Ride for Passion

Archive for March, 2009

There are almost as many different types and styles of chess sets as there are chess players. It may be hard to decide upon a particular set, but it’s relatively easy to narrow your choices down to a particular category. Here’s a look at the major categories that are available everywhere:

Theme Chess Sets

These types of chess sets depict characters, movies and events. There are theme chess sets for most major sports teams with pieces and pawns that resemble positions like quarterback and cheerleaders.

Wood Chess Sets

Wood is a great material for chess sets. The pieces, pawns and board can be made from less expensive oak, pine or walnut, or you can choose exotic woods like teak, ebony, or cocobolo.

Glass Chess Sets

Glass is the generic term used to describe chess sets which are made from crystal or bone china. Although these types of sets generally come in the theme or collector’s categories, you can fine regular pieces and pawns as well.

Basic Soccer Personal Equipment

Shinguards and cleats are the most fundamental pieces of equipment for soccer players. When shopping for shinguards, make sure they have a good fit, feel sturdy, and have some flexibility. The best shinguards also provide some ankle protection. If your shinguards do slip around, you can buy shinguard protection sleeves, which hold them in place without tape and do not cut off your circulation. With cleats, look for great traction, since you will be frequently playing on wet grass and mud. Since goalies perform some rather unique actions in the game, they may also want to buy gloves and knee pads. Though you may not want to wear knee pads during your games, you may want to have them during practice to protect your knees as a goalkeeper. Goalkeepers should also have a pair of flexible gloves, which can enhance the grip on the ball. Though other players do not need them, gloves can be nice for throw-ins and for keeping the hands warm.

Developing a Personal Soccer Training Program

If you want to become a truly great soccer player, create your own training program that lets you embellish your strengths while focusing on your weaknesses. Form your plan around the time you have available to train independently. Make your goals high but realistic. Above all else, be consistent about when and how long you practice. As you devise your training program, think about what areas of soccer skills you need to target. Question yourself as to whether you need to spend the most time developing your agility, your speed, your accuracy, or your strength. Then proportion your time accordingly. If you need to develop strength, start with a few exercises on speed and accuracy, and then focus your time on strength-building practices. Talk to your coach or parents for advice if you do not know where to begin.