NEWS » t, so its not practical for a race.Part 1

ATLANTA -- The Atlanta Falcons proved in back-to-back weeks they can maintain focus when playing struggling teams from outside their division.Now Atlanta can lock in on their goal of winning the NFC South.Devonta Freeman ran for 139 yards and three touchdowns and Atlanta overwhelmed San Francisco 41-13 on Sunday, extending the 49ers franchise-record losing streak to 13 games.The Falcons (9-5) were never challenged. They took a 21-0 first-quarter lead and shut out the 49ers (1-13) in the second half.The lopsided win came one week after last weeks similarly impressive 42-14 win at the Los Angeles Rams.Every game is the Super Bowl, said Falcons safety Ricardo Allen. ... We go out there and take every game like a championship week and we go out there and play hard. It doesnt matter what the record is.The Falcons began the day tied with Tampa Bay for the division lead, but hold the tiebreaker advantage over the Buccaneers. Atlanta plays at Carolina on Saturday and closes the regular season at home against the Saints.Now the focus goes right back to the division, Falcons coach Dan Quinn said.The 49ers, who play at the Rams on Saturday, need to win one of their last two games to avoid finishing with the worst record in franchise history.I guess were in the rebuilding stage now, 49ers linebacker Ahmad Brooks said.The rout began when Freeman was barely touched on his 5-yard scoring run less than 5 minutes into the game. He ran through cornerback Rashard Robinsons attempted tackle on a 9-yard scoring run in the second quarter and capped his big day with a 34-yarder late in the third quarter.WOEFUL DEFENSEThe 49ers, who rank last in the league in points, yards and yards rushing allowed, gave up 550 yards, including 248 on the ground.Its tough, safety Antoine Bethea said. No one likes this type of losing. Were just not getting the job done. Thats all there is to it.FIRST FUMBLESFreemans day could have been even more productive if not for his lost fumble -- his first of the season -- from the 49ers 1 in the second quarter. Michael Wilhoite recovered for San Francisco.Asked what hell remember from the game, Freeman said The one fumble. Its crazy, but at the end of the night Im going to say `Dang! I had a fumble.Tevin Coleman, who had 58 yards rushing, also had his first fumble, recovered by the Falcons.WARM MEMORIES, COLD REALITYThe 49ers made their first visit to the Georgia Dome since winning the NFC championship game following the 2012 regular season. Quarterback Colin Kaepernick said he and left tackle Joe Staley had their same lockers.So there was that little bit of a nostalgic moment, Kaepernick said.Kaepernick completed 20 of 33 passes for 183 yards and two touchdowns.The contrast between a Super Bowl appearance and a franchise-record losing streak was obvious and painful.We have to create a culture of winning, and winning by any means, Kaepernick said. Right now our culture isnt that, and we have to be able to improve and create that.KELLYS CRITIQUEThe Falcons, who lead the NFL in scoring, set a franchise record for points in a season with 469. The old mark was 442 set by the 1998 Super Bowl team.49ers coach Chip Kelly was impressed by the Atlanta attack.Thats a really good offensive football team, Kelly said. ... Its a team that could make some hay in the playoffs.INJURY REPORTThe 49ers lost wide receiver Quinton Patton (foot), linebacker Nick Bellore (elbow), tight end Blake Bell (shoulder) and cornerback Jimmie Ward (shoulder) with injuries.Falcons linebacker DeVondre Campbell suffered a concussion. With less than 5 minutes remaining, tight end Austin Hooper was carted off with a left knee injury. Hooper moved up as a starter after Jacob Tammes season-ending shoulder injury.---For more NFL coverage: AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP-NFLKenny Clark Super Bowl Jersey . Louis. To which I would say two things: 1. Where there is smoke, there is or perhaps has been a little fire. Or, in other words, the two teams would appear to have at least spoken. And spoken is defined as one calling the other to inquire, no more, no less. Aaron Jones Super Bowl Jersey . -- Matt Ryan needed one of the best games of his career to lead the Falcons and their depleted offence out of their three-game losing streak last week. http://www.officialgreenbaypackerspro.com/Jk-scott-packers-jersey/ . I cant pinpoint a date, but I do remember a player from my youth. Brian Downing was with the Chicago White Sox at a time when I listened to every game I possibly could on the radio. That particular season the late great Harry Caray was calling the White Sox games. Jaire Alexander Super Bowl Jersey . 