hobbies

Research on Dribbling and Passing Submitted By: Andro Joseph Dela Cruz Basketball dribbling skills Basketball dribbling skills are something that you have to work at to obtain, maintain and improve. Most everyone knows how to dribble a basketball, but not everyone can dribble like a pro. When you first begin to learn dribbling techniques you will learn that you don’t dribble with the palm of your hand, dribbling a basketball is done with the tips of your fingers. You will use your forearm and wrist to balance the ball as you learn to dribble with using the tips of your fingers.

Your coach will usually put together a different basketball practice plan for the team each practice. This will assist each player individually and as a unit to improve both their individual and team skills. Don’t just stop with scheduled practices if you truly want to improve your skills and control on the court. On your own you can start by running dribbling drills. Remember to keep your weight on the balls of your feet and in the ready position. As you continue to learn and improve your foot and dribbling control on the court as an individual player, you will begin to show your improved skills as a team player.

Your team members may also want to run drills with you after practice, or just play for fun. These are other ways for you to learn potential opposing team types of moves and learn different offensive techniques. A team works together toward the goal of winning, but they also work together offensively to help prepare each other for what the opposing team may be bringing to the court. Protect the Ball When dribbling against a defender, ALWAYS protect the ball with your body. You can do this by dribbling with your left hand when you are going left and your right hand when you are going right.

This will force the defender to reach across your body to attempt a steal. Developing your “off” hand It is important to work right from the start at developing both hand equally well. When practicing your ball handling, make sure that you practice at least as much with your weak hand as you do your strong hand, eventually increasing to twice as much with your weak hand. Coaches like… Coaches like a person who: 1) can dribble with both hands 2) doesn? t try to show off for no reason 3) isn? t afraid to make the extra pass to get a teammate more open than you are.

And if coaches like you, then they tell other coaches. Word spreads very quickly and just by doing the little things you can have a name for yourself in no time. Keep Your Head Up When doing all drills involving dribbling, it is extremely important that you keep your head up. You must be able to see where you are going and where your teammates are so you can pass them the ball when they are open. Speed Dribble The speed dribble is used to advance the ball quickly up the floor, against little or no defensive pressure.

The dribblers hand should be behind the ball pushing it in front, then running to catch up. This prevents a “palming” or “carrying over” violation. The speed dribble in the open floor can be a little higher than other dribbles. Control dribble moves should be around the knee, but a speed dribble can be waist high. Power dribbling-Dirt dribbling This drill actually requires you to leave the basketball court and find a patch of dirt. Do a Power dribble on the dirt for 1 or 2 minutes. You will need to power dribble the ball even harder than usual in order to get the ball to bounce on the dirt.

This drill is an extremely good arm workout with power dribbling. Dribbling to avoid pressure By dribbling the ball over half court on the sideline, you are giving the defense an advantage. They can set up their help side defense or trap you. Change directions and it helps relieve some pressure. As often as possible, bring the ball up the middle of the court and NEVER pick up your dribble in the corners. Passing 1) Two-Handed Chest Pass Overview This is the most effective and efficient pass you can use. It can be used successfully from anywhere on the court.

Use this pass whenever possible because it’s the fastest way to advance the ball to teammates. Fundamentals Place each hand on either side of the ball and spread the fingers evenly. Fully extend your arms as you push the ball out from your chest and snap your wrists outward so that the back of your hands are now facing each other. You’ll get a good rotation on the ball when you snap your wrists. This makes the ball easier to handle for the receiver. Be sure the pass is thrown crisply with the ball remaining parallel with the floor.

You want the pass to arrive at your receiver above the waist and below the shoulders. 2) Two-Handed Bounce Pass Overview This type of pass is good on the fast break, to a teammate in the post, under a defender, to a teammate making a back-door cut, on out-of-bounds plays, etc. A lot of times, players will make a shot or high-pass fake before making the bounce pass. The bounce pass is the slowest pass available. Fundamentals Use the same grip and motion with this basketball pass as you did with the chest pass. The ball should hit the floor about two-thirds of the way to the receiver.

