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Golden State Warriors head coach Keith Smart is still probably best known for the shot that won the 1987 NCAA basketball championship for Indiana. Now, though, he is rapidly making a name for himself by leading the Golden State Warriors to respectability and perhaps even a Western Conference playoff berth this season.

The Warriors are currently 7-7 and trail only the Los Angeles Lakers in the Pacific Division. The team is on track for its first playoff berth since 2007, and the head coaching change from Don Nelson, 70, to Keith Smart, 46, is the primary difference.

Nelson seemed to hang around last year just to set the NBA record for career wins as a head coach. He left coaching the defense to Smart and often seemed disengaged during timeouts and post-game media conferences. Before this season began the Warriors paid off the last year of his contract for $6.5 million and sent him off to his hammock on Maui. Nelson’s last three NBA stops (the Knicks, Dallas, and Golden State) all ended poorly. It is doubtful that he will coach again in the NBA.

Smart, on the other hand, has brought tremendous energy to the Warriors. “Before the season began I approached each player and offered my hand,” he told KNBR, the Warriors flagship radio station. “I asked each one if they would let me coach them this season to make them better. I told them it might get rough at times, but I emphasized that it wasn’t personal, it was all basketball. If they didn’t agree, we would have to find another place for them to play. They all agreed in the presence of their peers and so far everyone has lived up to his end of the bargain.”

Keith Smart also seems to realize the importance of treating players like individuals. “Each day before I meet with the team I’ve already gone over the previous night. I’ve already asked myself ‘Who do I have to talk to?’ And I do it,” he told Monte Pool of the San Jose Mercury News. “I could put it on an assistant, but that’s like telling my wife to tell my 14-year-old son exactly what it is that I want to say.”

Keith Smart, who joined the Warriors prior to the 2003-04 season, has spent the previous seven seasons as an assistant coach with the club. Overall, the Baton Rouge, La., native has served a total of 11 seasons as an NBA assistant coach and has amassed 21 years of experience in professional basketball as either a player or coach. Prior to joining the Warriors, Smart spent three seasons in Cleveland, where he concluded his stint with the Cavaliers as the club’s interim head coach over the final 40 games of the 2002-03 campaign, going 9-31.

The Warriors have a solid lineup featuring guards Monte Ellis and Stephen Curry, power forward David Lee, and center Andris Biedrins. The question for the NBA’s Bay Area entry this season will be depth and how well equipped Keith Smart is to guide a team of professionals through the 82 game grind. An elbow injury to Lee led to two losses on a recent road trip, and Curry’s sprained ankle preceded a blowout loss to the Lakers. A look at the early returns when everyone is healthy, though, indicates that springtime playoff basketball is a distinct possibility in Oakland.

Paul Hirsch is a writer for ; Regal Black Mens Magazine

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When looking for the top soccer in the world one not get conflicted by believing the World Cup or the Champions League is the number one tournament in the world. You might be right when thinking the World Cup is the biggest event but it does not present the highest standard of football year in, year out. When you are looking for the best the Premier League is the number one spot in Europe and in the world. You will find many of the world’s premier players in the Premier League from Drogba to Torres to Ashley Cole to Carlos Tevez and many more.

The Premier League has been around since 1992 and is the top level of the English football league system. There are 20 different teams in the league and work with relegation and promotion with the The Football Championship League which has been around since 1888. Since its creation in 1992 it has become the largest league in terms of revenue with over 2 billion euros coming in for the 08-09 seasons. The Premier League has gone through 3 different title sponsors since its inception. Currently the Premier league is sponsored by Barclays making it the Barclays Premier League. As of this time it is the number one ranked league according to the Union of European Football Associations.

The Premier League is the forth highest grossing league or any sport in the world. It only trails the big 3 in the United States (National Football League, Major League Baseball, National Basketball Association) making the Premier League the largest sports league outside of the United States.

The Premier League has been topped by four teams Arsenal, Blackburn Rovers, Chelsea, and Manchester United since the league’s inception. These four teams have won all of the leagues titles. Manchester United leads the group with eleven championships but are being caught up by their rival and last years champions Chelsea. All of the 20 teams in the Premier League compete each year for the Malachite trophy which has the names of all the teams since the league’s inception are listed on the trophy. In 2004 Arsenal received a unique gold version of the trophy to signify them going through the season undefeated.

The Premier League also sends four teams to the UEFA Champions League. The top two placed teams will enter the group stage directly while the third and fourth placed teams gets placed into a knockout round that precedes the group format.

The main reason for the success of the Premier League is its presence on the world’s stage. The league is promoted as “The Greatest Show on Earth”. The world is watching also since it is estimated that over a half a billion people in over 200 countries follow the Premier League on a regular basis. Many teams regularly expand their global fan base by touring the World as part of their pre season fixtures, this also allows the opportunity to further expand their revenues. The facts are if you are looking for the best soccer in the world the Premier League is your league of choice.

Adrian Bryan writes for The Football Merchandise Store the web’s finest collection of Football Souvenirs and Football Merchandise

Self defense is just one of those activities that just about every person would like to do, but a majority of people don’t actually feel they really have the time to do it. Many parents are running their kids to 2-3 sports each week and they run out of time for themselves. One of the benefits of martial arts training at home is the ability to practice as a family. Additionally, a lot of people just want to learn self-defense, they don’t want to head off to class each week and make the time commitment that martial arts training entails. For many people, the alternative to traditional training is becoming karate online. With the advancements in video, training online has never been easier.

Another reason people refrain from taking classes is intimidation. No one truly wants to feel like a newbie and entering a dojo is often a completely new environment for many individuals. Going into a martial arts school initially while everyone is yelling and screaming is often really intimidating. One thing to keep in mind, is you have to start somewhere and sometime. What if you could be taught from home or at least study the basics before you decide to walk in the door?

I wouldn’t really know what style to learn, I am new to this! This is yet another explanation I hear from those who would like to practice self defense but don’t know where to begin. There are literally countless numbers of fighting styles around and it can be tough to determine which one will provide you with the self-defense training you’re looking for. What if you could choose the movements you wanted to apply or even better, have a professional take you step-by-step through the system, from the comfort of your own home?

Where should I go to practice, there are a ton of martial arts schools in the yellow pages? Depending on where you live, the quantity of traffic, plus the class times, it can be a lengthy commute. Unfortunately, most martial arts schools class times are in the evening at the same time as other family activities. Upon arriving at class early to warm-up, workout, and drive home, a significant chunk of your night could be gone. What if you were in a position to decide what time and where you studied?

Not too long ago there was a time when college classes online were considered a fantasy, now hundreds of thousands of people all over the world earn degrees by taking classes online. It has been proven that you can still learn, study, practice, and put to use, techniques that you learn online. Martial Arts and self defense training are actually pursuing that same path. The advantages of learning a fighting art include more confidence, fat reduction, more muscle, overall flexibility, and a good deal more. If you’ve ever made some of these excuses, you owe it to yourself to take a look at choices of learning self-defense online.

Scott Polderman has trained thousands of students over the past 20 years. He currently runs one of the largest online Black Belt Academies at http://www.BlackBeltSite.com. If you would like a Free Video emailed to you each week, stop by the site, you will be glad you did.