...If Pele, Maridona, and Beckham don't sound at all familiar to you, or if you think Freddy Adou is a guy you may have gone to high school with, keep reading... please. This article covers all the equipment and skills you'll need to join the rest of the world in playing the wonderful game of soccer.

Actually, the rest of the world plays football - they call the sport that Steve Young used to play American football. The term 'soccer' came into being in the later part of the 19th century when people began abbreviating the french variation of 'association football' to soccer. Whatever name you use (I'll call it soccer for the purposes of this article), it refers to the fast-paced, exciting game that has captured the interest of more and more Americans in recent years. If you've found that you've been left behind when it comes to the sport, here's a few equipment tips and skills you'll need to have to start playing.

As the name 'football' suggests, you'll need a ball. Soccer balls come in many different sizes, materials, and styles; and league specifications vary depending on the age and level of the players. If you just want to buy a 'normal' ball, double check with the store clerks to make sure you've chosen the right one; or if you're buying online, you can check the ball size against the standards found at www.fifa.com. The best material for your ball depends on the type of surface you'r...more

3 Keys To Finding Your Natural Running Stride

...When I think back to when I was at school, my worst nightmare was running. I hated it, even more than football and rugy which I don't like even today. So I never thought that I'd be any good at running... until I found out the trick that I'm about to share with you now.

I realised that running was an important part of my cardio-vascular exercise, and that I needed to find a way to make it a little bit easier for me. When I used the treadmill, I was getting way out of breath way too quickly (less than 10 minutes, and that included 3 minutes fast walk to warm up). And yet I could go on the rowing machine for 20 minutes and hardly even notice it.

So something was wrong with my running technique.

Not knowing what to try, I just varied everything I could: speed, inclin...more

League One Betting Review - 13 February 2006

...gers climb to seventeenth in the table.

A last minute equaliser from Sean OHanlon ensured relegation strugglers Swindon Town remained unbeaten in three matches. Dean Windass looked to have granted Bradford City a 20/21 win with a goal 11 minutes from time until OHanlon nodded in at the death.

Bottom club MK Dons gave themselves a fighting chance of survival with a 3-0 win over Blackpool. Two goals from Izale McLeod and former Tangerines frontman Scott Taylor gave the 6/4 Dons a vital three points.<...more

Super Bowl Props: Do Your Homework

...us. They look to establish their running games and control the clock. Perhaps the first half will be more conservative, with the second half more wide-open as the trailing team looks to catch up. But lets not stop there. Is there anything in recent history to support this?

Last season, the Patriots and Eagles were tied 7-7 at the half, then there were 31 points scored in the second half. As we reasoned above, the Patriots jumped ahead 24-14 forcing the Eagles to pass more in the fourth quarter to get back in the game. Chalk one up for the second half having more scoring.

Two years ago, the Patriots and Panthers scored 24 first half points. Then they tallied 35 in the second half. Actually, there was no scoring in the third quarter and then the ...more

New York Yoga Cl With Live Music