FitView Basketball Madness
By Efren Martinez
Last month, many of us enjoyed the March Madness basketball games on TV. What caught my attention was not so much the talent these players had but their endurance to be able to continually keep moving from one end of the basketball court to the other. In my neighborhood, March Madness seems to have spread with many of the kids enjoying the weather shooting hoops on our street. Some teenagers even went as far as setting up two hoops on both sides of the street in order to get the full basketball court advantage. I was totally impressed how these teens were able to sustain not only their cardio momentum, but also their hand and eye coordination with the basketball. As a kid I played on a basketball team at the Red Shield sports in Modesto. Honestly I was never very good at it and as I look back at it in my later adult years I realize that I actually stunk at it. Regardless, I have to thank my dad for pushing me into basketball. It not only introduced me into fitness but also taught me how to become a team player. Thanks Dad! Although Basketball is best played in the sunshine verses in the rain or indoors, unlike soccer which doesn’t matter the weather or place. Both have similar endurance levels when it comes cardio fitness; but the advantages of basketball is that you can walk outside your front door to the street and pla. The fitness starts just as soon as you start shooting hoops and then having to retrieve the basketball. There are also other games with the basketball you can play that will get you off the living room sofa such as “Horse” & “Around The World”. These basketball games mostly involve skill verses endurance. So even if you’re not in the best of shape to be able to continuously run back and forth, you can still get in some family fitness with your kids. Friends, our great city of Modesto is filled with free basketball hoops all over town if you don’t have one outside your front door. Simply visit one of our local parks or schools after hours to get your ball-bouncing game on and get moving.
