Tag Archives: position

3 Tips You Need To Know Before Going On A Surfing Trip

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Being prepared to undertake surfing is not that complicated at all. Basic things such as physical abilities, technique, equipment and safety are all you need to learn and execute the sport. Here are 3 tips that you need to know before going on a surfing trip.

1. Surfing is a physically demanding sport and if you want to enjoy it, you need to keep up with its physical requirements. Engage in some cardiovascular exercises before your scheduled surfing trip. Do some stretching activities like yoga or pilates. Keep your heart rate up and keep your muscles malleable so as to avoid cramps. Strengthen your stamina as you will need it on the surfing trip to paddle yourself from and to the shore, and to swim against waves in case you wipe out. A surfing trip is definitely not advised for individuals who do not know how to swim. So if you are one of the few who can’t tread water, it wouldn’t hurt to squeeze in some basic swimming lessons before you try to hit the waves.

This is a hectic activity and there will be a time when you will have to train specifically for surfing. After strengthening your stamina, you’ll need to know how to at least survive in water. Engage in exercises that will mirror what you will do when you go on your surfing trip. Exercise mostly comprised of squats, balance, and soft jumps. Try this one, practice jumping while shifting your feet landing alternately with the left foot forward then the right. Sounds easy? Try doing it with very little thud and noise as your feet land on the floor. Now that’s a challenge!

Paddling is a key element when surfing; it brings you and your board to where the great waves are and also takes you away from dangerous spots of the water. You can practice this routine on dry land; place your board on the bed or an elevated surface where your hands and arms can move freely below your torso if you are lying face down on your board and start a paddling motion. You will be surprised how much more difficult it is to do this when you are lying face down. Stamina and strength is needed for paddling, and it won’t hurt if you have your arms ready for the open waves.

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Back To The Basics – Tennis Skills That Are A Must When In The Game

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No matter what level your game is at right now, you can play better tennis by focusing on a few fundamental skills. Every player can pull their game up and sharpen their strokes by putting these skills into play. If you’re dedicated to being the best you can be, here’s how to raise the level of your game.

Agility

To reach across the whole court for the ball, you’re going to have to run. To hit a low volley, you’re going to have to get down to the ball. To hit a smash, you’re going to have to leap as high as you can. All these shots, and most others, require agility (quick and easy movement). Doing special exercises will help to improve your agility.

Reaction times

In today’s game, especially on a fast surface like grass, it’s essential to be able to react instantly to whatever your opponent throws at you. Reaction times will improve with training exercises and match practice. Your actions should become automatic-so you don’t have to even think about them. Mental alertness and concentration are vital.

Hand-eye coordination

Being able to hit the ball with your racket-which involves judging distance, speed, and height–depends on hand-eye coordination. This will improve the more you play the sport, but it is worth doing throwing- and-catching exercises to develop this vital skill.

Balance

If you lose your balance, it’s much more likely you will make an error and lose the point. Keep control of your body at all times and avoid uneven, jerky movements. Stay low when you move. Get into the habit of standing with your feet wide apart to stabilize your balance. Above all, keep your head still. You’ll be able to see exactly what’s going on.

Ready Position

Make taking this position a habit after each shot and before the next one. Bend your knees slightly, feet shoulder-width apart and toes ready to push you off in any direction. Hold the racket up in a central position, so that you can take it back to either side. Keep your head up.

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Chip Shot – Save 5 Shots Per Round

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CHIP SHOT

One of the most important assets that you can have for lowering your score is to improve your chipping. When you begin to feel the correct distance and select the right club for the shot in hand, your shot consistency will improve rapidly and you will save at least 5 shots a round. Despite these potential benefits, chipping is probably the least practiced and most neglected part of most players’ golf game. Here are some tips on the chip shot.

For the majority of your chip shots, you should not hit down hard on the ball or put spin on it. If you meet the ball with a square clubface, you will make a solid contact with the ball, resulting in obtaining a consistent distance from each club. Just let the face of the club do it’s job and the consistency you gain will result in much better results.

Avoid closing the face to make the ball run more, or opening the face to make it pop up as these are riskier options as they will impart more spin on the ball. As I mentioned we are aiming for consistency, so the less spin on the ball, the more consistency you will achieve.

With that in mind, your club selection is as important as the execution of the chip shot. Try to always putt from off of the green if at all possible. The old saying is – The worst putt is better than the worst chip. You can use anything from a wedge to a 5 iron, depending on the lie and circumstances. Don’t just use one single club for chipping as there are too many different types of chip shot you must learn to play to restrict yourself to only one. By varying your club selection you add more shots to your repertoire that will cover every possibility.

The Basic Chip Shot

Hands set ahead of the clubhead

The fundamental mechanic of the basic chip shot is addressing the ball with the majority of your weight on your left foot with your hands ahead of the clubhead. This will enable you to accelerate the clubhead into the ball on a descending blow.

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How To Bunt

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I won’t say a player can make a living or impress the girls without hitting towering home runs, but a good bunter, at the proper time, can be as valuable as gold, and the older you become, the more valuable.

Unfortunately, some coaches don’t believe in taking the appropriate amount of time to teach the skills of bunting, and yes, it is a skill. It’s understandable up to a point, as there’s plenty enough to learn, trying to hit the ball, much alone learn a controlled bunt.

However, the conception bunting is not an important aspect of the game is totally wrong. Not only is bunting an important play at all levels, perhaps more so the older the players become, but it can be a great aid in helping a youngster become a better hitter.

Sometimes it’s an easier path to explain and eliminate what not to do before tackling the how to do elements.

When a player squares around to bunt he must be careful to not be standing on home plate, because if he’s making contact with the plate when he bunts the ball, he’ll be declared out.

When the hitter squares to bunt and slides his hand up the barrel of the bat, he must not wrap his fingers around the bat exposing his fingers to danger, as I shouldn’t have to explain the painful consequences of fingers smashed between the ball and the bat.

The hitter should not stab or lunge at the ball with the bat. The ball should hit the bat which is being gently held absorbing the impact resulting in the ball going fair, but a limited distance. Stabbing or lunging at the ball will only result in a missed strike or a ball hit much farther than intended.

Never, unless it’s a suicide bunt, try to bunt a high pitch. High pitches are extremely difficult to bunt towards the ground, as the ball has a tendency to pop up into the air which normally results in an easy put out.

The sacrifice bunt is used to give up an out, the hitter, in order to advance a base runner to scoring position, whether it be to second base or third base.

The worse thing a hitter can do when faced with this situation is trying to be cute and disguise his intention to bunt by swinging his bat wildly around, as all this does is throw off the bunter’s timing and ruins his mechanics.

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