To be more accurate, step toward that spot. You want to hit your teammate between the knees and waist. A backspin is good to use to give the receiver a longer lead. Push the thumbs throught the ball to achieve the backspin. A forward spin can be used to get the ball through a narrow opening and to produce a quicker pass. You’ll need to be more accurate when using a forward spin but if you can perfect it, it will add more to your game. 3) Two-Handed Overhead Pass Overview This is an effective basketball passing option for every player on the court.

Players often use it to start a fast break, forwards will use it to hit post players or guards cutting off the post, guards use it to hit the post, centers and players receiving high passes use it to make a quick return pass or pass off. This type of pass is easy to control and helps you keep the ball away from your defender. Fundamentals Position your hands on the sides of the ball with your fingers pointed up. Your thumbs should be on the back of the ball and pointing in toward one another. Bring the ball up above your head (be sure your hands go straight up, not up and back over your head).

Release the ball with a quick snap of your wrists and fingers like on a chest pass. It’s usually good to make a slight step forward with the foot of your strong arm side. 4) Push Pass Overview This pass is used most often to advance the ball down the floor in order to set up the offense or to get the ball through or past a close-guarding defender (usually to a cutter). The bounce pass version is good for passes to a cutter on fast breaks or reverses, many out-of-bounds plays, to a post player or to pass under a defender. Fundamentals Hold ball chest high.

Spread your fingers on each side with thumbs directly behind, but a bit toward the top of the ball and pointing toward one another. Keep elbows close in. The force of the ball is provided with a quick snap of your wrist, fingers and elbows. You should move forward with your body crouched a bit. Step forward with your passing-hand-side foot and push off with your non-passing-hand-side foot. You can use a direct or bounce pass. Direct pass should reach receiver between the waist and shoulders and bounce pass should hit the floor about two thirds of the way to receiver and arrive between the knees and waist. ) Off-the-Dribble Pass One of the quickest basketball passing options because there’s really no set-up with it. As you’re dribbling, instead of bouncing the ball back to the floor for another dribble, move your hand behind the ball and push it towards a teammate as a pass. It’s hard for defenders to steal this one because they’re expecting a dribble instead of the pass. 6) Baseball Pass Effective for long passes to a cutter or to inbound the ball quickly after allowing a score. Place the ball high above the side of your head with the passing hand behind the ball while the other hand is in front of and slightly under the ball.

Be sure the fingers of each hand are pointed upward and your thumbs are pointing inward over your head. Plant your rear foot and step toward the receiver with your front foot. Try to keep both hands on the ball as long as possible and throw the ball with a quick wrist snap and arm thrust. As you follow through, snap your wrist straight down so the ball doesn’t curve on you. 7) Behind-the-Back Pass A basketball passing technique that can work wonders when done well or end up terrible if done wrong or carelessly.

So make sure you practice this one to perfection and only use it when the situation warrants it. This pass can be used off the dribble, standing still or while moving toward the basket and is used often with two-on-one fast breaks. If you can deliver this pass correctly, it will be very difficult for your opponent to defend. Cup the ball in your hand. Swing your arm behind your back with the elbow bent, fingers pointed down and your thumb pointed toward your back. Release the ball with a whip of your arm and a quick wrist and finger snap

I. Executive Summary A. Type of Business Nature The nature of the business is bee farming. The proponents’ primary purpose is to examine the impact of interventions in bee-keeping. Beekeeping (apiculture) does well in a wide range of agro-ecological zone and fits into a broader category of diversification of agricultural activities. The intervention provides an avenue for increased income. Name The proponent chose “BAMBU BEE FARM” as a business name. It’s because the word BAMBU came from the first letter of the partners’ last names.

