What I Know and Remember About Baseball - The Eyes Have It

Eating carrots to develop good eye sight is sound advise. Unfortunately there is a little more to developing how your eyes move in relation to playing Baseball. Albeit there are many persons with natural ability use their eyes in tracking there target, still the normal reaction is to move the entire head and in the worst case, the entire body.

Sit for a moment and pick two objects 5 to 10 feet away from you about 6 to 10 feet apart. You should be able to comfortably see both at the same time. Now pick one to focus on. As quick as you can, turn your head to the second object and note the time it takes to select it. Now, start with your original target, hold your head still and move your eyes only to the second target. Unless you have quick twitch muscles throughout your body like a Barry Bonds, you should have noticed that it takes much less time to move your eyes than it does your head. That is because your eyes can move up to 5 times faster than your neck.

The speed at which you tract a target relates to your brain how much information you gather about the target and the perceived speed of the target. Occasionally experts will discuss how great baseball hitters and fielders see the ball well enough to slow it down. By allowing your eyes to make the most of the movement you gather more information and the perceived speed slows down. You now have the information to react sooner, get into position quicker and let your developed eye - hand coordination complete the desired result.

Focus on the object, in our case a baseball, is easier and far more comfortable when you have given some time to teach your eyes what you expect of them. Active vision training is not difficult. As players progress and the speed increases, active vision is essential for the next phase, prediction.

When a pitcher hurls the ball at 90+ mph there is only a fraction of a second with which to pick up the ball and determine where to swing the bat. Some have theorized that the last two one hundredths of a second, when the ball meets the bat, even the best players cannot see that moment. So how do they hit it? The information presented by their vision helps their body predict where the ball will be. More information, better prediction, better batting average.

Baseball vision training does not have to be a grueling process. Simple exercises such as sitting still and tossing a ball in the air and catching it while keeping your head still is an excellent beginning. Then move on to standing with the baseball going higher. Mix it up with left to right movement bearing in mind to track the ball with your eyes only.

An advanced drill that is a lot of fun is to place a ball on three feet of string. Have your player lie flat on their back in a room where you can control the light. As a pendulum, swing the ball back and forth and give the catch command at which point your player grasps the ball quickly with both hands. To add difficulty, swing the ball then have your player close their eyes for a swing or two then give the command. Need more challenge, turn off the light and add a strobe light, laughter will ensue, but it really does work.

Vary the challenges of the drills and the speed of the strobe lights.

For those of the practical persuasion, visit a batting cage. Stand outside the net and mid length of the cage and have your player track the baseball from the machine to the plate. You can seehow the longer flight to follow enables a longer task to work from.

Baseballs, batting cages, rain dripping off the gutter even house flies; the act of being still and letting your eyes do the work will develop the players vision. The more they see, the easier everything becomes.

Swordsmanship: The Tradition of Fencing

The art of swordsmanship has changed over the years since the world continues to become more modern. However, there are still some people who practice traditional sword play. Since swords have been such a part of human history globally, it is not surprising that fencing would be included in Olympic events.

Friendly competition has been a part of the human experience since the beginning of time. Unfortunately much of the competition has stemmed from the need to survive on planet Earth. Therefore, it is easy to see how some competitions end with not so friendly outcomes. In order to help maintain a civil atmosphere when testing the limits of human prowess rules were created. One on one sporting events show how important following the rules can be.

Anywhere from boxing, tennis, wrestling and chess, there are guidelines which must be followed in order to adhere to official gameplay. Since fencing is a sport that is considered to be for gentlemen of valor and dignity, the rules must be followed with the strictest of scrutiny. It is interesting how over time as the rules for fencing evolved, the further away the sport has moved from traditional swordsmanship of martial arts.

Many people view fencing much like a game of chess where tactics and tricks can be employed. Masters of fencing change strategies to throw off their opponent. Fencers use timed attacks and distractions while gauging distance. Footwork and blade work need to be studied in order to get a firm grasp of how to fence. Basic moves include the simple attack (lunge, fleche and thrust), compound attack, parry, riposte and feint.

Today fencing is divided in to several areas; academic fencing, stage fencing, historical fencing and Olympic fencing. Olympic fencing is what most people today are familiar with. The competition can either be with teams or individuals. Modern bouts can be conducted using one of three different fencing weapons, each one having its own set of rules. These rules have been developed over the years to add fairness or sportsmanship to the bouts. Electronic devices have also been implemented since the blows can be very quick and hard to register with the naked eye. Points are only tallied when one opponent makes contact with his weapon properly in the strike zone while following the "right of way" rules if they apply. Right of way means the first person to initiate an attack properly wins the point. Right of way rules do not apply for bouts using the epee. The other two weapon bouts which follow the right of way rules are the saber and foil.

Although swords are viewed today as weapons of a bygone era and should only be sold to collectors or museums, many people cherish the tradition of fencing. The sport is recognized worldwide as the sport of kings and nobleman. All bouts are conducted with such formality and grace that it is easy to see how fencing became such an Olympic event. Poetry and folklore follow the sword through space and time and will continue to do so.

Win at the Dog Track With a Crazy Little System

For those of us who are serious about greyhound handicapping it's hard to imagine how anyone could bet on the dogs just for fun. Even harder to understand is how some people can bet and not really care if they win or lose. Yet, according to studies, over 33% of the crowd at any track fits this profile.

Well, different strokes for different folks and all that, but I still think even this group is happier when they win. However, most of them don't want to put any effort into handicapping. They just want to kick back, relax and have a good time.

So, if you're one of the people who consider whatever you bring to the track just money spent for entertainment, here's a little system that could send you home with more money in your pocket in addition to a good time.

Actually, there are a couple of ways to increase your odds of winning if you only go to the track on a casual basis. Here's the most simple way. Bet on inside dogs that run inside. Just look at the 1, 2, and 3 dogs in a race and bet on the one that runs inside and is closest to the rail.

For instance, if the 1 dog runs inside according to the comments in the program, bet on it to win. If it doesn't but the 2 dog runs inside, bet on the 2 dog. Ditto for the 3 if neither the 1 or 2 run inside. Of course, I'm talking about $2 bets, not big bets.

If you want to get a little more fancy, look for an inside dog who runs inside and has early speed - low numbers in the first three calls on the program. At most tracks, dogs who run the inside, get out fast and have good early speed have a good percentage for running in the money.

This is just a quick little system, not a sure thing so bet accordingly. And if you make a little money, share it with your friends next time you go to the track and give them a chance to win too.