A Look at Competitive Cornhole

The game of Cornhole has become an active sport in this country in several regions. You've probably seen this game at parties or carnivals in the past, but I bet you never knew it was a competitive sport. Although not as widespread as other sports, it is still a competition between leagues of people. Just as with bowling, pool, poker and other games, a good Cornhole game is fun to watch as well as participate in. Before you click away from this article assuming I've lost my mind, hear me out. Here's an explanation of how Cornhole can actually be considered a sport.

The Cornhole Song

I was browsing for a video about how to play Cornhole, and I came across this instead…



It's not ideal, but it made me laugh. I figured my article and my introduction wouldn't be complete without it.

How to Play Cornhole

Watch this video to learn how to play Cornhole if you want to check it out for yourself:



The game is pretty simple, but it can get competitive if you're into it. You just have to try it for yourself to see.

The Rules of Competitive Cornhole

As a matter of course, there are rules and regulations that apply in a series of competitions. Even in games played for mere fun, disputes sometimes arise. In consideration for fair play, scoring rules and other regulations are in place for competition Cornhole leagues.

The basic rules for the Cornhole game are simple. A player tosses a six-by-six inch bag filled with a pound of corn at a board with a six-inch hole in it. If the bag goes through the hole, the player scores three points. If he or she misses the hole but the bag remains on the board, one point is scored. The board itself measures two feet wide by four feet long, so there is plenty of surface for scoring. The player or team reaching a score of 21 points wins the game. These rules are only the simplest guidelines for the game. They get more specific for league competition.

For example, if the corn bag is hanging on the edge of the hole without dropping through it, some leagues will allow a score of two points. Others allow only one point. If the corn bag is hanging off the edge of the board but not touching the ground, the player earns one point. If it touches the ground, no point is given.

Scoring the Cornhole game can get a bit trickier than this, though. You don't need to be a tax accountant to figure it out, but you do need to do your research. What if the bag is not touching the ground but is touching a bag that is laying on the ground? Most leagues will allow one point added to the score while others check to see if the bag that is on the ground can be removed without the other falling to the ground. If it remains on the board, the point is allowed. In rare cases, the league will specify that this sort of scenario automatically negates the point and another toss is not allowed.

Conclusion

More often than not, a competition Cornhole game remains a friendly test of skill. However, having a set of rules for scoring in place before the start of a game solves any dispute that arises. Although leagues in different regions have some rules that differ, most remain a constant in competition play. Check out Cornhole leagues in your area for more information, or go to AmericanCornhole.org.

How to Choose a Tennis Racquet

Buying a tennis racquet that suits your play can seem like a challenge, but if you know what you're looking for, you can see a vast improvement in your game. If you are just starting out in the sport, a big investment in a quality racquet might be a bit of a waste. If you plan on making this a frequent hobby, however, you need to have a racquet that will best enhance your natural abilities so you can effectively control and drive the ball as you want to. Below are a few tips that will help you choose the best racquet for your tennis style.

Step 1 – Identify Your Level of Play

You have to identify yourself as a beginning, intermediate or advanced player. Beginning players often hit with less power and less control than other players. Thus they need a versatile racquet that they can build their skills off of. A large racquet with average string tension will be the best in this case. For intermediate players who have a greater understanding of the principles of tennis, racquets can become more defined. By the time most players reach an advanced level of play, they pretty well know what specifics they need out of their racquet to yield the greatest performance.

Step 2 – Analyze Your Style of Play

Your racquet will greatly be determined by your tennis techniques. A powerful player with a strong swing is going to have a much different set of needs when compared to a manipulative player with weak arms. In tennis, the key to racquet selection is to find a racquet that will balance power and control with what you already offer. In other words, if you already have a ton of power in your swing, you need a racquet that will provide a lot of control. The same theory works in reverse. If you play with a medium level of power and control, you will need a racquet that will accommodate that.

Step 3 – Match the Racquet to Your Playing Style

Power players work well with small, light racquets that provide maximum control. Control players work well with medium to large sized racquets that have a stiff frame and heavy body to help drive the tennis ball towards a target. If you are a combination player, you will need to look for a mid-sized racquet with a good balance of stiffness, length, weight and the like.

Step 4 – Choose Your Grip Size

Measure the length from the middle of your palm to the end of your ring finger to determine your grip size. Women usually remain in the 4 1/8" to 4 3/8", while men stay around 4 1/2" to 4 3/4". If you are worried about getting the wrong size, go with a smaller grip that you can put an overgrip on. That should provide you with the right fit.