The location of the business will be Agbuacan, Agsungot, Cebu City. Products/Services The proposed business revolves on bees and the production of honey. B. Management, Marketing & Financial Highlights The business is a sole proprietorship. It does not need to have a complicated business venture to have a successful beekeeping business. In the marketing aspect, the businesses that require the use of honey are: bakeshops as an alternative for sugar, fast food chains (i. e. McDonald’s, Jollibee, etc. as syrups for breakfast meals, skin clinics as facial masks or treatments, and households for personal use. As there are lesser producers for organic honey which is the main product of the proposed business than processed honey, competition is not that high so the business is not that risky. In financial aspect, it shows the financial activities and its profitability in operating the business. With only a little capital, the return on investments will be fairly high. C. Socio-Economic Contributions

Mankind has been interested with bee farming/beekeeping for centuries even before the use of sugar cane has been discovered because of honey – use as a primary sweetener. This golden, sweet treat is from the nectar of the flowers, gathered by the bees. As a result, agriculture has recognized the primary participation of bees in the pollination of the different fruits and flowers around us. Many would suffer if bees would stop in their pollinating activities – crops will die, flowers will wither, trees will bear no fruit and most of the entire ecosystem will fall.

The rewards of beekeeping to mankind is not just the sweet, succulent honey but also other products such as royal jelly, propolis and beeswax that could serve as food supplements and medicines to some illnesses. Even the pollen that they harvested can be a good source of protein for a healthy diet. Honey and propolis have antibacterial qualities. Royal jelly (the substance that is secreted from glands in a worker bee’s head and is used to feed brood) is loaded with B vitamins and is widely used overseas as a dietary and fertility stimulant.

Pollen is high in high protein and can be used as a homeopathic remedy for seasonal pollen allergies. Apitherapy is the use of bee products for treating health disorders. Even the bees’ venom plays a vital role here — in bee-sting therapy. Venom is administered with success to patients who suffer from arthritis and other inflammatory/medical conditions. This entire area has become a science in itself and has been practiced for thousands of years in Asia, Africa, and Europe.

The History of Softball PHEC 202 Table of Contents 1. History of Softball 2. 3. Equipment needed to play a game. 4. Diagram of a Softball field 5. Bibliography Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Softball is one of America’s favorite pastimes. Softball is now a very popular game that originated in Chicago, but it didn’t become popular over night. The game is said the be invented by a man named George Hancock, by him creating this game it has now become of the most played games in America. In this essay I will discuss the history of softball, the basic rules, and the necessary equipment needed to play the game.

Softball was started on Thanksgiving Day in 1887. It all began when a group of men gathered in a gym to hear the score of football game, after the score was announced and all bets were settled one of the men threw an old boxing glove at another man who hit it with a pole. George Hancock, said to be the inventor of the game took the boxing glove and tied it so it would look like a ball, took chalk and drew a diamond on the floor, broke a broom handle to use it as a bat and began to play the first game of baseball. This was also the beginning of softball.

Hancock’s game was a smaller version of baseball and was played indoors. Within a week’s time Hancock created an oversized ball and a bat with a rubber tip that he used to play the game. He also returned to the gym to make permanent foul lines on the floor. He then wrote the rules and named the game Indoor Baseball. This new sport quickly became a hit and became international. In the same year, 1897, the Indoor Baseball guide was published, explaining the rules of the game and how to play. Ten years later the game was moved outdoors.

It was then known as indoor-out door. This game also caught on very quickly and a set of rules was published for this version of the game in 1889. Although Chicago is the birthplace of this game through the years it took on some modification in Minneapolis around 1895. It is said that a Fire Department officer by the name of Lewis Rober Sr. used his versions of the game to keep is men in shape and occupied. It is also said that he had no prior knowledge of Hancock’s version of the game. Rober’s version of the game was played in a vacant lot next to the fire house.

In 1896 Rober was moved to a new unit and in charge of coaching another team. This team called themselves the kitten and in honor of their name the game was called Kitten League Ball in 1900. The name was later shortened to Kitten Ball. In 1895 the women’s softball team was formed in Chicago at West Division High School. Although the team was started they did not start competing until1899. As the game grew more popular more people began to pay more attention the women’s game and in 1904 the Spalding Baseball Guide was published.

