The Best Running Shoes for Flat Feet

* Flat Foot: What is it 

The arch of the foot is formed by the tarsal and metatarsal bones and strengthened by ligaments and tendons. It allows the foot to support the weight of the body in the erect posture with the least weight. 

The height of the arch determines pronation and foot type.The arch height of the foot can easily be checked using the wet feet test. 

People with a Low arch do not have a distinct curve along the inside of the foot. The imprint taken in a wet test may show nearly the entire foot. People with low arches are more likely to overpronate which can result in injuries. Insufficiently expressed arches are called low or fallen arches. The term flat feet applies to the arch which is sitting on the ground completely. 

* Runners with flat feet need to put extra care in choosing the best running shoe 

Your foot arch is your natural shock absorption system. Nature designed it so that when you put your body weight over your feet the shock is absorbed by this mechanism in order to alleviate the impact (and subsequent injuries) that would otherwise hit your feet, ankles, knees and hips. A flat foot is the most visible sign of overpronation, meaning that your arch collapses during the impact on the ground. As a consequence, your ankle twists inward and your knees overcompensates. 

Flat feet are a particular concern for runners, as during the running gait the arch is supposed to support on average 3 times their body weight. 

* Shoes Technologies Aimed at Runners with Flat Feet 

Over the last 20 years or so, all the major running footwear producers developed specific technologies aimed at helping runners with flat feet run in comfort and safety. 

The key words you have to remember are: stability, support and motion control. 

- Support is what a flat foot runner needs. When looking at shoes reviews or technical specifications, any indication of "added support" means you are headed in the right direction. 

- Stability is an industry standard term that categorizes running shoes aimed at helping overpronation: every brand has their own collection of Stability Running Shoes. 

- Motion Control are Stability Shoes for the most severe overpronators: they include the solutions of stability shoes and focus in enhancing them. 

The main technology found in Stability shoes is a medial post of dual density foam. Footwear producers inject a harder compound of foam right below the medial side of the arch and sometimes extended all the way to the heel. It is easily recognizable as a darker (almost always gray) piece of foam on the inside of the midsole. 

You can read our recommendations about the best running shoes for flat feet in summer 2009, along with all our other running shoes reviews. http://www.runningshoesguru.com/2009/04/the-best-running-shoes-for-flat-feet-summer-2009/ 

Running Shoes Guru ( http://www.runningshoesguru.com ) is the best place to find running shoes reviews directly from industry insiders.

Origins of the Balisong Knife (Butterfly Knife)

The balisong knife other wise known as the Batangas knife, fan knives click clack, and most known it the U.S. as a butterfly knife. Is a knife that would be considered a pocket knife it has two handles that are both on a hinge and the knife itself folds in to the handle and in the hands of someone that knows how to use it and be flipped open every quickly with just one hand. For the most part these knives are pocket knives size but are also make in sword size and can be over three feet when fully opened. These bigger blades are not surprisingly called baliswords. 

All those now on is really sure where the name balisong comes form that are a few thoughts as to what it is referring to. In the Tagalog language balisong or Baling sungay means broken horn, and because the first knives where made of animal horns many think that is where the name comes from. Others think that they are called balisong for the reason the they are thought to first be invented in a town called balisong. These pocket knives origins are from the Philippines and though discouraged now for hundreds of years where once used to fight in duels. 

These pocket knives where not known to western civilizations until the Spanish came and governed the Philippines and then made these knives popular. Though evidence suggests that Balisong knives have been apart of the Filipino fighting arts since 800AD. Balisongs where brought back to the states after WWII when troops that where fighting in the pacific came home and brought these handy pocket knives back with them. 

A balisong is mainly made up of ten parts. The edge, swedge, choil, kicker, pivot pins, tang, tang pin, bite handle, safe handle, and latch. The edge is the sharp blade of the knife. The swedge is the back side of the blade that is made to look sharp but is not. The choil is a curve above the kicker to help you to sharpen the blade. The kicker is what stops the blade for hitting the inside of the knife when closing to help keep the blade sharp. The pivot pins are the pins that the knife pivots on to open and close. The tang is where the blade come in to the handle. The bite handle is the part that closes on the sharp side of the blade. The safe handle is the part that closes on the back side of the blade, the part that is not sharp. The latch, this is what keeps the knife closed. 

There are now a number of knives makers in the U.S that make balisongs or butterfly knives. One of them is Benchmade. Another well known knife make is Emerson. Emersons very first knives where balisongs that he made while studding Filipino martial arts in California. Because of the nature of these pocket knives many countries have them outlawed. But are very sought after by collectors.

