US Sports Partner Spotlight: Vans!

 

30% Off Select Styles *select footwear, all shorts, all socks, all tees and all sale product.
https://tinyurl.com/Vans0724

Vans is THE leading action sports lifestyle company. While some companies just jumped on the skate bandwagon, we're the original skate shoe manufacturer since 1966. We stay connected to those who love Vans through action sports including skate, snowboarding, surfing, moto and BMX and through major events like the Vans Warped Tour and the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing.
https://tinyurl.com/Vans0724

The Coolest Sports, The Hottest Talk, Music, and Fun!
US Sports Radio
https://tinyurl.com/USSportsRadioToday042224

The Rock Almighty Weekend On The Rocks With Barren Cross & The Science (and Mystery) of Free Will: With Implications for Determinism, Morality and Law

The Science (and Mystery) of Free Will: With Implications for Determinism, Morality and Law

• Author Robert Depaolo

Abstract

This article discusses free will in the context of brain function and in particular, the internal language faculties discussed by Alexander Luria and others. The point is made that there is a middle ground explanation of what free will means and how that might pertain to the tenets of religion, law and scientific inquiry.

When it comes to free will and the behavioral science related to it, there exists a conundrum analogous to the one seen in the field of physics. Regarding the latter, conflict arises from the question of whether the natural world can best be described using the classical cause-effect deterministic model espoused by Einstein or the probabilistic/uncertain model typified by quantum mechanics. Regarding free will, it boils down to the question of whether human beings can act in accord with choices that are unaffected by natural or experiential causation or whether our behavior is determined by external factors. Are we part of the natural world, which one presumes is governed by cause-effect relationships or are we - as many religious and legal principles imply, separate from it?

This issue has implications for virtually all human endeavors. The idea of free will is a cornerstone of all religions, simply because all faiths include a moral system by which man is judged. One cannot be fairly judged unless acts of sin or virtue emanate from the intentions and choices of the actor. If outside factors cause behavior, no crime, sin or act of cruelty could be deemed wrongful. All sinners and criminals could claim "nature made them do it"

This principle is also a foundation of law. Commission of a crime involves intent. Commission of a tort (an unlawful act in a civil action) similarly requires that one intentionally or through foreseeable neglect act in a way that causes harm to another person or agency. Even ethical standards for professionals include the presumption of choice.

However, if the behavior of organisms falls into the deterministic category, and if one uses the tenets of science rater than faith or law to judge, then all behavior, good or bad, would have to be considered the result of external stimuli and experiences that are beyond the control of the individual.

This of course paints a rather bleak picture of human experience because it implies there are no good, evil, moral or immoral individuals; no such thing as sin, crime or conversely, good acts.

Despite the fact that all human social and moral systems operate according to the presumption of free will the question of whether it exists has been around for centuries. Plato addressed the topic in the Myth of Er section of his work, the Republic. Aristotle - as was his wont - parsed the subject by drawing a distinction between human dispositions and human actions. He wrote that the former was not a choice but that the latter was. In other words. We can't control how we feel but can control how we act.

Sigmund Freud was fairly adamant in his belief that humans do not have free will, and that what appears to be "choice", that is, behavior ostensibly unguided by overt antecedents, was actually driven by the unconscious.

Perhaps the most dogmatic statement about free will came from B.F. Skinner in his book Beyond Freedom and Dignity. He offered a staunchly deterministic view of human behavior, encompassed in the phrase "behavior is a function of ts consequences." Skinner was challenged by various thinkers, particularly Ayn Rand who called his book (paraphrasing here) 'A Frankenstein tome stitched together with the nuts and bolts of fascism." In addition to such criticism his behavioral equation seemed a bit topsy-turvy because he reversed the timing on cause and effect by saying that an event that happens after a response caused the response. Even a liberal interpretation of this principle would require that an internal memory of a reward following the behavior was what really caused a repetition of the behavior - that memory. Not consequence was the causal element. And of course, memory is an internal - not environmental factor.

