h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

What sports do you like or dislike

and is Fishing realy a sport


manda

I like ice hockey, and I support the Dundee Texol Stars, last season's FBNL champions and playoff winners.

Is fishing a sport?
Well, in my view, there is competitions held, but I would class it as a pastime, rather than a sport.
(Waiting now for all the anglers among you to disagree, and give me stick! )

Dave.

hi dave...

twas a trick question methinks...

i don't fish so i'm staying neutral on this one...

ice hockey eh?!... will see if we can post a link to something on the BBC site related to it...

thanks...

talk soon...

loup

sport stinks hi manda

ahem...

Martial Arts are the ones I am intrested in.

Would love to learn Ti Chai.

JA

When I was at school I did sword fencing which I enjoyed alot as well as trampoling and cricket. Once I got hit with a cricket ball, I was called out and I had made quite a few runs.


jfa

I wonder if anyone knows the dates of the Grand Slam Tennis Touraments Paris, London, USA and Australia?

kat

I am into Speedway , which unfortunatley seems a poor relation to other sports , yet it is highly entertaining !!
Bikes that can reach 60 mph with one gear and NO BRAKES !! 4 laps per race and 15 races per meeting , I am a Poole Pirates fan and havnt missed a home fixture this season , have also been to a couple of away ones .
Biggest this year was the Grand Prix at the millenium stadium in cardiff 43,000 people all with air horns , what an atmosphere !!!
Any other fans out there ???

Hiya Manda

I do &
I can say I'm good at

Taamyu

The basic rules of how to play Badminton

The object of this active game is keep the shuttlecock in constant play once it has been served.

The player who serves the shuttlecock continues to serve until a fault is made by his or her own team.

A fault can be called if the shuttlecock lands outside of the boundary lines, does not pass over the top of the net, is not returned over the net, or is not struck with a racquet before it falls on the ground.

If the server's team makes the fault, then the serve immediately switches over to the opposing team.

The opposing team does not score a point. Only the server or his or her team can score.

If the opposing player or team commits the fault, then the server's team gains a point.

The first player, if you are playing single or double matches the first person or team who gets twenty-one points wins the match.
The shuttlecock is always served from the right side of the court.

The basic rules of snooker

A full-sized table should have a playing surface of 5 feet 9½ inches x 11 feet 8½ inches. The height of the table from the floor to the top of the cushion rail officially must be between 2 feet 9½ inches and 2 feet 10½ inches.

The bed of the table is covered with green napped billiard cloth on which the spots for the various balls and the baulk line are marked
out.

The baulk line, 29 inches from the face of the baulk cushion (also known as the bottom cushion), is the line on which the spots for the yellow, green and brown balls are placed – these three balls are sometimes referred to collectively as the baulk colors. From the yellow spot to the green spot is described a semicircle (radius 11½ inches) known as the D.

The blue spot is positioned midway between the two center pockets. The pink spot is positioned midway between the blue spot and the face of the top cushion. And finally, the black spot is positioned 12¼ inches away from the face of the top cushion in a straight line with the pink, blue and brown spots.

A set of snooker balls consists of: fifteen reds; one yellow, one green, one brown, one blue, one pink, one black (known collectively as the colors); and one white ball (known as the cue-ball).

A frame is the snooker term for one game or a rack – the colored balls are placed on their respective spots, with the red balls placed in a triangle with the apex red ball as near as possible to the pink ball without actually touching it.

Playrs play alternatively to pot balls to build-up a frame winning score. When there is no opportunity to pocket a ball, the player makes it as difficult as possible for your opponent to achieve this aim by playing defensive or what is referred to in the game of snooker as a safety shot.

A player must first attempt to pocket any of the red balls (worth one point each) into any of the six pockets on the table. Having pocketed a red ball, the player is then free to select and pocket any colored ball into any pocket to add to their score – if more than one red ball is pocketed in the same stroke a player scores accordingly, but is free to select and pocket only one colored ball.

Each colored ball is worth the following points: Yellow (2 points), Green (3 points), Brown (4 points), Blue (5 points), Pink (6 points), & Black (7 points). Once a red ball has been pocketed the colored ball only needs to be nominated by a player if there is reasonable doubt to which colored ball the player is aiming for.

