MarseilleMarathon Kart Racing

Player’s Safety & Injuries

admin — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 14:21:05 +0000

In every game, there is always the possibility of running into an injury instead of the goal line. If you are affiliated with sports as a coach, you will want to make sure that you help your players to stay safe and avoid possibilities for injury. By keeping a checklist in mind of what the players need and how to meet this, you will have the ability to keep them going in the game. One of the most important factors that relates to children’s safety and injuries is related to the growth of the child. Because they are not fully developed, an injury can cause problems not only with the pain at the moment, but also with potential future problems. There are several who have found the various reasons for the injuries, many which could be prevented. The number one cause for injuries in sports is related to a lack of education. Children will go without wearing the proper safety gear, or will take a wrong move that could have been prevented if they knew it would injure them. Because this is the number one reason for injury, it is important for coaches to inform every player of the importance of safety gear and educating them on ways to prevent injury while playing. A second factor related to sports injuries is from children who do not receive the proper conditioning before they go to play a game. They should be practicing scenarios of the game as well as learning techniques that will help them to reach the goals of the game without making a wrong move. Once you learn the basics of maneuvers for games, it is your priority to make sure that all of your players understand why the moves are set rules. If you are looking at the different possibilities to help your players stay healthy and safe in practice and in a game, then it is up to you to step up to the plate. Making sure that they receive the proper education and observing their use and understanding of safety gear can help save children from the fall.

Lining into the Correct Basketball Positions

admin — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 16:42:05 +0000

Even though a team only has five players, each of these players has a specific position that they need to stay in. All of these will help the team to work together when the ball is in their court, or to defend the game by being on the opposing team’s side. In order to make sure that everyone has an equal chance to play, you will want to have everyone in the proper position and ready to go with their responsibility as a team member. On each of the teams of five players, you will have everyone in a position that will help to both defend the other team from making baskets as well as help your team keep the ball. The first is the point guard, which will control the ball and make sure it stays in one side of the court. Usually, a point guard will be seen further back on the court than the other players. The second is a shooting guard, which will focus on making the baskets for the team from the possible distance shots that are available. From here, the positions that are on the team will move inwards. The first of these is a small forward which is responsible for scoring points that are closer to the basket. Defensively, the small forward will be the one that gets up closer to the members in order to steal the ball from the team. The power forward is the second position that is closer to the basket and will usually be seen waiting right under the basket in order to protect the team from taking the ball and to make closer shots. In the middle of all of this, you will have the center. This particular position is used as a connection between the outer positions and inner positions, which helps to guard the ball and shoot. When all of these positions in a team work together, they have the ability to maneuver the ball both offensively and defensively to the position that they want. This will allow them to build strategies that are best for their team to win. By making sure everyone understands their role and positioning in the game, you can be certain to create a dynamic set of players for the right amount of teamwork.

Keeping Score

admin — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 21:42:04 +0000

Half of the fun of playing against opponents on court is seeing who will win the game. Of course, if you aren’t playing in a tournament, you will want to make sure you know how to keep the score. Not only are there possibilities for opponents to cheat, but you can also help in building a different kind of game by keeping track of the points. When you begin keeping score with your opponents, you can expect a series of things to be broken down numerically. First, if you are in a match, you can expect the match to be divided into either three or five different games. The winner will be the one who wins the most points out of all three or five of the matches. The first player who wins at least four points in every match will be the winner. If the opponent is keeping up with the other side, then the winning points will be determined by being two ahead of the opponent. Of course, the points will be stated differently when you are playing. If you have one to three points against the opponent you will hear it as either love or zero. After this, every three points that you gain, will show up as fifteen, thirty and forty. If you are tied with the opponent, you can expect to have the number deuce as the point definer. If you are only one point ahead, it will be called advantage, ad or ad out. If you are coaching, then keeping score during a tournament can help you to make sure that everything is in line and will help to determine what the next strategy should be for the player. This is especially important if there are problems such as the opponent being up only by one point or keeping the game tied. When this happens, you should be aware of some next steps to take in order to settle the score. Once you understand the logistics of the scoring system of tennis, it allows you to make sure you know what needs to happen for the win. By keeping track of what is available to you, there will be the possibility to make sure that you are always one step ahead.