A History of Leather Football Helmets

Football helmets were widely disputed upon their introduction. Many simply viewed them as a nuisance, they made their heads sweat, they shifted from side to side, and they didn’t help much. It wasn’t until the later 1930’s that people began to get serious; games between 1890-1950 are usually shown with some people wearing helmets and some not. It was personal preference. But in 1939 college leagues voted to make helmets mandatory and in 1943 the NFL joined them. Wikipedia shows that the “last player to play in a game without a helmet was probably Dick Plasman of the Chicago Bears.” There is a picture of him in 1940 after a Washington Redskins victory without a helmet on. 

College halfback, George Barclay designed a leather helmet or “head harness” with three heavy leather straps. Created by a harness maker, his helmet was made to prevent the deformation of the ear or “cauliflower ear” which he believed came from the roughhousing of playing bareheaded. Helmets gained padding and shape from the 1920’s through the 1940’s, especially when Vern McMillan introduced the facemask. Fastened in the 1930s, it was a simple rubber-covered wire mask attached to the front of the leather helmet in an effort to prevent broken noses and teeth. 

Teams played for years in unadorned helmets as they struggled for the right fit, but as school spirit raged and rivalries grew, colleges and high schools began to hand paint their helmets to show team spirit. Initially, only colors were used, their headgear painted as a marker for quarterbacks when searching to find their receiver. In 1948 Fred Gehrke shook things up when he introduced the first logo, painting a proud design of the Rams on the side of his team’s helmets. 

Robert Zuppke, an innovative Illinois coach, reinvented the leather helmet in 1917, transferring the simplicity of pads to the art of suspension. He used straps of fabric to form a pattern inside the helmet, cradling the skull, while absorbing and distributing the impact instead of simply offering an extra layer of protection. It was a breakthrough in football, providing ventilation and introducing Rawlings and Spalding to the love of the game.

Why You Should Get Team Chemistry In Soccer

If you look at teams that are the best in your state, you will find that they all have one thing in common, and that is team chemistry. Coaches know that it is something that cannot be taught in practice, but is something that happens over a period of time by playing them together. How do you go about winning a state soccer title? There are different opinions on how you go about doing this. One of them, if it is possible, is to start them playing together while they are still in kindergarden, and also have them play different sports together as they grow, including soccer. This is done so that not only will they learn different skills, but also each others reactions to different situations. 

You should hope that some of their dads coached their teams, and played them at the same level, without moving them up to a more competetitive leel. 

This is done to build their confidence, because it doesn't matter what place they finish in, because all they will remember is that they had fun playing. 

As they grow to be teenagers there will be one house where they will congregate most at, because that house will have plenty of soda and pizza on friday nights. 

They will grow up attending each others birthday parties, confirmations, barmitzvahs and also all other holiday celebrations. They will learn what makes each other tick. They will also celebrate when a fellow player is recognized for hi or her achievements in sports or academics. 

Another way to develop comraderie among older players is to socialize as a team together. For example; attend major league baseball games, have friday night pizza partiesor go to a soccer game played by older players in order to learn new techniques or they can spend a day at the zoo. This way the players get to know each other better in non playing situations. This will relate to better communication and trust on the field. 

The more that they socialize together, you will see better efficient practices which in turn will lead to more wins. The more wins that you get, the more you will see their confidence develop on the field. You will start to see the difference in their talk,their walk and most important their attitude. 

This will get you what you set out to accomplish, team chemistry. These same players will respect the coaches and their staff, because of the time and effort they know that they put into teaching them to be winners. The players know that without them they wouldn't be number one.

Youth Baseball Bat Reviews

Folks that are do-it-yourselfers know the value of a hammer that fits in their hands just right. It seems to make the job go much easier and ends with a more successful outcome. If you like to cook, then you know the benefits of pots, pans and cooking utensils that you are comfortable with. Having the correct tools at one’s disposal seems to make projects less of a chore and more of a joyful experience. 

The same thing can be said for sports and, in particular, youth baseball. Youth baseball is one of the healthiest of all participatory sports activities for kids because it teaches fair play, integrity, teamwork and sportsmanship. Successful handymen and cooks need good quality tools that they are comfortable with in order to have positive outcomes to their projects. In like manner, youth baseball players need equipment, either aluminium bats or wood baseball bats, with which they are comfortable in order to be successful at hitting a baseball. 

Youth baseball bat reviews help parents, coaches and players alike select the baseball bat most appropriate for the players. There are marked differences that are documented in youth baseball bat reviews of aluminium bats and wood baseball bats on a youth baseball level. 

