5 Great Bits Of Advice For People That Own Swimming Pools

Having your own above ground swimming pool has many benefits for fun and for your health. Getting in the swimming pool on a hot day is a great way to enjoy yourself with your friends or family. Having your own swimming pool also gives you the opportunity to teach your children how to swim. When you have your own swimming pool it requires regular maintenance to ensure its upkeep and pools can also pose a number of safety risks. So here are 5 helpful tips to help anyone who owns a swimming pool.

1. Buy A Solar Cover For Your Pool - Solar swimming pool covers are a great idea as they are designed to heat the pool using heat from the sun. A solar cover will reduce the amount of heat that is lost when the water on the surface evaporates. As ninety percent of the water's heat is lost through the evaporation of surface water a solar cover stops this process and keeps the water warm. One of the great advantages of this is that it also helps to reduce the amount of money you will spend on heating the pool.

2. Put In Some Elbow Grease - Keeping the water topped up with swimming pool chemicals is only part of the cleaning job. It is a good idea to use a brush to sweep any algae or dirt off of the swimming pool liner. You should also get a good vacuum to clean the bottom of the pool. Automatic robot vacuums are perfect for this as you can just leave them to clean the bottom of the pool when you aren't using it. However you will still need to regularly skim any leaves or other debris that have fallen in the water.

3. Rain Or Shine Will Effect Your Pool - Weather conditions can have a dramatic effect on your pool. If you have a lot of rain and wind it will cause the swimming pool chemicals to be used up more quickly. Sunny weather conditions will have similar effects as the heating up of the water will cause the chemicals to react more quickly. One of the best ways of dealing with this problem is to regularly give your pool shock treatments.

4. Get The Right Chemicals For The Job - If you have a pool then you have to have swimming pool chemicals and a home testing kit to make sure you're putting in the right amount of chemicals. Using a testing kit will help to make sure that the swimming pool chemicals like chlorine are strong enough to kill germs with out irritating your eyes and skin.

5. Replace Your Filters - A swimming pool filter is one of the most important pieces of equipment in your swimming pool. The main function is to remove any dirt from the water and this means that they need to be cleaned a lot. If you have a sand filter then you will need to backwash the filter. For those of you with paper filters it is simply a case of washing them with a hose but you will find that you will still need to replace them on a regular basis.

Baseball Tips On Hitting: This Probably Gets My Vote For Number One!

Personally, this makes my top three list of the hundreds of baseball tips on hitting and it's probably number one. That's saying a lot but read exactly why I think it's top three material and I'm quite sure you will agree with me!

The directness of the baseball swing should be right near the top of your list of baseball tips on hitting if you are seriously trying to be a very successful baseball hitter or if you are coaching baseball hitters.

You must swing directly to the baseball and the front elbow should be pointed downward when you start the swing and not toward the pitcher. Many young baseball players were brought up constantly hearing to keep their swing level. This is only partially true. Too many players have heard this too many times and they erroneously level out their swing at the very beginning. This is not the proper baseball hitting concept. Yes, you should strive to have a level swing. But one of the best baseball tips on hitting you will ever hear is that it should level out only at the point of contact!

Not being direct to the ball is a very common problem for the majority of the weak hitters. If the front elbow is pointing toward the pitcher when you start your swing, it will create a slight loop making you a fraction of a second later to the ball. If a fast ball takes about a half second to get to the plate, you simply cannot afford to lose a valuable fraction of a second. A fraction of a second is an eternity when it comes to successful baseball hitting. This fraction of a second can very well be the difference between hitting a "seed" or being late and missing the pitch entirely.

The distance between two points is a straight line and this applies perfectly to the baseball swing. Let's call these two points A and B. When it comes to baseball hitting, you cannot go from to go from point A, where you are "loaded up," to point B, the point where you make contact, unless you do it in a straight line. The only way this is possible is if you have the front elbow pointing downward at the start of the baseball swing. If the front elbow is pointing toward the pitcher at the start of the swing, you are not going from A to B in a straight line and this will present problems.

