Patball

Hello, it's a pleasure to be read by you.

This post is about Patball. If you don't know what Patball is, according to Wikipedia: "Patball is a non-contact competitive ball game played in many forms using one's hands or head to hit the ball against a wall - the objective being to get the succeeding player out."

Read more here.

Two friends and I started playing when we found ourselves too old to play tag in school but with nothing else to do in year 9 (8th grade).

We used the rules from Wikipedia and adapted them slightly to suit the needs of our 'court'.

Our group has since expanded to eight regular players in the three years since we started playing and it became more than just a game. It evolved into a sport.

We've all been playing for so long we became exceptional at Patball. We take it seriously too and argue over who the best player is. 

We're all 17 and nearly adults by law though. Shouldn't we be embarrassed? Aren't we too old to be playing a child's game? Maybe we should and maybe we are. However, three years of playing Patball every break and lunch time every day has refined our skills to the point where the game is no longer embarrassing to play. It's simply impressive.

This highlight video is a testimony to that 

fact. I edited it myself. Enjoy!

The songs used in the video are: Childish Gambino- Bonfire and Boogie- Oh my. I do not own any rights to the aforementioned songs and all rights belong to the respective owners of these songs.

This is Patball at its finest. It's amazing how easily a game could become such a competitive sport and how something so simple could be so much fun.

It was a pleasure being read by you, read me again sometime.

Pro Bowl or No Bowl?

Hello, it's a pleasure to be read by you.

Last week I watched the Pro Bowl. I'm sure many of us did, only to be disappointed by the soft tackles and lack of intensity that one would normally expect from most regular or post-season games and even the Super Bowl.
Over the years the Pro Bowl has lost its meaning not just to fans but also to players. A staggering 36 of the 86 players originally bestowed with the honour to represent Team Rice and Team Irvin, dropped out. Excuses ranged from needing to prepare for Super Bowl appearances to players just wanting to recover from a grueling season and play-off campaign. So, with the Pro Bowl being so soon after the play-offs and so close to the Super Bowl, it just isn't a priority anymore.
Moreover, rule changes including: no blitzing, allowing intentional grounding and no kick-offs further damage the game's potential for excitement. As a result, the chances of a huge kick-off return or a huge sack on the QB are basically eliminated. Mainly, these rule changes are enforced to prevent players from being injured.

Should the Pro Bowl be removed?
I say yes. Why? There's nothing to play for (other than the fat pay cheque). Therefore, to a player, it's not worth risking an injury for and the result is a very, very disappointing game of Football.

The solution? Here are a few of my ideas.
I saw a 'the Score' article recently and one suggestion was to make the two lowest ranking teams in the league compete for the top draft pick by Caitlyn Holroyd. Personally I would love to see Cleveland and Tennessee play for the top pick. Cleveland, particularly, are in desperate need of a potential franchise Quarterback. This is due to Johnny Manziel being practically useless since being drafted in 2014 and an ageing McCown being only a temporary solution. While Tennessee drafted Marcus Mariota, who showed masses of potential this season, the team could still use a top draft pick to select a viable downfield threat for him to target.
Both teams need the draft pick. So, both teams, in theory, should play a good old, hard-hitting, no holds barred game of Football.

Another possibility is an undrafted free-agent bowl or off-season tournament. Who would coach them? Perhaps ex-college and free-agent coaches (if that's even a thing) or Hall Of Famers. Who would want to watch free agents play football? I don't know. But I do know those guys would play their hearts out to be noticed, to stand out and to create an opportunity for themselves to make it into the NFL. I believe that would make for a seriously intense game of Football.

