Category Archives: Sports & Recreation

Sports & Recreation

Anemia should do training

2012/02/08 – 1:48 AM

When you’re anemic, your body suffers from a lack of red blood cells, resulting a reduced amount of oxygen to your muscles and tissues. This lack of oxygen results in fatigue and exhaustion, reducing your endurance and strength levels while exercising and working out. While working out can build strength and endurance, the only way to improve your feelings of fatigue is to treat your anemia with medication, supplements or an iron-rich diet.

Before engaging in a total body workout, taking an iron supplement at the beginning of your day will help boost your energy levels by increasing your red blood cell production. Iron supplements can be purchased over the counter or prescribed by your doctor. While supplements will help you boost iron absorption, most doctors recommend altering your actual diet to help you consume foods — such as meat, beans, wheat bran and spinach — that will naturally boost iron levels. Consuming foods high in iron several hours prior to your workout plan will help you improve your energy levels.

After consuming iron-rich foods, properly warming up will help stretch our your muscles, reducing your risk of injury and improving blood flow. In addition to several minutes of walking or jogging to get your muscles warmed up, performing stretches will help you improve flexibility and get ready for your endurance workout. Stretches during warmups can range from ankle pumps to arm-extension exercises. Breathing exercises can also help improve the amount of oxygen you take in, potentially increasing the amount of oxygen that circulates through your body and extending your endurance levels.

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Sports & Recreation

The core of boxing is the focused application of force

2012/02/08 – 1:42 AM

Like most other sports that are fighting-based, the core of boxing is the focused application of force. The boxer’s fist becomes a weapon — a blunt instrument that’s used to focus all the strength of the body onto a few square inches of knuckle. When executed properly, a well-thrown punch applies tremendous force against the opposing fighter. However, that same force can injure the fist, unless the hand and thumb are well-wrapped.

The boxer’s gloves and hand wraps work together to protect the hand. Hand wraps reinforce and immobilize the hand’s small bones, reducing the risk of breaks and sprains during a bout. If the bones moved freely, they’d be driven into each other with considerable force with each punch. The glove itself absorbs impact, protecting both the boxer’s hand and the rival fighter. Gloves are manufactured in weights ranging from 10 to 20 ounces, depending on the amount of padding. Heavy gloves are used for sparring to prevent injury. Competitive boxing uses less-padded 10 ounce gloves to allow for higher impact punches.

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Sports & Recreation

A figure skater should follow abroad program of varied training

2012/02/03 – 3:32 AM

As with any other athlete, a figure skater should follow a broad program of varied training, along with ordinary skating training. The ideal program will incorporate conditioning and diet to help maintain your optimal weight. Since every skater is different, no one program will be ideal for everyone; rely primarily on your doctor’s guidance for what weight you should maintain, and how to do so. Excessive weight loss can potentially be dangerous.

Cardio
A figure skater must have an extremely high level of endurance to perform to her highest potential. It might look like a breeze to glide along the ice, but in reality, the heart of a skater in action is constantly beating at a very high rate. Carrying excess body weight will make performing an intense figure skating routine very difficult. In order to lose any excess weight and build your cardio levels, you should perform pure cardio training regularly. Jogging, biking and swimming are all ideal; your coach will be able to give you specific guidelines for a cardio-training routine.

Weight Training
U.S. Figure Skating recommends that figure skaters perform strength-training routines at least three days per week. Not only does strength training help you become more powerful and explosive, allowing you to perform more impressive routines, it also helps burn off calories both during and after your training session. This helps you lose excess weight, further improving your performance on the ice.

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Sports & Recreation

A barbell row focuses on strengthening the muscles in your back

2012/01/25 – 5:13 AM

A barbell row focuses on strengthening the various muscles in your back, depending on the form and technique you use. In addition to putting large amounts of weight on your back, performing a barbell row also puts stress on your shoulder and neck muscles. Shoulder pains after a barbell row could be a result of improper form or simply overextending yourself during a workout.

Technique
If you are experiencing shoulder pains after performing a set of barbell rows, it is possible that you are using improper form or technique during your set. To perform a proper barbell row, bend slightly at the knees, holding a barbell with both hands evenly spaced and your palms facing the ground. Your upper torso should be at a 60-degree angle with the ground during the exercise. With your arms extended, tighten your core muscles, bending at the elbows and lifting until your upper arms are parallel with the ground. Slowly lower your arms back down, repeating until fatigued. While lifting, use your core muscles as well as your pectoral muscles, instead of leading with your neck and shoulder muscles, to avoid pain after lifting.

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Sports & Recreation

Plyometrics can prevent foot cramps

2012/01/16 – 3:40 AM

Plyometrics builds increased muscle power. This training method concentrates on rapid, explosive movements that strengthen muscle by first applying eccentric force, which lengthens and stretches the muscle and then rapidly contracts it. Plyometrics often involves jumping or other movements that can put stress on your feet. If your feet cramp up, you may find it hard to continue exercising. Several factors could contribute to foot cramping during plyometrics.

Physical Causes
Dehydration and electrolyte depletion have long been considered two of the major causes of muscle cramping during strenuous exercise. A South African review published in the November 2008 “British Journal of Sports Medicine” questioned the role of dehydration in muscle cramping, stating that scientific evidence does not support this theory. Muscle fatigue may play a more important role in exercise-associated muscle cramping, author Martin Schwellnus suggests. Overexertion depletes the oxygen supply to the muscle. This causes waste products to build up in the muscle, which leads to cramping. Failure to warm up properly to stretch the muscle and make it pliable before starting plyometrics could also cause foot cramping.

