Preventing Injuries: For the Backyard Junkies & the Big Dogs

Whether you are a professional athlete, training for your first marathon or simply playing pick-up games of basketball from time to time with your neighbors, you are susceptible to injury and should take preventative measures to stay safe. These tips also apply to youth, whose growing bodies need extra care.

Warm Up

In any level of sport, you should already know about the need to warm your muscles up for the ensuing physical activity. However, you may not be doing it properly, for long enough or maybe you’re not warming up at all. Your muscles need time to acclimate to the pressures that you are about to cause. This does not have to be a long activity. A quick paced walk for five minutes before a run works well or jumping jacks before a game is also suitable.

Stretch

A routine of stretching is absolutely necessary to keep muscles agile and performing at their peak. Depending on your activity, you should stretch the muscles that will be strained the most during your exercise. Your quads, hamstrings and back muscles are particularly susceptible to strain. Be sure to stretch them adequately.

Protein Supplements

After a workout, consuming protein will … Read more at FryingPanSports

The Top Five most Ludicrously Overpaid Sportspeople

There’s crazy money in sport ––– we all know it. And it’s never been fresher on the mind: January’s football transfer window saw £136 million spent in transfer fees on just four players, Chelsea’s Fernando Torres, Liverpool’s Andy Carroll, Manchester City’s Edin Dzeko and Aston Villa’s Darren Bent.

But as stunning as those transfer fees are, the real crazy money is in the salaries top sportspeople get paid.
After all, the first big news story of the football season came from the transfer that wasn’t. Having threatened to leave Manchester United, Wayne Rooney’s new contract sees him pocketing £26,000 – the nation’s average annual salary – every day.

Outrageous? Of course. But even those massive earnings pale into insignificance when you compare him to some of sport’s most extravagantly compensated individuals. Rooney might be rich but at least he’s helping to win championships – which is by no means the case for all the stars below. Without further ado, here’s our list of the most ludicrously overpaid sports stars on the global scene.

Fernando Alonso (Motorsport)

Formula 1’s highest earning driver is pocketing an annual £23million retainer from Ferrari – and that’s just his fee for driving. He can (and … Read more at FryingPanSports

The John Bright Incident

Visit the African/African-American Historical Museum in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and one of the most unforgettable displays (among many) is dedicated to John Bright. Bright was born in Fort Wayne in 1930, the son of a steel worker. His years playing football at Drake College (now Drake University) in Des Moines, Iowa would be his claim to national recognition. They would also forever link him to a racial incident that brought national disgrace, the John Bright Incident. Despite being the victim of this ugly incident, Bright went on to live his life with grace and resilience.

On October 20, 1951, Drake College’s football team, the Bulldogs, played the Oklahoma A&M Aggies (now the Oklahoma State Cowboys) at Lewis Field in Stillwater, Oklahoma. The star of Drake’s team was the talented young halfback, Johnny Bright, an NCAA All American. At the time, Bright led the nation in yards per game. In 1950, he set the single-season total offense record with 2,400 yards, a record that stood until 1964. That same year, he averaged 266.7 yards a game and scored 18 touchdowns. In 1951, he won the Swede Nelson Award for outstanding sportsmanship and finished fifth in Heisman trophy balloting.

John Bright was

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Super Bowl 2011: A Commentary

Another NFL season has passed, and another Super Bowl is in the books as the Green Bay Packers were crowned the leagues best by defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers. Aaron Rodgers had another great game, and in doing so, cemented himself as perhaps the league’s premiere quarterback. However, we already knew he was a great quarterback, and there was one more important thing we learned from this game.

Respect

The Packer defense has been near the top of the league in many categories over the last few seasons, yet they have never been considered among the league’s elite. That moniker has been bestowed on teams like Baltimore, San Diego, and of course the Steelers. It happened throughout the weeks leading up to the Super Bowl. We heard more than we ever wanted to about “Blitzburgh,” and Dick Lebeau, Troy Polamalu, James Harrison, etc.

The only Packer on the defensive side of the ball you ever heard about was Clay Matthews. He may as well have been on the field alone, as you never heard a word about anyone else. It may have been Aaron Rodgers who climbed out from under Brett Favre’s ghost and led the Pack to a 31-25 victory … Read more at FryingPanSports

Surfing Options- More Than Just The Sea?

It’s hardly surprising that surfing is a sport adored by many. Whether you are successfully propelled towards the shore or instead, wiped out and plunged into the sea, aiming to mount an epic wave crest at just the right moment can be an exhilarating experience.

There are a few problems however, that make the sport less enjoyable in the winter months.

The technology of wetsuits has undeniably come a long way, with the best ones able to keep surfers warm in the extremist of cold temperatures. Wetsuit hoods are also available to help prevent painful “brain freeze”, though some people find these uncomfortable attire. You’ll have to peel yourself out of the suit eventually too and the delay between removing said suit and clambering into warmer garments can be unpleasant in bitter winter climates and can even promotes colds and/or flu.

The surfing aficionados that do face the icy temperatures to get their wave-riding fix also potentially face an ailment – appropriately named “Surfers ear” – in which surfers’ ears grow small, bone-like bumps inside the ear canals near to the eardrums – a defence mechanism of the body to keep the cold water and air out. Ear canals can … Read more at FryingPanSports

5 Sporting Activities while in Cornwall

Cornwall provides the tourist with so many options to have a good holiday, it can be difficult to decide what to actually do when your here. Here are a few tips I would recommended looking into if your planning to visit the south west this summer.

Surf – Surfing has become so popular in Cornwall of recent years, especially places like Newquay which have built a reputation for themselves as a ‘surf town’ have loads to offer you as an experienced surfer and if you are looking to learn, what better place to learn than in the sea in Cornwall with qualified instructors to help you get to grips with it. Admittedly you might need a more lessons than one, some people pick it up really quickly, but don’t expect to get it straight away, its harder than it looks, trust me!

Sail – Sailing is a sport which looks really difficult, but in fact once you understand the mechanics of it your laughing. In Cornwall at just about every large coastal town you will be able to learn to sail. If you have been sailing before then you will probably agree with my statement about the difficulty. Clubs based … Read more at FryingPanSports