Are You Ready To Compete Like A Professional?

There's undoubtedly a thrill associated with taking part in a sporting event. Some people claim that they are not really competitive in nature, but the truth soon reveals itself on the sports field!

As you play a sport regularly, it's only natural that you start to feel the urge to get better at it. In fact, it can actually become pretty frustrating if you don't feel that you're making the progress that you should be.

With individual sports (such as running and golf) it can often be fairly easy to measure your improvements. This can be a good thing, although it may also be something that you dread! Sometimes it's necessary to take a step backwards before making the improvement that you desire. It's easy to say that, of course, but it can be hard to feel rational if you're not getting the desired improvements.

In general, it's also fair to say that many people tend to spend more on sporting accessories as they get better at the sport in question. This is probably to be expected, since most of us are prepared to set aside some money to spend on pastimes that we enjoy. If you're spending a lot of time playing your chosen sport, then you'll want to make sure that you have all of the equipment that can be used to improve your approach.

Of course, the equipment that's necessary will depend on the sport that you are playing. You can usually get a pretty good idea of what's required by watching professionals in action. Take a look at what they wear and the pieces of equipment that they use. How much of this kit should you buy?

It seems that some items will be more necessary than others. Watching professional cyclists in action, for example, it's clear that many of them wear bicycle helmets and sunglasses. The helmets are there to protect them in case of a crash. In a sense, the sunglasses are really there to stop them having a crash in the first place.

Although it may not have been something that you'd previously thought about, the reality is that the glare of the sun's rays can be very difficult to deal with in some circumstances. If you're racing on a bike, for instance, you simply can't afford to be dazzled in this way. Even a momentary loss of vision and concentration could prove costly and dangerous.

This is an excellent example of how you can learn from watching professionals. You can often learn more from 5 minutes of watching a professional at work than you can from competing over a considerable course of time.

What You Should Know Before Selecting A Flight School

The decision to start real world flight training takes a considerable amount of research. It takes time because you must feel comfortable with your final decision about going with any particular flight school.

Making a wrong decision can be a truly costly mistake, at worst it could even be a dangerous one. So it pays to take extra time to complete your due diligence before committing to a flight school. Make sure that you spend that time shopping around the different flight schools. Even if you don't intend on attending that particular flight school, the perspective you gain from the different flavours of instruction gives you a better idea of what you want and do not want from a flight school.

The first critical decision is to decide on the type of planes you want to fly and then to make sure your flight school has those planes for training. If you practice flight procedures on MS FSX in a specific plane, than make sure you actually sit in the plane you want to start training on. For example the Cessna 172 cabin is actually quite small and can turn into an uncomfortably tight fit if you are a big person. The lack of peripheral vision inside the planes in MS FSX does not give you a good perspective of how big or small the plane is until you see it in person.

Second to choosing your aircraft, your level of achievement, success and overall enjoyment of the flight training process will largely depend on your relationship with your flight instructor. Even within the same school aim to fly with at least another different instructor so you can get a feel for the type of personality and instruction you will benefit from the most. Your flight instructor is the most important factor in your journey as a successful student pilot.

Finally, you need to take into account the cost of learning how to fly. In general it is costly to fly planes. We might as well be upfront about it, it is expensive to fly. It is so expensive for a couple reasons, petrol and maintenance costs are expensive but on top of that insurance costs are astronomical compared to automobiles. Regardless, when comparing costs between flight schools make sure that you pay close attention to their charge system. Most schools charge their time on a 10th of the hour, i.e. 6 minute blocks of engine running time. The charge can be either calculated using a wet rate, which is the rental fee including fuel or a dry rate, where fuel cost is an additional cost on top of the rental fee.

Finding the right flight school can be daunting, but also an exciting time as you take up introductory flights to find out the school that you like best. While you are searching keep training on MS FSX. If are still flying on a keyboard/mouse or a cheap joystick consider upgrading to a more realistic flight yoke such as the CH Products Eclipse Yoke together with a set of flight pedals such as the CH Products Pro Pedals.

Why It's Important to Maintain Your Play Areas

Please consider these points below and always seek advice from manufacturers and other suitable bodies.

So, why do you have to maintain your play areas? Simply answered; we attend many sites at the request of council clerks, parish councils and local authorities and we generally find that the play equipment has received little to no maintenance whatsoever. Simple re-tightening of the bolts has been left undone, parts have gone missing or have broken and as a result of this costly parts and repairs are required which could have been easily avoided.