8 Iowa State on Saturday, sending the Cyclones to their third consecutive loss. The Longhorns (14-4, 3-2) got their biggest win of the season with their third in the row in the Big 12. Marcedes Lewis Super Bowl Jersey . Cote was eligible to become a free agent Feb. 15. Cote helped running back Jon Cornish run for a league-high 1,813 rushing yards en route to being named the leagues most outstanding player.Part 1The water jump is really similar to a layup in basketball. Think of the last two to three steps before a layup in basketball. Youre jumping off with some power when you are finally going into the air. Your body has to be in control to be able to make the basket and you have to be very aware of what every piece of your body is doing. You need power, you need control, you need to be smooth, you have to be present and then leap.Part 2As long as the spikes are on the barrier, youre good. The scary situation is when you overshoot the barrier a little bit and just your heel catches it. The heel doesnt have any of the metal spikes sticking out, so all of that grip really comes from the four or five metal spikes on the forefoot of your spike plate.Part 3Ive found that whether I hit the barrier on the front side or on top or the farside of it, as long as my spikes are touching it, I can adapt. Typically I shoot to probably hit the top of it, but I think as long as my heel isnt the first thing to touch it then Im in business. Then Im ok.Part 4Im lucky that I can jump off the barrier with either leg. Typically an athlete has a leg that they prefer, but from the very first time I tried it, both legs came naturally to me. Thats a good quality to have just because of the traffic approaching a barrier. If you have a leg that is favored sometimes it can be a little bit difficult to guarantee that that leg will be the one that you jump off of. So I switch both legs and dont have a leg that I prefer, and I couldnt even tell you which leg I land on more than the other.Part 5When Im trying to protect myself in the air from the carnage happening in the water jump, sometimes Ive had to change my trajectory mid-air. I see someone has fallen in front of me and I have to use my foot in to press off the barrier a little bit more to one side of my foot to try and change my angle off the barrier to avoid the person who is down in the water in front of me. So sometimes its pushing off a little bit more on one angle, pushing off a little bit more on the inside of my foot or pushing off a little bit more on the outside to change the launch angle off the barrier. And other times its just making sure that your elbows are out, making sure no one is going to crash in on you.ddddddddddddPart 6I dont know my launch angle. Ive never sat down and really studied with video analysis and looked over the perfect launch angle. Its important to have power coming off of it, so athletes stay pretty compressed and pretty low and some athletes fly pretty high. I think each athlete has their sweet spot, and I cant even really articulate what mine is -- it just feels very normal to me.Part 7Beginner steeplechasers are often a little intimidated and they come off the water jump and they land with two feet which completely stops any forward momentum built from propelling off the jump. Thats what I would say is the biggest mistake that beginners do -- and they know its a mistake and they arent trying to land with two feet. So definitely try to land on one foot in stride.Part 8The ideal way to land the water jump is to land with one foot first and then another foot to be able to kind of run out of the water. I think a lot of people who land two feet lose so much time. So make sure youre able to land with one foot and then the other in a running motion.Part 9When not fatigued, its possible in practice to clear the water jump, but in a race scenario its nearly impossible and not very practical to clear the water jump. For fun in practice Ive probably done it once or twice and it takes a lot of effort, so its not practical for a race.Part 10Dont be intimidated by the water jump: Its what makes the steeplechase interesting. Really approach it with excitement and energy and try to be as smooth and as controlled as possible in the approach, in the air, in the landing. Thats really important. I think a lot of people overthink technical aspects of it and sometimes people might practice with specific markers or specific metrics in mind. But I think whats important is to find a rhythm that feels right with your body. Prev NextThe water jump plays a huge role in the race -- mainly because thats where a lot of the chaos happens. Thats when people trip and fall and big moves are made.Emma Coburn ' ' '