Skinner's model was radical. At the time of his most notable books and experiments there were two schools of thought regarding human behavior, One, the S-R model, held that human behavior was determined by stimulus conditions and reinforcement schedules following the behavior. The other model was the -S-O-R model which held that an intervening factor (the organism) did some processing of experience and that intervention or appraisal was the direct determinant of behavior. Skinner chose to omit even the 'S" or stimulus factor and decided the only important aspects of behavior was the response and the effect of the reinforcement on the response.

The question of free will persisted throughout the centuries without resolution, until a reasonable model including the "O" factor was presented (one that even Skinner acknowledged made sense). It was based on studies on human language and borrowed from scientific and clinical sources as disparate as Alexander Luria, Ivan Pavlov, Noam Chomsky, Richard Lazarus and Clark Hull. Without delving into too much detail on the work of each, the central theme of their studies and ideas focused on the notion of a mediating, internal language function that was covert, not fully grammatical but a kind of summary appraisal of experience likely emanating from the prefrontal cortex of the human brain.

Lazarus believed inserted between experience and emotion was something he called an "appraisal response." He believed it was not the external event that caused an emotional reaction (aside from atavistic fight-flight behavior). Rather, it was the intervening, subtle internal language response that cued the eventual emotional reaction, and while not unconscious in the Freudian sense the appraisal was not necessarily discernible to the actor. Pavlov similarly suggested this language response operated as an automatic reflex and was immediate and unnoticeable.

Pavlov and Luria - both renowned Russian physiologists, called this intervening language response the second signal system. Luria viewed language as having an internal para-communicative purpose devoted as much to self-regulation as communication. Meanwhile, Chomsky felt human language is instinctive, rather than being learned in its essence and Clark Hull studied a phenomenon he called fractional goal responses- which were partially inhibited but operative "mental rehearsals" that guide behavior in the absence of external cues and cause effect mechanisms.

B.F. Skinner came to accept that language could be an internal, intervening causative factor in behavior, and that human behavior did include a kind of self-deterministic free will, that could technically be assumed to bypass external influence.

Two factors came into play that created a snag in this interpretation. The first was that one could assume that since language is to an extent influenced by learning and social context it is not completely beyond external causation. The covert appraisals would have to derive from some sort of learning. (On the other hand, the internal reflex and instinctive features of language espoused by Pavlov and Chomsky seem to preserve the notion of free will)

A second snag was that since people vary in their expressive language capacities it would seem skill differentials would also show up in one's capacity to use appraisals, to self-regulate and to utilize intervening language mediation. Since in a scientific context those factors and skills are assumed to comprise free will then the capacity for free will must depend to an extent on language prowess.

According to that premise, free will would have to be considered greater for some than for others, which would imply that responsibility for one's actions also depended on those internal mediation language capacities. In other words some people might be so gifted linguistically that their internal mediation language skills would provide them with a greater degree of self-determination, giving them greater free will than those with lesser mediation ability. In that context free will (and all the moral, legal and religious principles attached to it) would have to be considered relative. That would have to be factored into concepts like guilt, innocence, criminal intent, virtuousness and so on. It would imply that responsibility for one's actions would have some sort of positive correlation with language ability and arguably with intelligence. The problem is that such a notion - though consistent with scientific inquiry would turn morality, law and religion upside down.

None of the ideas of Pavlov, Luria, Skinner or Lazarus have found their way into a courtroom, classroom, church, mosque or temple. On the other hand, the idea of differential morality based on language and the intellect was the first moral lesson imparted in the Bible. Adam and Eve were told remaining ignorant would equate with innocence whereas the quest for knowledge would lead to greater self awareness, greater moral responsibility and higher culpability regarding sinfulness. Pre-apple Adam and Eve did not have guilt because they were not ostensibly knowledgeable enough to be curious and make choices.

Still, for all the research and theory devoted to free will this writer is left with the unalterable impression that one can act in ways that have nothing to do with prior learning or external causation. At this moment a statement will be issued that has never been used, influenced, grammatized, taught or even contemplated by this writer - thus could not possibly have been caused by anything other than a vague self-prompt urging the writer to... "say something nonsensical." Elephant phonetic quantify in vivo aperture in purple absentia." There is no associative, grammatical, semantic or cognitive connection between those words, This writer could not have learned or been caused to say exactly those words. It would thus appear this writer utilized free will to make that statement. Curious - and not something either Skinner, Plato, Aristotle, Chomsky or Pavlov could explain.

