A Narrative on the Best Moments of My Childhood

As we grow older we olten reminisce of our childhood. Certain things tend to stick out in our minds more vwidly than others do and they can be anything from a complex thing such as life-changing experiences to something as simple as making mud pies. When I think back, I can remember all the toys of my childhood. I remember running through the sprinkler. With my dog in the summertime jumping on the trampoline. With my friends in the fall and sledding down hills. With my family in the wintertime. But, the most Vivid memory I have of my childhood is undeniably the finest and most exciting one of all making mud pies in the spring. Making mud pies is undoubtedly something that all children and adults can relate to and they all know that it is indubitably one of the best ways to make friends. It just so happens to be the way that I met my best friend Fia and it is the way we spent most of our time together.

My loyal companion lived across the street from me so every day. It was warm enough. as soon as we woke up we would stand on the curbs in front of our houses. Facing each other. We would then yell across the street listing the items that were needed for that day’s adventure. Both of us, would quickly retreat to our houses collect all the items required and rush back outside to get started, Each new day consisted of a different game. whether it was playing house. Ghost Writer, ‘adventures’, or Just a simple game of hide and go seek, but somehow, no matter which game we chose to play, we always seemed to include making mud pies. To create these wonderful pastries, we would collect dirt from underneath our doormats or from digging holes in our yards.

Instead of getting our water from the tap or of using the dishes from our kitchen cupboards. We would avoid making our mothers suspicious by taking water from our dogs’ dishes, from puddles outside and by gathering pots and pans from our toy kitchen sets. We would find long thin sticks that worked perfectly for mixing and stirring. Then, we would retreat to the cool shade under my apple tree provided by its green leafy canopy. We would sit there and slosh our concoction together, spilling the murky brown water on our sticky fingers, holding the bowls. With all our might and stirring as fast as our six-year-old arms would allow us. On my driveway, there was an ash fault patch darker than the rest. It was big enough to lay out at least a dozen pies and it was directly under the sun so they would cook more quickly and efficiently than on the sidewalk.

Once we had our mud ready, we would stand up with our muddy pink shorts and t-shirts, our matching sparkly Jelly sandals, with our hair falling out of our scrunchies. We would then quickly make pour Ways over to the ‘oven’ where we would carefully mold our muddy mud patties. While we let them cook, We would scavenge our yards in search of things to add to our pies. We would use our treat buckets from the previous Halloween as our baskets. In them, we would collect little crumbling flowers from my friends’ Birch tree that. We made belief was our corn, berries from the bushes that were our ‘fruit’ as well as leaves, twigs, spices along With other simple garnishes. We would then Walk back to our oven. With our Halloween buckets filled to the brim and carefully decorate our pies by pressing leaves into the mom mud. With our fingers and delicately sprinkling them With our special toppings. To this day I still remember taking my very first bite of our freshly baked pies.

I can recall carefully scooping up the very best pie I could find, and slowly raising it to my mouth. I remember the anxious and expectant eyes of my best friend sitting across from me, staring at me as I began to slowly press my teeth into its moistness. I remember being slightly surprised when my tongue touched the slimy mud. dirt and grass and when I felt the grittiness of sand between my teeth instead of the doughy sweetness I had anticipated. It was not what I had expected. But after all of our hard work making these pies. We had to at least pretend to like them, especially in front of our moms and dads. Although the pies were not particularly tasty, it was the fact that We had made them.

With our own two hands, they were our own creations which made them the most satisfying desserts in the world. Thus began our ritual ‘taste testing‘ of our wonderfully, muddy mud pies. It was a wonderful game: a game that we continued to play throughout our childhood and even early on into our pre-teen stages. It was our special game that we could play anywhere and anytime. With only two simple ingredients dirt and water. It is quite wondrous as to how mixing two such simple things together could cause such splendid games and enjoyment as well as create such intricate and residing memories. Mud has become one of my most treasured memories from my childhood and one that I will remember always.

Read more

My Chosen Sport is Hockey

My chosen sport is hockey, and my position in hockey is mainly forward. I’m able to play midfield too. I play hockey because it is a sociable sport that can also come along with other positives like having the chance to exercise and become more fit and healthy, also helping with a positive mindset to others and own mental health, I also enjoy the range in skills that can be learnt and put into a game weather it’s a friendly for school or a higher level. On the other side most importantly, it is very fun and enjoyable with the adrenaline that comes along when in a competitive non friendly game.

My strength in hockey is the ability to use my rapid pace, to beat opponents and keep my intensity up for a long period of time, this usually includes a fair amount of cardiovascular endurance
Cardiovascular endurance is the ability of the heart and lungs to supply oxygen to the muscles, so that the whole body can exercise for a long time. This is particularly important in activities such as long distance running but is also a key factor in many team sports.

This component is important in Hockey because the players need to be able to keep playing for the whole match, or at least for the 35 minutes until it is half time. Depending on the position being played. Another key component that is used very often in hockey is muscular endurance is the ability of the voluntary muscles in the body, such as the biceps, to be used repeatedly over a long period of time and without getting tired.

This component is important in Hockey because the players use specific muscle groups repeatedly to run up and down the pitch and to complete passes. The quadriceps, hamstrings, gluteal and gastrocnemius are used repeatedly to maintain a low body position when moving around the pitch. This is important in all positions on the pitch. My push pass is both powerful and accurate; this is a skill that is a strength of mine.

