Pickup Sports Blog

Pickup Sports Featured on UrbanDaddy.com

Filed under basketball , Blog , Mobile , Pickup Games , Pickup Sports , Sports , Web

Thanks to Russell Brandom and the team at UrbanDaddy.com for the recent article and post.

Check it out the posting right here.

Go Daddy Go!

 

Pickup Sports Blog Featured on Bloggers.com

Filed under Blog , Web

 

So yesterday Pickup Sports was featured on Bloggers.

"You have been featured on BLOGGERS as one of the Bloggers of the day. Your profile and Blog "Pickup Sports Blog" has been showcased in Bloggers Home page (http://bloggers.com). In addition to that you are awarded with Featured bloggers badge on your profile."

Bloggers is a community where all the best bloggers connect, communicate and share blogs with each other.

Thanks for everybody's contribution and let's try our best to keep up the work!

Cornhole Goes Five-Star!

Filed under

There are few games in this world that are less appreciated for their skill requirement and effort-to-enjoyment ratio than cornhole.  If you're not familiar with the name cornhole, you might be familiar with the terms "corn toss" or "bags".  But "cornhole" is a legitimate game and has a surprisingly strong following with the tailgating and general "leisure" athlete.  (Read: games to be played in the backyard with or without the influence of alcohol.)  Click here to find out more info on the history and regulation rules of this game enjoyed throughout America from the American Corhole Association.

Granted, cornhole was traditionally spotted at tailgate parties, NACSAR races and other less reputable events in America.  But I think it's safe to say that cornhole has emerged as one of the preferred forms of entertainment for America's elite!  Recently, a big Pickup Sports enthusiast was in Scottsdale, AZ and spotted the game being played poolside at a 5-star resort.  Yes, cornhole has reached 5-star status in America!

That being said, I would argue cornhole is one of the best group sports out there because it involves not only the 4 players in the game, but it's also an exceptional spectator sport.  Everyone loves the anticipation of each throw, and the competitive nature of the game always keeps things interesting.  So grab a bag, get your friends and set up a game of cornhole this weekend!

Pickup Sports Presents at SF New Tech Mobile Night

Filed under Android , iPhone , Mobile , Other , Pickup Games , Pickup Sports , Sports , Web

SF New Tech is the original San Francisco tech meetup group where techies, tech enthusiasts and tech "aspirationalists" congregate to see what's new and interesting from Bay Area entrepreneurs and small businesses in technology.  Last night focused specifically on cool mobile technologies and applications, and Pickup Sports received a spot to present on stage in front of a sold-out crowd at Mighty!  Check out the bill on SF New Tech's website here.

There was a lot of anticipation and energy in the room since mobile has become one of the hot new buzzwords in tech, and most of the presentations were quite impressive.  Lots of polished apps and quirky presentations from really smart folks made for an interesting night.

We were really happy with our demo of the iPhone, Android and WebOS emulators, and a bunch of people at the event downloaded our app right then and there!  We were able to explain how Pickup Sports was born and where Pickup Sports is looking to go as it matures.  Thanks to everyone for some great questions and shoutouts on Twitter, and stay posted for more from Pickup Sports!

It was a great audience and great experience overall, and we were happy to share the stage with apps and companies like Flipboard, vid.ly and cooliris.  Great job everyone!

Steve Nash played Pickup Basketball in China

Filed under basketball , Pickup Games

 

This is an old news happened on 8/31/2009, but there is something interesting about it.  Even the best players out there in NBA still have fun playing Pickup Games.  They are not even doing it for health or to improve, but purely just for fun.

China has becoming a super power, not only in terms of economy, but also in terms of atheletic attention.  After getting most amount of gold mdeals in Beijing Olympic 2008, China has proven itself as the top athletic country.  This is one of the reason why citizens of China has also become more active.  With players like Yao Ming being picked into NBA, basketball has become the most popular sport in China.

If you guys ever visit china, go to some basketball court and see whether you can find yourself a good game.  And if you can't find games, Pickup Sports will be coming to China too!

Staying well while traveling and going to conferences, Zinc!

