Sports Then and Now

Quite often pool enthusiasts wish that playing pool was as easy as grappling a cue and striking the cue balls. As a beginner, you’d be forgiven for such naivety, but you’ve come to the right place to take in a thing or two about choosing the perfect pool cue.

First, experiment with various cue sticks while examining their weight, length and individual diameter of their tips. Opt for the cue you feel most comfortable using. Let’s explore in detail the fundamentals of choosing the best pool cues.

1. Your skill level

Prices vary from one manufacturer to another; however, there are pricing specifications that help you select your cue depending on your expertise. Supposing you’re getting started, look ahead to spending roughly $100 on a stout amateur cue.

Once you up your game, and more so when you start contesting, you’ll want to improve on your cue to something a bit ampler. Intermediate to advanced gamers can look forward to spending sum of $150 – $500 for a suitable cue. Upon attaining a professional level, cue prices start at about $500.

2. Weight and balance

A standard cue weighs roughly between 18 to 21 ounces. Cues usually have numbers on them indicating the aggregate weight of the cues. The most common and often the perfect weight is 19oz.

Perhaps you prefer a lighter or heavier cue, but 190z is the ideal medium for a newbie. Also, keep in mind that your height greatly affects your cue balance. In the case that you are shorter than average, house cues may seem heavy for you, and this dramatically affects your game than you might realize. Instead, opt for forward-weighted cues. Some cue designs enable for weight to be removed or added. Read the rest of this entry →

If you are a professional tennis player at heart or you simply love hitting aces to get your daily cardio and stay physically fit, you may be toying with the idea of installing a tennis court on your property. One thing all homeowners need to get a court within their property bounds in uninhibited space. Once you have space, the rest of the feat is in the planning and the physical labor. Here’s what you should know before you start buying decor to make it look like you have Wimbledon in your backyard:

Start with the Zoning First

The very first thing that any property owner needs to do when planning to install a tennis court is to get approval by the city zoning officials or by the Homeowners Association. If you live in a neighborhood without an HOA, the first step would be to contact the city you reside in for information on zoning restrictions and how to apply for a permit.

If you live in a community where there is an HOA, you will need to review your bylaws first. These bylaws will clearly lay out restrictions and what is needed to get approval to build a tennis court. Since the zoning and permitting process can take a significant amount of time, it’s wise to start this early on with the city. Read the rest of this entry →

There’s nothing quite like throwing around a football, baseball or another ball when it comes to having fun with friends. However, you need to make sure that the field you use is suitable. It should be properly maintained and feature the proper materials. Here are four signs of a high-quality athletic field.

Size

You need to have enough room to move around the field. If your field is too narrow, it’s going to cause some problems. Depending on what kind of sport you’re playing, you might need a larger field. It isn’t worth compromising on your goals as an athlete. A field should provide you with as much room as necessary to play freely. Look at as many as possible to find the best one for you.

Cleanliness

An unkempt field is not just unattractive, it can also be dangerous. If there’s garbage scattered around, it could hurt you. You should make sure that everyone is wearing shoes to avoid things like broken glass. If the field is constantly full of litter, you should look elsewhere. Part of having fun on an athletic field is being able to play without worries of danger that might be lurking. The field should also be free of wild animals that could pose a threat. Read the rest of this entry →

Finding a new job is probably the most boring, exhausting and daunting things that you could be doing with life after college, but switching careers from a secure job to another industry? That’s a huge challenge! When you’ve been working in a particular career for a long time you could become too comfortable, and while this is great for your business, it’s not going to be good for you if you aren’t entirely interested in what you’re doing. If you wanted to move into a career in sports because you love it so much, and your resume doesn’t have much on it that includes sports involvement beyond cheering on your team, what do you do?