A New or Pre-owned Go Kart?

admin — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 03:16:56 +0000

A New or Pre-owned Go Kart?

The Go karting industry has been increasingly attracting a lot of sports enthusiasts. A lot of those who began karting only as a recreation had their enthusiasm in this sport grow into something deeper that they chose to pursue karting as a career. And when one chooses to take this sport seriously, it is a requirement that he/she has his/her own karting machine and all the necessary equipment for the race.

It is quite a difficult decision finding the perfect Go kart since we all have our own individual karting needs and Go karts differ largely with the different karting demands of the driver. However, there are some helpful tips for finding your perfect Go kart.

Determine Whether To Buy A New Or Pre-owned Go Kart

Before looking for the right type of Go kart, you must first determine whether you will go for a brand new Go kart or for a pre-owned one.

For racers who do not have sponsorships, it is best to consider the amount of money that you are willing to spend to buy a Go kart.

New Go Karts

Of course, the brand new Go karts require a considerable amount of money but with that, there is an assurance that you will be paying for a competitive karting machine. Quality is always worth the extra bucks that you would have to expend. That is why sponsorships have been very useful for most drivers particularly for those who do not have enough financial resources to cope up with this kind of career.

Always make it sure the Go kart you are buying is in perfect and excellent condition and that it should not have been used in any karting activity.

Second-hand Go-karts

Since not everyone gets to afford a brand new kart, a used Go kart is probably the best option there is. Buying a second Go kart has of course a downside, that is, it may not be as competitive as a brand new one. See to it that it has the important features that you will need before you buy it.

Buying Go Karts Online

A lot of Go karts are now sold online such as those on eBay and purchasing these Go karts are really easy. However, one great disadvantage that makes this option one that is not really advisable is that there are those sellers who tend to lie with regards to the condition of the equipment and this is obviously to the detriment of the buyer/driver.

Buying a Go kart demands inspection so that you will see for yourself any faults in the equipment before you pay for it.

Choose Go karts that are not as old as five years and those that suffered only minor deterioration. Above all, see to it that the parts are still complete. If they lack special parts, it may be best to opt for a brand new Go kart instead since it will save you more than buying these lacking parts. Besides, a lot of these special parts may be rare thus requiring not only a significant amount of money but also time and effort to complete the machine.

Always remember, buying your own Go kart requires a really good amount of inspection since you will not only be losing value for what you paid for but you might also be compromising your own safety.

Implementing Positive Practice

admin — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 21:21:03 +0000

You have welcomed the new members to your team and are ready to make the best of it. You have a list of things that you want to teach them, ranging from the basics of the sport to the different techniques that individual players can use. You already have everyone’s position in mind and know exactly how you want the games to look. All of the children and youth are looking at you for the next direction. It seemed so easy when it all began. After a specific amount of time, it becomes hard for children and youth to continue to stay on the path that you have so carefully laid out for them. Some may get distracted, others may get bored, and some will get frustrated. After weeks and hours of not getting the perfect position, throwing the wrong ball, or just not being pushed into the right spot, it is easy for kids to loose the interest that they first had in the sport. The first thing to do is recognize that this reaction after several weeks of practice is natural. Children and youth are naturally curious and are interested in learning about new things. At the same time, it is easy to become distracted if something just isn’t working right. You will need to come into the practice with fresh outlooks and new attitudes in order to help the children and youth develop. One of the ways that you can be sure to keep the attention of the youth is to keep everything with a fresh and new perspective. If you know that they have been working on specific techniques in one way, you might want to try to give them a new insight into the same technique with a different drill. You can also make sure that you are bringing yourself into check and bringing in a positive attitude for the players. This will help them to stay excited about the game and continue to learn and develop their techniques. If your players are like most, they just want to play the game. Making sure that they stay excited while they are playing and helping to keep them encouraged and offer insights into improvement can help to keep the level of fun that they thought about when they began the sport. It will be part of your job as a coach to make sure that all of your players walk away feeling like they’ve learned something new and had fun doing it.

