London Dodgeball: 5x great Dodgeball Moves | GO Mammoth Posted on 4th July 2012 by I absolutely love playing Dodgeball in London, and I find that it is one of the most entertaning social sports to play, as well as to watch. Everyone runs around, jumping, ducking, and diving, trying to avoid being anihalated by a ball. To be fair, it does look like absolute chaos, but when you are actually playing it, it all somehow seems to make perfect sense and you know exactly what is going on. Whenever I watch dodgeball, and I’m not playing Dodgeball, I just want to get involved. We have higlighted some great dodgeball hits, as well as dodges below. 5 Collapse – It is one thing to be hit by an incoming dodge ball, but it is another thing to be “knocked” over from the impact. The ball has to be thrown really hard, or catch you at a particular spot to result in this fashion. Watch the video to see this girl’s reaction to being pegged out. 4) Farewell!!! – When ever anyone gets shot in a movie, they always have a dramatic fall to the ground. After watching this video, you could swear that you were watching one of those movies. Poor guy took a pounding. 3) Untouchable – Have you ever tried playing Dodgeball against a ghost? Be happy that this girl isn’t playing against you. Not only does she seamlessly and effortlessly dodge all of opponent’s volleys, but she does it with her own style. 2) Out But Not Down – Every one has heard the phrase “Down but not out.” Well the person in this video obviously wont be satisfied until his opponent is both out and down. I hope I never play this guy in a match. He’s obviously though about people’s weak spots (not advised). 1) Flip Dodge – This video is mental! The person featured in this video incorporates gymnastic tricks with his Dodgeball skills to help his team walk away with the win. Can anyone on your team one-up this video? Feel free to record your greatest Dodgeball moments and post them on the comment wall! What’s your favourite Dodegball clip, or maybe you just like the film “Dodgeball”….!?!?
Ultimate Frisbee London:Throwing Techniques | GO Mammoth Posted on 3rd July 2012 by Learn the 3 basic throwing techniques for Ultimate Frisbee Ok.. so we thought we’d rope in our expert ultimate rep and ask him to show us how to do the basics, so we can all start practising them in the ultimate frisbee leagues this week. Please throw us your comments (below) on the video tutorial. If you like it, we’ll try and make more tutorial videos for you..
Top 10 Healthy Hangover Cures | GO Mammoth Posted on 3rd July 2012 by Partied too hard in the sponsor bar after your league? Abused the drinks deals at a Mammoth Friday social event? Fear not.. through extensive research in the office , we have the 10 best healthy cures for a hangover which hopefully will relieve you from that aching pain. Before we get started at GO Mammoth we should really be responsible and tell you the best cure is abstaining from alcohol all together or drinking in moderation, but we know you’re going to laugh in our face… . Ok, so here we go from the top: 10 – Sports Drinks such as Gatorade and Powerade. Sports drinks contain electrolytes, carbohydrates and water which are three optimal nutrients to replenish fluids lost from the night before. It focuses on rehydration as hangovers are caused from dehydration through an increase in urination and sweating out of vital minerals. Still contains some unhealthy sugars etc, so that’s why it #10.. 9 – Oats. The body loses many essential minerals and vitamins during your big night the day before. Oats consist of many of these nutrients, including Vitamin B (good for the liver and mood) and magnesium, calcium and iron. Oats also help neutralise acidity levels in the body, clean the liver, absorb toxins and slowly raise blood sugar levels. Waking up and making yourself a bowl of porridge isn’t such a bad idea. 8 – Watermelon. Alcohol causes blood sugar levels to drop which can cause you to feel weak and shaky. Watermelon helps reduce theses effects as its high in fructose (which is a fruit sugar) and is also a highly concentrated fruit helping to rehydrate the body. 7 – Pickles. Pickles contain a number of nutrients, including vitamin A, iron, potassium, vitamin K, calcium, and manganese. So eating a couple of pickles can help increase your sodium levels steadying your vitamin and mineral levels 6 – Coconut Water. Coconut water has a similar effect on hangovers as sports drinks. However, sports drinks are often carbonated (bubbly and fizzing), which can irritate the stomach, and packed with refined sugars. A more healthy choice is coconut water, which contains essential electrolytes (including calcium, potassium and magnesium) to boost hydration, and is also soothing for the stomach. Coconut water also has the same five electrolytes found in human blood whereas sports drinks only have two. 5 – Honey and Lemon Tea. A lemon tea helps remove the alcohol from the stomach. Lemon juice with some sugar can also be taken for curing hangovers. The juice helps in keeping blood sugar at a healthy level which may become weak due to excessive alcohol consumption. Honey will also provide quick relief from hangover. Honey helps in removing the harmful effect of alcohols because of the fructose present. 