There are quite a few clients who under estimate the costs of safer surfacing. It is important to manage and maintain minor surfacing repairs quickly and efficiently as if they are not dealt with promptly they can lead to larger areas of damage and this unfortunately always results in expensive repairs being carried out. If you find that you have a small area of damage to wet pour, a simple wet pour repair kit can be provided to temporarily repair the damage whilst quotes from companies are sought.

In these tough times, budgets have been reduced and restricted which is why maintaining existing play areas should be high on the list. With play equipment being maintained there is a lot less risk of breakages or permanent damage, which means you won't have to pay out for replacement units. Minor preventative maintenance measures may save you thousands, and the potential loss of the play area for any amount of time would be most unwelcome from the local community, therefore regularly scheduled maintenance will help you prevent this problem and may extend the life of the play equipment. Not only that, but it will provide a safer environment for the children to play in.

Maintenance of your play area should be carried out by experts with knowledge of the regulations and the material wood, as these are crucial to the working life of the play equipment.

Normally we always recommend that 14 days after the installation of a new play area that all connecting elements are to be checked and re-tightened if necessary.

We also recommend that periodic preventative maintenance be carried out (weekly as a general rule, or more frequently if required) during these visits the following should be recorded:

- The condition of the ground
- Exposed foundations
- Layer thickness of the shock absorbing surface
- Sharp edges, condition of the timbers (splinter), beetling screws, bolts or such like
- Missing parts
- Excessive wear (especially moving parts)
- Constructional stability, stability coverage of the fall protection materials such as stairs and platforms
- Cracks in the timber (these should be monitored as changing weather conditions have a natural effect on the wood either shrinking or expanding which has an effect on fixings)
- Loose or damaged bolts and screws
- Signs of vandalism, usage or weathering

When it comes to the life span of your playground equipment, nothing is more crucial than a routine preventative maintenance check up.

Our visits include comprehensive safety checks and performance certification on both the equipment and safety surfacing, full reporting on any problem areas and solutions given wherever possible, equipment adjustments and part replacements (tightening any loose fixings where possible whilst on site) with all playground inspections carried out by an approved RPII inspector.

Why wait for failure to occur? Maintenance of your play area is paramount and we advise that you should schedule maintenance visits at least once a year to ensure that your play equipment is working correctly.

3 Reasons Why Sports Are Awesome

I love sports. I think they, much like butter, make everything they touch better. When I hear high school administrators griping about problems they're having with their students, I think to myself: they need to get those kids in athletics! When I hear a mom worry about the self-esteem of her young daughter, I suggest she sign her up for a team. And when I talk to a young person who's struggling to find a good group of friends, I ask them if they've considered joining a team.

Why? Because sports are awesome...check it out!

Here are three reasons why sports are amazingly awesome

• Attitude. It's a choice each person has to make every morning when we wake up...appreciate life or grump about it. Sports teach us that attitude is everything. Athletes make majorly embarrassing errors in front of their friends and family pretty regularly (sport is a tough teacher), but they believe wholeheartedly that the next opportunity will be their time to shine. The athletic attitude says that batting.300 is awesome...even though that means they've struck out seven out of ten times. The choice to focus on the positive is one of the more awesome things about sports.
• Awareness. There are so many things that are amazing about sports and I think we sometimes overlook them. I'm going to help you out today...let's remember why we love sports. Warm up music with awful (but catchy) songs. Hot and sticky gyms. Stinky athletes. When they "get it". Road trips. Watching new friendships form. That first whistle. Successful plays. Celebrating the big win. Rebounding from the big loss. The unconditional love of "team". I could go on and on.
• Authenticity. This is another way of talking about the Pyramid of Success' poise. It's being cool with who we are. Sports shows are athletes that they can be hyper competitive...and their teammates will still be friends with them. They can be goofballs...without judgment. They can be their nerdy, studying-on-the-bus-while-everyone-else-is-watching-a-movie self...and their teammates will respect them. Sport teaches our athletes to be comfortable in their own skin.

In a great TED talk, the 3 A's of Awesome, Neil Pasricha talks about how to see the awesome in everyday things. He writes a blog called 1000 Awesome Things where we can go and experience the wonder of regular stuff. Check out his talk where he shows us that finding awesome things is a choice we should make.