Finally, perhaps the Pro Bowl could be replaced with a skill competition, similar to the NBA's dunk contest. I can see a one handed catch competition going down well with the fans, given players like Landry, Odell and even J.J Watt helped to popularise it.
Personally, I'd love to see a WR-CB king of the hill, one on one challenge with the last WR and CB standing being the winners. Some players are quick to claim to be the best at their position and this could be the perfect way to prove it. Imagine the likes of: Darelle Revis, Richard Sherman and Josh Norman matched up against players like Julio Jones, Antonio Brown or DeAndre Hopkins. No distractions. No external interferences. Just the Quarterback, Defensive Back, Receiver and the open field. It would be a beautiful thing to see.
I'm not sure about what could be arranged for Linebackers and Linemen but maybe a gauntlet against the leagues top Running Backs could be a possibility. Be sure to give the winner of the event a fat pay cheque and a shiney trophy and I'm confident players will want to participate. Particularly, when the low threat of injury is also considered.

Overall, Roger Goodell himself has voiced his dissatisfaction with the performance in the Pro Bowl saying, "I'm not gonna speculate on where the Pro Bowl is going but I was disappointed in what I saw on Sunday." His words reflect the feelings of many Football Fans everywhere, so it's safe to say the Pro Bowl's format and existence will be called into question in the near future. Until then, the ideas previously mentioned in this post are just some of the many possibilities the NFL could use to replace the Pro Bowl, which is currently undergoing a slow, agonizing death.

It was a pleasure being read by you, read me again sometime.

Picture Credits:
https://cbsla.files.wordpress.com/2015/11/gettyimages-465337171.jpg?w=640&h=360&crop=1

http://centrio.jehzeellaurente.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/pro-bowl-2016.jpg

References:
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000632968/article/goodell-pro-bowl-may-not-continue-in-current-format

http://www.theroar.com.au/2016/01/31/nfl-pro-bowl-lost-prestige/

http://www.thescore.com/author/caitlyn-holroyd (I couldn't find an exact link to the article)

Your guide to the Ekul.

Hello, it's a pleasure to be read by you.

I started this blog beause I was bored, I have interesting thoughts sometimes and my friend's blog was pretty cool, so I thought "meh, why not try it?".

My blog will be about many different subjects but it'll mostly be about things related to myself. So if you want to get to know me, great! You'll definitely enjoy my blog, but if not perhaps you'll see post based on a common interest we have.

Without further ado I present to you an overview of Luke Charles!
I'm 17 and I live in London, England. I was born here but I'm from the Grenada in the Caribbean originally. I'm male too by the way.

Some basic interests\hobbies of mine are:
[] NFL (American Football, I'm a Ravens fan)
[] NASCAR. Jimmie Johnson FTW! I love cars and motorsports in general though.
[] I play guitar and sing. I'm not special but just decent.
[] Anime. My all time favourite is: Mobile Suit Gundam 00 or HunterxHunter 2011. I'm currently watching: Overlord.

Some other stuff about me:
[] I'm 6'2".
[] My wingspan is longer than my height.
[] I'm a cancer survivor. I had Welms tumor at 18 months in my left kidney, which was removed.
[] I got 1 A*, 5 A's, 3 B's and 2 C's at GCSE.
[] I'm studying Chemistry, Business Studies and Computer Science for A-Level.
[] I was raised as one of Jehovah's Witnesses.
[] I'm heterosexual.
[] I'm single. XD

If any of the above has caught your attention, let me know and I could make it the subject of my next post.

Lastly, I'll do a quick fire question round.

Describe your perfect day.
[] A really hot, sunny day with a cool breeze, doing something cool with friends. Maybe playing some football (the American kind), exploring a new place or just an outdoor activity that'll be a good laugh. Then some good food and chill out until the evening.

What one superpower\ability would you have and why?
[] Manipulation of time. So, I can just pause time and take a break from life when it gets too hectic. Also, I'd like to see the different outcomes of situations based on my various actions. Then I can pick my preferred result!

Most important quality in a friend?
[] I'm not fussy. I'll accept you as you are. I just want my friends to be relaxed and open with me. I would always want to feel relaxed around you as a friend and if you aren't then I won't be. You need to be comfortable talking about anything. Everyone has things they'd rather not talk about but, I enjoy expressing myself and I can only do that fully when we're comfortable with each other as friends.

That's a little bit about me. Just in case I post something you find cool or relatable later on and you'd like to know more about the handsome devil who posted it. ;)

It was a pleasure being read by you, read me again sometime.