The palms of the hands should be one up and one down only at the point of contact and not sooner! If you are not being direct to the ball, start now as it is one of the best baseball hitting tips you will ever receive. You will be "short to the ball" and your baseball hitting will improve immediately. Not being short and direct to the baseball is a very common hitting problem, especially with younger players. They feel that a very long swing will encourage hitting the ball harder. Nothing could be further from the truth. As you advance to higher levels of play, the pitchers get smarter and smarter. They will notice immediately if you are not short to the ball and they will exploit this weakness in a heartbeat. You will have a very difficult time, especially with pitchers who have a good, live fast ball. Once again, a fraction of a second is an eternity in baseball.

If you are not doing it already, keep the front elbow pointing downward at the very beginning of your baseball swing and your hitting will improve immediately!

Fantasy Golf For The Off-Season and More

Unless you live in Southern California or elsewhere along America's Sunbelt, there's going to be at least a few months out of the year during which the opportunity to spend a day on the back nine will not be possible. One option while you practice putting indoors as you patiently await the arrival of spring is fantasy golf.

Here at GolfZing however, fantasy golf is more than just an off-season pastime – it's a great way to interact with your fellow golfers online and qualify for great prizes as well! It's not hard to get started – just pick seven players from the PGA lineup and you win money for every player that makes the cut – and the top ten finishers in each event win a day on the green with three friends on us. Our online tools make it easy for you to pick your own fantasy golf league and you won't have to wait until the end of the season to find out of you've won anything.

How GolfZing's Fantasy Golf Works

In order to get started in fantasy golf at GolfZing.com, you'll first have to sign up for membership, if you haven't done so already. Membership at GolfZing.com is free and we do not share your personal information without your permission. After that however, there is no need to sign up for a tournament since our PGA fantasy golf uses your membership info.

Once you've joined our online community, simply use the tools posted on the right side of the page to research players and find out when the tournaments take place (if you've ever played the ponies, you know how this works). Players form their fantasy golf leagues by choosing seven players for the week's tournament and come up with a low score and a low total (in case of a tie).

Once you've picked your fantasy golf league, make sure you're entered by the morning of the event (you can also sign up for a specific fantasy golf game up to 72 hours in advance). You won't have to wait long to find out if you've won since we post results as soon as the scores are tallied.

Planning Ahead

You can plan your PGA fantasy golf schedule a year in advance starting in January and pick your fantasy golf leagues for every event. Since there is at least one tournament in every month (and most of the time there are multiple opportunities to place fantasy golf), you'll have many chances to win – and it costs nothing to enter a fantasy golf league.

So, whether you're doing it to pass the time until the greens dry out or you're looking for a pleasant diversion and the chance to win some great golfing prizes, sign up for a fantasy golf game here on GolfZing's fantasy golf page.

Mental Tips For Winning Golf Tournaments

Winning a golf tournament which matters to you isn't an easy task to set yourself. The very fact that it matters to you means that you become emotionally involved, and so you have to find a way in which to ensure that your emotions are controlled; you need to use your emotions to help you to win instead of allowing them to get in the way of your game.

The fact that you are even anticipating the possibility or potential of winning your tournament indicates that you know that you are good enough to do so. You have probably had pars or birdies on every single hole on the course, if not eagles or a delightful and slightly lucky hole in one. You know that you can play good enough golf to win. You also know that this is equally true of your competitors.

I was chatting to a male golfer the other day about a certain ladies tournament. He passed the comment that "those ladies get anxious" and so "you probably only need a couple of 85's to win". It was a fair observation. Upon closer examination, scores in that region had been enough to win that tournament in previous years. The inference was clearly that the ladies did not and would not play their best golf under the pressures of such an important tournament.

Another different conversation with one previous club champion revealed that she never, ever, competed against the other players; instead she always played the course. I heartily agree with her strategy, although this would not work for everyone. We each have our own individual temperament and emotional motivational strategies. The key is to discover the truth about what works for you. What is sauce for the goose is not always the best sauce for the gander.