Hitting & Bunting for a Home Run

admin — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 22:42:05 +0000

Playing the best game also means taking the best swings at the ball. If you want to make sure that you hit the ball exactly like you envision every time, then you can begin by understanding some basic techniques about how to use the bat properly. By putting techniques into full swing, you will have the ability to hit a home run every time. When you go up to swing, you will want to make sure that your preparation is in place and exactly how you want it to give you the best abilities to hit the ball. You will want to move up to the batting area and stand with one foot in front of the plate, and the other slightly back. This will give you leverage when you are moving in to swing the ball. You can also stand with your feet hip width apart in order to make it more comfortable. You will also want to slightly bend your knees in order to help with the leverage that you need to hit the ball. From here, you will want to align the bat with your hands in order to give you the control that you need. One hand should be directly above the other towards the end of the bat. Your knuckles will need to be aligned in order to hit the ball more directly. When you are holding the bat, you should make sure that you don’t hold it too tightly, or too loose, as this will make you loose control of what you are hitting. When you are holding the bat, it should be easy for you to roll both of your wrists in preparation to hit the ball. After you have adjusted everything in order to hit the ball, you can work on the different techniques for hitting and controlling the ball. The first step to this is the stride. When you stride, your front foot should go forward about six inches and your hands will move away from the foot. You can also stride by stepping up or down in the same place, which will allow you to pivot exactly like you want to. The next step is for the batter to swing. At a basic level, there are about four different ways to swing the bat. These will vary according to the height that you use to hit the ball. The bat will end up either at knee level, waist level, a move up or a move down. Over time, you will be able to prepare which type of swing you use according to how the ball is being pitched. No matter what type of swing you are using, you want to make sure that your arms are strong and sturdy and that you bat all the way through, meaning the bat goes all the way around, even after you have hit the ball. Of course, if you are bunting the ball, you won’t have to swing the bat all the way around, but will instead pivot in order to keep the ball in the area that you want it. By understanding how to prepare and maneuver yourself, you will have the ability to hit a home run every time. You can begin to learn to hit and bunt balls by practicing various swings and making sure that you are positioned exactly like you want. This will give you the ability to position for every swing.

Hey, Coach!

admin — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 02:42:09 +0000

Even though most state that coaching is simply to teach others how to play a game, it is much more than this. The effects that coaching can have on a young child or youth, can help them to gain some important tools that they can keep for the rest of their lifetime. The tools that you will be teaching to your players will help them to grow and flourish, no matter what turn they make in their lifetime. The first major lesson that individuals can learn from playing on a team that you are coaching comes from the relationships that they build with each other. When one is able to work with a team, no matter what the project, and learn how to compromise and fit into the bigger picture, it makes it easier for them later on. The youth and children that are involved will grow up with ideas about what it means to help others as well as take on their own leadership roles. They will also be able to see these same relationship values coming from the leadership role that you present. For the individual child, participating in sports can have the same major effect on them. This first begins with the child having the ability to understand the importance of health and exercise in order to stay at their best. Recent studies have shown that adults that played sports when they were younger are much more active and exercise as adults up to three times more than other average adults. Beyond this, children and youth will gain insights into which they are as individual players. Not only does their physical health improve, but their mental health will as well. Once a child or youth understands the game and begins to get positive feedback from the moves that they make, they are likely to also get a good boost of self-esteem. This doesn’t just happen with self-esteem, but also with perceptions of themselves, such as body image. The attitudes that the children learn with positive outlooks on their mental and physical health, will eventually carry over into how they see themselves in the future and as adults. The foundation begins when they are young and playing on any type of field. What does all of this mean to you as a coach? The basic rule is that you should have the ability to coach right. You are not just playing a game. You are also building a foundation for them. This foundation includes personal changes that are important to the child as well as a building of who they are mentally, physically and relation to others. If you want to play a good game as a coach, it means making sure that everyone starts off on the right foot.