Sport is a wonderful teacher. I've said many times before that athletics prepares its participants for life in such a fun and amazing way. Now that it's been confirmed that sports are awesome, go out and enjoy the wonder of athletics!

Finding a Professional Motocross Training Facility

Are you looking for a serious motocross training facility? A state-of-the-art facility with a variety of training methods and tracks? If you would like to grow as a rider and learn tips to help you become a better racer, you will want to select a training center that can offer practical knowledge and skillful coaching.

When choosing a motocross training facility, you will need to evaluate them on a variety of factors. Only by careful examination will you be able to find a training center that suits your needs.

As you look at facilities for training, assess them on these essential elements:

Experience - Seek out a facility with coaches who possess technical expertise in the motocross field. You want teachers who have the knowledge and background to be able to develop a training program that will enable you to become a better rider.

Tracks - Find a center that has several challenging tracks. Track training is one of the best ways to help you improve as a racer.

Comprehensive Training Program- It is best to choose a facility that offers a complete program for training in all areas. Look for a center that provides a variety of different types of lessons presented as a structured program. This will help you become one of the best-conditioned athletes in the field.

Mental Focus Training - Coaching on mental skills should be offered at the facility you select. This type of training teaches you how to become focused and relaxed for each competition.

Fitness Conditioning - Muscular strength is necessary for every motocross competitor. You need to choose a facility that offers instruction on preparing for races through stretching and working on cardio exercise. Using workout equipment will allow you to achieve high levels of training and riding.

Mechanics Workshop - Look for a facility that offers mechanical training. This can help you learn basic bike maintenance techniques.

Individualized Instruction - One-on-one coaching is one of the best methods for learning new techniques and skills. Make sure you select a training center that offers individual lessons and that gives personalized guidance in how to become a better rider.

Comfortable Setting - You will be spending a lot of time at the facility you choose, so be sure it is a place where you can feel happy. Some centers have a nearby campground or park for recreational vehicles where you can make a home away from home during your training.

Finding the training facility that is best for you will not be difficult if you follow the guidelines above. By choosing one of the best centers, you may even end up training with some of the top professional riders in motocross-what could be better than that?

Personalised Hoodies - Not Just For Sports Teams

Nothing says team spirit like having matching uniforms. Sports organisations have long recognised this phenomenon and like to give team members matching clothing for both on and off the field. Personalised hoodies make a great way to bring people together in a shared purpose and spirit, and they aren't just for sports teams anymore.

Personalised hoodies are a great way addition to your business uniforms. Use hoodies with your company logo, slogan, or colours to really make your business employees stand out and catch people's attention. Your workers will love these winter weather uniforms, because they will be kept warm and look great. Your customers will appreciate the professional look and the convenience of locating business help easily in a crowd or a busy store.

Local church groups, school programs and choirs can use personalised hoodies to bring people closer together. Having and wearing personalised hoodies can really help foster a sense of solidarity and shared purpose in a group of people. Local choir programs or school groups can benefit from giving their members matching hoodies to wear. They help create a feeling of belonging and a sense of being part of something bigger than themselves. Matching hoodies are a great way to let school mates or team members look great and have fun whilst doing an activity they love.

Volunteer groups and charity organisations will also love incorporating personalised hoodies into their social structure. They are so versatile and benefit the organisations on many different levels. Of course the volunteers or members will enjoy having a warm hoodies to wear on group outings, and the sweatshirts will make it easier to identify other members during projects. Having the charity logo on a hoodies will help draw attention to your cause and your group when people where them to public places.

Everyone likes to wear personalised hoodies. Getting people excited about your local recreational club is easy by designing relevant hoodies for everybody to wear. Whether your club is for sophisticated wine tasters, fun-loving internet gamers, or you all just love to go hiking and bird watching, matching hoodies will get your club members' energy up about the group and about the hobby itself. With everyone wearing your personalised clothing items, the group will feel more organised and more closely knit than ever!