I can use this pass effectively in a range of situations. Furthermore, I also use a slap or a hit to create more power, but it can’t always have the consistency of accuracy that a normal push pass will have. A push pass can also be used in situations when interlocking from the defenders all the way up the pitch from overturning the ball, to a long pass where a forward could make a vertical lead from the centre to left or right to then have a more direct path to the D.

On the other side Marking is a crucial part of the game for every player on the team but even more so for the defensive line, as if they fail to mark their player effectively this could result in a goal being scored against them. To mark effectively when defending close to the goal, players need to be goal side of the opponent in a low body position with my stick close to the ground in order to block any attempt they make to get passed.

Also need to be my toes and ready to react to any movements they make or changes in direction. Being close enough to the players so if they make quick movements to lose you then you can follow them and if they are running to receiving the ball it is more likely you can intercept the ball and have a turnover. Dodging to lose a player is a key aspect too as defending a player is as important as loosing a play so you can either create space for other teammates or run into space to receive the ball.

My weakness in hockey Is to complete some skills in a high tempo game keeping stick on ball while running fast. Skill is an athlete’s ability to choose and perform the right techniques at the right time, successfully, regularly and with a minimum of effort. Timing is very important and skills have to be used in certain situations, skills are used most in a game to beat one to more players on the pitch from pulling the ball across the body to eliminate and avoid contact with the other team players, this decreases the chance of them getting the ball and overturning the ball. Once an overturning has happened fast reactions to react to the play is a key. Sometimes a tactical tackle to stop the game leaving time for the other teammates to get back and help defend is also a skill that benefits the same team as they can set up and be ready.

When trying to do a certain skill the faster you do it the more efficient it works rather than taking your time and at a slower pace. If you try to complete the skill quickly it also increases the chance you will lose possession I struggle to accomplish a skill as fast as I can using my wrists and upper arm strength to turn the stick certain ways and use my body angels to confuse the defender opposition.

Multitasking is key for any sport and being able to use you eyes to look up but then have the same amount of concentration to move your hands quickly and use strength to beat players.

Read more

Describe a Room of Your House: My Drawing Room

Table of contents

My living room has a peculiar shape. From the pinnacle it would look like a big rectangular shape forms it with the longest sides facing north and south. To the side facing north it is then attached a smaller shape known as square. A black and white fitted carpet has covered the whole room. In addition to that, to the side facing south, is attached a half hexagonal shape.

Inside the square section of the room there is the television, which is a flat, screen Philips 40 inches. The television is on the top of one of the 12 shelves that compose the TV storage combination drawer. The six drawers under the shelves, two for each column that means that over the drawers there are four shelves, are smooth running as well as accessorised with a drawer stop.

The post is provided with a groove prepared for lighting and cabling, basically foil finish and aluminium. The shelves are In tempered glass. The colour of the drawers is white. In the shelves there CDs of any existing kind as well as my silver and green XBOX 360, speakers, DVD player brand Philips and sky’s white digital box. On the topside of the wall facing east there is a black glass bookcase with doors. It is composed of 14 adjustable shelves; also whenever I want I can adjust the spacing between them to my needs.

On the bottom of the wall facing west there is a glass door cabinet. The cabinet is in tinted solid spruce. The raw material that has been used for the cabinet is strawberries’ tree’s wood. The colour is dark brown and it is equipped with eight shelves. On top of them there are mainly glasses as well as two tee’s services in porcelain.

In the center of the room there is a painted finish white coffee table. The top is in glass with the corners reinforced in wood. The bottom part is in wood. The table is pretty short, as it has to go on level with the sofa.

The sofa is divided in three sections that can be moved around in order to create a suitable combination. Its rephult white cover is removable. The sofa is a hundred percent cotton. Its steel frames are chrome plated and therefore it gives then that silver shiny look. Positioned on top of them there are two black cushions each.

On the same wall there is a portray painted by Boccelli, the paint represents a man who has nothing and rests on the doorstep of an Italian church. Whenever I walk inside it a feel weird however. I don’t know why but I don’t feel at home and wish for braking free out of its invisible grasp. I suppose this could mean that I don’t like my house or I don’t like my family.

I don’t really know what to say; I like sitting on the sofa alone because I am use to it, however if my father were to sit beside me uneasiness would fill me.

Describing the Dining Room

My Dining room and kitchen are separated by a sliding door; therefore I like to think of them as u unique room although they aren’t. It has a kind of rectangular shape. The floor of my dining room is in dark brown wood; consequently it can also be called parquet, which from French means wooden patterned floor.

On top of the parquet there is a rug. The wool is soil-repellent as well as hard wearing. It is composed by a hundred percent-multicoloured wool although the prevalent colour is burgundy.

In the center of the room there is a huge dining table made of oak veneer. It visibly is brown and a shady one as well. It has a height of abut 74 centimetres.

The ten chairs are made of solid beech. The cover is sensibly dry-cleaned as it is made of seventy-five percent cotton and the remaining twenty-five percent of viscose/rayon.

The legs of the chairs are tinted in brown black while the rest is in sanne white.

The more elongated sides of the room are in communication with the South and North Pole. Very close to the wall facing east there is an armchair that could even substitute the chair of the person that heads the table as it is on the same level.

The armchair is made of the same material of which the chair are made of a part from the legs which are made of plated chrome.