4 – Soup. As we have now established, the best way to treat a hangover is to rehydrate the body. This can be done through what you eat as much as what you drink. To increase your fluids and sodium levels and get some important nutrients all at once, try some health-boosting vegetable or miso soup. As an added benefit, soup is easy on the stomach so it’s easy to eat if you’re feeling a bit queasy. 3 – Ginger. Ginger is great to settle an upset stomach and relieve nausea. It does this by reducing the oxidative stress to your stomach as well as blocking the serotonin receptors in the stomach that lead to nausea. You could try adding some grated ginger to hot water for a ginger tea, blending into a fresh fruit or vegetable juice, or snacking on ginger biscuits for a stomach-soothing treat. 2 – Eggs. Firstly, eggs are high in protein, which helps raise mood-boosting serotonin levels as well as helping to reduce nausea. Furthermore, eggs are rich in an amino acid called cysteine, which helps fight against the alcohol-induced toxins that contribute to your hangover. 1 – Bananas. Bananas are filled with potassium and magnesium, which are two important minerals that become depleted when we drink alcohol. A lack of potassium in the body can cause nausea, weakness and tiredness, so eating bananas can help reduce these hangover symptoms. Bananas are natural antacids so great for reducing stomach acid, and are good for providing a boost of energy if you have a busy day ahead. Finally, bananas are quick and easy to eat and can be consumed on the go which makes it our number 1 hangover cure.
London Football: Top 5 Footballers of all time | GO Mammoth Posted on 2nd July 20125th September 2016 by gomammoth Who is the best footballer of all time? This question is probably the most widely debated topic in the world (well maybe in the world of football). To commemorate the end of the Euro’s 2012, we have compiled a list of 5 of who we think are the greatest footballers of all time. Hopefully this will help inspire you in your own 5aside London football league. Number 5. Roberto Baggio – the potent Italian striker who scored 218 goals in 488 appearances has cemented our fifth spot. Baggio is arguably the greatest Italian player ever and has beaten the likes of David Beckham, Franz Beckenbauer, Johan Cruyff, Roberto Carlos, and Zinedine Zidane. Baggio will unfortunately be remembered as the player who fired the penalty kick high over the cross bar in the shootout in the 1994 World Cup where Italy eventually lost to Brazil. Number 4. Cristiano Ronaldo – the Portuguese, so called “heart throb” (debatable) has excited the world’s football scene in recent years and finished the current season with a huge 60 goals in all competitions. Ronaldo has caused controversy with his ‘selfish, all about me’ attitude to the dislike of many critics but his skills on the ball have earned a place in our top 5. Number 3. Lionel Messi – many argue Messi as the greatest player of all time (and we almost did as well). His lack of success on the international arena has pushed him down to third spot. However, he is still a magician on the pitch and somehow managed to score 73 goals in all competitions last season (that’s a goal every 69 minutes). Number 2. Diego Maradona – The character of Diego Maradona has secured our second spot. His eventful and controversial career saw him win a World Cup with Argentina in 1986 the tournament in which the famous ‘hand of god’ was exposed to the world. However, his second goal in that same match saw him dribble past five English players and finished what was voted ‘the goal of the century’. This match without a doubt sums up his career. Number 1. Pele – Where would a top footballer list be without the presence of the Brazilian hero, Pele. Pele scored 620 goals in only 661 appearances and astonishingly won the World Cup three times in 1958/62 and 1970. Pelé’s technique and natural athleticism have been admired, and throughout his career he was renowned for his outstanding dribbling and passing, his pace, powerful shot, remarkable heading ability, and constant goalscoring ability. So there’s our list of the top 5 footballers of all time. We feel our current list is pretty solid but I’m sure you may disagree? Can you challenge our list, who are your top 5 footballers of all time?