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Sports & Recreation

What is the essence of volleyball

2012/01/15 – 2:19 AM

Participants in competitive sports typically spend hours preparing for competition and practicing their skills. A key aspect of athletic success is mental preparation, something less easy to learn or practice. In a close-quarters, fast-paced game such as volleyball, concentration is critical and can affect the outcome of a match.

According to Dr. Alan Goldberg, a noted sports psychology and training consultant, “playing to your potential is all about how well you can execute mentally.” This is particularly critical in volleyball, which he describes as “too fast a game to play well unless your concentration is in the right place when it counts the most.” During his training sessions with college volleyball and other athletic teams, he stresses that the mental game is what makes the difference between regular teams and champions.

When watching a volleyball game or other sporting event, you may notice certain times when a player is visibly concentrating on her actions. Serving is one of these times. A player focuses on the ball in her hand; she may perform various preparatory moves, such as bouncing the ball a specified number of times; and she follows the ball with her eyes as she raises it up and serves it over the net. Concentrating for these specific activities or time periods is readily understood as a requirement for performing them successfully. Maintaining that same level of concentration throughout the game is more difficult.

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Sports & Recreation

Rugby cleats of a good substitute

2012/01/14 – 3:42 AM

Shoes for different sports have different numbers and types of protrusions on the bottom of the shoe, which help them grip the ground when running or making sharp turns. Both the shoes themselves and the protrusions are called cleats, although removable cleats are generally called studs. If you don’t have rugby cleats, you can substitute certain other cleats, as long as they conform to rugby regulations. Show your shoes to your coach to see if they meet rugby regulations.

Cleat Types
Cleats come in two types: molded cleats, which are part of the shoe, and removable studs. With removable cleats, you can leave some of the studs, which are made from plastic or metal, out if you prefer. Cleats with detachable studs usually cost more than molded cleats. The placement of the studs may vary, depending on the position you play. You can buy molded rugby, softball, football or soccer cleats or cleats with detachable studs.

Rugby Cleat Specifics
Rugby shoes — also called boots — nearly all have studs or molded cleats. Forwards must have cleats in their shoes for gripping. Studs have either an eight-cleat or six-cleat pattern, according to the Rugby Union Rules website. Tight forwards, who need gripping power, usually wear eight cleats, while backs, who need agility and the ability to turn quickly, need less grip, so the six-cleat pattern works best for them.

Substituting Soccer Cleats
You can substitute some soccer shoes but not others for rugby play. Indoor soccer players use different shoes than those who play outdoors. Indoor players don’t need studs or molded cleats to grip the ground and would not serve as an adequate replacement for rugby shoes. Cleats with between six and 12 removable studs or molded cleats designed for outdoor use could substitute for rugby cleats. As long as they have cleats, soccer shoes work as a substitute for rugby cleats, the Coastal Dragons Rugby Club states.

Substituting Football Cleats
You can substitute football cleats, which also have molded cleats or detachable studs, for rugby cleats as long as your remove the toe cleat. Rugby players are not allowed to wear toe cleats, according to the Coastal Dragons Rugby Club. You can cut the toe cleat off the shoe if it is part of the molded shoe or simply remove a detachable cleat.

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Sports & Recreation

Pregnant women can play bowling?

2012/01/13 – 7:31 AM

An appropriate exercise program during pregnancy may help you stay healthy and get ready for labor. Bowling can be a good activity during pregnancy as long as you are careful and get your doctor’s approval. Throughout your pregnancy, continue to communicate with your doctor so that your physical activity stays at a safe level for you and your baby.

Regular physical activity lowers your risk for chronic diseases, such as diabetes and high blood pressure. Healthy adults should get at least 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic exercise or 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Health benefits are greater when you exercise more. Bowling while pregnant can increase your heart rate so that you get the benefits of aerobic exercise.

Physical activity during pregnancy lowers your risk for high blood pressure, gestational diabetes

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Sports & Recreation

Exercises with boxing pads

2012/01/12 – 8:57 AM

Boxing pads, or punching mitts, are padded, flat, circular gloves used by boxing instructors to sharpen the ring skills of the fighters they teach. The trainer places his hands in the pads and holds them as targets for the boxer while moving like a competitor in the ring. Training with the pads helps sharpen your technique, timing and rhythm, while increasing your ability to punch for longer abilities of time and with more accuracy.

To parry a punch is to swat it away from its intended point of contact, using the open palm of your hand. In boxing, parrying is mostly used to deflect straight punches, primarily the lead-hand jab. The best way to use this technique is by moving your hand slightly down and forward, just before the punch reaches its destination.

If you and your opponent are right-handed fighters, block his straight left jab with your right hand. Do this by knocking the punch down, quickly and sharply, moving your glove no more than 3

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Sports & Recreation

What is a wimming touch pad?

2012/01/12 – 8:48 AM

A swimming touch pad is an automatic electronic timing device used in swimming competitions. It accurately records an athlete’s time and eliminates human error. An “Athletic Business” article quotes Mick Nelson, Club Facilities Development Director for USA Swimming, as saying that with the use of touch pads “we’re not at the mercy of the human reflexes of somebody pushing a button.” These sensitive-to-the-touch devices record time within hundredths of a second.

Brief History
In an effort to reduce the number of officials on the pool deck during swim meets, Bill Parkinson, University of Michigan’s emeritus professor of physics, invented the swimming touch pad. During a meet there would be as many as 33 individuals judging, timing and refereeing. “The judging and the timing were terrible,” according to Parkinson;

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