Aluminium bats, such as the Easton, Worth and Mizuno model baseball bats, are lighter and have more strength to propel the ball when it strikes the bat. Baseball bat reviews note that, in youth baseball, aluminium bats can generate more power through the hitting zone. This is because the aluminium bats transfer power better and are lighter than the wood baseball bats, and the additional bat speed means that the ball is met with more force. Thus, the ball will travel further and faster upon contact with aluminium bats. 

The big drawback with aluminium bats is that too much power may be generated with these bats. However, there have been only a very small number of related injuries, although any increase in injuries is naturally cause for concern for youth baseball parents. If players, especially pitchers, learn to field their positions, this point becomes moot. 

Wood baseball bats are the old tried and true piece of baseball batting equipment for players. Youth baseball bat reviews acknowledge that these bats are susceptible to breakage, and can become very costly for parents and organizations. However, wood baseball bats are the only approved type of bat used in the Major Leagues, so proponents of wood baseball bats base their argument on this fact. 

Aluminum baseball bats are more popular and more durable than their wooden counterparts, and are more expensive. As an example, Louisville Slugger Baseball bat types have diversity in pricing. Their wood baseball bats start at $20 and range up to $150, while their aluminium bats have a price range of $20 up to $350 per baseball bat. 

Beauty remains in the eyes and hands of the baseball player, and youth baseball bat reviews continue to address these divergent opinions.

Types Of Kayaks You Want

Of all the kayaks that you see, they basic boil down to three different types. Let’s start with the hard-shell, which are also known as rigid. These types are made up of wood, plastic, fiberglass, fiber(carbon), and Kevlar. Usually these are the types that come to mind when people talk about kayaks. The cost of the rigid kayaks go from very expensive to not too expensive, such as the plastic. The great feature of the plastic is that they are extremely durable, so it’s definitely worth the extra cost. 

Out of all the three types of kayaks, the fiberglass cost the most. Although they are very light in weight, they get damaged very easy, but don’t fret because they are also very easy to repair. Now if you are searching for kayaks that don’t carry much weight, you may want to get either the carbon fiber or maybe the Kevlar. However, the price is very expensive so be prepared to spend some money. 

The Wooden kayaks are perhaps the most personable of them all. The wooden kayaks can be assembled by the owner, or you can buy it already assembled of course. These kayaks’ price can be very affordable or they can come with a steep price tag, it depends what you are willing to pay. The wooden kayak need for maintenance is high so you must be consistent with the upkeep, after all this is your boat/investment. 

The Folding kayaks are another category of kayaks. This type is very user friendly because of how easy you can “fold them up” and take them with you. As you can image, these kayaks have material/fabric that covers the kayak’s frame. The beauty of the folding kayaks is even though they cost more, they are more sturdy, so they last longer. These boats even are easy to resale, but what you gain in cost and resale value you lose in speed. 

At last, we have the inflatable kayaks. The inflatable kayaks give the consumer a great blend of cost, storability, and ability to be carried. These kayaks cost the least of them all. They are also easy to be stored in the house, garage, or shed, after they dry of course.

Sevam the Golf Swing Guru

On a popular Internet golf forum one day in mid-2008, a golf swing video was posted that would change golf for tens of thousands of golfers worldwide. This one video became the catalyst for a forum discussion that generated over 5,000 replies and well over 300,000 views and became an obsession for everyone roped in. 

Although not the original poster, the man behind the golf swing that rocked this forum for the better part of 9 months joined in on the discussion. Sevam, aka Mike Maves, an ex-amateur Canadian Golfer led the members of this forum down a path that few expected. An unforgettable journey that was entertaining, wildly eye-opening, and downright impressive. Sevam told stories of playing with the legendary Moe Norman and provided in-depth analysis on the "Secret" to Ben Hogan's swing. 

Sevam professed intricate knowledge of Hogan the man and the swing that belonged to the greatest ball-striker of all time as expressed by the Jack Nicklaus, a legend himself. Impressively, Sevam is able to replicate many key pieces of Hogan's swing including the pure compression on the golf ball. More impressively however, Sevam is able to relay these concepts and and feelings on to other golfers. 

Forum members eventually coined Sevam's secret as "The Move" and nearly all who tried it reported back amazing results. The success of the forum members didn't stop there, Sevam continued to give advice on the grip, setup, posture, and advanced topics in forearm rotation, weight distribution and the all important TIMING! Sevam answered questions from golfers at all levels calling on his years of studying Hogan's swing and the many experiences with Norman, Trevino, and many high-caliber golfers. 