Don't forget about your friends, family, and loved ones. Personalised hoodies bring a unique, fun flavour to family activities and events. It is popular now for brides and grooms to be to gift their wedding parties, family, and attending guests with gift items like hoodies. It brings the group closer and gives the day a loving, personalised touch. Whether you want a more elegant look with the event date and the bride and groom's names, or you want something humorous and funky like "Team Bride" and "Team Groom" hoodies, giving guests hoodies can be fun and express some personality. Matching hoodies are also great for family vacations and reunions. They let everyone know you are a part of the clan, and they set the stage for an enjoyable time. One of the best parts about having personalised hoodies for weddings or family events is that they make great mementos and souvenirs for loved ones later on.

Where Can I Go Skating?

When you receive or purchase a set of skates, one of the first decisions you need to make is finding a place to use them. Now, that decision might have already been made if you bought a skate with wheels that can only be used indoors or outdoors. If you did that, you can always buy another set of wheels and change them when you want to be either outside or inside. Remember that soft wheels 89A and lower can be used outdoors. 90A and higher should only be used indoors. So let's look at different possible places to stake

The Rink
The most obvious place to skate is a skating rink. They can be found in just about every city in the United States and even in small towns as well. Search the internet and you will see what is available in your community. If you live in a city, you probably have many to pick from. If you decide on a rink, you will have to pay a fee to skate. If you have your own pair of skates, your costs will be minimal. Check with the rink before you go, because the rink is not always open to the public. Ask when they have public skating. Usually the evenings and weekends are public skating times.

Parks
If you are skating in a park, you probably will be able of find a trail. But before you venture onto the trail, make sure that they allow roller or inline skaters on the trail. Also, find out if the trail is paved all the way. You do not want to try skating on gravel or dirt!

Biking Trails
More and more cities are providing biking trails. Check to see what is available in your city. If you can find a biking trail, this probably would be the best place to skate because you will probably have no problems with traffic. Just watch out for people on bikes and joggers.

Parking Lots
On Sunday you probably would be able to find an empty parking lot and it could be a good place to get on your skates and have fun. But please make sure that you are allowed to do this on the property. If there are no trespassing signs, stay away even if it looks like a great place. Another caution would be cars. Since you are in a parking lot, watch for cars. Always skate in an area where you can see cars coming from a great distance. Finally, don't skate in a parking lot at night even if they have lights.

In conclusion, know your neighborhood and get on those skates. Every town and village will have a place where you can enjoy your sport. Have fun!

Sport Watches With GPS

Global Positioning System is GPS. This is the locating of your location by the use of satellites. Sport watches are incorporated with GPS so outdoor training can be more complete by knowing where you are and where you are heading. Watches with GPS are a favorite for people who are always on the go, those who love outdoor sports or the adventurous. This is the perfect timepiece for runners, motor bikers, mountain bikers, kayakers, mountaineers, sailors, campers, just as an example.

Every brand of watch with GPS has its strengths. We need to research each brand to find the model with the best targeted features in order to suit your needs. The top brands are Timex, Polar, Suunto and of course the leader in Sport Watches with GPS, Garmin. It seems Niki's new GPS watch is also out.

Your watch should be able to show you your location by at least fifteen foot point accuracy every time you use it. Due to the signal being blocked by trees or clouds 100% accuracy is not always possible.

The GPS watch has many features in addition to positioning, such as detecting how you are doing with your exercise programs. Features like calorie burning rate, your heartbeat pace, the speed at which you are training, water-resistance, alarm, night light mode and much more depending on the model of watch you are choosing.

Now you understand the benefit of training with a GPS watch, the next step is choosing the best one for your needs. Several watch companies have a good track record in designing and coming up with state of the art technology. It is wise to narrow down your choices to the best brands available.

We will explore all the brands and models currently on the market. When you have chosen the model of each brand that you feel suits your needs, make a list of their features and compare them to your most important needs. Some aspects of your new watch you could look for.

For those of you concerned with heartbeat and the health of your heart, a Heart Rate Monitor would be very important.

Size is an important factor in a Sport Watch with GPS. As they tend to be a bit larger than a regular sport watches. The watch needs to be comfortable for you. If it is too large you may not feel right working-out or training with it.

Some of these watches have data recording software. You can upload, download and share your information among your peers. You will be able to track your improvement and goals.

These are some of the things you may overlook when you chose your Sport Watch with GPS. It is important that you not overlook some of these features when fitting your new watch with your exercise and training needs.

Some of the most popular watches are the Garmin Forerunner and the Polar RS Series, which are the frontrunners in GPS watches. Timex has also come out with Speed & Distance watches as well as GPS.

