With the increased popularity of ecotourism these days, going to the La Mesa Dam and EcoPark is an expected choice. Yet it’s ironic that we haven’t visited the place even if we work and live near it. Not exactly near, given the far-flung places we’ve trekked to, La Mesa is relatively near.
here are a number of open areas amidst the trees, shrubs and other greenery. Since we haven’t been to the EcoPark, our first instinct was to grab the first available open space nearest the entrance, thinking that, just like in a parking space during peak times, there might not be an available space up the road. We found out that there are many open areas as you go deeper into the Ecopark. There are picnic tables in a number of places, but we decided to simply put a mat on the ground, under the shade of a tree. It’s rare that I get to lay down in open air, especially in the city. Now that I’ve done it again, my childhood “fear” of spears raining from the sky came back. The imaginary spears immediately blipped out, though, when someone said that lunch is ready.
Picnic at La Mesa Ecopark
There are picnic tables in a number of places, but we decided to simply put a mat on the ground, under the shade of a tree. It’s rare that I get to lay down in open air, especially in the city. Now that I’ve done it again, my childhood “fear” of spears raining from the sky came back. The imaginary spears immediately blipped out, though, when someone said that lunch is ready.
Faucet/water stations are found all over the place, good for washing hands, plates or anything of that sort. You don’t have to fall in line or walk to the end of the earth just to look for tap water. There are a number of small stalls selling chichirya and meals. Comfort rooms are readily available. The staff go around to get the trash from the trash cans. The place is relatively well maintained, I must say.
Take all that, then add shade, fresh air and cool breeze into the equation, then add the following components: view of the La Mesa Dam (although taking pictures and video of the dam itself is unfortunately not allowed), the Flower Terraces, playgrounds for kids (there’s more than 1 playground), kid’s bikes for rent, boating, rappelling through the zip line across the boating lake (you’ll see one if you look closely at the right side of the boat, photo to the right), fishing, paintball gear and place, and the Butterfly Trail and Hatchery, and what do you get? Perfect picnic place for the kids (and the oldies).
Oh, I almost forgot — there’s a swimming pool, so better come prepared. For those who want to burn calories (or for us who are dreaming of burning fats), there’s a fitness trail. I might just go back someday to try the fitness trail and see if fresh air could help me lose weight faster. More details in directory.
The La Mesa Dam and EcoPark is found in Quezon City, which explains why QC residents enjoy a P10-discount in entrance fee. There are a number of entrance/egress from La Mesa, but only one going into the EcoPark is open to the public.
Street food in the Philippines is nothing short of delicious, offering a rich variety of flavours that will have you smacking your lips and shouting ‘sarap!’ With so much to choose from, here are the standouts to look out for on your Manila street food hunts.
QUIAPO MARKET
Public markets are great places to try Filipino street food, and this bustling ‘old downtown’ district of Manila has choices in abundance. From popular tusok-tusok (skewered delicacies, including fried and grilled isaw, aka pork/chicken intestine), to mami (noodle soup), fresh lumpia (spring roll) and the infamous balut, this place gives customers a fantastic overview of what Philippine cuisine has to offer. As a sort of free market, there are many things going on all at once here. Be ready to brave the crowds to taste the real culture of Manila.
MANG LARRY’S ISAWAN
While tusok-tusok are considered more snacks than full meals, Mang Larry’s grilled treats are meant to be feasted on. The dishes are light on flavourings (seasoned only with salt and pepper) and blowtorched to achieve a mouthwatering crispy skin. The sauce options are also minimal, kept to the classic sweet and spicy vinegar dips Filipinos usually pair with their fried and grilled food.
The town of Lobo also boasts fine and enchanting beaches, though only a few have unearthed the beauty of its shorelines. Certain beaches are perfect for snorkeling, diving and underwater photography. One can view different sea creatures at clear and knee-deep waters. Flying fish hopping in harmony is a common spectacle. While at nighttime, luminous planktons light up the sea.
This was basically the conversation that led us driving to Bulacan one lazy weekend while looking for a place to explore outside Manila. We invited one of Charles’ friends from work who was visiting their Manila office and off we went looking for a bit of adventure.
Bulacan isn’t a major tourist destination but it has its fair share of sights and events that have carved its name into Philippine history. The impressive Barasoin Church in the town of Malolos is designated as the seat of the First Philippine Republic, but for me it was the Fertility Rites in the town of Obando that had piqued my curiosity to visit it.
Apparently, this is the place to visit for childless couples, singles looking for soulmates and farmers praying for a bountiful harvest. However it wasn’t the right time of the year for this and I doubted my travel companions would be so excited by dancing with the hope of being rewarded with a baby, so we ended up driving to Biak na Bato National Park for a nature trip.
