Many anglers make crappie fishing out to be something as complicated as rocket science. This doesn’t have to be the case. Crappie fishing is actually quite simple and fun, especially for those of us without the luxury of a boat. I know, not having a boat can seem like a big pain in the butt, and we all wish we had one, but not having a boat can actually make things a lot easier and much less expensive. The first thing that needs to be done is to locate your local fishing pier. Many lakes and/or reservoirs have man mad fishing piers and there has usually been structure sunk under the water around such piers. If there are Crappie present in the body of water, they can be caught around such piers. Your local bait shop should have all the information that you could ever need about individual piers.

Once you’ve located your pier, you’ll only need a few things in order to catch Crappie effectively. These things would include: 2 lanterns, a length of rope long enough to reach the water while on the pier, a variety of jigs, a variety of small bobbers, small hooks (preferably gang hooks), some split shot sinkers, and a minnow bucket. The idea here is to fish mainly live minnows and to do this fishing at night. Hence the reason for 2 lanterns, 1 for light on the pier and one to hang off of the pier above the water.

Once you arrive at the pier, tie the rope to one of the lanterns and light it. Now lower it over the pier, so it’s hanging right above the water. This will attract bugs and bait fish, which will in turn attract Crappie. You’re next step is to rig a bobber and small hook onto your line. A small hook (size 6 or works fine, but I suggest rigging a set of gang hooks. A set of gang hooks is simply 2 hooks that are tied together. For crappie fishing I suggest size 8 or 10 gang hooks. As far as your bobber, you’re going to want to experiment with the depth. Start with your minnow being about 3 to 4 feet below the bobber. Now simply rig a live minnow onto your hook (s) and lower it into the water. If you’re using gang hooks, as you should be, simply hook the top hook through the minnow’s lips and leave the bottom hook free. The important thing to remember is that you want your minnow to be alive. A dead minnow won’t catch anything. This is why baiting them through the lips is so effective. The minnow is hardly harmed at all.

At this point you wait for a Crappie to bite. The bobber will start moving when a crappie is interested. Remember to use a small bobber, so the Crappie doesn’t feel much resistance. You want the bobber to be as easy as possible to pull under. While you’re waiting for Crappie to bite the live minnow, you can be jigging with another rod. This is an effective tactic. Many times Crappie can be caught jigging a small jig. The small jig can be tipped with a live minnow as well for added presentation.

Just remember Crappie fishing isn’t rocket science and a boat normally isn’t necessary either. Follow the simple instructions laid out in this article and you’ll have a cooler full of Crappie in no time flat. As we all know, this is why we fish for Crappie. We fish for Crappie to eat them. They are widely known as being an absolutely delicious species of fish.
mint tin favors

You don’t have to be a Rocket Scientist to understand (American) football. Granted, it does have a language all its own and there are more rules to learn than in some of the other major spectator sports, such as baseball, basketball and hockey. But the good news is, with a little patience, and a little desire, you can learn football.

Whether you’ve never watched a game in your life and have been wondering what all the fuss is about (and there is a lot), or watched a game or two and have given up because you just don’t get it, the bottom line is, you can do it!

Since trying to explain the game goes way beyond the scope of this article, let me just start with a few very basics, so that the next (or first) time you turn the TV on to watch a game, you will have some understanding of what is being shown on the screen or is being said by the commentators:

The score of the game is shown, so if for example, it shows as Chicago 7, Detroit 0, you will know that Chicago is winning 7 – 0

The time left in the quarter (there are four quarters in a game) is shown winding down, so if it shows as 12:38, you will know that there are twelve minutes and thirty eight seconds left to play in the quarter (each quarter in a professional game is fifteen minutes long as dictated by the game clock). The quarter that the game is in is also shown, i.e., 2nd

The down and number of yards to go for a first down are shown – this requires a little explanation. Each time a team takes possession of the ball (is on Offense), it is given a series of four plays, called downs to advance the ball at least ten yards. The first play in the series is first down, the second is second down, etc. If it is able to advance the ball at least ten yards in the series, it is awarded a new series of downs beginning with first down. If it can’t advance the ball at least the ten yards, it may have to give up possession of the ball. The down and number of yards to go for a first down is shown, i.e., 3rd & 7, which means it is third down, and the Offense needs to advance the ball at least seven more yards for a first down.

When the commentators say they’re “moving the chains”, it means that a team has made a first down. The chains they are referring to are two poles connected by a ten yard chain, held along the sidelines; one chain is spotted where a series starts, and the other, where the Offense must move the ball to make a first down. Each time a team makes a first down, the chains are moved ahead, thus “moving the chains”.

The yellow line on the screen that runs across the field is not really on the field, but rather the result of modern technology. It shows the TV viewers where the Offense needs to advance the ball for a first down.

