Tag: Beginners

Guide to watching Dota 2 esports for beginners

Bella

Updated on July 7, 2023, 6:50 p.m. (GMT+8): Added photos and improved relevancy based on the most recent Dota 2 patch notes.

Dota 2 is arguably the most in-depth and complex esports title — which can make watching professionals play it a bit difficult.

This is especially true for those who are unfamiliar with the game. This guide will help you understand and appreciate the nuance and beauty of watching Dota 2 being played at the highest level.

Here’s a quick rundown of what the game is all about:

Dota 2 is a game where two teams of five players are tasked with destroying the central structure in their enemy’s base, called the Ancient, while protecting their own. There are three main avenues leading to each base, called the lanes, that are protected by a line of towers and continually spawning waves of NPC units called creeps. The five players on each team are given control of a hero — each with its own unique set of attributes, abilities, strengths, and weaknesses — and they must team up to get strong enough to besiege the enemy base and take down their Ancient.

(Italicized terms that may be unfamiliar to beginners will be explained in the ‘What you need to know’ section in the latter half of the guide)

With that out of the way, allow us to breakdown all the important things you’ll be seeing in a broadcast of a professional Dota 2 match:

How Dota 2 esports matches work

The draft

Credit: Valve

Every professional Dota 2 match is played in Captain’s Mode, which begins with the captains of both teams taking turns picking and banning heroes in a draft phase, hence the name.

In professional games, one team chooses which side they start with, Radiant or Dire. The

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A beginner’s guide to the St. Louis pickleball scene

Bella

Pock, pock. Pock, pock.

That’s the sound of pickleball season in St. Louis, where a growing number of parks and clubs are getting into the swing of this fast-growing sport. Even if you haven’t yet hit the hardcourt or picked up a paddle yourself, there are lots of places to learn this ultra-accessible sport and become a pickleball wizard in no time. “We’ve been real fortunate here in St. Louis to have, what I consider to be, exponential growth of courts, venues, and places to play,” says Mike Chapin, a local pickleball pro who helps oversee the website St. Louis Pickleball. “It’s a very inclusive sport where people want to help others get involved, and learn and grow the game. It’s something that individuals at any age can get involved in.”

Are you ready to join the legions of St. Louisans who’ve flocked to pickleball courts around the region? Use this guide as a resource for finding lessons, equipment, and how to play.

THE BASICS

The game is played on a small, rectangular court that is divided into two sides by a low net. Players can compete in one-on-one or doubles action, and the first side to reach 11 points—with a two-point advantage—wins.

To start a rally, the player standing behind the right square will deliver an underhand serve to the player in the diagonal square. Both the initial serve and the return must bounce. From there, the teams will volley until the ball hits the net, goes out of bounds, or bounces twice. Only the serving team can score. 

Be aware of the rectangular area in front of the net, commonly called the Kitchen. Players cannot hit the ball in the air while standing in the Kitchen. There are additional rules to learn and consider as you enter

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Beginner’s energy training: Find out how to do a squat, push-up and plank

Bella

Did you listen to? Power coaching is just one of the health and fitness trends you must be part of in 2022.

The detail about power coaching is that it seems very simple, but is surprisingly complex — I have read through literal essays about barbell squats and bench presses.

But newcomers really don’t require to get dropped in that amount of element. Test these 3 moves, with 1 cue I want you to particularly concentration on for just about every 1.

Squat: Lower human body

Continue to keep your toes flat on the floor and press by means of your heels to appear to standing. I like to notify novices to concentrate on squeezing their butt on the way up, to activate their glutes (rather than permit the quads on the entrance of their thighs do all the get the job done).

When you happen to be ready to development:

Keep weights like dumbbells or kettlebells at your side. Push your toes firmly “by” the floor to arrive to standing, to allow your decreased human body do the lifting. If you’re eager to progress more to a barbell squat, I propose a few of periods with a own coach or mentor who’ll educate you to master this movement.

Press: Chest and triceps

In its bodyweight kind, the push goes by the title push-up. This is the cue I generally give inexperienced persons: from the upright placement of the thrust-up, just bend your elbows to appear down. This appears noticeable, but a ton of folks crane their necks forward, or hunch their shoulders, or enable their main sag. Bend your elbows to lower, and check out to keep anything else in put, then push firmly through your palms to appear again up.

Rookies really should commence undertaking thrust-ups from their

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4 Simple Exercises for Beginners

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  • Calisthenics is a bodyweight-only workout that still strengthens muscles and burns calories.
  • A calisthenics workout may include exercises like squats, push-ups, and pull-ups. 
  • Incorporate calisthenics into your workouts four times a week for optimal training and recovery.
  • Visit Insider’s Health Reference library for more advice.


Calisthenics
 is a great way to reach your fitness goals without needing to go to the gym or invest in much equipment. 

“It’s one of the easiest exercises for anyone to do at home without expensive equipment,” says Adam Rivadeneyra, MD, a sports medicine physician with Hoag Orthopedic Institute in Irvine, California. “Most exercises rely on body weight for resistance and can be performed in short intervals in any small space.” 

Here’s what you need to know about the benefits of calisthenics, with some example workouts for beginners. 

What is calisthenics?

Although you might not be familiar with the name, you’re probably already doing some calisthenics exercises.

“Calisthenics is a type of training that uses predominantly bodyweight training to improve our overall ‘functionality’ while getting us fit,” says celebrity trainer Jillian Michaels, creator of The Fitness App. 

Functional exercises are those that mimic the way we move every day, Michaels says. For example, some of the basic human functions are pushing, pulling, and jumping, and those are the types of moves you’ll do during calisthenics. 

“Exercises like push-ups, pull-ups, and squats improve everything from our strength and flexibility to our coordination, balance, and agility,” Michaels says. 

Calisthenics exercises also use your body’s own weight, with no extra weight or dumbbells required.  “Many newer workout programs like boot camps or HIIT workouts incorporate many of the classic calisthenic exercises,” Rivadeneyra says.

Benefits of calisthenics 

Calisthenics are appealing because they engage large muscle groups, which increases your calorie burn. In addition,

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A Core Strength Workout for Beginners That Will Teach You How to Fire Up Your Abs

Bella

We get it: Core training can be intimidating, since there are a bunch of core muscles and even more core exercises to work them. The antidote? A core strength workout for beginners with just four moves that will teach you how to fire up your midsection with simple-yet-effective exercises.

First though, let’s talk about what your core even is. Your core does include your rectus abdominis, the muscles which run vertically along the front of your abdomen, but it also is comprised of lots of other muscles too, like your obliques (the muscles on the sides of your torso), and transverse abdominis (the deepest core muscles that sit beneath your obliques), as well as your glutes, pelvic floor, and the muscles that stabilize your spine and hips.

Now, why does core strength even matter? For one, your core helps transfer power from your lower half to your upper half and vice versa, NASM-certified personal trainer Alicia Jamison, C.P.T., trainer at Bodyspace Fitness in New York City, tells SELF. The stronger your core, the more power can be shared, and the better you can perform movements.

Say, for example, you do a push-up. A strong core will transfer the power your upper body generates from pushing up off the ground into your hips. As a result, your lower body will be in ideal positioning—i.e. strong and elevated, instead of sagging towards the floor. That means less energy leak and a more efficient exercise.

Another important job your core has is providing a stable foundation for movements. Jamison gives the analogy of squatting on sand versus squatting on concrete. You’re going to feel stronger and more stable squatting in the latter scenario, and that’s the difference a strong core can make.

Your core also plays a vital role in protecting your

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