When I want to win, I focus upon the things which I can control. I like to know where I stand and not to allow my emotions to be blown about like a leaf in the breeze. If I was competing against others my emotions would be subject to such fluctuations. If I felt I was going head to head against others, as one golfer got a par or a birdie it would affect me. If that person got a double bogie it would affect me.

Instead, by playing the course, I am purely dependent upon me. It is down to me to focus on each and every shot I take, to make wise shot choices and to commit to their execution. In this way I will play my best golf, irrespective of what is happening in everyone else's game. This is my strategy and it works for my temperament and emotional style.

You may be very different to me. You may love competition and thrive when challenged by your opponent's birdies. They may lift your mood and bring out your very best golf. Or, when another golfer hits a bad shot or misses a putt it may trigger off the killer instinct in you and fire you up to win.

Other people don't like to play with opponents who are having a bad day and find that this destroys their rhythm; if this is the case you have to learn to step back and not become emotionally involved or you will not be able to win. We each have our own unique temperament and emotional style; it's up to you to work out what works for you.

The Memoirs of Snooker

Snooker history goes back a long way, in reality to the late 19th century. Among the many British military officers stationed in India, billiards was one of the common night games. It was around 1874 or 1875 in an officers’ mess in Jabalpur that one of many officers decided to add a variation to the traditional billiards game by including coloured balls to the present red and black balls. Thus the game of snooker originated.

Snooker history says that even the name of the game originated from the defence forces. There's a model of this historical past that says that when Sir Neville Chamberlain was playing this new game in the Devonshire regiment he known as his opponent a "snooker" when he failed to pot a ball. The word snooker is definitely used to denote inexperienced army personnel or first 12 months cadets of the army.

The game of snooker grew to become so fashionable that it rapidly grew from its time of inception to the early twentieth century. The first World Snooker Championship was held in 1927. Joe Davis, an expert billiards player, organized the event in a bid to convert snooker from a sport for amateurs to one performed by professionals.

Joe Davis was not solely the primary organizer of the world championship however he additionally received each championship until his retirement in 1946. Through the Nineteen Fifties and the Nineteen Sixties the game grew to become stagnant and generated little interest among the many outside public. Joe Davis tried to reinvent the sport by introducing Snooker Plus in 1969 nevertheless it didn’t have any impact.

1969 additionally noticed a breakthrough for the game when Pot Black, a snooker championship was launched by David Attenborough, one of many top BBC officials. His goal was to advertise color tv and present the world how enticing the game seems when shown on colour. This tournament was a powerful success on BBC2 and in 1978 the world championship was absolutely broadcast on TV.

By this time, the game had really caught on among the many Commonwealth countries. The success path that was established in 1969 continued on and snooker is now ranked among the top watched games on TV throughout the world. The Snooker World Championship is televised throughout the world and there's no dearth of spectators.

Snooker history is fascinating indeed. The extra you examine the finest way the sport has developed by means of the years the more you get into it. Initially a British recreation snooker now enchants players from all round the world. Go through snooker history on-line and you will generate so much interest concerning the sport in you that you'll itch to try your hand at the game. And very quickly you will begin taking part in like a professional and wow others.

Summer And Swimming Go Hand-In-Hand

Swimming is one of the most popular sports after all the sports of the centuries. Regardless of religion, nationality, or demographic location, everyone loves to swim. Swimming is not only fun, but it can also help get our bodies into great shape or help us relax at the end of a hot work day. Some people are lucky to have a private swimming pool in their yard where they can drink a glass of lemonade and read a book with all the privacy in the world. As convenient as it would be to have your own swimming pool, like most people you have to use public swimming pools, but there is a big upside to public pools.

With a private pool you are limited to the amount of people you can meet since you have to invite them over for a swim. At a public pool you have the opportunity to meet new people and have a great time in the sun, which is the best part about the summer months. This summer before you hit the pool make sure you hit a swim shop up for the most important items to make the most of your summer swim time.