This publication of the rules dedicated a substantial amount of the book to the women’s game of softball. In 1933 there was the Chicago National Tournament. This was the first tournament where both male and female champions were honored in the same way. This tournament help lead to the International World Championships in 1965, by allowing women to compete in such tournaments this helped this sport to become international and helped it move on to the Pan-American Games and the Olympics. Softball at this time was now a professional league and contracts ranged from $1,000 to $3,000 dollars per year.

In 1980 due to financial hardship the league was broken up. Although the league was broken up softball is still a popular game today. There is now an Amateur Softball that registers more than 260,000 fastpitch softball teams and slowpitch is gradually growing. Although compared to baseball, softball is simple to play and is also played on a smaller scale. There a 9 players on a softball team. The playing field it is divided into the infield and the outfield. The infield is the portion of the field which is connected by the bases. Each base is set between 55 and 65 feet apart.

When the bases are joined they take on the shape of a diamond and the infield is considered the portion inside the baseline. Outside the baseline but inside the playing field is the outfield. While in a game if the ball goes outside the 1st or 3rd base it is considered a foul ball. If this occurs the runner cannot go to the next base and the batter gets another chance, however if the ball is caught in the air outside the line the batter is then consider out. An official softball game has 7 innings. An inning is when both teams has a had a chance to bat.

This is how a game of softball is played. What makes softball different from baseball is the pitch. In softball the ball must be thrown underhand. In order to pitch the pitcher must have both feet on the pitchers rubber and both hands must be on the ball at the start of the pitch. When the pitcher throws the ball it’s going to batter. When batting, the team must have the same order of batters throughout the entire game. The batter will stand in the batter’s box which is the box marked with chalk near home plate that a batter must stay within while batting. The batter is onsidered out when and if three strikes are called, a fly ball is caught, or if the batter does not stand in the batter’s box. A strike occurs when a ball is swung at and missed or is called when the ball enters the strike zone and is not swung at all. The strike zone is the area between the batter knee’s and armpits. A fly ball is a ball that is hit in to the air in the infield. If any of these things occur the batter is then out. If that batter hits the ball the next step is running. When running the runner must touch each base. Runners can only over run one base and can be tagged out if they are not on the base.

While on base the runner can only run when the ball leaves the pitchers hand. If the runner is on base when a fly ball is hit and caught the runner must remain at their original base and cannot move on to the next base. While running all batters that have made to a base must stay in that order when returning to home plate. Stealing bases are not allowed in softball. A runner is considered out if they are tagged out before reaching a base, if the ball gets to 1st base before the runner, or if the runner runs more than three feet out of the baseline to avoid being tagged out.

These are the rules that runners must follow. In order to play this game the following equipment is needed: a bat, when standing next to bat that you are going to use the bat should come to your wrist and it should be light enough for you to swing comfortably. Also while batting a batter may use a batting helmet to protect their head while up to bat. Next is the ball, softballs range from 11 which are used by children ages 10 and under, to 12 inches which are used by everyone ages 12 and above. After the ball is the glove.

The only positions that have a specific glove designed especially for their position is the first base men and the catcher, all other use the same type of glove depending on which hand you catch with. If you use you right hand the most you would put the glove on your left have so you would be able to throw with your right hand and vice versa for the left hand. In this essay I have explained the history of softball, how to play the game and the necessary equipment need in order to play the game. Although the were some hang ups that could have stopped the growth of softball its popularity continued to grow.

