Athletes are recommended to drink more than a gallon a day, since they would be sweating out more than that. Water could also provide the needed energy and could refresh the body. Energy drinks are best avoided, since they can be laced with sugar and caffeine which may give the body a quick energy fix but not the necessary nutrients. For people who feel that their weight is greatly affecting their self-esteem because of physical appearance, health, emotional stability, physical abilities and the overall quality of your life in general, then it is about time that you contemplate on losing weight by playing basketball. GETTING STARTED Whether you are playing to lose weight or just to have fun, there are some considerations first before you finally decide to engage with the sport. But making sure that the ball would get into the net is hard since there is a lot of pressure when you are on the line. Here are some free throw tricks. Be in a comfortable position. When shooting free throws, the feet and the shoulder should be wide apart and parallel with each other. You should be standing just a bit behind the line, figure the position where you have balance and you could target the shot. The selection committee is composed of select university athletic directors and conference commissioners, who meet between Thursday and Sunday before the first game. Around 31 teams get an automatic invite to the tournament. The other invites, 34 for men and 33 for women, are selected of course by the selection committee. This is why many countries have also created their professional leagues, which is one good sign that the sport is indeed popular. Professional Leagues Here s a look at some of the leagues that can be found at various countries where the sport is popular and many people are hooked about the game as well as the players. Each team has five players who try to get points by shooting the ball at the top of the hoop. The latter, in order to comply with the standard rules, must have a rim that measures 18 inches in diameter and 10 feet high. By shooting the ball, a team can get two points if the player made the shot inside the half circle and three points if the player is at the back circle.