Zagora Leggings Review Posted on 27th June 2012 by So, I always thought this was a bit of a myth until my housemate said she was going to get some (and we all laughed), and now she’s got awesome legs (and we’re all a bit gutted). Have you ever wanted to lose weight 4 times faster while playing Netball in London with no additional effort. There is now a solution, it’s called Zaggora Leggings. Unfortunately, 90% of post-adolescent women are affected by cellulite. Zaggora’s new hotpants are scientifically proven to increase weight loss by 4 times targeting that extra bit of weight on your thighs and bum. Many of you are asking how this miracle product works! Zaggora’s leggings increase your body temperature by 18% more than a regular compression garment, this helps to speed up your metabolism, resulting in a quicker removal of carbs and fats from the body. Even more amazingly, the leggings intensify energy outflow by 26% an hour after exercise. This is why Zaggora leggings are perfect for when your playing Netball in Clapham or within one of your London Netball leagues. You will work hard on the court and burn weight quicker, and once you have finished the match your body will still release energy. Prices range from £44.99 – £69.99 depending on what style and type you desire. Even though the leggings are marketed at women they could be for everyone. For the men interested in losing weight 4 times faster, getting your wife or girlfriend to purchase a pair for you to wear underneath your shorts may be the way to go. For the fans of Zaggora’s leggings there is even better news. Zaggora’s ‘Coola Bra’ is coming soon. A bra full of comfort, ventilation and an icy-cool feel will provide some relief to women who are exhausting themselves on the netball court. So a bra to cool you down and pants to burn excess fat makes these accessories optimal for your Netball league. The guys might want to avoid purchasing this last one!ha Do you have an epic Zaggora weight loss story, or have any of your friends tried them out?
Football sports drinks – what’s your favourite? | GO Mammoth Posted on 26th June 2012 by Sports drinks are increasingly becoming more and more popular and widely available. But why? What do sports drinks offer that water doesn’t? Sport can have adverse effects on the body. Sweating just 2% of body fat can cause impaired performance while 10% can be fatal. Energy drinks such as Lucozade, Gatorade, and Powerade help to replenish what you are loosing. Competing in more intense physical activity at your London Football League will exhaust the body and these sugary energy drinks will help your body recover from body fat lost. Energy drinks are high in sugar and give an extra boost to help give that added energy you need should you undertake exercise before eating a decent meal. Should you come straight after work to your London football league, a bottle of Lucozade might be the difference between a demoralising performance and a man of the match effort. Sports drinks may help to improve performance in the shorter term, however a good intake of water is also needed for longer terms benefits. Research has shown that a regular consumption of sports drinks corrodes your teeth more than Coke and Red Bull. So ensure you are not relying on them for all sporting activities, and only drink them when you are in need of a little boost. I guess the next question to ask is what’s the difference between the drinks? Powerade and Gatorade contain very similar contents. A half a litre bottle of Powerade and Gatorade contain 34 grams of sugar while Lucozade contains almost half this amount with just 18 grams. However Lucozade contains very little sodium and potassium, while Powerade and Gatorade have a much higher content. Sodium and potassium is needed for day to day bodily functions as well as communicating signals amongst body parts. These are the ‘electrolytes’ which are widely seen on advertisements and this is what helps provide the athletes with replenished energy. The more electrolytes, the better your body is equipped to perform well. There aren’t too many major nutritional differences between Powerade and Gatorade apart from flavour which comes down to a personal choice. Pick up a sports drink on the way to your London football league, and see if it effects your performance. What’s your favourite flavour?
