Archive for September, 2009

Learning how to properly tackle an opponent during a rugby game is far different from tackling in a football game. The way football players are taught to tackle they require a great deal of equipment and still end up suffering from injuries. There is an easier and more effective way to tackle using your strength and wearing little to no equipment to do so. This is one of the most important techniques you can learn as a new rugby player and one that must be mastered before you get out there to play your first game.

In rugby, tackling is only used to stop a player who has the ball. Tackling is not done just for entertainment; this is not the way of the sport. Let’s go through the steps to make the perfect rugby tackle:

• Make sure to bend over as you approach your opponent and aim your shoulders towards their mid-section or hip area
• Make sure your head is positioned to go behind the target when you tackle to avoid concussion or worse
• Keeping your feet firmly on the ground, push forward with all your strength from your legs, not your upper body
• You will find if you did the first few steps properly that your arms should be above the knees of your opponent; squeeze tight
• Once the contact has been made, continue forward with the momentum of your strength to make the tackle complete
• The key is to roll away from the tackle as soon as you can so you can get back in the game to take advantage of the opportunity you have just created with your tackle

When it is laid out step-by-step like this it can seem like a complicated process, think of it like this go low and hard. These few words manage to sum up this entire process and can help you remember on the field the basics of tackling so you don’t get hurt for any reason. Only full commitment to your tackle can really help you avoid injury. The second you hesitate you can be sure that your opponent will not hesitate and you will get run over.

Aside from safety concerns runners who dwell in tightly packed urban areas have to deal with pollution. It would be counter-productive to continue on running while developing major lung problems. Though pollution in a large city is unavoidable, a runner can take these three simple steps to minimize the harmful effects of pollution.

Running On Off Peak Hours

To save yourself from the nasty emissions of combustion based vehicles it is best to try and avoid them totally. Running during hours of least traffic will ensure that you will get the least polluted air possible.

Different roads have different peak hours. So make sure you try and find out which times are least to have vehicles in your route. This may mean that you will have to wake up earlier or start out later than most people’s morning run.

Avoiding Highly Polluted Routes

This may be simple statement but avoiding areas that usually have traffic jams is good for minimizing your inhaled toxins. Road junctions, convenience store locations or roads leading to large interstates are best left to vehicles only.

Urban dwelling might also be close to industrial factories. It is best to avoid them especially at mornings when dirty chemical ridden air comes down. Sewerage substations are also places you should avoid since they are a source of nasty bacteria that can give you lung infections.

The ideal places to run on in an urbanized setting are those back alleys or purely residential areas. Running here can mean fewer distractions and fewer vehicles that are the source of stuff that may mess up your lungs.