Although you can get many of the items you will need at a local drug store, the quality is not worth the price. Sometimes you just buy the equipment and it breaks soon. Sometimes you don't even get to use it that much. Swim shops are stores which specialize in the right swimming tools which are made from top quality and are desirable to be worn during swimming. You wouldn't take your vehicle to a veterinarian would you? Then why would you buy swimming equipment from a store that does not specialize in it?

Many people have been swimming for years without the proper equipment and wonder why they are not having as much fun as other people. The reason is they are missing critical items to make the most of their summer. You should exactly know what gears to choose from the swim shops so that you can enjoy the activity and have merry. For example, if you are into swimming outdoors as exercise, a swim shop representative will know exactly which type of suit will help you accelerate your swimming and give you more of a cardio workout.

Women also like to protect their hair from the chlorine in the water. So swim caps can protect their hair from the water. If a swim cap is not bought at a swim shop, it is almost guaranteed it will tear. If it tears while in the swimming pool, the chlorine will begin to do its damage. Ear plugs are an important swimming gear which is also recommended by medical professionals too. Although it would seem an earplug is just an earplug, swim shops carry earplugs especially designed to keep water out of the ears. Even though summer is meant to be relaxing and an "anything goes" kind of attitude, you want to make sure you hit a swim shop up for all the necessities you will need to make it an easy-going summer.

Bicycle Lights, A Historical View

The earliest bicycle lights were actually the lamps which were run by the fuel called acetylene gas. The same lamps were used in motor cars as well. These lamps were run by the medium calcium of carbide, which is no more in use nowadays, but the cavers do make use of it even now. The light provided by these car lamps, run by acetylene gas, was very bright and thus these lamps proved to be effective bicycle lights. Although these lamps were good at providing a bright bicycle light but they needed continuous maintenance, which made these lamps far from being hassle free. Due to the hassle of these acetylene gas lamps, the battery powered lights were welcomed in 1890’s and were adopted readily by the people, as these new battery powered bicycle lights did not need continuous maintenance and thus helped people in saving their time and effort.

The early battery lamps which were used as bicycle lights were actually run by the led acid battery. Later these lamps used as bicycle lights were replaced by an improved version of the battery. This improved version of battery was the self contained dry cells. These self contained dry cells were more beneficial than the led acid batteries, because they were smaller and were much more reliable. During the same period, a new kind of bicycle lights was developed. These bicycle lights were named as the dynamos. Dynamos are the bicycle lights that make use of the energy, which is created by the movement of the bicycle. Dynamos became popular and much more practical at that period of time, because the storage density of batteries was not too much. Dynamos proved to be much more practicable during that period of time. Not every part of the world had laws regarding the compulsion of having bicycle lights. In UK the cyclists group actually went against the law of bicycles having the rear lights. This was because; they thought that this law will reduce the significance of the motorist’s obligation to stop when they would see a bicycle within a clear distance.

Replaceable cell batteries did not stay much in demand, after the invention of the alkaline batteries which were then used to power the bicycle lights. These alkaline batteries had this great advantage of having much more storage density. At the same time, the molding techniques also started improving and the plastic molding also got refined. This resulted in a better lens optics, which made the use of light output much more efficient than it was before that time. The 1980’s was the period when the lighting market moved towards globalization. Many brands present in different parts of the world gradually disappeared from the scene, and the American, Japanese and German products became popular all over the world.

Many advances have been made in the bicycle light industry recently. The dynamos have become extremely efficient. High output Halogen lamps have also gotten improved storage density, in rechargeable batteries. In addition, more efficient bicycle lights have also emerged through the high output light emitting diodes and high intensity discharge lights.

Boxing martial arts includes Traditional Boxing

A good boxer can blend in speed, endurance, strength, and defense tactics to outfight his opponent. Here's a fast summary of the basics of boxing as a sport.