Ultimate Frisbee London: Fitness | GO Mammoth Posted on 26th June 2012 by Ultimate Frisbee is a sport that uses a variation of muscles in your body. Leg muscles, arm muscles, and your core muscles all receive a major work out when playing in a London Ultimate Frisbee League. In addition endurance, jumping ability, and throwing and catching skills need to be at there prime. Remember, you must always stretch before starting exercise. Try reading the Netball 5-Step Warm Up blog, and referring to the stretching section before beginning any exercise. Ultimate Frisbee Workout – Legs Pre-Jog Your legs get a major work out from the constant running up and down of the field, changing directions, and moving to an open position. To beat your opponent to open space, you need to work on your speed, and cutting ability. In order to do this your leg’s must be warmed up and supple. Begin your exercise with a half-mile jog as a warm up Sprint and Cut Mark out a starting and finishing point about 15 metres apart. When you hit the finishing point and cut to the left and then sprint a short distance to the side. Repeat this about eight times. Four times cutting to the left and four times cutting to the right. Burpees To continue working on your legs and jumping ability do Burpees. Burpees combine a vertical leap, a squat and a push up into one exercise. First jump straight up into the air fully extending your arms. When you land instantly drop down into a squat, with your hands touching the ground. Next jump back and get into the push up position, and do one (1) push up then jump back into the squatting position and jump straight up again. Do 3 sets of 10, 12, or 15 of these. Your arms will also get a nice toning workout. Squats and Calf Raisers Even with out weights it is possible to perform a worthwhile squat. Place your feet about shoulders width apart, and squat untill thighs are parallel to the ground and your knees are in line with your toes. At the bottom of the squat, hold the position for a second before standing up. Do roughly 3 sets of 10-12. With your feet in the same position you can do calf raisers. Lift your self up onto your toes and then lower your self without letting your heels touch the ground. Doing calf raisers off an elevated surface works best. Do 3 sets of 10-15 of these as well. These exercises will help to improve your jumping ability and speed. All of these exercises will help you to develop your speed, cutting ability, jumping ability and endurance for playing Ultimate Frisbee. Ultimate Frisbee Workout – Arms Push-Ups Arm strength and endurance are needed to continue throwing the Frisbee throughout your match. In order to work on arm strength without weights do plenty of push-ups. In ultimate Frisbee you use a wrist flicking motion to throw the Frisbee, so when you do the push-ups do them on your fingertips or on your knuckles. Make sure that you are on a soft surface; it makes it more comfortable. Try to get to a total of 100 push-ups. You can divide these up in a multitude of fashions. (For example; 25 regular, 25 finger, 25 knuckle, and 25 of you choice push-ups.) Wrist Work Out Continue to strengthen your wrist through training exercises. A simple exercise is to take a broom and hold the handle palm side down. Hold it as high up as you can, and turn your wrist till your palm is facing up but not all the way turned over. Do 3 sets of 12 with each hand. Also, hold a Frisbee as if you are going to throw it, and flick your wrist, focusing on keeping your wrist stable as you mimic the throwing motion. This will help to build muscle memory. Throwing Set up targets (these can be cans or something that wont break) on an elevated surface like a fence or a trash can, and throw the Frisbee at them. This will help to work on your accuracy. Try to hit the target(s) with the centre of the Frisbee. As you get better move farther and farther back from the target(s). Remember to focus on your throwing form. You could also practice this with a friend. Go out to your local pitch and practice passing back and forth to each other. In addition to stationary passes, also work on passes when the receiver is running, proper leading passes, and specialty curved passes. Practice throwing regularly (backhand), forehand, push passes, and thumber forehand passes. As you master these move onto more difficult pass such as the air bounce. Catching If you are by yourself, then throw the Frisbee up at an angle at which it will hook back towards yourself, and run to catch the Frisbee. This will help you work on your reaction to disk flight, prediction to flight, and making the run to make the game changing catch. If you have someone with you, have him or her throw both simple and difficult passes to catch. Don’t forget to have high passes, diving passes, and passes that require you to run thrown to you so that you can practice these difficult catches. Ultimate Frisbee Workout – Core When you are planted and can’t move you have to engage your core muscles to duck and dive around whom ever is guarding you. These exercises will help you to build up your core strength. Cycle Crunches Because you will primarily duck side to side, its important to strengthen your oblique’s. Put your leg in the air in a crunch position. Drive your right elbow to your left knee while crunching, and then do this with your left elbow to your right knee. This is one-rep. Do 2 sets of 25 reps of this crunch; then do 50 normal crunches. This exercise will develop your oblique’s and abs muscles Planks Planks will also help to strengthen your core. For the side prop your body up on one arm, keeping your body in a straight line for 45-60 seconds. Once you do this switch sides and repeat. Lastly prop your self up on your elbows, face down, and hold for 45-60 seconds. You can do one to 2 sets of these. Completing these exercises on a regular basis will help you improve your endurance, speed, cutting, jumping, throwing, catching, and core strength. These improvements will help you to excel in your London Ultimate Frisbee League. Are there any particular exercises/warm ups you do to help you with your Ultimate Frisbee game?