The Many Advantages of Outdoor Sports

Outdoor sports can never outweigh computer or video games in terms of advantages. Spending a day outdoors may take high amount of energy from us but the benefits are priceless. For one, you may never be aware of it, but the energy being exerted by people who have done even the simplest walk or jog or run for a few significant minutes can actually energize us and give us certain "high" and adrenaline. Exercise is even advised to people suffering from a minor depression for sweating can actually normalize internal processes in our body like blood circulation and oxygen flow. Breathing that comes from strenuous activities allows a good amount of oxygen to flow up until our brain, enabling it to function more productively.

Those are only a few advantages of active outdoor sports in our body. Its benefits are not only limited to health reasons that can help us physically, but also a few other significant reasons that may help our entire being. For one, outdoor sports allow us to be one with nature. Enjoying outdoor activities allow us to explore the wonders and the beauty of our natural environment. Surfers are challenged to surf at significantly thicker waves, and spot seas that produce such waves. They know when to surf ideally and at what time of the day.

They develop a certain attachment with the ocean and are familiar with the behavior of the water. Hikers take a long day exploring the wild, being able to be challenged with what the nature can offer. They find fulfillment in being able to satisfy themselves with the basic things nature offers. Scuba divers and snorkelers are always amazed by the colorful world under the sea. They find time to go under water and feel relaxed and fascinated by the creatures they see. Outdoor sports allow people to be close to nature, and to God. Being an outdoor enthusiast not only inspires a person to the beauty of nature but also empowers people to use the strength given by the Almighty to the fullest.

Outdoor sports can also be a perfect stress reliever. Workaholics who work hard during the entire week can spend a weekend doping their favorite outdoor activity to relax or to relieve any stress or tension. A quick getaway at a tourist destination might do the trick. It is best to not just spend the weekend by being a couch potato watching a movie marathon, it always pays to sweat it out and feel energized. Companies often do team buildings not just to develop camaraderie among employees but to also allow workers to unwind on a different place doing other things where they can exert more energy and feel healthier.

Outdoor sports are also great chances for a family or friends' bonding. A simple swimming weekend activity can help family members to catch up on each other's lives after a busy week spent on them. Couples can also spend quality time for themselves doing an enjoyable outdoor activity such as fishing or diving, if they are fond of doing it.

Sports Event Planning - Why It Can Be Beneficial

When was the last time you attended a sporting event? You can probably remember excitement from the crowd, having curiosity about what'll happen next in the game, and having anticipation. Those are the things that make these trips so worthwhile. Sure you can view sports on TV, but you'd probably agree that at least the atmosphere feels different when you watch it in person. You might even feel more urgent for a certain team to win while watching a game in person.

Why would a person favor one particular sports team over another? Seems like a fair question. The preference can most certainly be based upon how close the state is to the state the person lives in (it can likely be the same state). With more regards to this, the city can matter also (preferring the same city the person lives in or lives closer to). Whatever reason(s) there are for certain people favoring certain sports teams over other ones, they seem to be enough for those who actually TRAVEL to different states to watch the teams in action and cheer them on in person.

One of the things that can make viewing sports even MORE interesting is seeing whether or not a certain prediction you could've made is coming true. It might be interesting to try to make assumptions about what will happen based on the teams' history, coaches, and possibly EVEN the team mates' lifestyles OUTSIDE of sports.

Among the sports you might want to consider watching are basketball, baseball, football, tennis, golf, boxing, racing, hockey and soccer. Watching sports in general can give you inspiration to play the ones you're interested in and can give you motivation to improve on them. You might even pick up on strategies you may want to use yourself.

One of the great things about sports in general is that you can always look forward to watching them. If there's a day you're bored and don't know what to do, you're likely to find at least one fairly recent sporting event on TV. Sports obviously are a big part of today's world; certain cups, shirts, shoes and commentaries on TV pertain to certain sports teams.

Read a biography of a sports player you've acknowledged (or still do). You may very likely find yourself inspired by this person to go in a similar route. Obviously, lots of people who have accomplished great things have had role models of their own.