Biak na Bato National Park is one of the country’s ecological and historical treasures encompassing the southern edge of the Sierra Madre range situated a few kilometers from San Miguel Bulacan. Its name literally translates as “split boulders” taken from its unique rocky environment and caves.
The 2,100 hectare national park offers various ecological attractions including winding streams, waterfalls, thick forests and hundreds of caves which made it a suitable hideout for General Emilio Aguinaldo and other revolutionary fighters during the Spanish War.
Today Biak na Bato National Park has become a popular tourist destination attracting families who are looking for a refreshing summer retreat as well as busloads of students getting hands-on lessons on Philippine history.
The park also offers some pleasant hiking trails, waterfalls and hundreds of caves to explore – more than enough to satisfy a day’s worth of exploration for those with an adventurous spirit. There are some interesting rock formations, trails leading to small rivers, green forests and hanging bridges (which were used by young daredevils as platform for jumping into the water during our visit).
Basic rules Chess is a two-player game, where one player is assigned white pieces and the other black. Each player has 16 pieces to start the game: one king, one queen, two rooks, two bishops, two knights and eight pawns.
Aim of the game The object of the game is to capture the other player’s king. This capture is never actually completed, but once a king is under attack and unable to avoid capture, it is said to be checkmated and the game is over.
Start of the game The game is started in the position shown below on a chess board consisting of 64 squares in an 8×8 grid. The White player moves first. Then each player takes a single turn. In fact, a player must move in turn. In other words a move cannot be skipped.
Playing the game A move consists of placing one piece on a different square, following the rules of movement for that piece. A player can take an opponent’s piece by moving one of his or her own pieces to the square that contains an opponent’s piece. The opponent’s piece is removed from the board and is out of play for the rest of the game.
Check If a King is threatened with capture, but has a means to escape, then it is said to be in check. A King cannot move into check, and if in check must move out of check immediately. There are three ways you may move out of check:
Capture the checking piece
Block the line of attack by placing one of your own pieces between the checking piece and the King. (Of course, a Knight cannot be blocked.)
Move the King away from check.
Checkmate The primary objective in chess is to checkmate your opponent’s King. When a King cannot avoid capture then it is checkmated and the game is immediately over.
Stalemate The game is drawn when the player to move has no legal move and his king is not in check. The game is said to end in ‘stalemate’. This immediately ends the game.
Special moves
Castling If the necessary conditions are met, a king and rook can move simultaneously in a castling move. The conditions are as follows:
The king that makes the castling move has not yet moved in the game.
The rook that makes the castling move has not yet moved in the game.
The king is not in check
The king does not move over a square that could be attacked by an enemy piece; i.e., when castling, there may be no enemy piece that can move (diagonally, in the case of pawns) to a square that will be passed over by the king. In short, you cannot castle through check.
The king does not move to a square that could be attacked by an enemy piece; i.e., you may not end the castling with the king in check.
All squares between the rook and king before the castling move must be empty.
When castling, the king moves two squares toward the rook, and the rook moves over the king to the next square; i.e., white’s king on e1 and rook on a1 move to: king c1, rook d1 (long castling); white’s king on e1 and rook on h1 move to: king g1, rook f1 (short castling). The move is similar for black.
Pawn promotion On reaching the last rank, a pawn must immediately be exchanged, as part of the same move, for [either] a queen, a rook, a bishop, or a knight, of the same colour as the pawn, at the player’s choice and without taking into account the other pieces still remaining on the chessboard. The effect of the promoted piece is immediate and permanent!
End of the game
Winning The game is won by the player
who has checkmated his opponent’s king.
whose opponent declares he resigns.
Draw The game is drawn when the king of the player who has the move is not in check, and this player cannot make any legal move. The player’s king is then said to be “stalemated”. This immediately ends the game. The game is drawn upon agreement between the two players. The game is drawn when one of the following endings arises:
king against king;
king against king with only bishop or knight;
king and bishop against king and bishop, with both bishops on diagonals of the same colour.
Losing The game is lost by a player who has not completed the prescribed number of moves in the allotted time, unless his opponent has only the king remaining, in which case the game is drawn.
ANTIPOLO, Philippines – Vic Manuel displayed his lethal form and Alaska gave San Miguel a 125-104 beating in Game 3 to avoid a sweep in the 2018 PBA Commissioner’s Cup semis at the Ynares Center here on Friday, July 20.
