Sports Articles

Recreation and Leisure » Sports | By J Edmond Souaid @ Saturday, 13th September 2008 @ 10:33 AM

It's very rare to break a leg surfing. But surfing carries its own inherent dangers. Forewarned is forearmed. Drowning is the most obvious risk from surfing and there are a dozen ways to unintentionally raise the odds. Not being prepared to surf is the first way. Surfing requires being fit, being able to swim well and then getting some training. Even the most advanced surfers fall of their boards. When that happens you'll have to locate your board if it isn't ... more...

Recreation and Leisure » Sports | By J Edmond Souaid @ Saturday, 13th September 2008 @ 10:29 AM

Paddling, catching a wave and being safe are all heavily dependent on that ability. Picking the right conditions is the first consideration. The weather should not be too severe. Surfing in heavy rain is a bad idea. It limits visibility, makes it harder to stay on your board and more difficult for rescuers to help you if that becomes necessary. Wind can cause similar problems. It makes big, cool-looking swells, but for beginners the chaotic water movements are usually too rough to ... more...

Recreation and Leisure » Sports | By Chris DiCicco @ Friday, 12th September 2008 @ 2:20 AM

NASCAR stands for the National Stock Car Auto Racing Association. The organization itself is a conduit for many companies to market their products while giving fans of auto racing a thrilling experience. The roots of NASCAR go back to the very thing that spawned the American Revolution: a disdain for excessive taxation. Yes, NASCAR roots actually begin around the year 1794 and at the heart of the Whiskey Rebellion. The Whiskey Rebellion was spawned because the new United States Federal G... more...

Recreation and Leisure » Sports | By J Edmond Souaid @ Thursday, 11th September 2008 @ 10:43 PM

First, respect that the ocean is stronger than you are. The force of even an average swell is far greater than anyone can resist. That's why it carries you along. But when those get to a certain point, they'll carry you down. Don't go surfing when the conditions are greater than you can handle. Don't push the limits until you're very experienced. Next, be aware of the ever changing patterns in the water. Riptides can appear seemingly out of nowhere. Sometimes they... more...

Recreation and Leisure » Sports | By J Edmond Souaid @ Thursday, 11th September 2008 @ 6:45 AM

Waves swell and crash because of a complex interaction between the wind, the ocean, and gravity. A surfer doesn't need to be a scientist to learn how to judge the waves. But being aware of some of their behavior and how to react to them will keep you safer. The wave tube is formed by a swell, which results from continual strong waves brushing over the surface of the ocean near the shore. The stronger the offshore wind, the bigger the swell. Reefs, sand bars and other formation... more...

Recreation and Leisure » Sports | By Chris DiCicco @ Thursday, 11th September 2008 @ 12:42 AM

So maybe you are fascinated with NASCAR and would like to choose this as a career. How does one go about participating in race driver training so as to become a driver? There are drivers training schools but all are very expensive and there is no guarantee that you will become a real NASCAR driver. So what kind of training makes a professional driver? Well, just as in other professional sports, the competition to be a driver is very tough. But more than that, the majority of people dont g... more...

Recreation and Leisure » Sports | By Chris DiCicco @ Wednesday, 10th September 2008 @ 10:26 PM

Make no doubt about it, NASCAR is a business and is run like any other major corporation. NASCAR is a family-owned business with Brian France as the third-generation CEO. Brian France is the son of Bill France, Jr., who passed away at the age of 74 in June of 2007. The current President of NASCAR is Mike Helton. What is interesting about Mike Heltons appointment as President of NASCAR in the NASCAR organization structure is that he is not a member of the France family. He was named as P... more...

Recreation and Leisure » Sports | By J Edmond Souaid @ Wednesday, 10th September 2008 @ 10:17 PM

Surfing is a physical activity and classrooms are for bookworms. But spend some time getting a few clues. That will prevent you from being sorry you chose to surf. Before you even get a surfboard, you need to understand your own strengths and weaknesses. If you can't swim well, you don't belong in the water. Even the best surfers in the world fall off their boards, sometimes on purpose. That leaves you in the water without a ride back to the beach. To build up that streng... more...

Recreation and Leisure » Sports | By Baxter Owens @ Wednesday, 10th September 2008 @ 9:52 PM

Tennis is one sport that has long received international attention. As such, it should come as no surprise that the organization responsible for the bringing the four Grand Slams to the international stage, the International Tennis Federation, is one that is held in such high esteem. The History of the ITF The International Tennis Fed. was originally established by 12 national associations after meeting in France in 1913. By 1924, the Federation became the first organization to b... more...

Recreation and Leisure » Sports | By Baxter Owens @ Wednesday, 10th September 2008 @ 9:44 PM

Although the Olympics are much anticipated by people around the world, it may come as a bit of surprise to learn that no one really knows where the idea for the Olympic events developed. While historians do know that the Olympic games were an important aspect of ancient Greek culture, they are not sure why they decided to create the Olympic games in the first place. The Legend of the Origin of the Olympic Games Although there are many legends regarding the origin of the Olympic gam... more...