Well, you need to think of your brand. You may well have been running your own company with a good PayPal working capital that keeps your branding and marketing going, but that doesn’t mean you have any idea what it means to brand yourself. A lot of people base their own brand on what they do for a living, but if you’ve never worked in sports before you’re going to need to know how to rebrand yourself to be attractive to recruiters. It’s important to look at your resume for exactly what it is: a way to market yourself. Your resume isn’t your job application, it’s your document that explains exactly who you are and what you can do. If you’re an artist who is looking to move into a creative marketing role in the sports industry, make yourself shine by showing your own logo and design the company you’re hoping to move to a funky new artwork for their logo, too. Those who want to be sports readers could start up a vlog on YouTube reporting the local sports results and giving commentary on games. You could provide your interviewer with a link on your resume and they can watch how confident you are on camera. Read the rest of this entry →

Back injuries have derailed the once great career of Tiger Woods.

Out of all the sports known to man, golf is the least aggressive and the least violent. Yet, every year professional golfers suffer serious injuries, some that threaten to remove them from the game forever. In 2014, Tiger Woods, formerly the world’s top golfer, had surgery to repair a pinched nerve in his back. In 2015, he underwent a second microdiscectomy surgery with a follow-up procedure on his back. And this year, he had fusion surgery on his back as well.

After these, and other procedures, the golfer told reporters that he is unsure if he will ever play competitive golf again.

Back Pain: The Cost of Golf

According to Spine-Health, golfers can be afflicted by three different forms of back injury. First is muscles strains which “typically occur with rough or forceful golf swings or a sudden shift during the downswing.” Second, is muscle and tendon attachment which “generally occur due to excessive use, accidents, or swing abnormalities while playing golf.” Third, is disc injuries which also “occur from swinging abnormalities.” Additionally, low back pain and back injuries occur frequently because of repetitive bending over to pick up golf balls and line up shots.

Getting back injuries treated can be an extremely costly procedure. Spinal fusion surgery, such as what Tiger Woods had to undergo, can cost from $100,000 to $115,000. While Woods, who has 79 PGA Tour wins and has been one of the highest-paid athletes in the world for years, can easily handle such a cost, the everyday golf enthusiast or the occasional leisure golfer who can’t hire a personal caddy (or who doesn’t have an enthusiastic grandchild who loves chasing balls) won’t be able to. So what can be done?

Golf Ball Retrievers Help Eliminate Back Pain

Well, there is a tool that eliminates the constant need to bend over while playing — the golf ball retriever. The best golf ball retrievers allow you to only have to exert your arm and your hand to pick up golf balls — not your back. They typically run in the $15 range and can easily be ordered online or at many golf shops. Golf ball retrievers are usually extendable — they can extend from six feet to up to fifteen feet, ensuring that a stray golf ball is never outside your reach. They are conveniently foldable and easy to carry. Getting golf balls out of water holes or sand traps is a lot easier with a retriever. Read the rest of this entry →

Technology is part of everyday life now, whether it is the app you access on your smartphone to adjust your thermostat when you are not home or the Bluetooth you use for a business meeting while you are on the road. Professional sports are no exception when it comes to technology as these four innovative products demonstrate.

Blast Resistant Football Fields

A private company that makes automotive materials for the military has applied the technology used to protect soldiers to football fields. Viconic created a mat underlay that would go underneath turf on a professional football field that would help protect players from injury when their body violently hits the ground. The mat is only usable on artificial turf fields which cause the most injuries to players. In a demonstration, a weight the size of a human head was dropped on a patch of turf without the underlay, creating a loud, sickening thud. When the same weight was dropped on an area with the underlay, the sound was softer and seemed to be less brutal. The hope is that the mat will reduce the incidence of concussion and other injuries from players coming in contact with the hard turf field.

Virtual Reality

Many NFL and NCAA teams are using virtual reality to train players. Teams like the Minnesota Vikings, Dallas Cowboys, Dartmouth and the University of Arkansas have turned to virtual reality as a training method. Systems include VR goggles, accessories and other applications, an industry that is expected to grow by 142 percent over the next few years. Quarterbacks can watch themselves in prerecorded drills and plays to get a better handle on their movement and footwork. Players are also able to break down the game films of opponents. After using virtual reality methods, Stanford’s starting quarterback, Kevin Hogan, increased his completion percentage from 63.8 percent to 76.3 percent. Read the rest of this entry →