REFERENCES

Beliavsky, V. Free Will in Psychoanalysis. Springer Link. March 2020

Chomsky, N. (2006) Language and Mind. Cambridge University Press

Hull, C.L. (1943) Principles of Behavior New York Appleton-Century

Lazarus, R. Folk man, S. (1984) Stress, Appraisal and Coping New York. Springer Pub.

Luria, A. (1962) The Working Brain Basic Books

Luria, A. (1962) Higher Cortical Functions in Man, Moscow University Press

Skinner, B.F. (1948) Walden Two. New York MacMillan

Skinner, B.F. (1972) Beyond Freedom and Dignity. Vintage Books

Windhoek, G. (1990) The Second Signal System as Conceived by Pavlov and his Disciples Biological Science Oct-Dec. (4) 163-173

Robert DePaolo MS Clinical Psychology Retired practitioner in the fields of clinical, educational and neuropsychology, author of 8 books and many articles on science, religion, psychology and true crime

US Sports Coach Lab: Soccer Top 3 Soccer Passing Drills

 

• By Maggie Fintel

---

There are plenty of components when it comes to playing a game of soccer. From dribbling to shooting, continuously practicing these skills can enhance your performance on and off the field. Some of these can improve individual performance, but passing can grow both individual and team skills as a whole.

Passing/possession drills can improve the team’s communication skills, attentiveness, first touch, and even their connection on and off the field. Being able to pass the ball accurately and precisely can affect the team’s performance and quality during practice and games.  If you watch professional soccer teams on television, you can see how the passing just flows so swiftly between the players. These players know precisely how and where to pass to their teammates, but they have also had plenty of practice and developed a connection within their team. Building a strong bond with your team, being focused, and lots of practice can help build strong passing skills during the game.

Coaches must implement passing drills during practices. There are plenty of drills to choose from, depending on your team’s strengths and weaknesses, and a range of variations within each exercise. With the continuous passing practice, each player will develop a new and vital skill as well as building upon that necessary team bond.

There is a multitude of different passing drills to have your team work on. Here are three soccer passing drills that you, your team, and your coach can work on during practices to perfect passing:

Before You Star

Equipment:                                                                                   

- 4 cones  

- 1 soccer ball (or more for variation)

- 4 players (or more for variation) 

The Set-Up:  

- place the four cones in a  10x10 grid, each player on each cone to start.

 

How It Works

- Begin with one player at each cone

- One player starts with the soccer ball at their cone.

- The player with the ball will pass it towards the cone either to the left or right of them (determines which direction you desire to start with. In the diagram above, the player is passing to the right).

- The receiver is able to use either the inside or outside of their foot while receiving the ball from the passer.

- The receiver may go behind or in front of the cone, shown as the dotted lines in the diagram above. The cone represents the “mock defender” in which the player is trying to move around.

- The receiver, once taking their first touch behind or in front of the cone, then passes the ball to the next receiver, repeating this process around the square.

 

Switch It Up

- Number of soccer balls. Adding more soccer balls can create a quick drill to challenge your players’ attention and communication skills

- Number of players on each cone. Decreasing the number of players creates a faster-paced drill or increasing to build a better team connection

- Call out a change in direction during the drill. This can help the players work both left and right feet and test their reaction skills

More Tips

- Get the players to communicate! This is a great drill to work on the team’s communication skills. The players can say “Ball!” “Here!” “Left foot!” “Right foot!” and more.

Before You Start

Equipment:  

- 3 cones  

  - two players 

   - one soccer ball

 The Set-Up:

- Place 3 cones in a pyramid shape, with two players on separate cones

How It Works

- One player is at the top of the pyramid with the soccer ball; the other is on either the left or right bottom cone (whichever one you wish to start with)

- The top player will pass the ball towards the player when at the cone.

- The receiver will take a touch, then pass the ball back to the top player.

- After passing the ball back to the top player, the bottom player will then sprint to the next cone to receive the ball once again.

- Repeat these steps until the time is up (approximately 1-2 minutes), switch roles from the top stagnant player to the moving bottom player.