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So I've gotten an email from the office giving us some health tips, which I'd love to share with you guys

 

"

Hey, everyone - this is not medical advice, in fact it is not advice at all, but I am sharing with you some things that have worked for me to avoid picking up illnesses while traveling and attending conferences (please, don't forward this outside the company, thanks!):

 

Zinc - Scientists are verifying what Moms have known for a couple decades - Zinc can reduce the severity and duration of colds and flu.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-12462910

 

My own "do's and don'ts" for using Zinc:

*DO use Zinc lozenges while traveling on airplanes, or in meetings, anyplace where there are lots of people around

*DO take Zinc lozenges or Wellness Fizz drink, before bedtime each day while attending conferences

*DO take Zinc at the first signs of symptoms of colds or flu

*DO NOT take Zinc on an empty stomach, that can cause nausea

*DO NOT take large quantities of Zinc, nor take Zinc every day - too much Zinc causes other health problems

 

Some other hints:

-My doctor told me that the cold virus thrives at temperatures below 68 degrees; conversely the least hospitable environment for the cold virus is warm, humid air.  He said that going to Hawaii is a great way to get rid of a cold, but if that is not an option then try keeping the bedroom warm at night while sleeping.

-Drinking plenty of fluids does seem to help, especially warm liquids like tea

-I do use hand sanitizer.  It is great that some companies now have small containers of hand sanitizer as give-aways at their booths at conferences.

"

Improve your game quickly

Filed under basketball , Pickup Games

The best way to improve your game, whether it is basketball, tennis, or even pickuping women for that fact is to practice and play with the best. If I ask you what is the best way to pickup a new sport and become good at it? You might say, play against your friends and keep practicing. But from my experience, this is the slow way. In order to improve quickly you have to play as many differnt people and styles as possible. Practice on the other hand will reinforce your fundamentals and prevent embarrassment,  but in order to improve you have to add variety.

If you keep playing against the same people over and over your game plateus. Although it is fun to beat up on your less talented friends you have to challenge yourself and find someone who is better than you.

This is what pickup sports is there to do. I have been playing basketball with my MBA classmates for the past year. The game was getting easy and boring so I decided to challenge my self by going to the gym  to find a pickup game. I started with 1on1 basketball with an undergraduate. I did not score 1 point.

So if you think you are good, go find a pickup game. Don't settle. Remember there is always someone better from who you can learn from.

How to Serve in Tennis

Filed under Pickup Games , Tennis

Serving , is probably the most difficult part in tennis, because of the rythym, and the motion. Just like anything out there, like going to the gym persistantly, you have to put time and effort into it to see any results. When I was training for tournaments I would practice at least 6-7 days out of the week for one and a half hours to two hours, and in 2 years my serve clock in at about 114mph and I was only 17 (thanks to my coach Alex). Now that im 20, and a little more stronger, and I would guess I could reach about 120mph now. Along with a big serve you need variety, so in this blog i'll talk about the serve.

In Tennis you get 2 chances to serve the ball. If you serve and the opponent doesn't touch the ball its considered to be an ace, and you win the point. If you miss with both chances then its called a "Double Fault", and you lose the point.

When serving you want to stand about a foot away from the middle, behind the baseline about an inch so you dont foot fault (which mean's you lose the point if you touch the baseline while serving), and your body a bit sideways with your left foot pointed at about 45 degrees from the baseline. So your feet should look like this for both of your serves.

Next if you notice where the yellow dot is, this is where you should bounce the ball. When you toss the ball it should want to land here because keeping your ball toss infront of you and in the same spot everytime makes it easier to hit

Rules of Tennis

Filed under Tennis

Simple get the ball in the court

To be a little more specific if your playing Singles (1 vs 1), then you use these lines

If your playing Doubles (2 vs 2), then you use these lines

Anywhere on the otherside of the net, after the serve is fair game.

The ball can only hit your racket once, and bounce once, SO MOVE YOUR FEET!!!

Common Cold Treatment for sore throat, stuffy nose, running nose, and cough

Filed under Other , Ski

I went to ski over the weekend, bad traffic and road blocks have stopped us from getting to Lake Tahoe Ski Resorts.  After the car beings stopped for few hours and our body being fatigued, we ended up slept in the car.  By the time we woke up, I personally had a sore throat and running nose.

Normally I'd take some OTC medication, drink chicken noodle, and try to recover for few days then go back to work.  But I am already at the resort, might as well push my body a little further and enjoy it on the way.

After a cold day of ski, I thought I'd surely fall down and become really sick for next couple of days.  Luckily the hotel had Sauna and Jacuzzi.  I sat in sauna for half an hour, letting my entire body sweat out, then sat in jacuzzi for another hour.  When I came out, my body was so hot that it was having water vapor coming out.  My running nose was immediately cured, sore throat was going away little by little and by 2nd morning, I am completely cured.

Since I am an engineer, I always want to know how things works.  So here is the theory.

Whenever we get a cold or flu virus, they are only used to our normal body temperature.  Our body sometimes heats up to get rid of them which causes a fever.  But by sitting in the Sauna, it heats up our body so all the bacterias and viruses dies off because it can't survive the heat.

So next time when you just got an cold, get in sauna and jacuzzi!  Feel better and go back to play pickup sports!