Once a colored ball has been pocketed, it is returned to its respective spot on the table. A player can then attempt to pocket another red ball and continue the sequence to build-up their score. If the pocketed colored ball's spot on the table is occupied or obstructed by another ball, the colored ball must then be placed on the vacated spot of the highest valued ball and left there till such a time it is pocketed, then returning it to its spot. In the event of all the spots being occupied, the colored ball is then to be placed as near to its own spot in a direct line toward the face of the top cushion (the cushion nearest to the black spot).

Once the final red ball has been pocketed, a player can start playing the colored balls. If the colored ball is pocketed, as usual it is re-placed on the table, then a player must try to pocket the colored balls in strict order, into any pocket, in ascending numerical value from the yellow ball to the black ball – only this time, when each colored ball has been pocketed, it stays in the pocket.

The accumulation of points with a series of successful pocketed balls in snooker is called a break. The highest break you can achieve in a frame of snooker, to pocket all of the 15 red balls alternatively with 15 black balls and all of the colored balls in order, 147 and is known as a maximum break.

At one time in a frame, a player may find that there are not enough points available on the table to overtake their opponent's score to win the frame (referred to as needing a snooker or snookers). So this is the time when the player needs to employ a tactic to try and force their opponent to commit a foul stroke, in order to gain the extra points for their score.

Foul Strokes can be committed with the following rule infringements:

Failing to hit a ball.
Pocketing the cue-ball:
If the cue-ball is pocketed, the non-offending player is allowed to place the cue-ball anywhere within the area known as the D and play from then on.
Pocketing the wrong ball(s): This includes pocketing a colored ball when a red ball is the target-ball; pocketing a colored ball other than the target-colored ball; and pocketing a red ball when a colored ball is the target-ball.
Playing a push-shot (a legal shot in pool): A push-shot is committed when the tip of the snooker cue is still in contact with the cue-ball when the cue-ball makes contact with another ball. This can happen when the cue-ball is very close to the target-ball or when the cue-ball is touching another ball (known as a touching-ball). A touching-ball must be announced by either a player or referee, and as moving a ball which the cue-ball is touching will inevitably be a push-shot, it must be played away from – if the/a target-ball is touching the cue-ball, playing directly away from it is deemed a legal shot and not a foul stroke.
Striking the cue-ball whilst it is still moving.
Striking the cue-ball whilst any other balls are moving.
Striking the cue-ball with both feet off the floor – a foot must maintain contact with the floor during a shot.
Striking the cue-ball with anything other than the tip of a billiard cue which must be of at least three feet in length.
Touching or moving any ball.
Jumping the cue-ball over another ball unintentionally or by design (a legal shot in pool).
Playing out of turn.
In some situations after a foul stroke, the offending player may gain an advantage over their opponent – for example, the cue-ball could come to rest in a snooker or other safe position.

To counter this situation a player is allowed to nominate any ball on the table as their target-ball (known as a free-ball). If the free-ball is the pocketed, it will score only in accordance as the original target-ball – in theory, before any red balls have been pocketed, if a player is awarded a free-ball there is a possible break of 155 on, though this is not recognized as the maximum break total.

A frame is only finished until only the black ball remains with the cue-ball on the table. Once this situation has been reached, the player who is more than 7 points (the value of the black ball) behind has lost the frame.

Tai Chi Chuan is a Chinese form of exercise derived from Taoism, one of China's oldest religions. The practice of Tai Chi Chuan is beneficial to health and it is also a very subtle, form of self-defence.

It is beneficial for people of all ages and it requires little or no special equipment, It's aim is to help people improve their physical health, equip them to defend themselves against attacl from wild animals and thieves. By practising Tai chi you will improve your ability to meditate.

It is a is good way which to develop a healthy body as well as an alert mind. It can be practised in a small area either indoors or outdoors. By performing it in a slow and relaxed manner, the Tai Chi Chuan Hand Form offers a balanced discipline for the body's muscles and joints by doing complex manoeuvres in conjunction with deep and regulated breathing with the contraction and expansion of the diaphragm.

The deep breathing and the movement of the diaphragm gently 'massages' the liver and intestines. It increses the amount of oxygen and also increases blood circulation. It expands the blood vessels which serve the heart and intestines. It helps to prevent thrombosis and many other disorders of the heart and intestines. The performance of the Hand Form creates a tranquil state of mind through concentration on the movements. As the muscles move when practising Tai Chi Chuan, they exert pressure on the veins, forcing the blood to flow towards the heart, improving the circulation. This exercise for the will improve the digestion, leading to an increased appetite and a better digestion system.