More information about this incredible experience and what it is that Sevam has provided to tens of thousands of golfers worldwide can be found by going to http://www.squidoo.com/sevam

Modern Sports Interests Are Changing

Interest in modern sports has changed significantly in the last decade as the prevalance and availability of new, non-traditional sports has increased to United Kingdom residents via the television, internet and increasing coverage in mainstream media. The traditional favourites of football, cricket, rugby and boxing are beginning to make way for other sports. 

Football, or soccer in the United States of America, is a firm favourite of the United Kingdom's sports fans and this is unlikely to change as it continues to be the biggest and in many ways the best spectator sport, both on and off the pitch. Massive money and popular personalities has resulted in entertainment on the pitch with exciting teams, players competing in fantastic leagues and tournaments, meanwhile off the pitch football personalities are bigger than they've every been. English Premier League, UEFA Champions League and the home nations international matches are the most popular matches for UK fans but recently with coverage of foreign leagues such as the USA soccer leagues and the many European leagues, interest in non-domestic competitions has been increasing. 

American Football is a prime example of a relatively new sport gaining ground in England and Britain. The main competition available to England's fans is the NFL, one of the biggest world American Football organisations. During the regular and post seasons matches can be found on pay per view TV channels as well as late night specials on free to air channels. Increasing knowledge of the rules and stars of American football has led to a growing NFL and American Football following on this side of the Atlantic. Both evidence and a partial cause for this is seen in the few NGL matches that have been played at Wembley Stadium in the UK. 

Mixed Martial Arts is another example of a relatively new global sport that has become popular back home in Great Britain. Focussing primarily on the Ultimate Fighting Championship, or UFC, mixed martial arts (MMA) is steadily replacing the sport of Boxing as a favourite combat sport among many British people. Such a growing fan base and UK tours of events, together with UK venue events, merchandise and media coverage has meant that in the near future Mixed Martial Arts may overtake boxing as the primary combat sport seen on our TVs, which may radically alter the sporting world. 

Professional wrestling, most commonly seen in the WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) competition has been popular for many years in the United Kingdom but has managed to keep many fans who first encountered the sport as a child well into adulthood. In the same vein as mixed martial arts, professional wrestling is challenging boxing as a popular contact sport. The appearance of scripted story lines and fights, together with brand name fighters and famous participants has led to a strong cult-like following which shows no signs of weakening. 

As these relatively new sports gain ground in the UK as popular and well documented activities, Sporting Banter aims to bring news and features surrounding them, to add to the information available to fans and act as a forum of discussion.

History of the Kentucky Futurity

The Kentucky Futurity is the second race of the prestigious Triple Crown of harness racing for trotters. The race was first held in 1893 at the Red Mile race course in Lexington Kentucky and has remained at the same location for its entire history. 

Being that the Kentucky Futurity has always been held in the bluegrass state of Kentucky; the race became an instant success and has continued to be very popular among both horsemen and horseracing fans. It is one of the few races in the sport of harness racing that still utilizes elimination races to determine the winner of the race. 

With the elimination format, a horse must win two heats before they will be declared the winner. This means heats will continue to be held until one of the horses is able to win two. In the early years of the race, it was not uncommon for the horses to race as many as four heats before the winner could be determined. 

There have also been several occasions in which the Kentucky Futurity was only decided after the horses raced in five heats. The most heats that have been needed to determine the winner was six. 

Even thought the Kentucky Futurity is one of the races of the harness racing Triple Crown for trotters, the purse money has not always been very substantial. In the early years of the race, the horses would often race for a total purse of less than $60,000, compared to the Hambletonian that had a purse of over $70,000 for its first running. The Red Mile has tried to improve the total purse over the past few years and has begun to add money to the total purse. In the last few years, the Kentucky Futurity has been able to offer a purse of between $400,000 and a half a million dollars to the horses that are entered. 

The great thing about this race is that the race has never been about winning large sums of money. The horsemen and women that are associated with the sport of harness racing are more concerned about having a champion harness racer that will be able to get their name in the history books, along with the past harness racing champions, by simply winning this prestigious and historical race.

The History of The Kentucky Derby

If you are alive and live on planet earth, you have heard of the Kentucky Derby. You may not know a lot about it, but you have heard about it. It has been called the most exciting two minutes in sports since that is about how long the race lasts. 

It is only natural that the great state of Kentucky holds the honor of this auspicious race since thoroughbred horses have been bred and raced in Kentucky since late in the eighteenth century. 

For people that are into dates, it was the year nineteen thirty-seven when Churchill Downs acquired that name after John and Henry Churchill who supplied the land where the track is located. It was on May 17th in the year eighteen seventy-five when the first official race was run here featuring a lineup of fifteen three year old horses in front a whopping ten thousand race fans. 

