Slamdunk

Gymnastic beam is one of two events in gymnastics that are timed. A level 4 gymnastics beam routine time limit is 50 seconds. If a gymnast goes over her time she will receive a 0.10 deduction from her beam score. Based on the height of the beam and gymnast, a mat or spring board may be needed to mount the gymnastics beam. This is allowed as long as the extra mounting surface is removed as soon as the gymnast mounts. If it is not removed the gymnast will receive a deduction from her beam score.

LEVEL 4 GYMNASTICS BEAM- MAIN GYMNASTICS VAULT SKILLS, REQUIREMENTS, AND DEDUCTIONS!

*Leg Swing Mount-Must turn 180 degrees in a continuous motion ending in a straddle sit with correct body position

*V-Sit to Tuck Stand-must maintain a straight and hollow body position until both feet are above the beam. Once legs are above the beam pull them in to land in a tuck stand.

*Heal Snap Turn-When stepping in coupe you must remain on toe until foot arrives next to ankle. Once the foot arrives at ankle go flat then rise in releve to perform a heal snap turn. Once the turn is finished, immediately drop to a flat foot and pause.

*Leap-leg separation on the leap must be a minimum of 60 degrees. Must maintain straight legs and pointed toes throughout the leap and land in a low, paused, arabesque position  Read more...

Snooker is a cue sport, which resembles pool, but shares only a limited amount of features. This game has its own rules and playing equipment and is extremely famous in the UK, as well as in other parts of the world such as Japan.

Part of the appeal of snooker, as opposed to pool, is the fact that the snooker table is much larger and has pocket holes much smaller than in the case of pool, meaning that players have to be that more skillful.

Snooker tables measure 3.7 by 1.8 meters and have six pockets, each only slightly larger than the balls used in the sport. The tables are covered with a green fabric, which is supposed to minimize any external influences on the balls and the way they hit each other.

One further aspect of the snooker table is represented by its specific markings, on which balls of certain colors need to be placed. At about 1/4 of the length of the table a white line exists, with a central arch, on whose center and margins the green, brown and yellow ball, respectively are placed. At about the same distance from the other side of the table a dot indicates the position of the top of the red balls triangle. Halfway between this spot and the edge rests the black ball, also with its specific marked point.  Read more...

There are endless types and variations of sticks to choose from. Different weight, length, width, and what not. To make sure you are not wasting your time and frustration, here are 3 easy ways to make sure you’re stick is a winner.

The first one is making sure your cue is straight and not crooked. There is a simple yet effective trick to do it – just put the cue on the table and roll it around a bit. If the “head” is spinning in a spiral way, get yourself another stick.

The second thing you should look into is the head of the cue itself. It should be a bit “pointy.” In a non-professional club, there is a good chance some of the cues are overused, and as a result the head will be totally flat, which will seriously damage your game.

One more thing you should do is get a blue chalk and rub it against the cue’s head. Again, not exact science here, just make sure the chalk “paints” the head and that it sticks on it. If you can’t get the head to be blue, it’s another sign the stick is overused so don’t play with it.

These are three quick and easy ways to make sure you’re not spending your time, energy and money, playing with a stick that’s worthless. It can save you a lot of frustration, so please don’t overlook these steps, it will only take half a minute once you’re used to it.  Read more...

Let’s face it, any bowler worth his salt should learn how to throw a hook. If you really want to start scoring big and hitting the pocket with power and action, a hook is the only way to do it. Surprisingly, throwing a hook is easier than you might think.

What is a hook? A hook is a bowling ball that’s thrown on the lane with rotation that makes it curve. It’s as simple as that. Bowlers who are proficient at hooking the ball will start the ball out on the lane so it’s headed toward the gutter, but the spin they apply at release makes the ball grab the lane and turn back into the pins at the optimal moment for maximum power and pin displacement.

What’s the benefit of throwing a hook vs. a straight ball? When amateurs throw a hard, straight ball, often they will get some strikes, however the pins generally move from front to back when struck, and will generally not hit one another. When pins react and bounce off each other it’s known as action. Straight balls don’t create much action. However a the spin on a hook ball will make the pins hit one another and the side boards. This will result in a lot more strikes, which is the ultimate goal right?  Read more...