Manuel, kept under 20 points in the past two contests after 11 straight games of breaching the 20-point mark, delivered 24 points, 6 rebounds and 3 steals as the Aces trimmed their best-of-5 series deficit to 1-2.
The Aces, who squandered a 16-point lead in their Game 2 loss, looked like they would suffer the same fate but arrested their poor play to stop the Beermen from pulling off another come-from-behind win.
San Miguel staged a 17-6 run to trim a 14-point deficit to just 3 points, 74-77, before Alaska regained its bearing with its own 17-3 spurt – powered by Manuel’s 8 points – to head into the final frame with a 94-77 lead.
Alaska continued its inspired play in the payoff period and buried San Miguel by as much as 23 points, 106-83, thanks to a Carl Bryan Cruz triple and a Simon Enciso layup off a steal.
The Beermen would narrow the gap to 13 points, 113-100, but Manuel drilled in back-to-back shots to restore order and secure the triumph for the Aces.
“Today just kind of felt a little bit like our day. We made a bunch of shots and we had a bunch of bounces go our way. It just felt like one of those days. I hope we have many of those days,” said Alaska head coach Alex Compton.
Diamon Simpson backstopped Manuel with 21 points, 13 rebounds and two blocks despite being hobbled by an ankle injury while JVee Casio and Enciso conjoined for 25 points and 13 assists in the win.
While Manuel and Simpson were their usual selves, it was the bench players who proved the difference for Alaska to avoid crashing out.
Noy Baclao and Ping Exciminiano finished with 9 markers apiece while seldom-used Abel Galliguez and Jake Pascual churned out 7 points each in the win.
“I felt like today was a total team effort. Guys like Abel Galliguez came off the bench and gave us great energy. Jake Pascual hasn’t played this series, comes in and gave us great energy. I was really impressed,” Compton added.
Renaldo Balkman paced the Beermen with 28 points and 11 rebounds but coughed up 7 turnovers and was sidelined for the majority of the 4th quarter with San Miguel trailing big.
June Mar Fajardo added 18 points and 15 rebounds while Christian Standhardinger chalked up 10 points and 6 rebounds in the loss.
Game 4 is on Sunday, July 22, at the Araneta Coliseum.
It is the rare basketball player who can do it all at the highest level. Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and LeBron James had the ability to handle the ball, pass it, shoot it, rebound and play defense with the best of the best. If you excel at one or two of the five top basketball skills, there will be a place for you on most basketball courts. And if you excel at all five, the sky is the limit.
Dribbling
Top point guards dribble and control the ball as if it were on a string. Good technique is critical for a ball handler. You should dribble with your fingertips rather than your palm. Dribble with your head up so you can see the opposition and your teammates. Keep your body low and use your off-ball hand to help keep your defender at bay. Work on dribbling with both hands, so you’ll be as comfortable going to your left or your right.
Passing
Great passers can see the whole court and anticipate where a teammate will go and what a defender will do. Mastering the basics is the place to start. Develop a two-hand chest pass, bounce pass and overhead pass so you can deliver the ball to your teammates in the best position for them to shoot or beat their defender. Steve Nash or Derrick Rose can dazzle you with a behind-the-back or a no-look pass. But those moves are not just for show; they provide a teammate the best chance to score.
Shooting
It’s difficult to score if you can’t shoot the ball effectively. As Better Basketball Coaching explains, shooting is something of an art form, and some players, such as Kevin Durant and Ray Allen, have a knack for it. But everyone can improve their shooting through proper technique and lots of practice. Proper technique includes squaring your body up to the target, shooting the ball with your fingertips, keeping your elbows from flying, putting backspin and arc on the shot and following through completely after letting the ball fly.
Rebounding
Boxing Out
Boxing on a reboundis very important. However, it is not as important as getting the ball. Boxing is a momentary action intended to impede the path of an opponent and delay his ability to go after the ball. I have seen many games lost due to a great box out but nobody went after the ball.
In addition, boxing out is a confusing term. Previously we discussed rebounding position (around the NBA block/charge line). What would you do if your opponent is inside of you in that rebounding position? You can’t box him out because he is inside of you. I would box him in, turn and push him toward the basket. What if you are under the basket with your defender on your back? Would you box him out into good rebounding position? I would turn and box him in, under the basket.
When boxing out, find your man as soon as a shot goes up. Pivot in the most comfortable and efficient way you can, into an athletic position that looks like you are sitting on a chair. Immediately your arms go up, your elbows go out and your hands get ready to grab the ball. We discussed above the reasons for getting your arms up and hands ready (see skills). The purpose for getting your elbows out is NOT to hit anyone, but it does make you wider and more difficult to go around. In this position, bump your man with your butt and then go after the ball.