Basketball London: Basketball Infographic | GO Mammoth Posted on 25th June 20125th September 2016 by gomammoth Dunking is definitely something you should try (if you haven’t already) to do at your London Basketball League. One of the most enjoyed, by yourself and spectators, ways to score in basketball is by dunking. No other tactic has the same awe-inspiring affect on spectators and your opponent’s team. It also excites your team, helping to motivate and boost team morale. When watching basketball highlights, most of these highlights will be comprised of a trick dunk during a game, an alley-oop, or a dunk over a defending player. What makes dunking so special is that it isn’t a skill that is held by every player. A person has to have a certain mix of athleticism in order to jump with a ball and put the ball through a 10-foot rim. Certain people may not be able to jump high enough to touch the rim. Touching the rim is only the first step; because in order to dunk you have to get higher than the rim so you can put the ball through the hoop. In some cases getting to the rim is not a problem, but instead the issue is holding onto the ball. Once a person is able to dunk normally, then they can move on to other types of dunks. These types include the windmill, behind the head, foul line, tomahawk, 360 dunking, and between the legs. CLICK TO INFOGRAPHIC BELOW TO READ/EXPAND: Source: Reese News – Dunk Dunking is a sport within its self. There is a special contest each year just to determine who has the best dunk. These competitions are held on both the collegiate and professional levels in the United States. This is a great infographic that gives you a little more insight into the world of dunking, its history, terminology and training tips. Learn how to step up your basketball abilities and add dunking to your list of basketball skills. Are you one of the lucky ones to be able to score epic dunks??
Dodgeball London: Dodgeball Tactics | GO Mammoth Posted on 22nd June 20125th September 2016 by gomammoth Dodgeball in my opinion is one of the most enjoyable team sports, anyone can play in London Dodgeball Leagues, and have fun. However, the more competitive you get, you start to realise it can infact be incredibly tactical. One of the most common strategies used, that I have seen is the “lob and beam”. It requires 2 players on the same team and 1 unsuspecting victim on the other team. Firstly, you must agree with your teammate when to perform this, as the two of you must get the timing down for it to be successful. Firsty, player one must throw the ball at the opposing team in a way that looks as if it will be easy to catch or dodge towards one side. Warning, you take the risk of actually making the catch an easy one so be careful. As the opponent gets ready to catch your ball, or take a predictable dodge, have your teammate beam the ball at the player. Their focus will be on the first ball that comes their way so therefore they will not see the second ball headed your way. Pros and Cons of the Dodgeball tactic Pros This is generally the easiest way to get a guaranteed out. It works extremely well against opponents that are up against one of the side lines. It also works well against those that do not see it coming. Cons With any Dodgeball strategy that requires two people to complete, there are risks. Firstly this tactic leaves the first thrower susceptible to elimination, especially if the second person does not follow through. Secondly this tactic can leave both players open if not completed quickly enough, and they are caught by the opposing team. To combat this, have a third team member with a ball ready when you call the play. They must protect you both by deflecting any incoming attacks with a ball. Once you throw, quickly get ready to dodge again, and get another ball. To use this move in the most efficient way, have your weakest thrower lob the ball (this person should also have good reaction time and dodging abilities), your strongest and most accurate thrower beam the ball, and someone with really good hand-eye-coordination protect the two of them. It is suggested to have the protector stand in front of the “beamer” so that it is harder to see the ball being thrown at the opponent. It is similar to playing chess when you kingside castle and use the rook to protect your king, and use the bishop to draw out the queen. This may sound extremely simple, but how many of you have actually thought about strategies within your London Dodgeball game? It is also highly successful, and if done properly can change your game. It will be great to hear of any other Dodgeball tactics that yourself and your team mates may use…..
