Favorite fictional female action hero

The greatest female action hero, in my mind, spends her time exploring the depths of alien planets. She spins through the air, her whirling body a buzzsaw that cuts enemies into a thousand pieces. She swings from energy beams over vast chasms filled with lava. Or spikes. Or acid. She has a badass power suit and won't hesitate in using it to kick your ass.

She fights a giant brain at the end of some of her greatest adventures, for pity's sake. That's classy.

I speak, of course, of Samus Aran.

The bounty hunting blond beauty of the Metroid games has always been a favorite of mine. Her merits are all the more impressive given that her games have all been hosted by Nintendo, whose games typically feature stereotypically dim-witted young lasses.

Not as much anymore, mind you, but in its infancy Nintendo had more damsels in distress than they had games that were actually beatable. (But that's another can of worms, one I'll refrain from popping open.)

Samus hasn't evolved much in her time on the Nintendo. And you know what? That's fine with me. She never fit the stereotypes. Samus has always been a living weapon, even back in the days where she sported green hair rather than blond. Her take-no-crap, silent attitude suits me just fine.

And I think that's her ultimate strength. Samus is silent. In the games she almost never has a voice. Rather, she lets her actions do all the talking for her. She doesn't negotiate with terrorists, she powers up her energy cannon and blows their faces off. The universe needs saving, so you'd better get the hell out of her way.

Best of all about Samus, however (and they've changed this a bit recently, to my dismay), her character isn't defined by her looks. Too many female leads are defined by their beauty. Samus steers away from that convention by remaining in her power suit most of the time. Sure, she's nice to look at underneath the plate armor, but you aren't that disappointed if you don't see her outside of it.

It's the time spent inside that counts. Her occasional emergences into the light of day are just a pleasant bonus.

5 Problem areas for dribbling in youth basketball

Dribbling and passing are the two skills that make basketball the great game it is. Without these abilities, the game would be a slow, boring activity. Youth players often struggle with dribbling successfully which leads to frustration for the players and coach. By identifying these five problem areas, coaches can help players develop good skills and increase their enjoyment and skill in basketball.

Dribbling is one of those skills that looks easy but can be very demanding. Young players are impatient and attempt to move ahead of their learning progress. Before becoming proficient in dribbling they want to shoot, shoot, shoot. Being able to dribble alone in the driveway is a start and should be encouraged by all coaches. Players need to practice slowly at first, using both hands equally. There are thousands of ball handling drills to utilize on your own. It's when the young player faces the defense that makes them realize they have a lot of work to do.

Here are 5 problem areas for dribbling in Youth basketball:

1. Players try to do too much too fast. Dribbling takes time and patience. Just to bounce the ball up and down off the concrete consistently take a concentrated effort.

2. Only one hand, usually the right hand, is developed. The one handed dribbler gets by in 3rd or 4th grade but eventually catches up with them. Both hands need to be equally developed at an early age.

3. Dribble with the fingertips not the palm. Fingertip control can be developed over time. Young dribblers should lightly tap the ball with fingertips to start. As they progress, they can dribble harder and higher. Most young players begin as palm dribblers because they are not properly taught or attempt to progress to quickly.

4. Looking at the ball with head down. This is natural for a young player to look at the ball as they learn to dribble. When team play begins, a player with their head down while dribbling will not be able to see open teammates or pass to them.

5. Stance. A young player usually stands upright as they dribble. They need to be taught to bend at the knees and assume an athletic stance. This will keep the ball closer to the ground, requiring less control. This will also help them protect the ball from other players trying to steal the ball from them.

Why soccer is not so popular in the US as elsewhere

Living in the United States is living in seasons. You see as Americans we tend to switch from one season to another. We do not have a certain season or sport which we hold dear to our hearts. We have our Baseball season, our Basketball season, our Football season, our Hockey season, and now our Soccer season.

In Europe and Latin America and for the most part of the World we hold Soccer as the only sport worthy of our chants and our enjoyment. Soccer is one of the oldest games but it has never changed throughout the years as like the sports here in the United States. You see we play Soccer not because we are getting paid millions, but rather because we love to play. Some of the soccer players get more money than most of the athletes here in the U.S. but when the Cup comes around, no one plays according to how they get pay. We play for the moment of holding a cup in which it will state that you are the best. The World Cup is not something that players get millions more and more; no it's juts about which country is the best of the World. In the United States though we live with Greed and if we don't get pay according to what my agent says I should get pay than I will not play. Greed is the main sport here in the U.S. If you don't make more than the other person, than you don't deserve to play for that team or you will not perform as good because you are not getting paid what you think you deserve. How about playing for the love of the sport? Fans we moved from one venue to another according to what season it is.

Today is Baseball, tomorrow is Football. Soccer remains the same one sport one enjoyment. Sure look at Europe and all the different sports that they have one being Rugby which is pretty big in Europe and other countries, yet Soccer remains the main sport. For Soccer to be popular here in the U.S. we would have to start all over again because to enjoy soccer you must be born with it and not with how much money you can make. Soccer has no greed but love, and if you watch a soccer game from Europe you will see the difference between the fans here and the fans who really loved the sport. Soccer is not popular here in the U.S. for the sole purpose that we don't have a sport which stands out and is enjoyed not by the amount the athletes make but rather because it comes from our hearts as soccer is. Soccer can and most likely be very popular now that we are bringing the super stars from Europe that were in their prime once there, but no longer are, yet here they still are consider a sensation because we have not seen them played since they were little like some of us have.