Throughout the United States, national sports teams as well as college and high school sports teams are continuously planned to play. These games can be very entertaining to watch. Obviously, think about and appreciate the LARGE amount of variety you have to choose from. Maybe you ought to do a lot of pondering to see if there's a particular sport that draws you. It could be more about the fun of the sport than competition. For example, volleyball requires less physical strain than football, so perhaps that'd be a more ideal sport for you. Or maybe you weight lift and think that football might play a role in enhancing your strength.

Basically, regardless of where you live, you should be within reasonable driving distance from a stadium, field or elsewhere where sports events are planned to take place, be they national or not. You could be benefiting your community in some way merely by attending a sport event. Think about what sports you like the most and why, and see if you might get some or more inspiration from watching others such as professionals play them. You eventually may be very glad you did.

Why People Like Sports Cars

Individuals often ask themselves why people like sports cars. Some say that it is the macho image, some say that it is a striving to revisit the owner's youth, some see them as sex symbols and pulling magnets and perhaps all those are valid, but one thing is for certain, sports cars stand out in an age when you have to be an expert on cars to be able to tell the difference between the different models without looking at the badge.

Contemporary family cars all look the same; all SUV's look the same, all pick ups look the same, because they are all designed by computer and computers can only come to one 'best' conclusion. Enquire of a computer which is the most aerodynamic shape and it is not going to give you fifty alternatives, is it? As a result, all family cars look the same.

But sports cars are all different. Manufacturers of sports cars want their cars to stand out for their beauty and style among other items. That is not to say that sports car manufacturers do not use computers, but they can allow themselves more leeway in the design aspect because the engine is going to be stronger and the materials are going to be dearer (that means lighter) and fuel economy is not the name of the game - beauty and style are.

If you doubt what I am saying, look at real racing cars like those in Formula One - they all look the same as well, because a computer was asked: what is the most aerodynamic and fuel economic shape? Beauty and style are beside the point in Formula One.

Another reason why Individuals like sports cars is because they are faster than regular cars, although most countries have restrictions on how fast you can drive on their roads. However, the fast acceleration that a performance car like a sports car has, is still useful for overtaking and getting out of difficulty. If used properly, acceleration is a helpful safety feature.

Some people also like to show off their wealth by purchasing an ostentatious car, because everybody knows that a Maserati, a Lamborghini or a Ferrari is very expensive. The appearance of these cars is important to their owners, because not only are they ostentatious, but they are also beautiful, sleek and stylish and the owner hopes that some of that identity will rub off on him or her.

Different sports cars also have different driving characteristics. Whilst this is a fact of all marques of cars, it does not matter so much if steering is a touch light on a family car travelling at 40 mph, but it does on a sports car travelling at 80 mph.

The car has to be just correct for the driver's ability and preferences. The car will not be manufactured to suit the driver, so drivers of sports cars usually have their favourites the choice of which is affected by its handling characteristics.

A last reason why people like sports cars is because they often hold their value well and can even increase in value if it is a particularly good or desirable model.

Facts for Formula 1 Lovers

Speeding on paved roads through some of the most exciting and beautiful cities in the world are Formula One race cars competing for victory. The races typically take place on winding city streets and are referred to as F1 circuits such as Circuit de Monaco in Monte Carlo. The races are both attended and seen on TV by people from all over the world. Formula One racing, considered by many people to be the most dangerous and difficult type of racing, requires top-notch athletic drivers, aerodynamic vehicles, an expert team to assist the driver, and lots of money.

The Vehicles
Formula One vehicles, created specifically for top speed, are single-seat, open cars with front and rear wings. The driver can actually manipulate the front wings during a race. The aerodynamics of the cars help drivers to reach speeds as great as 229.8 mph. This particular speed was registered by BMW Williams F1 team member Antonio Pizzonia during the Italian Grand Prix 2004. Two well-known manufacturers of F1 cars who build the entire vehicle are Ferrari and Renault. Independent manufacturers such as McLaren and Williams need to purchase their engines from another company. Popular suppliers of engines include both Mercedes and BMW. The manufacturers can win the coveted Constructors' Championship by basically having their cars win or finish in top positions in most races. The cars which race during the particular season are assigned points that reflect their finishing position. The points are totaled at the end of the season and the manufacturer with the most points wins.