The cover of the seat is removable, as the colour white can easily be soiled by any other colour, in order of being washed and then placed over again. If it tears it can then be substituted. On the north wall there is a portray entitled Sur La Table.

Two pendant lamps illumine the room, which creates two different shades. The lamp is handmade. The material used is natural wood, not the synthetic one.

Positioned ion the table there are four green, red, blue and purple candles.

Attached to the wall facing west there is a red-glassed door cabinet.

The cabinet is formed by twelve sliding shelves, which can change the amount of space between them. Inside them there are different kinds of glasses:

Vodka, whisky, rheum, cocktail, champagne, snaps white wine, red wine, wine, juice and water. Other things inside are porcelain plates:

Saucers, mugs, sugar bowls, cream jugs, trays, serving stands, oven/serving dishes, serving plates, oven serving plates with holders, gravy jugs, serving bowls with lid, side plates, deep plates and normal plates.

Describing My Bedroom

My room has a rectangular silhouette with edges which have been smoothed so that it gives them that modern design look as well as making the walls looking as single one that encircles the room.

The colour of the walls is light blue; it strongly as well as nostalgically remembers me of the ocean that surrounds the place from which I come from, Jamaica.

Similarly the colour of the — wall is deep blue.

I have six light bulbs inserted inside the empty corresponding cavities, which were previously made on the covering wall; all of them can rotate and focus in different points.

The floor instead of being made of marbles is parquet, which means wooden floor; moreover its colour is obviously golden-brown. It is basically patterned flooring constituted of rectangular timber boards.

My bed’s longest side is sided by the right wall of my room, while my personal computer and peripherals are on the other side of the room. The writing desk is equipped with a lamp as well as a laptop. It is made of stainless steel while the legs in powder-coated steel. Stool is silver coloured which goes well with the colour of the table as well as the one of the laptop. Under the table there I have a pedal bin in galvanised steel.

Inside my room there is also a television that faces the door and is right in front of the north wall; under it I have my green XBOX 360 as well as my black play station 2.

To its right I have a double glazed window, which does not allow the external rumours to enter inside my room. On the bottom right corner I have a four-door wardrobe; its doors are made of tempered glass reinforced with wood on the edges.

On the centre of the room I have a red seating combination sofa. It is soft, Hardwearing and easy to care leather. Its legs are in Nickel-plated steel.

In conclusion room is something material to others while to me its something precious and as a live as me since it can represent me and it does. What is disorder to some is order to me, this is something that I cannot change. Studying people belongings can mean understanding people since their feeling usually are enclosed in these loveless objects to strangers that appear alive to their owner.

Read more

Baseball and Softball

Compare and Contrast Baseball and softball are similar in many ways but at the same time they are very different. To begin with, they are both played on a ball field, known to most baseball or softball players as the ballpark. The ball field for both consist of four bases that form a square, also known as a diamond. On a baseball field the bases are ninety feet apart, compared to sixty or sixty-five feet on a softball diamond. Both are played with a bat and ball; however, the bats, same in shape but not in ize, and balls, different in sizes and some times color, are as much alike as not. The bats for baseball are made out of a solid piece of wood for major league players and softball bats are made mostly of aluminum or a composite material, carbon fiber. Both are made with a narrow end, grip end, and taper up into a two and a half inch diameter barrel, hitting end, for baseball, and only two and a quarter inch diameter in softball. A base ball is about the size of an adult fist, nine inches in circumference and is hrown hard, pitched, by the pitcher in pretty much a straight line up to eighty to ninety miles an hour to a batter that is trying to hit the ball in play. A softball is about the size of a grapefruit, twelve inches in circumference and is pitched in an arcing angle and much slower. Both are made with a rubber or cork center, wound in yarn and covered with a cowhide with red stitching, but the leather on a baseball is always white where a softball usually is yellow but can be white too.

They are played with the same objective of scoring the most runs by hitting a ball thrown by a player on the fielding team, the pitcher, to players on the opposing team, batting team, taking turns trying to hit the ball with a bat and get themselves all the way Josh Girt Page 2 Eng. 085 around the bases to home plate to score runs before getting out three times which can be ccomplished in many ways that are the same in both games. There is a given amount of innings which is a total of nine innings for baseball, and softball is only played for seven innings. Teams switch between bating and fielding after the fielding team makes three outs; furthermore, one at bat by each team constitutes an inning. As you can tell that these games, sports, are similar in lots of ways and at the same time are very different.

Read more

Softball vs baseball

It may become obvious one day that baseball and fast pitch although similar are two very different sports. Obvious in the sense that fast pitch softball is just as physically demanding as baseball. That females softball athletes are every bit as tough of the males baseball who play a similar sport. The similarities are what groups the two sports together but the Intensity on the passion for the game of softball far exceeds that of baseball. Softball and baseball have always been lumped together due to their similarities.

The sport of softball is for females where assessable is more geared toward males, with some exceptions of female team members. Taking a closer look Into the whole sport is what sets them apart. At first, spectators see the similarities, the fields lined in white chalk, bats, balls, bases and gloves. Someone in the crowd may even notice that base path distance varies between the two sports, and correctly so. They may even notice that the pitcher throws the ball under hand, in a windmill motion in softball opposed to overhand In baseball.

