NEWS » habits thanks to their passion for MMA. Lots to learn

The Edmonton Oilers traded for the rights to a free agent defenceman, and got him signed to a two-year deal, paying a premium for a shorter term contract. Fausse Basket Nike . Numbers Game looks at the Oilers inking Nikita Nikitin. The Oilers Get: D Nikita Nikitin. Nikitin, 28, played a career-high 66 games last season, an indication that hes still trying to establish his place in the league. A couple of years ago, in 2011-2012, Nikitin contributed a career-best 32 points in 54 games for Columbus (after seven scoreless games with St. Louis to start the year), playing a career-high 23:12 per game for the season putting up strong relative possession numbers while facing high-quality opposition, while frequently paired with veteran Fedor Tyutin. Thats the Nikitin that the Oilers have to hope they are acquiring. In 2012-2013, Nikitins role was decreased somewhat, and while he still logged 21:12 per game, Nikitin was then surpassed on the depth chart last season by rookie Ryan Murray, leaving Nikitin to play 17:07 per game on the third pair. Playing on that third pair didnt bring ideal results, as Nikitin was a little below break-even in possession terms, but if there is reason to hold out hope for Nikitin, it may be that his with-or-without you numbers arent bad over the past three seasons. Among the 16 skaters with whom he played at least 300 5-on-5 minutes over those three seasons, Nikitin had better possession numbers apart than 11 of those skaters, but that relative effectiveness has decreased in the past two seasons, to the point that in 2013-2014, Nikitin had better possession stats apart from just three of the 13 skaters with whom he played more than 150 5-on-5 minutes. What this would seem to indicate is that Nikitin, who has good size, can skate and handle the puck a bit, isnt necessarily one to carry the play. He could be a useful complementary player and presumably Oilers Senior VP of Hockey Operations Scott Howson (who acquired Nikitin as GM in Columbus) is a fan, but there is risk in bringing in a player with falling possession numbers to a team that already ranked 28th in Fenwick Close (unblocked shot attempts during 5-on-5, score within one goal in first two periods and tied in third period). Its not as though Nikitins play in the past couple seasons indicates that he would improve the results no matter with whom he is partnered and its reasonable to wonder if the Oilers have the right personnel to get positive results with Nikitin on the ice. If the Jeff Petry and Martin Marincin pairing goes ahead, then perhaps Nikitin gets a chance alongside Andrew Ference. Maybe that somehow works out and allows the Oilers some time to develop their young defencemen. Its entirely possible that it wont work out, though, and the short-term nature of the contract suggests that both sides recognize that risk. Signed to a two-year, $9-million deal, Nikitin will be well-compensated, particularly if he cant stick in the Oilers top four, but the downside of a two-year deal is limited compared to the longer term that will be available to other free agent defencemen. The Blue Jackets Get: A fifth-round pick. Since the Blue Jackets werent going to bring Nikitin back, getting any asset in return is a plus. The fifth-round pick, 137th overall, belonged to Columbus originally and was traded to Edmonton last season to acquire D Nick Schultz. A fifth-round pick doesnt bring a lot of value, but its something. From 1990 through 2009, just under 15% of the picks between 121 and 150 played at least 100 NHL games, so there is a little better than a one-in-seven chance of netting an NHL player. While its reasonable for the Oilers to have hope Nikitin can perform in a top-four role, it could be telling that the Blue Jackets would let Nikitin depart as a free agent. Mabye they simply didnt want to pay that kind of money to a third pair defenceman, when they have younger, cheaper options (David Savard, Dalton Prout, Tim Erixon) available and thats fair, but current Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen was the Blues Director of Scouting when St. Louis picked Nikitin in the fifth round in 2004. Lots can change over time and the Blue Jackets arent likely to regret letting Nikitin go, even if he works out well for the Oilers. Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. Fausse Jordan 1 .S. international midfielder Michael Bradley is complete. Basket Air Force 1 Pas Cher . The world No. 1 had one of the most dominating performances in a final and was on his way to a possible shutout on Sunday until the third-seeded Berdych broke the super Serbs serve in the 12th game of the match. http://www.pascherbasketnike.fr/france-yeezy-350-v2-solde.html . While coach Doc Rivers high-fived fans and pumped his fist at the crowd, Blake Griffin and Chris Paul quietly congratulated each other.This week had a major upside to it. A phone call interview with Chael Sonnen. You can hear it as part of our podcast for TSN 1290s The Weigh In. Before the interview we talked about this project, encouraging fight fans to try aspects of the training. We talked briefly about his hilarious commercials for Nexersys (more on that later) and getting people fit. During the podcast interview we talked his picks for UFC Fight Night, and about his ability to always be ready for any fight any time. His answer was simple. It goes back to his wrestling days, and you never know whos going to be your opponent. You simply have to be ready and be your best. Chael isnt as big on strength training, and in fact sees it the same as some of the "old school" guys do. Its more to break up training than to add to it. Its a mental break, something new. It got me thinking about my week of training. I spend a lot of my time doing the work I have my pros do in the strength room. I also make time for kickboxing. Unfortunately, finding time to get to a jujitsu or wrestling class never matches my schedule, but I can always hit a heavy bag. Which led me to take a look around the internet, my hope was to find a few things MMA fans could try that could match their schedule if they wanted to try striking. The fitness you need for 20-30 minutes of striking is actually incredible. It truly is one of the top cardiovascular workouts. If you want your body to lose fat, cardio burns it off. Especially if that cardio is done in intervals, and high intensity training (HIT). I checked out a brand new franchise to the market, its called 9 Round Fitness. Basically a new class starts every 30 minutes. You are involved in a circuit of 9 x 3 minute rounds of activity. So if you are a fan of MMA or Kickboxing, but are not quite ready to enter a full fight gym, this is the perfect start. Trust me when I say, fight gyms can be intimidating. Go at the wrong time and you can see blood on the mats, and sweat flying everywhere. Its not the best starting point for a lot of people. Something with the basics of kickboxing, and people there simply to get a workout and try the sport they love is perfect. If you dont want to leave your home, you need to try a Nexersys. Its a stand-alone piece of workout equipment. It comes with software to ensure yyou are progressing, learning and increasing your fitness. Balenciaga Pas Cher Chine. The targets have accelerometers to insure your safety when striking. For a beginner in kickboxing its great, and it can advance you as you get better at your striking game. Again, anytime you can work in high intensity intervals into your training, its a great thing. I would love to see fight fans try something like this, just to get introduced to the sport they love. Building an understanding of what goes into training, builds more passion for the sport. It also builds sponsorship opportunities for athletes. Meaning, they get paid to train and the fans see more complete fighters. My week was capped off by a meeting with my trainer; its time to buckle down. Im looking to be able to hit 205 by the end of this 10 weeks. Currently my weight is sitting at 221 pounds. That means its time to tighten up on diet. This is the worst part of training. Its also why fighters hire trainers. Im using Jeff Fisher at Elite Performance in Winnipeg; hes helped athletes in all sports cut weight to be their best. Im using a trainer because I would not do what it takes if it was up to me. You need someone to reinforce the necessity of being strict on the diet. If a pro misses weight, it ruins his reputation and costs him a portion of his winnings. So to test how I can do with training and cutting calories my diet this week has a lot more focus. No sugar at all, increasing my good fats, using select supplements to ensure my vitamins and minerals are up even though my calories are being cut. I will eat 5 times in a day, 3 meals and two smaller snacks. Im also taking care to remove carbohydrates that have gluten, and extra dairy products. A lot of pro fighters are avoiding dairy as their fights approach. Dairy can in some people increase the production mucus, which affects breathing through the nose. Last week I started running with my SISU Mouth guard. Even though it has significant improvements in how well it fits, you still shouldnt be breathing with an open mouth. So dairy is reduced. Im on track, it feels good and I cant wait to hear from fans of the sport of MMA as they turn their health around, and develop some healthy habits thanks to their passion for MMA. Lots to learn and a lot of fun to be had while getting active. ' ' '