits on a nice amount of land.  Now of these things do not equal success but they are things that come along with the person I would like to be in the future.

A Sad Homecoming

On October 30th, 2010 the University of North Carolina Pembroke  celebrated their homecoming.  All threw out the week different festivities had been going on. There was a concert. a comedy show, a fashion show, a dance tailgating, a haunted house and a few other activities. The homecoming spirit was somewhat running threw out campus but not in a major way.  Often times during homecoming show the most school pride during the football games which is one of the oldest traditions. UNC- Pembroke played Concord for their homecoming game. I attended the game expecting to see a lot of school spirit.   A few people were tailgating showing school spirit and what not, maybe even a few alumni.  That is somewhat sad because its homecoming  it is both the students and alumni jobs to show as much as school spirit  and pride for the institution that they graduated from or currently attend.  Instead I experienced the exact opposite a lax amount of school pride, no one really cheering for the home team and people murmuring negative comments about the home team.  UNCP trailed all  threw out the game.  Near the end of the game it became close. The home team had possession of the ball with only a few moments left on the clock the quarterback throws   an interception which is return for a touch down causing the home team to loose on its homecoming. The final score was 30-26 while that is not a horrible loss or a humiliating blowout any loss is a bad loss considering it is homecoming and you had the chance to win.   All athletes know that the worse losses are not blow outs but the close ones are the worst.  I witnessed more chanting and love by fans for concord than   for Pembroke, which I found sort of  strange and saddening. I personally believe that if the crowd had been more behind the team even when they mad bad plays that they could have pulled off and won the game. I know personally as an athlete and a spectator that some of the best   games and amazing performances happen when the home crowd is rowdy and cheering on the home team.  The excitement from the crowd and fellow teammates can serve as a form of motivation. There is nothing like looking into a big crowd of people and fans and see them cheering either you or your team on, it kind of motivates you to want to show off a little bit almost like a visual gift to the crowd and spectators for cheering you on.  This why I called it a sad homecoming because of the lack of enthusiasm from the crowd and the students and maybe even some of the alumni.    I also called it sad because of the lost, although we are not the first or will be the last school to loose our homecoming game.  Hopefully the basketball team can have a better season than the football team and win all of their important rivalries. Last but not least I know that we all hope that we can win our homecoming game next year.

We The Kings and J.Cole Pringles Tour

On Thursday, October 21st,2010 the University of North Carolina at Pembroke held a concert in the Jones Health and P.E Center.  Two artists performed. The first artist that performed was a group by the name of We the Kings who is a power pop group from Bradenton, Florida who formed in 2003.  They are currently signed to S-Curve records. The group consist of singer/guitarist Travis Clark, bass guitarist Hunter Thomsen and drummer Danny Duncan.  The group of musicians have been friends since they were children and the name of their group comes from the Junior High School’s mascot the “Kings”.  We the Kings started the concert with their performance first. I can not remember what song they did first, the band sounded pretty good.  The lead singer did not sound so well because he was obviously intoxicated like most rock stars do its almost like a tradition. Even though  the lead singer was not in his prime, him and his fellow band mates tried their best to make sure that they did a good job entertaining the crowd.  It seemed as if some of the crowd was enjoying their performance but a large majority of the crowd was ready for J.Cole  to come out and perform. It almost seemed if We the Kings could also sense it, so they tried to switch it    up a little bit by bringing a guest on the stage to help them perform their version of a popular hip-hop song by Lil Wayne called ” a Millie”.  The Crowd really enjoyed the song, you could tell by the excitement from the crowd. After We the Kings performed a couple of their songs for about an hour J.Cole took to the stage which was what mostly everyone was waiting for.  J.Cole started off his performance by letting a couple people from his band play around making different beats and playing different tunes. I honestly was impressed with his dband, they had a lot of talent and sounded pretty good.  After his band warmed up he stared performing a couple of songs from one his first mix-tapes called “The Warm up”.  J.Cole was impressed by how many true fans he had when he looked into the crowd and realized how many people knew the words to all of the songs he was performing. You tell by the look on his face that he was almost ecstatic about how many people of all races knew his music. I imagine that is one of the greatest feelings to  be a performer and walk on to stage and automatically be cheered on by hundreds maybe even a thousand or so fans in a place which have never been. It has to be a even greater feeling to look out into the crowd and see how many different people are feeling and appreciating your music and your performance.  During the show he briefly stopped and talked for a few minutes were he admitted he did not know what to expect coming into the performance.  You could tell as the show progressed that he was feeling the vibe and energy of the crowd because as time progressed the more he got into his performance.  Even at the end he gave a small encore performance after all his allowed time was up.  He ended by performing his verse form top rapper Jay Z’s song “A star is born”. Then he went into the crowd shaking hands giving hugs and signing autographs which is something I do not remember we the kings doing. Overall it was a great performance and way to kick off homecoming festivities.