All of these are good visual observations of the differences but the feelings of entertainment do not start until the games actually begin. Baseball has been American’s past time for many years. It was and still continues to be a place where fathers and sons share a special day together. Memories are and were made at ball parks and the anticipation of catching a foul ball was top on the list. Sure there are still families who truly enjoy the sport and share the passion of watching a game but it has lost its appeal for many reasons.

The professional players are expected to make the big plays and get dirty when doing it. They have salaries in the millions; a little dirty Is expected from the crowds. Along with some of the attitudes of these layers, they passion Is lost and It has Just become a Job. The childhood passion Is forgotten and misplaced by the fame and fortune that has taken its place. Softball parks are mainly reserved for school aged children, high school and college aged teams. The seating Is comprised of metal benches on either side of the field, a lot less luxurious than the seating at a baseball park.

Many spectators bring fold out chairs and sit near the fence lines to watch the games. The crowds do not compare to that of a baseball game but yet there is something electrifying in the atmosphere. Why? The grass is the same, so Is the equipment and uniforms of the players. It’s lust a bunch of girls with pony tailed hair who are dressed In boys’ uniforms and shoes. The girls wear mouth pieces and have non glare make-up under their eyes, not worrying about losing their feminine side, its game time.

These similarities fade when the umpire yells “batter up” and the batter steps into the batter’s box. The Immediate rehearsed chants and synchronized claps start from the dugout of the away team, encouraging the crowd to participate which they do so enthusiastically. The crowd is immediately an active participant in the game from the very beginning. The batters are not swinging for the fences but rather strategically placing the ball on the field to obtain base runners. The game Is fast paced and fielded players are always In constant motion, keeping the eyes of the crowd engaged.

There Is no lollygagging like in baseball where the crowd’s attention is focused on something 1 OFF purchase at a ridiculously high price. The excitement of the crowds’ involvement and the epic battle between pitcher and batter has begun. The sixty feet of distance teen the two provides very little reaction time of the batter, thus intensifying the entertainment value of the game. The females on the field are sacrificing their bodies to make the plays, which they often do.

They are not afraid or apprehensive to dive for a ball to make the catch or slide head first to be safe at the base. The crowds lose control during these plays and the noise level is elevated, a fire is fueled. These are scenarios common in both sports but baseball players being male are more expected to do so, losing some of the wow factor that softball players provide. The stereotype of the well manicured, dainty female is bypassed when you see a grass stained uniform of a softball player.

These players are totally submerged in the game and the only concern is to win. Not a cracked fingernail or hair out of place. The dugout chants increase vocally with every passing inning Just as the uniforms original colors fade from clean to dirt covered. By the seventh inning at least one player on the field has blood visible to the crowd. The game is over but the atmosphere is still alive. Each team shakes hands as acts of sportsmanship Just like assessable players will do.

However, unlike baseball the softball players enter a circle on the field by their dugouts. They are still chants being yelled, especially if the team wins. The celebration is not a meager baseball high five or a slap on the backside as recognition. These girls are animated and their intensity is contagious. Challenge you to visit a local softball park and experience the true passion for the sport. Softball is similar is similar to baseball in many ways but more entertaining and crowd participation thus setting this sport above mostly all baseball games.

Read more

Swimming: Summer Olympic Games and Swimmers

The sport of swimming has been recorded since prehistoric times; the earliest recording of swimming dates back to Stone Age paintings from around 7,000 years ago. Written references date from 2000 BC. Some of the earliest references to swimming include the Gilgamesh, the Iliad, the Odyssey, the Bible, Beowulf, Quran and other sagas. In 1778, Nikolaus Wynmann, a German professor of languages, wrote the first swimming book, The Swimmer or A Dialogue on the Art of Swimming (Der Schwimmer oder ein Zweigespräch über die Schwimmkunst).

Competitive swimming as we know it today started in the United States started around 1800, mostly using breaststroke. Many Americans often used swimming competitions to settle differences in the frontier, such as property rights. In 1873, John Arthur Trudgen introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native Americans. Due to a British dislike of splashing, Trudgen employed a scissor kick instead of the front crawl’s flutter kick. Swimming was part of the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 in Athens.

In 1902 Richmond Cavill introduced the front crawl to the Western world. In 1908, the world swimming association, Fédération Internationale de Natation (FINA), was formed. Butterfly was developed in the 1930s and was at first a variant of breaststroke, until it was accepted as a separate style in 1952. [edit]Competition Competitive swimming became popular in the nineteenth century. The goal of competitive swimming is to constantly improve upon one’s time(s), or to beat the competitors in any given event.

However, some professional swimmers who do not hold a national or world ranking are considered the best in regard to their technical skills. Typically, an athlete goes through a cycle of training in which the body is overloaded with work in the beginning and middle segments of the cycle, and then the workload is decreased in the final stage as the swimmer approaches the competition in which he or she is to compete in. This final stage is often referred to as “shave and taper”; the swimmer tapering down his or her workload to be able to perform at their optimal level.

At the very end of this stage, before competition, the swimmer shaves off all exposed hair for the sake of reducing drag and having a sleeker and more hydrodynamic feel in the water. [1] World record holder and Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps in the 400 IM. Swimming is an event at the Summer Olympic Games, where male and female athletes compete in 16 of the recognized events each. Olympic events are held in a 50-meter pool, called a long course pool. There are forty officially recognized individual swimming events in the pool; however the International Olympic Committee only recognizes 32 of them.