Boxing is one of the boxing martial arts, where two people fight each other primarily with their fists. English-style boxing is a sport where the combatants are supervised by a referee, and the fight takes place over a series of rounds, with each round lasting for 3 minutes unless there is a knock out. Both boxers wear heavy gloves to protect their hands and also their opponent from getting cuts.

There are two categories of boxing: amateur and professional boxing. The best know amateur boxing takes place as part of the Olympic games and Commonwealth games. Amateur boxers wear head protection gear and the bouts are usually short usually comprising 3 rounds, with each round lasting for 3 minutes for men, while for women there are 4 rounds each lasting for 2 minutes. On the other hand, professional martial-arts boxers don't wear head protection and bouts can be up to 12 rounds.

Rules
There are several rules in boxing. First, if a boxer is knocked down at any round and touches the canvas floor with any part of his or her body apart from the feet, as a result of opponent's punch and not by slipping or pushing; the referee starts to count till the boxer stands up again. If the referee counts to ten then the knocked-down boxer is ruled as knocked out whether still conscious or not, and the other boxer is declared the winner. This win is called a knockout win (KO). A technical knockout win is when the referee or a fight doctor rules that an injured boxer is unable to continue fighting due to injury or is unable to defend him or herself well.

Also boxers aren't supposed to hit below the belt, hold, trip, spit or bite their opponents. Boxers are also not allowed to kick, head butt or hit each other with other parts of the arm other than the knuckles of a closed fist. Holding the ropes for support when punching or holding an opponent while punching is also prohibited. If a boxer violates these rules, he or she may be ruled to have fouled. The referee can issue warnings, deduct points, or even disqualify the offending boxer.

Approach Strategies
Boxers use different strategies when approaching their opponents.

1) As an out-fighter: In this style the boxers master their defense and offense by maintaining a distance between him and his opponent, comes in to hit and backs off again. Most out-fighters tend to win by point decisions and they fight with rapid, long range punches.

2) The swarmer: The fighter tries to stay close to an opponent, unleashing a fury of punishment. Generally, swarmers are very aggressive and ruthless delivering good punches and taking good hits. Most swarmers are have flexible footwork and have a phenomenal speed.

3) Boxer punch: Used by sturdier boxers, they fight at close range combining technique and power, often with ability to knock out their opponents with a single strike. They employ speed and mobility tactics against their opponents wearing out the opponents and then striking a knockout punch.

4) The slugger: A slugger depends on power punches to knock the opponents out. Most sluggers are generally bigger and slower and have good chins. They are not afraid to take in a few hits, but when they throw a punch, it usually leaves overwhelming damage.

Defense Strategies
1) Slip defense is when a boxer slightly rotates his or her body so that an incoming punch passes without harm, next to the head.

2) Blocking is where a boxer uses his or her shoulders, hands or arms to defend himself against opponent's attack.

3) Ducking is a style where the boxer drops down with the back straight in the intention that the thrown punch misses entirely.

4) Bob and weave is a boxing style in which a boxer moves the head sideways and beneath an incoming punch.

The Punches
Boxers also use different punches. The four basic punches include: uppercut, jab, cross, and hook. An uppercut punch is a vertical, rising punch, thrown with the rear hand. From the defending position, the elbow is drawn back with the knuckles pointing forward and the elbow bent. From this position the rear hand is thrown upwards in a rising curve towards the opponent. A jab punch is a quick punch which is thrown with the lead hand from the defense position. The punch throw is usually accompanied by clockwise rotation of the torso and hips, whereas the fist rotates at 90 degrees. A hook punch is a semi circular punch, which is thrown with the lead hand to the side of the opponents head. A cross punch on the other hand, is a powerful, straight punch thrown with the rear hand.

Techniques to Sink Putts from any Distance

How to Golf - Keep the Face of Your Putter Square

Control of the position of your putter head is vital if you want your golf putting skills to be consistently reliable. Before implementing any information regarding special grip techniques or an ability to read the green, you must first be able to control the face of your golf putter.