Softball is still a popular game with millions of people who still play it today. [pic] Bibliography Amateur Softball Association of America (ASA). (2012). Amateur Softball Association of America (ASA). Retrieved October 7, 2012, from http://www. asasoftball. com/about/asa_history. asp History of Softball. (2000). History of Softball. Retrieved October 7, 2012, from http://www. softballperformance. com/softball-history/ Lynch, W. (2011, May 26). Rules on How to Play Softball. LIVESTRONG. COM. Retrieved October 7, 2012, from http://www. livestrong. com/article/426838-rules-on-how-to-play-softball/

PROFESSIONALISM IN SPORTS August 1890 – The North American Review It is hardly necessary at the present day to enter a plea for athletic exercise and manly outdoor sports. During the last twenty-five years there has been a wonderful growth of interest in and appreciation of healthy muscular amusements; and this growth can best be promoted by stimulating, within proper bounds, the spirit of rivalry on which all our games are based. The effect upon the physique of the sedentary classes, especially in the towns and cities, has already been very marked.

We are much less liable than we were to reproaches on the score of our national ill health, of the bad constitutions of our men, and of the fragility and early decay of our women. There are still plenty of people who look down on, as of little moment, the proper development of the body; but the men of good sense sympathize as little with these as they do with the even more noxious extremists who regard physical development as an end instead of a means.

As a nation we have many tremendous problems to work out, and we need to bring every ounce of vital power possible to their solution. No people has ever yet done great and lasting work if its physical type was infirm and weak. Goodness and strength must go hand in hand if the Republic is to be preserved. The good man who is ready and able to strike a blow for the right, and to put down evil with the strong arm, is the citizen who deserves our most hearty respect.

There is a certain tendency in the civilization of our time to underestimate or overlook the need of the virile, masterful qualities of the heart and mind which have built up and alone can maintain and defend this very civilization, and which generally go hand in hand with good health and the capacity to get the utmost possible use out of the body. There is no better way of counteracting this tendency than by encouraging bodily exercise, and especially the sports which develop such qualities as courage, resolution, and endurance.

The best of all sports for this purpose are those which follow the Macedonian rather than the Greek model: big-game hunting, mountaineering, the chase with horse and hound, all wilderness life with all its keen, hardy pleasures. The hunter and mountaineer lead healthier lives in time of need they would make better soldiers than the trained athlete. Nor need these pleasures be confined to the rich. The trouble with our men of small means is quite as often that they do not know how to enjoy pleasures lying at their doors as that they cannot afford them.

From New York to Minneapolis, from Boston to San Francisco, there is no large city from which it is impossible to reach a tract of perfectly wild, wooded or mountainous land within forty-eight hours; and any two young men who can get a months holiday in August or September cannot use it to better advantage than by tramping on foot, pack on back, over such a tract. Let them go alone; a season or two will teach them much woodcraft, and will enormously increase their stock of health, hardihood, and self-reliance.

If one carries a light rifle or fowling-piece, and the other a fishing rod, they will soon learn to help fill out their own bill of fare. Of course they must expect to find the life pretty hard, and filled with disappointments at first; but the cost will be very trifling, and if they have courage, their reward is sure to come. However, most of our people, whether from lack of means, time, or inclination, do not take to feats of this kind, and must get their fun and exercise in athletics proper.

The years of late boyhood and early manhood say from twelve or fourteen to twenty-eight or thirty, and often until much later are those in which athletic sports prove not only most attractive, but also most beneficial to the individual and the race. In college and in most of the schools which are preparatory for college rowing, foot-ball, base-ball, running, jumping, sparring, and the like have assumed a constantly increasing prominence. Nor is this in any way a matter for regret.

Of course any good is accompanied by some evil; and a small number of college boys, who would probably turn out badly anyhow, neglect everything for their sports, and so become of little use to themselves or any one else. But as a whole college life has been greatly the gainer by the change. Only a small proportion of college boys are going to become real students and do original work in literature, science, or art; and these are certain to study their best in any event.

The others are going into business or law or some kindred occupation; and these, of course, can study but little that will be directly of use to them in after-life. The college education of such men should be largely devoted to making them good citizens, and able to hold their own in the world; and character is far more important than intellect in making a man a good citizen or successful in his calling meaning by character not only such qualities as honesty and truthfulness, but courage, perseverance, and self-reliance.