The international governing body for competitive swimming is the Fédération Internationale de Natation (“International Swimming Federation”), better known as FINA. [edit]Open water In open water swimming, where the events are swum in a body of open water (lake or sea), there are also 5 km, 10 km and 25 km events for men and women. However, only the 10 km event is included in the Olympic schedule, again for both men and women. Open-water competitions are typically separate to other swimming competitions with the exception of the World Championships and the Olympics. [edit]Swim styles

In competitive swimming, four major styles have been established. These have been relatively stable over the last 30–40 years with minor improvements. The four main strokes in swimming are: Freestyle(free) Breaststroke(breast) Backstroke(back) Butterfly(fly) Events in competition could have only one of these styles or they could contain all four. The individual medley is an event that where swimmers start the race with butterfly, then move to backstroke, breastroke, and then freestyle. [2] There are two possible distances of this event, both swum in each of the two competition pools.

In the short course pool, there are 200-yard and 400-yard individual medleys and in the long course pool, there are 200-meter and 400-meter individual medleys. For younger swimmers involved in club swimming, there is also a 100-yard individual medley option in the short course pool, but this event is not often competed by swimmers over the age of 14. [edit]Dolphin kick In the past two decades, the most drastic change in swimming has been the addition of the underwater dolphin kick. This is used to maximize the speed at the start and after the turns.

The first successful use of it was by David Berkoff at the 1988 Olympics, where he swam most of the 100 m backstroke race underwater and broke the world record on the distance during the preliminaries. Another swimmer to use the technique was Denis Pankratov at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, where he completed almost half of the 100 m butterfly underwater to win the gold medal. In the past few years,[when? ] American competitive swimmers have shown the most use of the underwater dolphin kick to gain advantage, most notably Olympic and World medal winners Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte.

While the dolphin kick is mostly seen in middle-distance freestyle events and in all distances of backstroke and butterfly, it is not usually used to the same effect in freestyle sprinting. That changed with the addition of the so-called sharkskin suits around the European Short Course Championships in Rijeka, Croatia in December 2008. There, Amaury Leveaux set new world records of 44. 94 seconds in the 100 m freestyle, 20. 48 seconds in the 50 m freestyle and 22. 18 in the 50 m butterfly. Unlike the rest of the competitors in these events, he spent at least half of each race submerged using the dolphin kick. 3] While underwater dolphin kicking is allowed in freestyle, backstroke and butterfly, its use is not permitted in the same way in the breaststroke. In 2005, a new rule was formed stating that an optional downward dolphin kick may be used off the start and each turn, and it must occur during the breaststroke pullout. Any other dolphin kick will result in disqualification. New rules were established to curtail excessive use of underwater dolphin kicks in freestyle, backstroke and butterfly.

Currently, performing the dolphin kick past 15 meters results in a disqualification. [edit]Competition pools Most swimming sport events are held in special competition swimming pools, which are either long course pools such as those used in the Olympic Games (50 m) or short course pools such as those used in the FINA World Swimming Championships (25 yards or 25 m but generally 25m). Competition pools have starting blocks from which the competitor can dive in, and possibly also touch-sensitive pads to electronically record the swimming time of each competitor. edit]

Seasons Club swimming in the US has two major seasons. During the short-course season, swimmers swim in 25-yard pools. This season lasts from September to the end of March. The long-course season takes place in 50-meter pools and lasts from April to the end of August. The longer freestyle events vary in lengths in each season. In the short course season, the 500 yard, 1000 yard, and 1650-yard freestyle events are swum, while during the long course season the 400 meter, 800 meter, and 1500-meter freestyle events are swum instead.

However, this difference in distance holds true for all meter pools, i. e. short course meter pools also swim the 400 meter, 800 meter, and 1500 meter freestyle events instead of their yard counterparts. Training in both short course and long course has become more of an American Standard. Internationally, long course meters is the standard, as seen in the Olympics. This standard of two separate seasons in America may be because it is so much easier for new swimmers to learn to compete in a smaller pool during the short course season.

Smaller pools allow for shorter distance races, so for example in short course season if a younger swimmer wanted to compete in a stroke they had just learned, a 25 yard 8 years old and under race is available to them, opposed to the long course season when they would need to be able to swim at least 50 meters of that new stroke in order to compete. [edit]Officials There are several types of officials,[4] which are needed to manage the competition. [5] Referee: The referee has full control and authority over all officials.

The referee will enforce all rules and decisions of FINA and shall decide all questions relating to the actual conduct of the meet, and event or the competition, the final settlement of which is not otherwise covered by the rules. The referee takes overall responsibility for running the race and makes the final decisions as to who wins the competition. Referees call swimmers to the blocks with short blasts of his or her whistle. This is the signal for the swimmers to stand next to their blocks. Starters call missing swimmers if necessary.

Then the referee will blow a long whistle that will tell the swimmers to step on the block. For backstroke otherwise known as backcrawl events, the long whistle is the signal for the swimmers to step in the water. The referee will then blow another long whistle, signaling the swimmers to grab the gutter or the provided block handle (for backstoke/backcrawl events only). The referee will then hand over control to the starter. Starter: The starter has full control of the swimmers from the time the referee turns the swimmers over to him/her until the race commences.