The number of seconds that the Offense must start the next play (as dictated by the play clock) is sometimes shown winding down, i.e. 4 …… This means that the Offense has four seconds to start the next play; otherwise it incurs a penalty (an infraction of the rules). The Offense has 40 seconds at the end of a play to start the next one.

Any time you see the word “FLAG” or hear the commentators say there is a flag on the play, it means that one of the players (on either team) has committed a penalty.
never say never

As a beginning coach, I ignored warm-ups and used half-speed two-ball dribbling drills as a warm-up for more intense activities during practice. When I moved to Sweden to coach a professional women’s basketball team, the players were married to their warm-ups and could not function without an extended warm-up period. When I practiced with the club’s men’s team, I felt like more than half the practice was a warm-up. I acquiesced, in a sense, with my team: we arrived before our practice time and players jumped rope for 5-10 minutes above the bleachers as our warm-up and then we did one sub-maximal drill on the court before moving into our practice.

In our first game, our opponent spent 25 of the allotted 30 minutes of pre-game warm-up using a basketball. Later in the season, I watched another player go through an extensive plyometric pre-game warm-up. While Americans criticize European players for their defensive deficiencies, the Swedish players’ defensive footwork impressed me. We generally assume that a foreign-born player with adept footwork developed her footwork by playing soccer, but as I reflected on my experience coaching abroad, it appeared as though their pre-game and practice routines focused on footwork and led to its development.

The following season, as I prepared workouts and practice routines, I implemented a series of warm-ups to begin practice: drills to focus on footwork and jumping ability. Coaching women, the pre-practice jumping and agility program is an attempt to increase performance and reduce injuries, as researchers believe women can reduce the risk of ACL injury through a small plyometric routine.

I use three general warm-up routines: (1) jump rope’ (2) stations or (3) full court dynamic warm-up (carioca, running backwards, bounding, lateral bounding, high knees, butt kicks and high/power skips). Our warm-up now lasts 10-15 minutes.

Warm-up Stations

When we do our station warm-up, we jog, backpedal and carioca. Since we have 10 players, we work in pairs. Our focus is to teach quick changes of direction and first-step quickness.

Station 1: Mirror Drill (15 seconds on, rest for 15 seconds, 15 seconds on)

We teach most of our on-ball defensive stance and movement through this drill and later in 1v1 drills. The players face each other and one player starts as the offensive player and one as the defender. The offensive player leads, moving laterally, and the defensive player tries to remain face to face. The offensive player’s goal is to create space between the two of them, while the defender tries to stay within the width of the offensive player’s body.

Station 2: Mikan Drill

The first player goes for 30 seconds and then the second player goes. Drill practices baby-hook shots. Start under the basket and step out with the left foot on the right side to shoot with the right hand; grab the ball from the net, keeping the ball above your shoulders and step to the left side of the rim with your right foot, shooting with the left hand. Continue.

Station 3: Jump Squats

Squat and jump as high as possible, swinging arms high into the air. Focus on a soft landing so they land properly from a vertical jump and absorb the force of the impact throughout the muscles of their legs, not just in the quadriceps and knee joint. Squat to a half-squat, with the bottom of the thighs parallel to the ground before jumping.

Station 4: X-Lay-ups

Make as many lay-ups in 30 seconds and then switch. Start at one elbow, dribble and attempt a lay-up. Rebound and run to the other elbow; dribble and attempt a lay-up from the other side. Continue for 30 seconds.

Station 5: Partner Shooting

Player 1 passes to Player 2 and closes out. P2 catches, shoots and follows her shot. P1 contests the shot and relocates, moving continuously and calling for the ball. P2 passes to P1 and contests shot. Partners shoot for one minute.

Station 6: McHale Drill

Left hand tips ball continuously against the backboard while the right hand grabs the net (rim). Do six and switch to the right hand side. Right hand tips ball against backboard while left hand grabs the net (rim). Repeat on the left hand side for a total of 18 tips. Switch partners.

Station 7: T-Drill with 2 Ball Dribbling

Set up the T-Drill with cones 5-7 feet apart in the shape of a T. Start at the base of the T and sprint forward while dribbling two balls. Shuffle to the left cone, then to the right cone and finally back to the intersection. Back pedal to the base of the T. Go three times and rotate. The other player practices stationary two-ball drills while resting.

These quick drills provide a fast-paced warm-up that needs little instruction and insures the players break a sweat. Our focus is getting through the drills quickly: players sprint from station to station and practice with intensity in each drill. The warm-up focuses on ball control (6 and 7), quick changes of direction (1 and 7), jumping (3 and 6) and shooting (2, 4 and 5), training a variety of skills in a short amount of time.
finance blog