Cricket equipment – safety first

Make sure you have the right cricket equipment for a good, safe game

Obvious dangers

There are some obvious dangers to playing cricket – you’re in the path of a hard ball hurtling towards you at great speed! Some specialist cricket equipment is also necessary for certain fielding positions, like wicketkeepers and for batting. You also need to be physically fit as a game can last for many hours. The nature of a game where repetitive motions when bowling, throwing, and the need to be on the field of play for long spells mean the injuries a cricketer can pick up can be wide ranging.

Proper pads

If a ball has ever hit you on the legs, you’ll know why you need decent pads when you’re batting.  Modern pads are light which makes running easier, but they still provide the required protection.  Vital cricket equipment for wicketkeepers is a decent pair of gloves, and a helmet is a must for all players when batting.

Injuries

Injuries to fingers are the most common, and injuries to elbows and lower arm are common when batting.  Bowlers are prone to back injury and lower limb injuries like twisted ankles and stress fractures. Overall sprains, fractures and bruising are the most common cricket injuries. The most common injury results from a player being hit directly with the ball, so check your cricket equipment is giving you maximum protection.

Safety first

To make the game safer there are some precautions and rules to remember:

• Warm up and stretch before a day's game. A 10 minute warm up of stretches and jogging is normally enough.
• Restrict the number of overs a bowler completes in a session. This depends on his physical condition and maturity. Young bowlers should not be overused as it can lead to injury. 
• The face guard on the helmet should be adjusted to make sure the size of the ball being used cannot pass between the peak of the helmet and the face guard.
• A helmet with a face guard should also be worn if fielding in close. The proper cricket equipment should be worn while batting. This includes helmet with faceguard, body padding, leg pads, forearm pads, gloves and an abdominal protector.
• Comfortable fitting cricket shoes should be worn.  
• Check the field of play for any hazards, broken glass etc, and remove if necessary.
• Maintain the intake of fluids throughout the days play. It's important that adequate supplies of water are available, as the body can lose between 2-3 litres of sweat in an hour in hot conditions.
• Make sure a hat, sunglasses and sun block are used in the appropriate conditions.

Taking sensible precautions and having the correct cricket equipment should save you from injury on the pitch. Head to Talent Cricket for your safety gear.

Giving Clone Golf Clubs A Try

Many golfers have the mistaken notion that expensive brand name golf clubs are the best. This is not always true. Have you heard of clone golf clubs? Now before you dismiss clones as cheap “knock-offs”, let me explain why you should give clone clubs a try.

A clone club is one whose design is similar to that of an advertised name brand. You’ve probably heard of clone PCs and generic brand medicines. They are very similar or, more often than not, exactly the same as their brand names counterparts. The difference is usually that brand names have huge advertising budgets while clones do not. The same is true for clone golf clubs.

The golfing industry adheres to strict standards that cover all club makers – be it the major brands or lesser-known ones. The weight specification of clone club heads is exactly the same as named brands. Materials used for club heads by major brands are also used by clones. Almost all irons, be it branded or clones, are made of 17-4 stainless steel, or 431 stainless steel. The same goes for most metal woods; which are made of 17-4 stainless steel, or 6AL4V Titanium.

And the actual manufacturing of the club head is done by less than 10 foundries that  together have a market share of 90%. These foundries manufacture heads for Titleist®, Cobra®, Callaway® and Wilson® to name a few. And clones club makers are able to get their clubs from these same foundries as well.

Essentially, golfers are able to get the same quality branded of clubs from clone clubs. But why the huge difference in cost? Understandably many golfers are hesitant to buy cheaper clubs because they think the quality is cheap too. The difference in cost, as mentioned above, is because the major brands spend millions every year on advertising.

Some people may argue that clones are riding on the popularity and advertising budget of brand names by claiming to be “similar to” so-and-so brand. While this may be true, a golfer who is out to look for quality but inexpensive clubs shouldn’t trouble himself too much by studying advertising costs.

The bottom line is that the consumer is entitled to choose from various options. All golfers should be given the chance to purchase quality golf clubs at a budget that is suited for him. And clone golf clubs are a great option for buyers looking to purchase quality clubs at an affordable price.

http://www.golftipsmag.com/

How About Some Online Golf?

Golf aficionados have never had it so good. They have all the golf tournaments they could ever want. Golf academies and instructors are everywhere. And there are even online games, printed materials and television shows featuring what else, but golf. 

The popularity of golf as a sport has grown tremendously over the last few years. More people watch golf tournaments now than ever before. One contributing factor is the emergence of satellite television. This allows for live broadcast to and from anywhere in the world.