A starter sends the swimmers off the blocks and may call a false start if a swimmer leaves the block before the starter sends them. Clerk of course: The clerk of course assembles swimmers prior to each event, and is responsible for organizing (“seeding”) swimmers into heats based on their times. Heats are generally seeded from slowest to fastest, where swimmers with no previous time for an event are assumed to be the slowest. Timekeepers: There are three timekeepers for each lane. Each timekeeper takes the time of the swimmers in the lane assigned to him/her.

Unless a video backup system is used, it may be necessary to use the full complement of timekeepers even when automatic officiating equipment is used. A chief timekeeper assigns the seating positions for all timekeepers and the lanes for which they are responsible. The chief timekeeper collects from the timekeepers in each lane a card showing the times recorded and, if necessary, inspect their watches. One timer will be timing with a stopwatch, another recording it down, and one making sure everything is valid.

Inspectors of turns: One inspector of turns is assigned to each lane at each end of the pool. Each inspector of turns ensures that swimmers comply with the relevant rules for turning as well as the relevant rules for start and finish of the race. Inspectors of turns shall report any violation on disqualification reports detailing the event, lane number, and the infringement delivered to the chief inspector of turns who will immediately convey the report to the referee. Judges of Stroke: Judges of stroke are located on each side of the pool.

They ensure that the rules related to the style of swimming designated for the event are being observed, and observe the turns and the finishes to assist the inspectors of turns. Finish judges Finish judges determine the order of finish and make sure the swimmers finish in accordance with the rules (two hands simultaneously for breaststroke and butterfly, on the back for backstroke, etc. ) If an official catches a swimmer breaking a rule concerning the stroke he or she is swimming, that swimmer is said to be disqualified (commonly referred to as a “DQ”) and the swim is not considered valid.

The referee can disqualify any swimmer for any violation of the rules that he personally observes. The referee may also disqualify any swimmer for any violation reported to him by other authorised officials. All disqualifications are subject to the decision of the referee. [edit]Swimwear Main articles: Competitive swimwear and Swimsuit Giovanni Franceschi in Rome, 1983 Swimsuit The suit covers the skin for modesty. Competitive swimwear seeks to improve upon bare human skin for a speed advantage.

For extra speed, a swimmer wears a body suit, which has rubber or plastic bumps that break up the water close to the body and provides a small amount of thrust—just barely enough to help a swimmer swim faster. However, competitive swimming rules may limit the type of suit a swimmer can wear. Swim cap A swim cap (a. k. a. cap) keeps the swimmer’s hair out of the way to reduce drag. Caps may be made of latex, silicone, pdex or lycra. Goggles Goggles keep water and chlorine out of swimmers’ eyes. Goggles may be tinted to counteract glare at outdoor pools.

Prescription goggles may be used by swimmers who wear corrective lenses. Swim Fins Rubber fins are used to help kick faster. They also improve technique by keeping the feet in the proper position while kicking. Drag suit Swimmers use drag suits to make weight to pull them back, to increase resistance. Paddles Swimmers use these plastic devices to build arm and shoulder strength and refine pulling technique. Hand paddles attach to the hand with rubber tubing or elastic material. They come in many different shapes and sizes.

Kickboard A kickboard is a foam board that swimmers use to support the weight of the pper body while they focus on kicking; helps build leg muscles. Pull buoy Often used at the same time as hand paddles, pull buoys support swimmers’ legs (and prevents them from kicking) while they focus on pulling. Pull buoys are made of foam so they float in the water. Swimmers hold them in between the thighs. Ankle bands Improving balance will minimize the need for this kick to provide an upward, instead of a forward vector, and in some cases completely corrects the kick. Using an ankle band will have the immediate effect of turning off your kick, which then forces you to make efforts to correct your balance.

If you are successful in discovering these, then the ankle band has done part of its job. [6] Snorkel A snorkel is a plastic device that helps swimmers breathe while swimming. This piece of equipment helps the swimmer practice keeping his or her head in one position. [edit]Regular practice and competition swimwear [edit]Men Men’s most used practice swimwear include briefs and jammers. Males generally swim barechested. There has been much controversy after the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008, when many Olympic swimmers broke records an unprecedented number of times using revolutionary swimsuits.

To highlight the issue, note that it is rare to break world records, but in 2008, 70 world records were broken in one year, and 66 Olympic records were broken in one Olympic Games (there were races in Beijing where the first five finishers were swimming faster than the old world record). Despite many of his records having been won in these suits, Michael Phelps stated that he might boycott the competition after his record was beaten by another swimmer with a more advanced suit. As of New Year’s Day 2010, men are only allowed to wear suits from the waist to above the knees. 7]

They are also only permitted to wear one piece of swimwear; they cannot wear speedos underneath jammers. This rule was enacted after the controversy in the Beijing Olympics and Rome World Championships. [edit]Women Paralympic swimming at the 2008 Summer Paralympics. Women wear one-piece suits with different backs for competition, though there are two-piece suits that can be worn to compete as well. Backs vary mainly in strap thickness and geometric design. Most common styles include: racerback, axel back, corset, diamondback, and butterfly-back/Fly-Back.

There are also different style lengths: three-quarter length (reaches the knees), regular length (shoulders to hips), and bikini style (two-piece). Also as of New Year’s 2010, in competition, women are only allowed to wear suits that do not go past the knees or shoulders. [edit]Use of drag Drag suits, used by women, are used for increasing the resistance against the swimmer in order to help adjust the swimmer to drag. This way, when swimmers switch back to normal practice suits they swim faster as a result of feeling less resistance.