Of course there are the basics such as the balls but what are some of the other pieces of equipment that are needed in order to play effectively?  Having the necessary tools of the trade is always essential in order to be successful and tennis is no exception.  Having the right equipment can mean the difference between being able to play successfully or not being able to play because you do not have something that you need.

The first piece of equipment and what often comes to people’s mind first when they hear the word tennis is the tennis balls.  It is important to ensure that you are purchasing the correct tennis balls.  If you choose the wrong balls then you could have a huge problem with a lack of performance.  However, knowing that balls come in several different types is important information to ensure that have exactly what you need.  Read more...

As you can imagine, tennis is a very strenuous sport that requires a lot of energy as well as a really good physical condition in order to play successfully.  This does not mean that you need to be a professional athlete to play well though.  Of course the professionals have a physical trainer to help them, but you can achieve some of the same benefits by simply ensuring that you are doing exercises that will help you improve your game.  How long you devote to exercise depends entirely on you, but you will be very glad you invested the time.

Running is one of the best things you can do.  Whether you run at a full run or you choose to just jog does not matter as much.  However the fact that you are running is phenomenal.  If you stop and think a lot of tennis involves running back and forth across the court.  If you have the energy to do this and do it without running out of breath then you are well onto the right track to ensure that you are in good physical shape.  Running from one end of the court to the other and losing your breath in between will make it much harder for you to successfully play.  Read more...

If you have decided that you want to try your hand at a few tournaments you are likely to be looking at a very long and hard road ahead of you.  While a tournament can be a lot of fun, it can also be a huge hassle if you do not approach it with the right mindset and fully prepared both mentally and physically.  However, if you are prepared then a tournament can be a great learning experience for you.

Always get a good night’s sleep before the tournament.  Never try to play in a tournament after you have only gotten 2 or 3 hours of sleep.  You increase the risk of getting hurt badly if you are overly tired and you really run the risk of making numerous mistakes.  All of this compounded together will result in a very bad experience with a tournament.  Read more...

Chop stroke.
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In Tennis, a chop stroke is a shot where the angle towards the player and behind the racquet, made by the line of flight of the ball, and the racquet travelling down across it, is greater than 45 degrees and may be 90 degrees. The racquet face passes slightly outside the ball and down the side, chopping it, as a man chops wood. The spin and curve is from right to left. It is made with a stiff wrist.

The slice shot merely reduced the angle mentioned from 45 degrees down to a very small one. The racquet face passes either inside or outside the ball, according to direction desired, while the stroke is mainly a wrist twist or slap. This slap imparts a decided skidding break to the ball, while a chop “drags” the ball off the ground without break.

The rules of footwork for both these shots should be the same as the drive, but because both are made with a short swing and more wrist play, without the need of weight, the rules of footwork may be more safely discarded and body position not so carefully considered.

Both these shots are essentially defensive, and are labour-saving devices when your opponent is on the baseline. A chop or slice is very hard to drive, and will break up any driving game.  Read more...

Tennis if you have ever stopped to consider what it is can be called a fairly basic sport.  Because of this virtually anyone can learn how to play successfully, the hard part is the physical aspect.  In terms of how the game is actually played, there are some basic guidelines that will allow you to play successfully without feeling as if you are lost.  Even if you are not interested in playing but merely watching, having an idea about what is going on and why will give you a much better understanding of the game overall.

The first thing to know is that tennis involves playing with at least 2 people, sometimes 4 if you are playing doubles and the equipment that is used is a tennis ball, tennis racquet and a tennis court.  For each individual player there is also tennis shoes and of course suitable tennis clothes.  Otherwise, there is no other equipment that is needed.  This makes it a sport that is fairly light to play, unlike football, which has a large amount of heavy equipment that is involved as well.  Read more...

Born on May 2, 1975, David Robert Joseph Beckham is an English soccer player who plays for Real Madrid and the England National Soccer Team. He made his debut at he age of seventeen. He signed up with Manchester United and played a vital role in dominating the FA Premier League in the 1990s and 200s. He left them and signed up for Real Madrid in 2003. He was the captain of the English national team for six years, from November 2000 to July 2006.  Read more...