Then there are more people who want to learn how to play the sport. This in turn has led to the opening of more golf academies or golf pros offering their services. By the same token, more golf courses are being constructed all over the world. Sometimes, a country has more golf courses than agricultural land. In fact, the same agricultural land is usually converted in these golf courses.

And who would forget your local driving range. These are where most people go to practise or take lessons. These venues are perfect since you can learn all the necessary swings without the “intimidation” of those sprawling greens. Moreover, they have machines that check your score as well as how far you can hit. What could be easier than that?

Did you know however that you don’t need to leave the comfort of you own home to play golf? Or even to learn how to play it? This is possible because that wonderful piece of technology known as the Internet. Many golf websites have emerged over the past few years. Some of them even have golf lessons as their main attraction. What started out as a simple attraction is now a widely accepted means of learning and practicing one’s game.

This is perfect for the weary executive who can’t seem to find the time to practise. Yes, he or she can spend a few hours once weekly for golf. But that is for playing the game itself. As for practising or earning new techniques, this is another story. Another distinct feature online golf lessons have is their easy to understand visuals. These allow users to learn proper techniques in a step-by-step manner. Some sites even provide diagrams and illustrations to show how a certain swing is done, for instance. And this is again a step-by-step process mind you. They make it as simple as possible.

Of course, nothing beats going to the golf course or driving range for some much needed practise. Nonetheless, online golf websites are a fantastic way to start learning or getting re-acquainted with the game. So log on today and be on your way to a better golf game. To kit yourself out for the fairway look at Tony Valentine Golf Centre.

Football forums for your amateur club

Do you play for an amateur club in your spare time? Whether you’re in a league or just play 5-a-side for fun, a football forum could help you to keep in touch with your team-mates.

Although most football forums exist for professional clubs, there’s no reason why you can’t set one up for your own group. Thousands of men and women play amateur football across the UK every week – from those in competitive leagues, to pub matches and Saturday training on the park. It can be difficult to keep in touch with everyone; particularly if the tam mead busy working and family lives, or move away and can’t take part. Not playing doesn’t mean you’re not interested though, so it would be great to have a way to keep in touch – wouldn’t it?

Setting up a football forum

If you think that a football forum would be an ideal way for your team members and supporters to exchange news, views and suggestions, then why not go ahead and set one up. You could, of course, just rely on an email system, or set up a group on a social networking site, but these don’t offer the same advantages as using a dedicated football forum site. Sites like iFan are already up and running, full of football fans and make it easy for you to set up a forum for your own club. You may even be able to attract new members from your area as well as keeping your current members in touch with each other. You have the flexibility and access you want from your football forum without the hassle of keeping it running or updating a website. In fact, all the hard work is already done for you – all you have to do is tell your players and supporters where to find it, and you’ll never look back.

Visiting iFan

If this is your first visit, and you think that iFan could be the perfect place to host your team’s very own football forum, just register with us to find out more about how to set up a group for your club. You could find local clubs nearby so that you can arrange some matches, or you can advertise for new players. Whatever you’re looking for, a football forum on iFan could be your answer. http://www.fourfourtwo.magazine.co.uk

Football forums go from strength to strength

As more fans go online, football forums are becoming increasingly popular.

There was a time when the internet was used just to reproduce the things that fans already had access to – match magazines or supporter fanzines, for example. Today, when more people are getting online than ever before, the internet has created a massive community of football fans who can interact with each other no matter where they are, or what time they’re online. Football forums play a key part in building this sporting community.

Football forums – more opinions?

It’s not as though we’re short on football opinions. From TV pundits to the guy you sat next to at the game or in the pub, football is probably one of the most-discussed topics in the world. At a time when nearly every country has a national team, and when women’s football is more popular in some places than the men’s game, the sport is attracting new fans, who want to share their love of football with others.

But do we need more opinions? Of course we do. One of the strengths of football forums is that they allow every member the opportunity to make a contribution – to say what they think, as you’re sat in your Man U or Liverpool football kit. You might find that there are lots of people that agree with you when you thought you were alone, or you may enter into a long, interesting discussion with other fans who have a different point of view. Football fans are notoriously knowledgeable – about the game, about their team, about the rules, about the history – and are always willing to give you the benefit of their knowledge. If you’re new to the game, a football forum is the ideal place to go – experts are always happy to give lessons to newcomers – but if you’re an expert on football yourself, but have never visited a forum before, it’s the ideal opportunity to join a huge community from the comfort of your own home.

The strength of forums

The strength of the football forum lies in its members. Without people like you who give their opinions, encourage others, make observations and are welcoming to new people, football forums would never get off the ground. Harnessing the power of passion and sharing it online is what football forums are all about, and the more people get involved, the stronger forums will become.