Boxing out (or in) is not only a defensive maneuver but can be an offensive maneuver as well. Use it any time you are in position to do so. Be aggressive and take control of the situation. Don’t wait for your man to make a move, go and get him before he has a chance to move.
Remember, to be a good rebounder or a good rebounding team doesn’t necessarily mean you get every rebound, just be sure your opponent doesn’t get it.
Defense
Even the best scorers go into shooting slumps. But you can always play good defense if you hustle and understand both individual and team defense. When you are defending a player, keep you head lower than his. Stay close enough to the offensive player to bother him — but not so close he can blow by you with one step. Know your opponent’s tendencies so you can dictate the direction you want him to move. Be aware of the other players on the court, so you can play help defense when a teammate loses his man.
Basketball Training Tips, Strategies, and Secrets
Shooting is the most important skill in basketball
Players must understand this. When you’re in the gym, a lot of your workout time must be spent developing your ability to shoot the basketball. Every other skill is secondary to shooting. Every other skill is secondary to shooting. In the type of basketball that is being played today, it’s very hard to receive significant minutes on the court at higher levels if you can’t knock down an open shot consistently from the perimeter.
Perfect your shooting technique
As shooting is the most important skill in basketball, it’s important for all players to develop a fundamentally sound, consistent, and repeatable shot. And the sooner a player can develop this, the better. It’s much faster and easier for players to improve when they’re using correct shooting technique.
Evaluate your strengths and weaknesses
One of the best things a player can do is sit down with a pen and paper and evaluate their own strengths and weaknesses.
As long as the player is honest with themselves, this exercise will show them a few different things:
a. What areas of their game they need to work on (weaknesses).
b. What to focus on executing during games (strengths).
Understanding this is especially important when players are putting together basketball training workouts to improve their game.
You must be able to look at your game from an outsider’s perspective and be objectively critical with yourself.
Always train at game speed
ne of the biggest mistakes a player can make during workouts is only putting in 50% effort when practicing.
Instead of sprinting around the court, they jog.
Instead of raising up on each shot, they barely leave the ground.
Being able to shoot casually and being able to shoot after running off a screen and then jumping up high into the air to avoid the defender blocking your shot are completely different skills.
If you want to improve your in-game shooting, you need to be practicing game shots at game speed.
Develop a consistent free-throw routine
If you don’t already have one, developing a consistent free-throw routine that you’ll use every time you step to the line is very important.
A consistent routine gives you confidence and a process to focus your attention on when shooting free-throws.
Develop a variety of finishes at the rim
Once you become a lethal outside shooter, opposition players are going to be forced to defend you closer to prevent the outside shot.
It will also be far more likely that they’ll jump on your shot fakes.
This is when you need to attack the rim.
Being able to explode past your opponent and then finish at the rim with a variety of moves is crucial to be a complete scorer.
Here are 7 finishing moves all players should be working on:
Regular layups (overhand)
Finger Roll (underhand)
Floaters
Off-foot layups (example: right foot jump, right foot shot)
Euro step
Reverse layups
Jump stop layups
Don’t forget about defense
“There’s a disposition great defenders have – a genuine pride that scores are a problem, people that score on me is a problem”
Brett Brown
Becoming one of the best defenders on your team is a smart way for any player to stand out and increase their court time.
How many players really want to improve defensively?
Not many.
The best way to improve your one-on-one defense is to compete against a live opponent. Preferably someone better than you.
Here’s what to focus on:
Staying down in defensive stance.
One arm’s length away from your opponent.
Contain them. Don’t allow them to get past.
Force them into a difficult shot.
Improve Your Vertical Jump
Another fantastic way to make the most of the off-season is to improve your vertical jump.
An extra inch or two on your vertical jump can make a big difference during games….
It can be the difference between rising up and blocking an opponent’s shot or slapping them on the wrist.
Performing a vertical jump workout program will also improve your speed, agility, and reaction times too.
Limit numbers of dribbles
Don’t dribble the basketball at the top of the key 20 times before looking to attack the defense and score.
One of the most effective 1-on-1 rules is to limit the number of dribbles that a player is allowed to use on each possession.
This forces players to learn how to effectively create a good shot in limited time and limited space.
Conclusion:
For players committed to improving, the basketball training tips presented in this blog post will help you become a much better basketball player.
But there’s a catch…
Simply reading this blog post won’t make you a better player.
You have to take action.
Start scheduling your workouts, keep a training log, sit down and work out your strengths and weaknesses, be more careful with the food you put into your body, develop your shooting technique, commit to training at 100%…
I guaranteed you’ll quickly see results on the court.
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