1966 Topps Man of Steel - Superman

1966 Topps and Fleer non-sports cards, gaining ground in Americana collectibles. Superman "Man of Steel" depicting the Superman adventures, of the television screen series, that aired in the 1950's.

Due to the vested interest of the sports cards grading companies to grade more and more non-sports cards, as a way to generate more sales, I for one have taken an interest in getting many of my non-sports cards graded. I have done just that, preserving a piece of Americana.

Topps made non-sports cards before the 1960's but do to the fact that the television series were generating interesting sales in other categories, ie basketball home items, etc. Why not try trading cards?
Fleer broke out with quite a few of these and primarily because they were not allowed to product many sports cards because of licensing issues. They produced the Three Stoges, Mchale's Navy, Star-Trek to name a few.

Topps on the other hand, produced Superman, Batman, Gilligan's Island, Planet of the Apes, Kiss and others as well. The Superman 1966 Topps cards have seen increased sales worldwide in the last couple of years and high graded versions of these cards have commanded a nice chunk of change recently on Ebay. I have received about 25 graded Superman cards back and have posted a few for the viewing on my blog. Being a piece of Americana Comics, I am not sure if I want to sell these yet.

Grading sports cards and non-sports cards is a great way to keep your collectible in the same condition it is in forever, without the item sustaining any imperfections due to unlikely accidents. Unlike grading comics, where the actual appreciation of the collectible is somewhat lost in the sense that you cannot read the comic book once it is graded.

Collecting the Superman Series 1966 Topps cards, lends to the imagination because of the uncertainty surrounding the untimely death of George Reeves. In the end, much of the bickering going back and forth about the Superman series, and the death of Superman, makes this collectible one that has been sought after for a few years now.

It was sad that in the end, George Reeve's Superman, was not faster than a speeding bullet...for it was a single bullet wound to the head that eventually killed George Reeves.

Look up in the sky, basketball a bird, it's a plane, no it's Superman!!!

Wait! Before you throw those comic books away, keep reading Superman or any your favorite Superheroes. You can even earn the profit you deserve. Find out how to profit from your great collection... click here!

Vertical Jump Not a Priority for NBA's All-Time Top 50 Players

There is no debate over the fact that fundamentals skills have eroded slowly over the past 25 years. The Michael Jordan era ushered in a new individual style of play. Instead of pivoting, shooting, cutting, passing, and defending, young players focused on a different set of skills. A thorough analysis of the NBA's All-Time Top 50 players make one thing crystal clear; the best players ever were dedicated to the game's fundamentals of passing, dribbling, and shooting. And they loved the game.

Forget the ads for vertical leap, exploding to the rim, and miracle "jumping shoes". They may help you jump higher but will never make you into a well-rounded basketball player. The game is and always will be about fundamentals. The same is true for the sports of football, baseball, and golf.

Have you ever heard a coach interviewed after a tough loss say, "If we just would have executed more tip dunks or 360 degree slams, we would have won." I doubt you have ever heard that said. Instead you hear NFL, MBL, or NBA coaches say, "We need to get back to the basics of the game . When we get away from them, nothing good ever happens." That's the statement I've heard hundreds of times over the past 25 years. A commitment to the basic fundamentals of any game lead to progress, growth, and success.

The following is a list of the NBA's All-Time Top 50 Team:

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Nate Archibald, Paul Arizin, Charles Barkley, Rick Barry, Elgin Baylor, Dave Bing, Larry Bird, Wilt Chamberlain, Bob Cousy, Dave Cowens, Billy Cunningham, Dave DeBusschere, Clyde Drexler, Julius Erving, Patrick Ewing, Walt Frazier, Gerorge Gervin, Hal basketball John Havlicek, Elvin Hayes, Magic Johnson, Sam Jones, Michael Jordan, Jerry Lucas, Karl Malone, Moses Malone, Pete Maravich, Kevin McHale, George Mikan, Earl Monroe, Hakeem Olajuwon, Shaquille O'Neal, Robert Parish, Bob Pettit, Scottie Pippen, Willis Reed, Oscar Robertson, David Robinson, Bill Russell, Dolph Shayes, Bill Sharman, John Stockton, Isiah Thomas, Nate Thurmond, Wes Unseld, Bill Walton, Jerry West, Lenny Wilkens, and James Worthy.

As you coach young people in the sport of basketball please consider these questions:

• Did Arizin, Cousy, Jones, Russell, and Shayes spend their time working on vertical leap?
• Did Larry Bird lean on his athletic ability throughout his high school, college, and NBA career?
• Why did Julius Erving become a well-rounded, fundamental player after he realized he could jump?
• How much time did Stockton, Monroe, Frazier, Greer, Archibald, Thomas, and Wilkens spend on learning the fundamentals of ball handling and passing?
• Why did Pistol Pete Maravich dribble at the theater and out the window of a moving car?
• Why is George Mikan known as the basketball of Post Play".
• How many of these 50 players spent their time become better jumpers?
• How high would you rate the basketball IQ of this group?
• What are the traits that this group of players have in common?

Without fundamentals, knowledge of the game, and a love for basketball, how many of these 50 players would have made this team? NONE! If you are a coach of young people, heed the message of this article. Bells and whistles work on kid's bikes, but get you nowhere in basketball. The key to improving as a player is and always be about hard work, perseverance, and honoring the time proven fundamentals of the game. Don't miss this bus!