Now, athletic sports, if followed properly, and not elevated into a fetish, are admirable for developing character, besides bestowing on the participants an invaluable fund of health and strength. In each of the larger colleges there are from fifty to a hundred men who, on the various class and college crews and ball teams, or in the track and gymnasium games, compete for the different championships; and for every one such man who actually competes there are five or ten who take part in the practice games, train more or less, and get a great deal of benefit from the work.

The careful system of measurements which have been taken at Harvard shows a marked improvement in the physique of the men even during the last ten years; and what is more important this shows that this improvement is, if anything, more marked in the case of the average man than in that of the picked champions. The colleges contain but a small proportion of the men interested in amateur athletics, as can be seen by the immense number of ball clubs, rowing clubs, polo clubs, hunt clubs, bicycle clubs, snow-shoe clubs, lacrosse clubs, and athletic clubs proper which are to be found scattered among our cities and towns.

Almost any man of sedentary life who wishes to get exercise enough to keep him in vigorous health can readily do so at one of these clubs; and an increasing proportion of our young men are finding this out and acting accordingly. More than one of our most famous athletes originally took to athletics for his health; and, on the other hand, be it remembered always that the sports which prove most bene- ficial bodily to a man are those which interest and amuse him.

If he belongs to a rowing club or baseball nine, the eagerness and excitement of a contest with a rival association spur him on to keep his body in good condition; and, as with the college athletes, there are scores of outsiders, whom these championship contests attract, and whose love for athletics is increased thereby, for every individual contestant who directly participates in them. It is needless to say that under the head of manly sports I do not in elude pigeon-shooting; and still less rabbit-coursing, or any other game where the man does nothing but look on.

Already this awakening of interest in manly sports, this proper care of the body, have had a good effect upon our young men; but there are, of course, accompanying dangers in any such movement. With very few exceptions the man who makes some athletic pursuit his main business, instead of turning to it as a health-giving pastime, ceases to be a particularly useful citizen. Of course I do not refer to the men who act as trainers and instructors at the different colleges and clubs ; these perform a most useful and honorable function, and among them several could be named who have rendered as high service as any men in the community.

But the amateur athlete who thinks of nothing but athletics, and makes it the serious business of his life, becomes a bore, if nothing worse. A young man who has broken a running or jumping record, who has stroked a winning club crew, or played on his college nine or eleven, has a distinct claim to our respect; but if, when middle-aged, he has still done nothing more in the world, he forfeits even this claim which he originally had. It is so in an even more marked degree with the professional athlete.

In America the difference between amateurs and professionals is in one way almost the reverse of what it is in England, and accords better with the ways of life of our democratic community. In England the average professional is a man who works for his living, and the average amateur is one who does not; whereas with us the amateur usually is, and always ought to be, a man who, like other American citizens, works hard at some regular calling, it matters not what, so long as it is respectable, while the professional is very apt to be a gentleman of more or less elegant leisure, aside from his special pursuit.

The mere statement of the difference is enough to show that the amateur, and not the professional, is the desirable citizen, the man who should be encouraged. Our object is to get as many of our people as possible to take part in manly, healthy, vigorous pastimes, which will benefit the whole nation; it is not to produce a limited class of athletes who shall make it the business of their lives to do battle with one another for the popular amusement. Most masterful nations have shown a strong taste for manly sports. In the old days, when we ourselves were still a people of backwoodsmen, at every merrymaking there were sure to be trials f skill and strength, at running, wrestling, and rifleshooting, among the young men. We should encourage by every method the spirit which makes such trials popular; it is a very excellent revival of old-time American ways. But the existence of a caste of gladiators in the midst of a population which does not itself participate in any manly sports is usually, as it was at Rome, a symptom of national decadence. The Romans who, when the stern and simple strength of Rome was departing, flocked to the gladiatorial shows, were influenced only by a ferocious craving for bloody excitement; not by any sympathy with men of stout heart and tough sinew.