The race was financially in bad shape until it was purchased in 1902 by a group of Louisville businessmen and it has flourished ever since that time. 

To make things more competitive and fair to the horses, jockeys and fans, the Kentucky Derby limits the participants to three years olds and is officially run the first Sunday in May. 

Back in 1931 the Kentucky Derby moved into the number one spot in the running of the Triple Crown then the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes. 

In the fifties the Kentucky Derby really began to come into it's own. In 1952 on May the third, the public at large could sit in front of the television at home and watch the very first televised running of the Kentucky Derby then a scant two years later in 1954, for the very first time in history, the purse at the Kentucky Derby topped one hundred thousand dollars. 

There has been some tarnish marks along the way in the history of the Kentucky Derby with Dancers Image becoming the first horse in history - in fact the ONLY horse in history - to be disqualified from winning the Kentucky Derby in 1968 after traces of an anti-inflammatory analgesic drug known as phenylbutazone was found in the analysis of the horses urine. A few years later the rules at the Kentucky Derby were changed to allow horses to run the race while using phenylbutazone. 

In 1973 the horse Secretariat broke the two-minute mark and came in at one minute and fifty-nine point five seconds making it the fasted Kentucky Derby ever. 

In the year 2004, for the first time in history the jockeys were allowed to sport advertising logos on the outfits they wore. They won that right through legalities that ended in a court order forcing the Kentucky Derby to allow it. 

Up until the year 2005 only the top four horses took home a share of the purse. In that year it was changed to include the top five finishers all getting a slice of the proverbial winning pie that is known as the Kentucky Derby's purse.

Teaching Youth Baseball

Teaching youth baseball is a rewarding experience for both parents and coaches alike. While parents have an obvious investment in the teaching of the fundamentals of the sport of baseball to their children, coaches, make a significant investment of their own in time, effort and emotion. From a personal perspective, one of the greatest rewards is indeveloping relationships with and positively affecting the lives of individual youth baseball players. The lessons of sports such as in baseball are positive and well documented. For coaches, there are also the internal rewards they get from seeing each player develop and from watching a youth baseball team improve as a group and learn to play together under their coaching tutelage. 

Astute coaches improve the performance of the team as a whole by employing youth baseball drills to improve the individual performances of team players and there interactions together. There are three main categories in which youth baseball drills will have an immense effect on the performance levels of players. 

Youth Batting Drills – one of the most important of the youth baseball drills. The vast majority of youth baseball players have the most fun when they hit. The better they are able to hit, the more fun that they will have, and the greater their interest in the sport of baseball. Coaches and parents who teach baseball drills in batting must stress the importance of a well-balanced stance that is comfortable for the individual player, picking the ball up as it leaves the pitcher’s hand, and keeping the body weight back until the pitch is delivered. 

Youth Fielding Drills – an integral part of teaching the defensive position. Of course, there are sets of baseball fielding drills that are unique to each of the nine fielding positions in the game of baseball. However, there are baseball drills common to all fielding positions. One of the key youth baseball drills in catching ground balls is to keep the fingers of the fielding glove on the ground for ground balls, and raising the glove to catch the ball on the bounce, instead of lowering the glove. Another one of the instructional keys to fielding is to catch the thrown or batted ball with the wrist in an upward position for balls at or above the waist, and to turn the wrist upside down to catch balls below the waist. There are many ways to take a single drill and apply it so the whole team can practice at once. 

Youth Throwing Drills – the most basic of all youth baseball drills, and many instructors feel that it is the most important fundamental of all. It is vital for parents to make sure that their children develop proper throwing techniques from the time they can throw a baseball, around the age of eight or so. The importance of throwing a baseball with proper grip can not be overestimated. Youth throwing drills must emphasize four important elements: Throw the ball by gripping it with the index finger and middle finger on the ball; point your shoulder opposite from your throwing hand in the direction of your target; step in the direction of your target when you release the ball; and follow through after you release the ball with your back leg so that both legs are parallel upon the completion of the throw. 

You can find many youth baseball drills on the Internet covering hitting, fielding and throwing. Some drills are free and some require subscription or for you to order a DVD. Free baseball drills allow you greater flexibility in trying a variety and see what works best for you as the coach and your youth baseball team. Always remember that drills should be age appropriate. The right fielding drill for a 14 year-old boy will not suit and 8-year old and vice versa. 

There are many baseball coaching resources and communities like Weplay available to help with any questions you might have. Don’t underestimate the passion of the community around you. We are all here to help the kids.