Recreation and Leisure » Sports | By Roger Munns @ Wednesday, 10th September 2008 @ 9:13 PM

Fans of Formula One racer Lewis Hamilton are reeling. First, they were elated at his win at the recent Belgian Grand Prix. Later they cried 'foul' when he was stripped of that title. The reason judges demoted him from first to third place? An illegal maneuver helped Lewis Hamilton overtake the front runner, Kimi Raikkonen. However, Hamilton ceded Raikkonen's position shortly after cutting the chicane. Hamilton went on the cross the finish line in first place to take the Bel... more...

Recreation and Leisure » Sports | By J Edmond Souaid @ Wednesday, 10th September 2008 @ 11:23 AM

Wait! Be sure you choose well. The waves you want are not too large and not too small. Too small and they won't have enough power to carry you into the shore. It will be harder to stay upright on the board if your speed is too low. This paradox is easily understood. Think of riding a bicycle. It's easy to remain upright when pedaling, very hard when you are traveling too slowly. A wave that is too large for your skill level and, at some point, that's true of everyone... more...

Recreation and Leisure » Sports | By J Edmond Souaid @ Wednesday, 10th September 2008 @ 10:52 AM

Being exposed to the water is continual in surfing. Even riding a wave the spray is constantly on your body. Sometimes, it feels colder than the water itself. Air carries away body warmth more easily when your skin is wet. Wetsuits and drysuits to the rescue. Wetsuits are made of neoprene, a special synthetic rubber that contains thousands of air pockets. That makes them lightweight, highly elastic and well insulating. They hug the body and fit reasonably well around the neck, wris... more...

Recreation and Leisure » Sports | By Catherine Harvey @ Monday, 8th September 2008 @ 7:15 PM

The run up to the Olympics begins years in advance of the event itself with countries bidding for the right to hold the international event in their country, attracting tourists from around the globe and boosting the country's economy way beyond what it actually costs to stage the event itself. We have recently seen an impressive display of what the world's athletes can achieve when they pull together with the Olympics in Beijing. The world's finest gathered together to dis... more...

Recreation and Leisure » Sports | By David Horne @ Monday, 8th September 2008 @ 2:24 PM

Mini Tennis, Pee Wee Tennis, Tiny Tots Tennis, Little Mozzies! Coaching Junior Beginners has been called everything. The bottom line for tennis coaches is that having a strong beginner tennis coaching program is the key to a long term sustainable business operation. Putting together an exciting and challenging tennis coaching program for the young player should be a priority for any serious coach. These young beginners also need some special coaching methods to teach them to love tennis a... more...

Recreation and Leisure » Sports | By Gregory Smyth @ Monday, 8th September 2008 @ 1:01 AM

Ice events like figure skating and speed skating are some of the most-discussed and watched events in the Olympic Games, time after time. Much of the appeal of this graceful winter sport must come from the fact that so many people love it and engage in public skating every year, waiting for those numbing mornings with excitement and anticipation, because it means the local lake will be open as a winter wonderland. The love of ice skating covers all social strata, though, and there are many famou... more...

Recreation and Leisure » Sports | By Alex Stacey @ Saturday, 6th September 2008 @ 4:58 PM

The popular called table football, better known as, foosball has been around for decades. Countries all over the world have taken a liking to the game. The first known patent established by an UK Englishman, Harold S Thornton in 1923. Sparking his idea after attending a match, and the experience of the game at home. Uncle, Louis P Thornton, introduced and patented the game in the states in 1927. With not much demand for this game, the patent expired but picked up more interest following... more...

Recreation and Leisure » Sports | By Allen Wright @ Friday, 5th September 2008 @ 2:23 PM

There's a lot of confusion over the actual meaning of the word "lensatic" when used in the phrase "lensatic compass". This article will give a brief explanation of what a lensatic compass is, who uses it, and why you might want one in this modern age of GPS and navigational aides. First, there are three basic types of hand-held compasses: lensatic, mirror, and orienteering. The mirror compass is commonly referred to as the Brunton Pocket Transit, named after the com... more...

Recreation and Leisure » Sports | By Ann Knapp @ Friday, 5th September 2008 @ 12:35 PM

Obviously, no one knows when the first fistfight took place; nor do we have much of a clue when the art of smacking folks in the face began to be codified, the rules written down, judges and evaluators brought in. But we do know that boxing seems to be an unshakeable part of human culture, celebrated by the roughest and the refined alike. Indeed, the art of boxing challenges those terms: "rough" and "refined." On the one hand, it's a display of naked physical aggressi... more...

Recreation and Leisure » Sports | By David Horne @ Thursday, 4th September 2008 @ 11:59 PM

There is a common perception among many athletes, coaches, and even some sport psychologists that anxiety is a "bad" state, and should be reduced at all costs. Sport psychologists would traditionally most likely begin with teaching an anxious athlete relaxation and deep breathing skills. In my practice, I have found another approach also to be beneficial. Research has found that it is usually the person's perception of their high arousal that may influence performance, not the high ... more...