They are not worn during competitions. Drag shorts, mainly used by men, like drag suits are worn in training and are also used to increase drag so that when taken off in racing it feels easier and the swimmer feels less resistance. Other forms of drag wear include nylons, old suits, and T-shirts; the point is to increase friction in the water to build strength during training, and increase speed once drag items are removed for competition. Swimmers also shave areas of exposed skin before end-of-season competitions to reduce friction in the water.

It is especially common for women to stop the traditional removal of leg hair at least a month before end-of-season competitions. This can be viewed as an additional form of drag because drag is most importantly about mental training and how one feels in the water. Freshly shaven skin feels much smoother and less resistant in comparison when in the water. The presence of leg and arm hair will make very little difference physically in a swimmer’s overall performance, but mentally it has been known to have a very large effect.

The mental aspect of wearing drag is critical because the goal is to feel your best in the water on race day. Drag makes a swimmer feel slower and more resistant during training with the added friction. Then on the day of the competition, a shaven swimmer wearing only a fast competition suit will feel a drastic and noticeable improvement in how fast and smooth they feel in the water. As in every other sport, mental training is just as important as physical training. [edit]Collegiate Swimming Young swimmers compete on club teams and may wish to continue their careers through college.

Recruiting for collegiate swimming often starts on July 1 following the athlete’s junior year of high school. That date marks the day that college coaches can contact athletes via phone to discuss possibly swimming for their team. College swimmers compete starting in the fall until their conference meet in the early spring. From there, the swimmers with the fastest times in each event will be invited to compete in the NCAA championships after the regular season is over. All college meets are competed in short course pools. [edit]Open-water swimming Main article: Open water swimming

Open water swimming is swimming outside of a regular pool, usually in a lake, or sometimes ocean. Popularity of the sport has grown in recent years, particularly since the 10 km open water event was added as an Olympic event in 2005, contested for the first time in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. New recent technology has developed much faster swimsuits. Full body suits have been banned, but swimmers at the very top levels still wear suits that have been lasered together because stitching creates drag. The downfall of these suits: they are sometimes uncomfortable and tight. [edit]Changes to the sport

Swimming times have dropped over the years due to better training techniques and to new developments. The first four Olympics competitions were not held in pools, but in open water (1896 – The Mediterranean, 1900 – The Seine River, 1904 – an artificial lake, 1906 – The Mediterranean). The 1904 Olympics’ freestyle race was the only one ever measured at 100 yards, instead of the usual 100 meters. A 100-meter pool was built for the 1908 Olympics and sat in the center of the main stadium’s track and field oval. The 1912 Olympics, held in the Stockholm harbor, marked the beginning of electronic timing. clarification needed] Male swimmers wore full-body suits until the 1940s, which caused more drag in the water than their modern swimwear counterparts did.

Competition suits now include engineered fabric and designs to reduce swimmers’ drag in the water and prevent athlete fatigue. In addition, over the years, pool designs have lessened the drag. Some design considerations allow for the reduction of swimming resistance, making the pool faster. Namely, proper pool depth, elimination of currents, increased lane width, energy absorbing racing lane lines and gutters, and the use of other innovative hydraulic, acoustic, and illumination designs.

Read more

Zurkhaneh

Table of contents

Before western influence, ancient Iranians participated in numerous sporting events, much like the Greeks and their Olympics. Iranians though prided themselves in a type of wrestling called “Koshti Pahlavani” or “Heroic Wrestling”, where they would do graceful but powerful moves to pin their opponents. In order to train for events such as this, they developed a place to go to gain the strength, power, and endurance necessary to master their event. This place was known as the “Zurkhaneh” or “House of Strength”.

The Zurkhaneh was originally a place to train and get closer to God, through weight training, because strength was seen as something godly. The Zurkhaneh housed the one true Iranian way of weight training, “Varzesh-e-Pahlavni” or “The Workout of Heroes”. This workout was a 60-90 minute routine of different lifts and exercises all in alignment to the beat of drums and bells. Now although there are many technical parts to the Zurkhaneh, like who leads it and different levels and rankings (much like those of Karate and Tae Kwon Do), I am going to focus specifically on the weight training aspect of the Varzesh.

These exercises include the warm-ups, “Takhteh-Shena”, “Narmesh” (aka Calisthenics), “Meel” exercises, “Charkhidan”, “Pazadan”, “Kabbadeh Keshidan”, “Sang” exercises, and “Shelang-Takhteh”. Each part of the full exercise fully works different parts of the person’s body. In the 90 minute period, the people in the Zurkhaneh start by warming up. They do callisthenic exercises like jumping on one foot and slow walking to achieve a dynamic stretch. They use the dynamic stretch as a way to prepare for the rigorous exercise they have ahead of them. Right after this warm-up, the people start doing pushups with the “Takhteh-Shena”.

The “Takhteh-Shena” is a wooden plank that elevates you a little bit so that you do incline push-ups instead of flat push-ups. There are a few types of push-ups that they do including a regular push-up with the hip raised, a push-up with the legs spread wide-apart, and push-ups with a twist. These push-ups deliver a good chest and bicep workout, testing endurance as well as flexibility. Once they finish these push-up exercises, they do another round of calisthenics to further stretch their muscles for what is ahead. The next exercise in the lineup is the “Meel Greiftan” or “Club Exercises.