The Drivers
Not just anyone can be a Formula One driver. The drivers of these mighty cars must be extremely fit both mentally and physically. Cornering forces of up to a sustained 3.5 g require the driver to be extremely strong in order to last the entire race. The speed at which the vehicles travel and the fact that the tracks are not always the same shape require the driver's complete concentration at all times. Both stamina and endurance are necessary for the drivers to compete in as many races as possible and in order for them to withstand the extreme heat which consumes the cockpits. According to Formula1.com, drivers can sweat as much as 3 kg (or approximately 6.6 lbs.) of their weight off during a race.

Formula One Grand Prixs exist all over the globe. They have been in existence for many years. The Grand Prix de Monaco was first held in April of 1929. The most recent race in Monaco occurred on May 26, 28 and 29 in 2011. The circuit consists of 77 laps, and the spectators always relish the opportunity to get closer to the cars racing than in most other Grand Prixs. Singapore held its first F1 Grand Prix in September 2008, and it was the first Grand Prix to ever take place at night. In 2011 the Formula 1 Singtel Singapore Grand Prix will be held on September 23, 24 and 25th. It's the Marina Bay Street Circuit and it consists of 61 laps. The more Grand Prixs a driver competes in the better his chances for success as well as the success of his team. The Grand Prixs eventually lead to competing for the World Championship prize.

How to Catch a Football - 7 Tips to Becoming a Star Wide Receiver

Catch a football?! That's easy, you say. You just stick your hands up and grab the football out of the air, right? Not so fast! All that matters in the end is that you catch the football right? Well, not exactly. If you want to be a good receiver, you need to learn how to not only catch the football, but also the proper techniques for catching it. Here is why. If you catch the football using proper technique, it will be easier to tuck it away for running. Not getting the football tucked could result in a fumble. Not only that, but if you use improper technique for catching the football, you will not consistently make catches. You will drop a lot of passes that should have been caught.

Here are a few tips for catching a football correctly.

#1 - If you are facing the ball as it is approaching you above waist height, form a triangle with your two hands, palms out, placing the tips of your thumbs on opposing hands together and the tips of your index fingers on opposing hands together. Your pinkies and other fingers should be slightly spread out, but pointed in the direction of the football. Reach your hands out towards the ball and catch it with your fingers away from your body. Be sure to use your fingers and not your palms. A football that is thrown hard, will often bounce right off of your palms. As the ball makes contact with your body, squeeze the ball and in one swift motion, tuck it under your arm. Preferably you will want to tuck it under the arm that is closest to the sideline and away from defenders who will be trying to strip it from you. Yes, there is a proper way to tuck the ball also. More on that in a later post.

#2 - If the ball was thrown low and you will have to make the catch below waist height, your pinkies should go together, palms up, with your thumbs facing outward. Again, squeeze the ball and tuck it.

#3 - If you are catching the ball on the run and it is coming over your shoulder, reach both hands out, palms up with your pinkies touching, thumbs out, and other fingers extended. Squeeze and tuck the ball as soon as possible.

#4 - Always watch the ball all the way into your hands. When you can see a defender coming with your peripheral vision or hear footsteps, it is tempting to look away, but you must force yourself to concentrate on making the catch. You cannot run with the ball if you do not first catch it.

#5 - Always use two hands whenever possible. Sometimes the only way to make a catch is by diving or using one hand. Most of the time, however it is possible to get two hands on the football. Don't try to be the hero by making a one handed grab when it was possible to use two hands. No one will think you are the hero, if you drop a catchable pass.

#6 - Be aware of the sidelines. You don't have to take your eyes off the ball to do this. Just know where you are in relation to the sidelines. The more you play, the better feel you will get for this.

#7 - Practice, practice, practice. You know what they say...practice makes perfect. No. Perfect practice makes perfect. Get your Dad to throw you some passes. Ask him to make sure you are catching the ball using correct form. The more passes you catch, the better you will get. As you get better, have him throw the ball just out of reach, so you can practice diving for it. Have him throw it to you from different angles and at different velocities. If you really want to get good, have your Dad or a friend throw you 200 - 300 passes a day, every day.

Best Fantasy Football Tips

Since virtually all Fantasy Football leagues (FFL) are done on the web, this article is targeted towards the various websites that offer FFL. We will split the article into different sections, so if you're a Rookie, or a Seasoned Vet, you can go directly to the parts you need the most.