 

Switch It Up

- Number of touches. Switch from a two-touch pass to a one-touch pass for quicker, more controlled movement

- Number of players. Instead of sprinting back and forth between cones, there can be three players on the drill to pass in a triangle structure

 

More Tips

- Make sure the receiver takes a light and controls the first touch. Do not want the ball flying around towards the opponent

- Communicate. Let the passer know which foot you would like to receive the ball on (“Left!” or “Right!”)

Before You Start

Equipment:                                                                         

- 8 cones

- 12 pennies (8 one color, 4 a different color) 

- 12 players

The Set-Up:    

- Make a large 20x30 rectangle

 - Create a 2x10 boundary in the center of rectangle 

- 4 attacking players and 2 defensive in each box                                                                                                 

 

How It Works

Soccer ball starts in either box with the offensive team (team with four players in each box). The defensive team has two players in each box, the rest of the team sits out for the round.

The offensive team must complete at least three passes within their box without the defenders taking the ball.

After connecting three complete passes, the offensive team’s objective is then to pass the ball to the other box without letting the defensive team take the ball.

The defenders are trying to take the ball away from the offensive team. If the defenders take the ball three times within the same box, the positions must switch (offense becomes defense, defense becomes offense).

The only way to switch roles is for the defense to steal the ball away from the offense.

 

Switch It Up

- Limit the number of touches. Limit to one-touch passing for a high-intensity game

- Adjust grid size. Make the grid smaller and tighter for quick passing or larger to work on long passes and time awareness

- Make the offensive team “loft” or “chip” the ball over the middle-dotted line area towards the other box after completing the three passes. This works on lofting skills and first touch out of the air.

 

 

Additional Videos on Soccer Passing:

Winning Soccer Vol. 5: Passing, Receiving, and HeadingWinning Soccer Vol. 5: Passing, Receiving, and Heading

Paul Riley's Soccer Moves, Skills, and DrillsPaul Riley's Soccer Moves, Skills, and Drills

Soccer Drills & Tips Video LibrarySoccer Drills & Tips Video Library

World Cup Soccer with Mia HammWorld Cup Soccer with Mia Hamm

Passing is the route of all things great in soccer, so there will be aspects of passing in every drill that you do. When your players start to grasp the fundamentals of passing, you can start to progress into more tactical methods of passing. This includes positioning and areas that you want to exploit.

If you are interested in the more tactical side of passing, Coach Kadioui's course, Football (Soccer) Play Styles - Possession is a superb course.

Louder With Crowder Highlight on US Sports - Debate Destruction: Trump Crushed Biden on Every Issue

 

It was so bad, it was great!
Watch LWC Weekdays with the Rumble app
https://apple.co/3qKa9Uq
https://amzn.to/3xItMDy

Louder With Crowder
Now streaming on US Sports Radio
https://tinyurl.com/USSportsRadioToday042224

Black & White Sports on US Sports - Serena Williams ATTACKS Harrsion Butker at ESPYS!

 

Member stream at 10am CST every Friday UNCENSORED!
Locals:
https://apple.co/46X7w5b
https://amzn.to/3S2UIEE

Cool Sports, Talk, Music and Fun!
US Sports Radio
https://tinyurl.com/USSportsRadioToday042224

High Intensity Health on US Sports: Vitamin D's Health Benefits Boosted by Vitamin A

 

New research suggests vitamin D and A work better when they're taken together. Here's more food for thought
Support your Vitamin D, K2 + A Health with this combo by MYOXCIENCE: https://amzn.to/3xSmdKs
*Save with code podcast at checkout

The Coolest Sports, The Hottest Talk, Music, and Fun!
US Sports Radio
https://tinyurl.com/USSportsRadioToday042224

US Sports Partner Spotlight: Under Armour

 

25% Off Backpacks - These backpacks have it all - and they're 25% off!
https://tinyurl.com/UnderArmour0724
40% Off Sitewide for Military, First Responders, Nurses, Medical & Teachers!
https://tinyurl.com/UAServe