A golfer’s putting competence is completely
reliant on his or her ability to maintain a club face that is absolutely square with their target line. Even when a golfer has excellent green reading abilities: if the face of their putter is misaligned while taking their stroke, it won’t be of any help. Practicing your putts on a completely flat surface is the best way to determine if you are keeping your putter face square. When you get your golf ball to travel perfectly along the target line then you know that you hit it with a putter that was completely square with the target. Practicing how to golf on a bumpy or sloped surface is not advised as it will be difficult to judge whether it was your golf putting stroke or the ground contours which caused the golf ball to veer off course.

The best way to consistently keep the face of your putter square is to begin practicing your short putts and then gradually increase the distance, and work your way up to hitting the mid-range and longer putts.

How to Golf - Tips for Successful Mid Range Golf Putting

Many golfers find mid range putts the most intimidating, not because they are more difficult than the long or short putt, but because the mid-range putt is often overlooked at practice time. The most important secret behind confident golf putting is practice and preparation! A golfer grows in confidence by building on past successes. Carrying out drills on the green places demands on the player, and sinking a series of mid range putts will greatly increase success rate when playing a round of golf. For example, the compass drill is ideal for giving golf players plenty of practice at sinking mid range putts. Several golf balls are required for this drill; place four lines of balls on the green that correspond with the four points on a compass, with each golf ball lying between seven to fifteen feet from the cup. By sinking each of these balls in succession from the different positions around the cup gives players the opportunity to work on both their golf putting distance control and green reading ability for mid range putts.

How to Golf - Controlling the Distance When Golf Putting

Distance control a very difficult golf putting skill to master. Remember, the number one tip when trying to master this skill; the distance is controlled by stroke length. Don’t try to shorten the distance that your golf ball will travel by slowing down your putting motion; a shorter backswing results in a shorter shot.

Download an iPhone or iPad app today and get a comprehensive guide on how to golf, covering all aspects of the game. Learn all the secrets from golf pro’s on how to sink a perfect putt.

Improve Your Golf Swing

Improve Your Golf Swing - Alignment When learning how to golf many golfers have a problem with their golf swing. The best tip for improving your golf swing is to check that your body mechanics are correct; your position and posture must be properly aligned with the target line. You stance must be relaxed, your arms comfortable and not reaching down towards the ball. Your entire body must be parallel to the target line; this includes your feet, knees, and shoulders. Any slight shoulder misalignment will affect your golf swing, causing your ball to veer off course. Keep your eyes and head down throughout your golf swing and follow through.

Improve Your Golf Swing – Grip A good, solid golf swing begins with a good golf grip where the clubface is square to the ball at the point of impact. How you hold, or grip, your club influences the flight and direction of the ball. Look at the way you hold your club and experiment with each type of grip such as the overlapping grip, interlocking grip, or baseball grip, and work out what is the best one for you.

Improve Your Golf Swing - Weight Distribution Finding your balance and the correct weight distribution in your feet is other essential factors to take into consideration when discussing the need to improve golf swing. If most of your weight is on your toes you will be reaching for the ball and your stance will be too far away from the golf ball, resulting in an unstable swing. If your weight is primarily on your heels you will be too close to the golf ball and lack the flexibility and stability needed for producing a quality golf swing. You should aim for an even weight distribution on the balls of both your feet. Adjustments will need to be made, depending upon which golf club will be used; short irons require about sixty percent of your body weight be placed on your front foot, while a middle iron your requires weight be evenly distributed on the balls of your feet. When standing on a tee box about sixty percent of your weight should be on the back foot.

Improve Your Golf Swing - The Shape of a Golf Swing Perfecting your golf swing takes practice; a good golf swing is a circular motion that travels around the torso of your body. The golf swing starts with the backswing which must be slow and controlled; a fast backswing does not result in the ball going further. A good follow through, with your hips turned and facing the target, will improve the impact when you strike the ball.

Download an iPhone or iPad app for a comprehensive guide on how to golf; with step-by-step information on all aspects of the game, including golf swings, golf chipping, golf putting and golf rules. Quickly learn tips and tricks to get a single figure handicap!