So it is, to a lesser extent, today. In baseball alone, the professional teams, from a number of causes, have preserved a fairly close connection with non-professional players, and have done good work in popu- larizing a most admirable and characteristic American game ; but even here the outlook is now less favorable, and, aside from this one pastime, professionalism is the curse of many an athletic sport, and the chief obstacle to its healthy development. Professional rowing is under a dark cloud of suspicion because of the crooked practices which have disgraced it. Horse-racing is certainly not in an ideal condition.

A prize-fight is simply brutal and degrading. The people who attend it, and make a hero of the prizefighter, are, excepting boys who go for fun and dont know any better,to a very great extent, men who hover on the border-line of criminality; and those who are not are speedily brutalized, and are never rendered more manly. They form as ignoble a body as do the kindred frequenters of rat-pit and cock-pit. The prizefighter and his fellow professional athletes of the same ilk are, together with their patrons in every rank of life, the very worst foes with whom the cause of general athletic development has to contend – THEODORE ROOSEVELT.

Of all the games ever invented by man, golf, in my opinion, is by far the greatest. Golf is different than other games. Golf challenges the mind, body, and soul. Golf is not a game that is meant to be played against other people or even against the course. It is a game that challenges the individual. It forces a person to make decisions that can lead to a feeling of great accomplishment or to a feeling of hopelessness and despair. To the average person golf may be just a game, but to millions of golfers worldwide, it is more than just a game, it is a way of life.

It is something that is lived and breathed, it is royal and ancient, and it is the greatest game ever invented. Golf as we know it today originated from a game played on the eastern coast of Scotland in the Kingdom of Fife during the 15th century. Players would hit a pebble around a natural course of sand dunes, rabbit runs and tracks using a stick or primitive club. Golf is the greatest game ever played because of its history, difficulty, and views. Golf as we know it today originated from a game played on the eastern coast of Scotland.

Golf is one of oldest sports that we play here in America. The history of golf impacts how we play it today greatly. Golf is a game of integrity, honesty, and tradition. It is the only sport where you have to give yourself a penalty, even if no one saw it. we do this because golf is a game of gentleman and we are upholding the integrity of the game. Today’s golf courses consist of 18 holes or a front nine and a back nine. However, prior to 1764 this was not the case. The Old Course at St. Andrews is the oldest known, and most likely the first course ever constructed. It consisted of 12 holes, 11 of which were played. The course started at the center of St. Andrews and followed the lay of the land out to the town of River Eden. After reaching the 11th hole, the players would turn around and play 11 holes back using the same greens and holes. Thus, a full round consisted of 22 holes and only 11 greens. In 1764, the Royal and Ancient rules committee cut four holes out of the course which reduced the amount of holes on a course to today’s common 18.

As more courses were built, course architects began to construct 18 separate greens to add both character and safety to the courses. A common joke is that the reason we have 18 holes is because there is 18 shots of whiskey in a bottle. Golf’s history is one reason why this game is so great, because we still try to play the game the same way our ancestors did. You would think since golf is so difficult that less people would play it. Well the reason people do play golf is because they want the challenge.

A beginning golfer can go to the range and hit 300 hundred terrible golf shots and hate the game. As soon as he hits that one perfect shot he gets hooked again, because there is nothing better than seeing that golf ball soar through the air. Golf is the only game that an average person can do the same thing that a tour pro can do. In what other game, in what other walk of life, can you perform something that in that moment is as good as it can be?

The average person cannot go to a major league ballpark and hit a grand slam to win a game, but when the average person makes a hole in one, it is a shot that no one, not Phil Mickelson and not Jack Nicklaus in his prime, could have done better at that moment in that place. The chance of, and quest for, perfection is what keeps golfers coming back. What makes this game so difficult is because we do it once and believe that we should be able to do it every time. This is what separates the average person from a tour pro. I have hit shots that tiger woods would be satisfied with, the only difference is that he does it much more often than I do.