Randy Brown has passion for the game of basketball. He works as a basketball consultant and mentor for coaches. Visit him at http://www.coachrb.com for free resources, Q & A, newsletter, and coaching programs. A speaker and writer, he has authored 75 articles on coaching and is nationally published. His 18 years in college basketball highlights a successful 23-year career. Mentored by Basketball Hall of Fame coach Lute Olson at Arizona. Resume includes positions at Arizona, Iowa State, Marquette, Drake, and Miami of Ohio, 5 Conference Championships and 5 NCAA appeearances. His efforts have helped develop 12 NBA players including Steve Kerr, Sean Elliott, and Jaamal Tinsley. To contact Randy, email him at rb@coachrb.com

Vertical Jump Training - Methods For Increasing Flexibility

Flexibility is a crucial factor in training to jump higher. The ability of the muscles and tendons to stretch and store energy is the foundation of the stretch-shortening cycle (SSC). The SSC is the muscle action that occurs in any jump, assuming there is a counter movement involved.

In recent months, I have been training several friends of mine to jump higher. Each one of them lacked the flexibility necessary to maximize the effects of their training. Thus, increasing their flexibility was a primary goal. All the trainees have made significant process. We have used the following methods...

1. We perform a dynamic warmup before every workout. The warmup includes drills like body squats, walking straight-leg deadlift, walking lunges, lateral lunges, and other movements which put the hip joint through a wide range of motion. I also encouraged the trainees to use this type of warmup even on non-training days if they were going to play basketball or volleyball or do any activity.

2. The same focus we put on range of motion during the warmup is transferred over to the strength exercises. Specifically, we pay attention to the hip joint. For squats, we sit back into the motion, keep the weight on the heels, and go down to parallel. This provides a great stretch of the hamstrings and glutes. We aim for that stretch while doing lunges, stepups, straight-leg deadlift, and other lifts as well. This method is important since basketball not only requires that the body segments be placed in a position that stretches the muscles, it forces the lifter to be strong and explosive from that position.

3. Thorough static stretching is done following every workout. Static stretching is to be avoided before a workout, since it can reduce force output in the muscles immediately following.

4. The last part of our stretching routine is PNF stretching of the hamstring. PNF stands for proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation. This procedure involves putting the target muscle in a stretched position, then contracting that muscle as hard as possible for 5-10 seconds while it is held in the stretched position, then pushing the stretch even farther as the muscle relaxes from the contraction. We repeat this 3 times, with 10-15 seconds between contractions. This procedure can be quite basketball but it is effective.

I have been strict in following these methods. At the end of his last workout, one of my trainees said, "I can't tell you how much more flexible I am." He is 5'9" and has added about 5 inches to his vertical in 6 weeks. He rattled in a dunk this week.

I am a college student and former D3 basketball player. I have given up basketball and now focus solely on jumping higher. I have been successful at times; I have reached a 43 inch vertical. I have compiled all the information I have learned over the years on my blog http://verticalleaptraining.blogspot.com

Protecting Your Mouth When Wearing Braces

Although mouth protection is important at all times basketball even more so when involved in athletic competition, care should always be taken when wearing braces.

Mouth guards provide very important protection to the mouth when engaged in athletic competitions. Research has shown that even basketball and soccer, which are considered non-contact sports, produce a large number of facial traumas due to blunt force contact. The mouth guard provides protection against mouth trauma from blunt force contact by enclosing the teeth with a protective barrier that adsorbs and redirects the force. When a person is wearing braces or has had recent dental work, the risk of injury is even greater. The mouth guard offers protection not only from damage to the appliances, but also shields the soft tissue of the lips and inner mouth from contact with the braces themselves.

There are three major types of mouth guards available. The basketball mouth guards are preformed and factory made. They are simply removed from the containers and placed in the mouth. Although they are by far the cheapest of all mouth guards, you do not always receive a good fit which limits their ability to provide protection. The second type is called the boil and bit. This mouth guard is warmed first and then it is fitted to your mouth. The warming makes the guard malleable and it usually conforms to the shape of your mouth to provide much a much better fit and consequently more protection, than the stock variety. Despite the name, actually boiling the mouth guard is not necessary; it simply needs to be warmed to a flexible state.

The third type of mouth guard is called the custom guard. These are made by the orthodontist or a dentist specifically for an individual patient. Of course, they are much more expensive than the other types, but they do provide the maximum amount of protection. Custom mouth guards are recommended for athletes engaged in any type of sport that could produce mouth trauma while wearing braces. In most cases, full participation in sports is allowable when wearing braces or retainers as long as mouth guards are always used. Remember, this would include participation in sports such as basketball, soccer, or even baseball and softball, that are not generally considered contact sports. In a contact sport like football, nothing less than a custom mouth guard should be used for maximum safety.

There are other products designed to protect the mouth while wearing braces or other orthodontic appliances. These are designed more for the prevention of sores and infections and not for protection from trauma. These include such things as dental wax and oral antiseptic rinses. In the United States, silicone has largely replaced common dental wax as a protective substance. It provides a barrier between the edges of the metal braces and the soft tissue of the mouth and gums. Other types of gels are used to provide further protection and to help keep the mouth clean and free from infections.

The most serious risk to your mouth comes from blunt force trauma that can be the unexpected side effect of engaging in sports. This is why mouth guards are recommended when playing any sport where the possibility of contact exists. When you are undergoing orthodontic treatment and wearing braces or retainers, this becomes more than a recommendation and more of a necessity. The possibility of damage to the appliances themselves is bad enough, but the damage that broken or smashed metal or ceramic braces can do to the soft tissue of the mouth is even worse. Although stock mouth guards do provide protection and boil and bite guards offer even more, custom mouth guards made by your dentist are the best when wearing braces.

Aazdak Alisimo writes for the orthodontist directory at OrthodontistWeb.com.