GRIP, FOOTWORK, AND STROKES IN TENNIS.

admin — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 04:21:03 +0000

Footwork is weight control. It is correct body position for strokes, and out of it all strokes should grow. In explaining the various forms of stroke and footwork I am writing as a right-hand player. Left-handers should simply reverse the feet. Racquet grip is a very essential part of stroke, because a faulty grip will ruin the finest serving. It is a natural grip for a top forehand drive. It is inherently weak for the backhand, as the only natural shot is a chop stroke. To acquire the forehand grip, hold the racquet with the edge of the frame towards the ground and the face perpendicular, the handle towards the body, and “shake hands” with it, just as if you were greeting a friend. The handle settled comfortably and naturally into the hand, the line of the arm, hand, and racquet are one. The swing brings the racquet head on a line with the arm, and the whole racquet is merely an extension of it. The backhand grip is a quarter circle turn of hand on the handle, bringing the hand on top of the handle and the knuckles directly up. The shot travels ACROSS the wrist. This is the best basis for a grip. I do not advocate learning this grip exactly, but model your natural grip as closely as possible on these lines without sacrificing your own comfort or individuality. Having once settled the racquet in the hand, the next question is the position of the body and the order of developing strokes. All tennis strokes, should be made with the body’ at right angles to the net, with the shoulders lined up parallel to the line of flight of the ball. The weight should always travel forward. It should pass from the back foot to the front foot at the moment of striking the ball. Never allow the weight to be going away from the stroke. It is weight that determines the “pace” of a stroke; swing that, decides the “speed.” Let me explain the definitions of “speed” and “pace.” “Speed” is the actual rate with which a ball travels through the air. “Pace” is the momentum with which it comes off the ground. Pace is weight. It is the “sting” the ball carries when it comes off the ground, giving the inexperienced or unsuspecting player a shock of force which the stroke in no way showed. A great many players have both “speed” and “pace.” Some shots may carry both. The order of learning strokes should be: 1. The Drive. Fore and backhand. This is the foundation of all tennis, for you cannot build up a net attack unless you have the ground stroke to open the way. Nor can you meet a net attack successfully unless you can drive, as that is the only successful passing shot. 2. The Service. 3. The Volley and Overhead Smash. 4. The Chop or Half Volley and other incidental and ornamental strokes.

GENERAL TENNIS PSYCHOLOGY.