London Football Leagues: Top 5 Celebrations | GO Mammoth Posted on 20th June 20125th September 2016 by gomammoth We have seen some great goals already in the 2012 Euro’s, so what better time to look at our top 5 goal celebrations. Many believe Football is one of the greatest, and oldest sports in the world. It is only fitting that the best sport in the world has some of the greatest goal celebrations. Below is a collection of what I think are the top 5 celebrations in recent football history. For all you out there playing in the GO Mammoth London Football Leagues, this is for you!! Top 5 Football Celebrations 5. Nani’s Full Number five goes to Nani’s full (360 back layout), that he pulls off during the match against Liverpool. Not only has he yet again just completed a full out sprint, he then goes on to complete a high level gymnastic flip. It is one thing to flip with out a spin, but add a spin, and that flip becomes completely different, and much more difficult. If any members of your team in your London Football League can complete this, send us a video and we will post it!! 4. The Bike Creativity greatly factors into the worth of a celebration, and it seams that the boys on the Stjarnan club team have that down. This team is very good at coordinating themselves and building things as their goal celebration. In this clip the team decides to build a bike, of which one player is completely suspended in the air. It is a clear pictorial image and given the personality of this team, makes perfect sense. What could you and your team build? 3. Paul Gascoigne The antics of the infamous dentist chair were well publicised in the media, Gazza thought he’d go one better and share it with the world. I’m not going to spend too much time waxing lyrical about his wonder goal, but, I bet Colin Hendry is still aimlessly looking around trying to work out where Gazza has put the ball! The celebration itself was, in a sense, the most ironic celebration ever. If by some strange occurrence you don’t know the context then it may seem a strange celebration indeed. But actually it was poking fun at the English Tabloids, who weeks earlier had photographed Gazza, Sheringham & McManaman on a drunken night out, downing drinks from a dentist’s chair. The tabloids slated the players, saying it was embarrassing and Gazza should be dropped. So, naturally Gazza responded by scoring one of the greatest goals of all time, and yes, recreating the now infamous dentist’s chair. 2. Gone Fishing Yet again the ever so creative Stjarnan club creates an excellent goal celebration. Technically its not too hard. I bet your London football team could even do it. All you have to do is have a fake cameraman, and five to six team members holding the fish. That’s right the fish! (The trickiest part of this celebration.) If you pay attention, Jóhann Laxdal has to flounder his way across the pitch, so that his team can scoop him up. This is no easy task. Have you ever tried to fake a spasm and move in a given direction? It is very difficult to accomplish. When this celebration is done all together, it is pure comedy. 1. Toshihiro Aoyamo This one had to win (may not be the best ever goal celebration), but, when you score a goal from beyond the centre field line then you deserve recognition. You also deserve to celebrate however you want, and that is exactly what Toshihiro Aoyama did. The amount of power and the accuracy to make a shot of this calibre is astounding. What makes an entire team celebration is worthy of this standalone act. It’s a spin off of the “traditional” bowing celebration, except you end up with a split at the end, which is nearly impossible to get a strike off of. In this case, nothing is impossible for Toshihiro and he easily knocks down the final two “pins,” as easily as he put in that shot. Judging the top 5 football goal celebrations is always a difficult matter, and I am sure there are a million and one video’s that you may believe are better, and that I have never seen. Please post the video’s below and prove me wrong. You can even suggest your top 5 best goal celebrations of all time….