Under Armour’s mission is to make you better. That means everything Under Armour makes—shoes, apparel, accessories, athlete recovery sleepwear, and connected fitness gear—actually does something. Whether it’s a T-shirt that keeps you cool, a jacket that adapts to your body temp, or innovative cushioning that feels like zero gravity for a whole new running experience, Under Amour inspires you with performance solutions you never knew you needed but can’t imagine living without. https://tinyurl.com/UAServe

US Sports Radio affiliate partner
https://tinyurl.com/USSportsRadioToday042224

The Rock Almighty. Alive In The Word & How to be Productive According to the Bible

 

How to be Productive According to the Bible

• Author Matthew Burgon-Parr

Depending on your line of work, you may feel that the business world’s current obsession with ‘increased productivity’ is giving you ‘productivity anxiety’. In economic terms, increased productivity is always seen as a good thing: it creates higher wages, aids economic growth, increases tax revenue and generally raises living standards; but it can also be the cause of stress and anxiety. More importantly, what about our spiritual life? After all, it’s the only thing that matters. Let’s take a look at what the Bible has to say.

The Book of Genesis makes it clear that we have a contract with God to look after His creation; God expects us to be productive.

‘And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.’ Genesis 1:26

When God created the Earth it was waiting in readiness for our labor to make it productive.

‘…for the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground.’ Genesis 2:5

Our world of global commerce and bewildering technological advances may seem very different from the agricultural economy of biblical times, but we are still the stewards of God’s creation, no matter how sophisticated we may feel ourselves to be. God expects us to work to the best of our abilities, to be productive in the service of others, because by doing so we are serving God.

‘Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.’ Colossians 3:23-24

God rewards productivity but productivity requires application and perseverance; the Old Testament has this advice concerning how to accomplish the best productivity.

‘Plant your seed in the morning and keep busy all afternoon, for you don’t know if profit will come from one activity or another – or maybe both.’ Ecclesiastes 11:6

Jesus gave us the parable of the talents (Matthew25: 14-30) in which he makes it clear that lack of productivity, choosing to bury one's God-given talents, will be punished. Jesus is reiterating, in parable form, an idea found throughout the Old Testament.

‘Whoever is slack in his work is a brother to him who destroys.’ Proverbs18:9

The crucial point about productivity, however, is that it must always be in the service of others, not for our own aggrandizement. In his letter to Timothy, Saint Paul puts it like this:

‘As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.’ 1 Timothy 6:17-19

At the start of this piece, I mentioned that many of us may feel ‘productivity anxiety’: when we push ourselves too hard, we may reach the point where we are ‘burnt out’; this is not what God requires of us. God wants us to be productive but He also wants us to be happy and to do so we must rest. Observing the Sabbath does not mean that we must never do any work whatsoever on a Sunday but, as Jesus made clear (Matthew12: 9-14) it concerns those times when we stop working to rest and refresh ourselves in the presence of God.

We were put on this earth to work, to be productive. Throughout history, Christians have wrestled with the problem of how to be productive, in the secular world of work, and yet still serve God.

Matthew is a writer at Christian Journal Co.

Company website: https://christianjournal.co/

High Intensity Health on US Sports: ‘Meat Rots Your Colon & Kidneys’ | Quack Doctor Claims

 

Doctor who advices you eat nothing but fruit claims meat rots your kidneys and intestines... yikes.

Crush your Workouts and stay hydrated this summer with the Electrolyte + Creatine Combo by MYOXCIENCE: https://amzn.to/4bKsqpr
*Save with code podcast at checkout

The Coolest Sports, The Hottest Talk, Music, and Fun
US Sports Radio
https://bit.ly/USSportsRadioToday

US Sports Partner Spotlight: Tractor Supply Company

Tractor Supply Company is the largest retail farm and ranch store chain in America. Tractor Supply Company serves an expansive customer base including full and part-time farmers and ranchers, hobby farmers, homeowners and contractors. Tractor Supply Company has an incredible selection of products & services to get any job done. From premium pet food & feed, fencing supplies, lawn & garden equipment, tools, work apparel and more, customers know they have a partner they can count on.
https://bit.ly/TractorSupply0724

US Sports Radio affiliate partner
https://bit.ly/USSportsRadioToday