admin — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 18:00:17 +0000

Tennis psychology is nothing more than understanding the workings of your opponent’s mind, and gauging the effect of your own game on his mental viewpoint, and understanding the mental effects resulting from the various external causes on your own mind. You cannot be a successful psychologist of others without first understanding your own mental processes, you must study the effect on yourself of the same happening under different circumstances. You react differently in different moods and under different conditions. You must realize the effect on your game of the resulting irritation, pleasure, confusion, or whatever form your reaction takes. Does it increase your efficiency? If so, strive for it, but never give it to your opponent. Does it deprive you of concentration? If so, either remove the cause, or if that is not possible strive to ignore it. Once you have judged accurately your own reaction to conditions, study your opponents, to decide their temperaments. Like temperaments react similarly, and you may judge men of your own type by yourself. Opposite temperaments you must seek to compare with people whose reactions you know. A person who can control his own mental processes stands an excellent chance of reading those of another, for the human mind works along definite lines of thought, and can be studied. One can only control one’s, mental processes after carefully studying them. A steady phlegmatic baseline player is seldom a keen thinker. If he was he would not adhere to the baseline. The physical appearance of a man is usually a pretty clear index to his type of mind. The stolid, easy-going man, who usually advocates the baseline game, does so because he hates to stir up his torpid mind to think out a safe method of reaching the net. There is the other type of baseline player, who prefers to remain on the back of the court while directing an attack intended to break up your game. He is a very dangerous player, and a deep, keen thinking antagonist. He achieves his results by mixing up his length and direction, and worrying you with the variety of his game. He is a good psychologist. The first type of player mentioned merely hits the ball with little idea of what he is doing, while the latter always has a definite plan and adheres to it. The hard-hitting, erratic, net-rushing player is a creature of impulse. There is no real system to his attack, no understanding of your game. He will make brilliant coups on the spur of the moment, largely by instinct; but there is no, mental power of consistent thinking. It is an interesting, fascinating type. The dangerous man is the player who mixes his style from back to fore court at the direction of an ever-alert mind. This is the man to study and learn from. He is a player with a definite purpose. A player who has an answer to every query you propound him in your game. He is the most subtle antagonist in the world. He is of the school of Brookes. Second only to him is the man of dogged determination that sets his mind on one plan and adheres to it, bitterly, fiercely fighting to the end, with never a thought of change. He is the man whose psychology is easy to understand, but whose mental viewpoint is hard to upset, for he never allows himself to think of anything except the business at hand. This man is your Johnston or your Wilding. I respect the mental capacity of Brookes more, but I admire the tenacity of purpose of Johnston. Pick out your type from your own mental processes, and then work out your game along the lines best suited to you. When two men are, in the same class, as regards stroke equipment, the determining factor in any given match is the mental viewpoint. Luck, so-called, is often grasping the psychological value of a break in the game, and turning it to your own account. We hear a great deal about the “shots we have made.” Few realize the importance of the “shots we have missed.” The science of missing shots is as important as that of making them, and at times a miss by an inch is of more value than a, return that is killed by your opponent. Let me explain. A player drives you far out of court with an angle-shot. You run hard to it, and reaching, drive it hard and fast down the side-line, missing it by an inch. Your opponent is surprised and shaken, realizing that your shot might as well have gone in as out. He will expect you to try it again, and will not take the risk next time. He will try to play the ball, and may fall into error. You have thus taken some of your opponent’s confidence, and increased his chance of error, all by a miss. If you had merely popped back that return, and it had been killed, your opponent would have felt increasingly confident of your inability to get the ball out of his reach, while you would merely have been winded without result. Let us suppose you made the shot down the sideline. It was a seemingly impossible get. First it amounts to TWO points in that it took one away from your opponent that should have been his and gave you one you ought never to have had. It also worries your opponent, as he feels he has thrown away a big chance. The psychology of a tennis match is very interesting, but easily understandable. Both men start with equal chances. Once one man establishes a real lead, his confidence goes up, while his opponent worries, and his mental viewpoint becomes poor. The sole object of the first man is to hold his lead, thus holding his confidence. If the second player pulls even or draws ahead, the inevitable reaction occurs with even a greater contrast in psychology. There is the natural confidence of the leader now with the second man as well as that great stimulus of having turned seeming defeat into probable victory. The reverse in the case of the first player is apt to hopelessly destroy his game, and collapse follows.

Game Day Coaching

admin — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:00:12 +0000

Finally, after all of the hours of hard practice, you get to show what your team is really made of. They are finally moving out of the practice field and into a game. If you are coaching for a game, you want to make sure that you are organized, prepared, and know how to react to specific situations. More than any other time, this will be the time when the players are looking to you in order to see your true character. Before going to a game, you should make sure that you are prepared for the event. This may be as easy as making sure that everyone has everything that they need. Bringing extra water, safety equipment, and first aid supplies can be a good start in order to prepare for what might happen. This also means preparing the players mentally. They will need to have some vision and insight to how game day will look, allowing them to set their goals for success. When you get to the game, you will also want to make sure that you have the answers that your players will need. This first means continuing to find the best strategies for the opposing team. Looking at the entire perspective of the field or court and responding with the best moves for the team will help them to continue to work towards the win that they want to have. Of course, the mentality that you keep during the game and after the game is also important. If the team isn’t doing so well during the game, you want to make sure to keep this in perspective. Over reacting, yelling, and telling the players that they aren’t doing good enough will most likely end badly with some loss of self-esteem after the game. Even if your team looses, you will want to make sure to set an example. Keeping the game as just a game, and looking at the efforts that all of the members are making when they play will help both you and them to learn every time they play. The process of playing in a sport is most intense when it is on a field of opposing players. Because of this, you want to make sure that you are the example and the place where the players can turn in order to keep insight and perspective. By making sure that you walk in prepared and with the right attitude, you can also be sure that everyone will walk away happy with the process of playing.