Rookies

1) Join a Private or Public League - A Private league is a league usually set up by aSeasoned Vet and they send out invitations to people they want in the league. A Public league is open to anyone to join. You can find these on Yahoo, ESPN, CBSSports and about a million other sites.

2) Is this a Head-to-Head or Total Points league? - Head to Head means that you play against another team in your league each week and who ever has the most points for that matchup wins. You will then have playoffs and even a Championship Game. A Total Points league simply calculates the total number of points all of your players accumulate throughout the season and the team who has the most points at the end of the season wins the league championship. (Head to head is a lot more fun. You get to talk some serious trash each week.)

3) Look at the scoring rules - This is very important, since the scoring in your league can be very different then the next. One league can have a Passing TD as 6 points, while another only 4. Some leagues award 1 point for each reception a WR/ RB & TE make, while others only allow for yards and TDs.

4) Pre-Rank your players - Each league will have a draft before the season begins. Once you have looked through the scoring rules and determined what players and positions will be the most valuable in you league, you will need to Pre-Rank your players before the draft starts, preferably a few weeks ahead of time. Most websites actually Pre-rank them for you and will allow you to modify the list to your personal settings.

5) Draft Time - After all you hard work and research, it's time to get some guys on your team. If you have Pre-Ranked your players correctly, should have mostly QBs & RBs in the first few rounds, then followed by RBs, TEs, Defense/ Special Teams and finally, Kickers. Be sure to check out if a player has been injured during the pre-season, is in a contract dispute, or is suspended. Players who will only miss a week or two will be fine, but don't waste a draft pick on a guy who was injured in a pre-season game, and will miss the whole year.

6) Week 1 - All the guys you thought were going to have big years, have a horrible first week and a RB you never heard of gets 200 yards and 3 TDs. Don't worry, it happens every single year. If you picked guys who have produced in the past, chances are they'll have another good year, but if there is a guy who comes out of nowhere, and dominates in the first regular season NFL game of his life, don't be afraid to drop a guy and pick him up if you're in need at that position. Just ask anyone in the last 5 years or so about Marques Colston, Eddie Royal, Willie Parker, or "the other" Steve Smith.

7) The rest of the season - Evaluate your teams ability to produce. Don't keep a guy, just because you like him. If you cut him from your FFL team, I'm sure he'll survive. Good luck!

Seasoned Vets

So, you've been playing FFL for how long? Emmitt Smith was a rookie on my first FFL team. Since no websites kept track of this stuff, I would have to get the Monday and Tuesday morning paper to check the box scores, then manually calculate all the Passing, Receiving, Rushing, Defensive & Kicking stats for each team in my league and determine a winner each week. After 20 years of FFL, here are some of the things I've learned:

1) Draft some second string guys. I've been the commissioner of a keeper league the last few years. The first year, I was really weak @ RB towards then end of the draft. I looked at the depth charts to see which 1st String RBs would most likely be injured first. I looked at these three guys: Ahmad Green (Houston), Lendell White (Tennessee) and Willis McGahee (Baltimore) and decided to draft their backups. The three back ups were Steve Slaton, Chris Johnson & Ray Rice. Need I say more.

2) Keeper leagues are overrated. Football is such as violent sport, guys get injured all the time. My keepers rarely stay the same year after year. The "new guy" last year, didn't have any keepers and finished third in our league.

3) Don't underestimate Top Tier TEs. Most head to head leagues have about 10-12 teams. That means that every FFL team will probably have a top tier QB & RB. In 2009, 10 QBs threw over 4,000 yards and 18 QBs had over 20 TD passes. 15 RBs ran for over 1,000 yards and 12 RBs had over 10 rushing TDs. 20 WR had over 1,000 yard receiving, but only three TEs had over 1,000 yards. You can land one of "The Big 3" TEs and still get a 1,000 yard receiver in the next round or two. Getting one of the a "Big 3" Tight Ends is like getting a Fourth 1,000 receiver. TE fanatasy value really drops off after the "Big 3" are off the table.

4) Don't overestimate WRs. Unless you are in a point-per-reception league, don't waste a top pick on a WR. Even if you are in a point-per-reception league, look for a RB who gets thrown to a lot before picking a WR. They can have very up and down games.

5) Don't underestimate Defense & Kickers. The best defenses and kickers can usually crack the top 10-15 in scoring in a lot of leagues. Not bad, considering nobody usually picks them until 100's of other players are already picked.