The “Meel” is a giant club weighing 10-30 kg (or 22-66 lbs) that is used in a few more exercises. This is the most physically demanding of the exercises because of the sheer weight of the clubs. This workout works power as well as strength, making it a great beginning to a workout. What the people do with these clubs first is put their hands around the handle and then twist the club around their shoulders in a continuous circular motion. This full motion gives an upper body workout, primarily to the triceps, and shoulders (with some bicep workout).

Immediately succeeding this exercise is the exercise of juggling these clubs. The lifters throw the clubs in the air and juggle them. They do use smaller weights, and only a specific specialized group of them will do this activity. It is a break for them. The juggling does test hand-eye coordination but also uses biceps and triceps but isn’t as draining as the spinning of the clubs. Once this is completed they move on to the endurance part of their exercise. The “Charkhidan” is a rotating or spinning dance that they do in the Zurkhaneh. This dance is a constant spin that gets progressively faster.

The person is supposed to reach their max speed before the end of the dance. This spinning increases their balance and agility. The more skillful spinners lose complete dizziness and can spin for a lengthy period of time. The time and speed are crucial in this exercise because if the person doesn’t go for a lengthy time and high speed, they won’t work endurance. Endurance is the main reason for this exercise. Following this dance is a set of footwork drills. These set as another break in the workout, with continuing movement being the main motivation. The footwork drills really are what we call warm-ups.

They jump on one foot or two feet while moving their arms in different directions. This constant stretching helps the muscles tear and repair faster so that the person will not feel as much pain after the exercise. Now mind you, all of these exercises were meant to train warriors. The next few exercises were aimed towards ancient Persian warriors. The next part of the routine is the pulling of “Kabbadeh” or iron bow. This bow varies from 10-50kg (22-110 lbs) based on how many weights the bow has on the metallic chain. It is a very difficult exercise and is only done by those who are masters at it.

What you do with the bow is you put it at arm length away from your body, and you shake it violently in a 360 degree motion around your head. You do this until you cannot do it anymore. As you can see, this becomes extremely tiring, working the triceps, chest and shoulders heavily. This trains power and endurance because you are using high weights at a high velocity of shaking while doing it for a long period of time. This exercise is meant to be done in minutes not seconds. To also help balance, some athletes spin in a circle while shaking the bow. What I feel is the most demanding upper body exercises is one of the last ones.

This is a unilateral push of shields or “sang”. These wooden shields are about 20kg a piece, totaling to a 90 lbs. press. Each arm extends with the shield in hand while doing what is widely known as a Russian twist. The athlete may not let the two shields touch and the shields may not touch the ground until they do the minimum of 50 double rotations. This is seen as a major disrespect to the gym. It is clear already that this exercise works endurance and not so much power because there are so many repetitions. The person (with their legs elevated 6 inches above ground) twists their body while simultaneously pushing the latter shield upwards.

This unilateral push works out the chest and triceps while the elevated legs work the core. As you can see, this, along with other Iranian exercises stretches the body while simultaneously working the upper body. Another way of lifting them is straight up, just like a dumbbell unilateral bench press, but that is used more with the novices. Immediately following this is a round of “Koshti” or wrestling. The people in the Zurkhaneh are very tired and must use the rest of their body in the wrestling match, seeing as their upper body is completely worked.

This leads into the final exercise. The last exercise, which is part of the warm down, is a walk that gradually increases to a run and finally to a sprint around the room. In no part of this training session do they do a static stretch. This shows how even in the ancient times, they knew that stretching and warming down with movement was beneficial to muscle repair. After the run, the athletes proceed to do jumping activities and sprints. The most enjoyable part of this exercise is at the end where the athletes get in a circle and massage each other down.

They tend to focus on the upper body, seeing as most of the workout was aimed towards upper body performance. This massaging helps reduce muscle pain after the training session and in the morning. The training in these “Houses of Strength” show that there were ancient ways of weight training and that even without modern science, the ideals of strength and fitness remained the same. The Iranian heroic training stresses upper body lifting as well as the importance of core exercises. A heavy training of balance, endurance, and the triceps is used because in wrestling and battle they are essential to victory.

Overall this weight training technique is effective because of its effect on the toning and conditioning of humans and their muscles. The “Varzesh-e-Pahlavani” is a pioneer of modern weight training.

Works Cited

  1. www. pahlavani. com/ www. zurkhaneh. com Koozehchian, Hashem & Izadi, Behzad, Zoorkhaneh: The Iranian Traditional Gymnasium <http://www. isdy. net/pdf/eng/2008_19. pdf> Amirtash, Ali-Mohamad, Zoorkhaneh and Varzesh-E-Bastani,
  2. <http://www. sid. ir/En/VEWSSID/J_pdf/97020080107. pdf>

Video Reference

  1. http://resistancetraining. wordpress. com/2006/11/19/traditional-iranian-martial-arts-varzesh-e-pahlavani/

Read more
OUR GIFT TO YOU
15% OFF your first order
Use a coupon FIRST15 and enjoy expert help with any task at the most affordable price.
Claim my 15% OFF Order in Chat
Close

Sometimes it is hard to do all the work on your own

Let us help you get a good grade on your paper. Get professional help and free up your time for more important courses. Let us handle your;

  • Dissertations and Thesis
  • Essays
  • All Assignments

  • Research papers
  • Terms Papers
  • Online Classes
Live ChatWhatsApp