Golf is the most difficult game in the world but that is what makes it so satisfying and fun. Golf has some of the most amazing views in the world. Some baseball stadiums have good views of city skyscrapers. The rare college football stadium will glimpse a beautiful campus. Our indoor arenas increasingly all look alike and now they are louder than an airport runway. If you fish, hike, surf or ski, maybe you have an argument on this subject, but compared with all the mainstream sports, golf has no equal in terms of the setting.

There are hundreds of golf courses that jut into the ocean, hundreds more that wind through forests, hundreds more with majestic mountain views and hundreds more that flow through parkland valleys. Stand on the 18th tee at Pebble Beach, a few feet from the Pacific Ocean with the spray from the waves landing softly on your shoulders, and you will never again wax poetic about the Citgo sign behind the Green Monster at Fenway Park. Ask any golf architect that a golf course isn’t just a golf course it’s a canvas where some of the greatest pictures have ever been painted.

Golf isn’t just another game to a golfer, it is a way of life. There is no other sport that can frustrate you so much one shot but then you can be the happiest person in the world the next. There are many things that make golf great, but its history, difficulty, and the views you see are what make the game the greatest ever. No other sport compares and it’s a shame that many people wont give this great game a try because they think it’s an old man sport. They are missing out on one of the greatest experiences of their life.

Badminton vs. Tennis Sports are considered to be an extremely important part of our lives today, they are essential to our health, entertainment and relaxation. Even though some sports are alike in ways, many people still prefer to choose one over the other. This is because even though there are some similarities between them, they are still completely different when compared properly, like in the case of racquet-based sports. Two racket sports that are played worldwide are badminton and tennis.

Both are co-ed sports and despite their similarities they are poles apart when it comes to the equipment used in them, their rules and their ground settings. Tennis and badminton are easily mistaken by amateurs, but the people who know and play these sports are well aware of their differences. The rackets used in badminton are long, thin, light weighted and have a greater tension in the string so that more power is applied to the light-weight shuttlecock, while in tennis the rackets are short, heavy, wide and have lower tension due to the heavy weight of the ball.

In badminton a shuttlecock, also known as a birdie in North America has an open conical shape that consists of sixteen or so feathers overlapping each other, embedded into a rounded cork base. In tennis instead of a shuttlecock a ball is allowed, which is covered in a fibrous fluffy felt. Also a shuttlecock is much lighter in weight than a tennis ball. The basic rules of these two sports are also very distinct. In tennis, it is allowed if a ball hits the ground once before the player returns it back to his/her opponent, while in badminton if the shuttle comes in contact with the ground, then a point is lost.

Furthermore, the scoring system of tennis is different from badminton’s scoring system. In tennis it only requires 4 points to win a set however, in professional badminton a minimum of 21 points are required to win a normal set. Another difference that separates these sports is the setting in which they are played. Tennis is an outdoor sport so the weather does have an effect on it, but tennis players use their surroundings to their advantage, so a windy environment can be of use in tennis.

On the other hand, in badminton even a little wind can cause a great deal of problem due to the light weight of the birdie, which is why badminton is professionally an indoor sport. Additionally tennis courts are larger (72 feet long and 27 feet wide) compared to badminton’s courts (20 feet wide and 44 feet long). This is because in tennis the ball travels for a longer distance at a faster velocity, so in order for a player to be able to hit the ball clearly, he/she has to stay far from his/her opponent. In contrast badminton courts are much smaller; this is due to the light weight of the birdie.

In conclusion, both badminton and tennis are great sports that are played across the world, and even though they are both played with a racket, they are both challenging in their own way. Badminton requires a lot of stamina and exceptionally fast reflexes, while tennis requires more strength and agility. Despite their similarities they are both different and unique in their own way. This is why both are loved and played by different people. If one was to make a survey for the world to choose a favorite between badminton and tennis, I wonder which one would be favored most.