Step 5 – Choose Your String Tension

Every racquet has a recommended string tension. Some of them come pre-strung with that, and others and others are left unstrung for you to choose what you want. If you need more power out of your racquet, get a lower string tension. If you need more control, get a higher tension rate. You can take this to any local tennis shop to get strung, or you can custom order the stringing when you purchase your racquet. After the strings are set, simply get a case for your racquet and test it out.

Tennis Racquet Testing

If you can't seem to find the racquet for you, you could look into tennis racquet testing. Many websites offer this program nowadays, allowing you to try out different tennis racquets to see what you like the best. I've actually used the demo program from Tennis-Warehouse.com, and it helped me find the racquet I'm currently using. I paid for shipping there and back – that's it. You could do the same and save a ton of money testing out racquets.

Whether you're a pharmacy tech or an electrical engineer, you can find a tennis racquet suited to your needs. All you have to do is look around. Test out some different options and see what works for you.

If You Thought Cricket Was a Strange Sport, Wait Till You See These!

Cricket and Rugby are two sports I don’t quite get. Truth is, I wasn’t too much interested in finding out more about them. All I know is that in cricket, the word ‘wicket’ is used quite often and in Rugby, you have to run for your life. Hey, I have an excuse! I graduated from the kaplan university and I’m ready to become a financial analyst, so I didn’t have too much contact with the world of sports, despite being a football (soccer) and a tennis fan. My field of activity doesn’t have too much in common with sports, unless you’re an impresario who at night, in order to sleep, counts dollars instead of sheep.

Do I think that cricket is a strange sport? Not really. I think it takes more than not understanding the rules, for a sport to be considered strange. If you take the logical path, you would consider that pretty much most of the sports are weird, since they consist of a bunch of people chasing a ball. Trust me, there are people who have a twisted notion of the word ‘entertainment’, an element which is required in every sport. Here is a list of some of those sports which are either overly complicated or plain weird.

• Wife Carrying

Ah, love is in the air! Isn’t this nice? Carrying your wife on your shoulders (literally) with her head upside down as if she was some kind of a spider who just won’t let you go is one of the most romantic things a man can do for his wife. Uh, not really, if you ask me. I can’t figure out why would it be fun for a man to carry his 49 kg wife (that’s the required weight) on his back and face a bunch of obstacles without letting her go? If he drops her, does it mean he doesn’t love her too much or what? Yes, the woman has to wear a helmet, but just the thought of staying with your head upside down, while your man jumps and runs through the obstacles makes me feel dizzy. It all started in Finland and of course, it’s also practiced now in Asia and North America. The participants even have to pay a fee to enter the competition. Great! And I was thinking they should pay me to participate. Now, trying to be more serious, although with a sport like this you can’t, I can see why people see it as a source of entertainment. This whole teamwork makes the pairs get closer to each other and regardless if they win or not, they’ll have a great time, otherwise they wouldn’t have participated.

• Octopush or underwater hockey

Rules are the same as in hockey, except it’s being played underwater; the sport has become popular in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the UK. And I thought Ice Hockey was difficult! I’ve never actually seen an underwater hockey game, but the fact that you’re playing it underwater, where it’s a lot harder to control both the puck and your body, makes it a bit strange. I understand water polo, but here you actually have to get to the surface several times and get some air.

• Cheese Rolling

You might have heard about this sport, but if you’re not keen of getting a bunch of bruises, you might want to postpone your participation to this competition. Basically, from the top of a hill, the participants have to run after a round of Double Gloucester cheese. Of course, there are small chances that one of the competitors will actually catch it, so the goal is to reach the finish line first and obviously, there will be some pushing and shoving involved.

After seeing this video, you’ll regret the day you thought Cricket was a weird sport.

How Women Increased the Popularity of Soccer Playing in the United States

When we think of football – or soccer, like it’s called in some places, we think of England, Spain, Germany, France, etc. The football is pretty much a European sport, although South Americans might have something against this claim, since they also have strong leagues, like the Primera Division in Argentina or the Campeonato Brasileiro in Brazil and their Copa America is quite an important continental competition. Besides, they are also known for having some of the fiercest football fans and their street fights are as famous as those from England.

The truth is; you name a lot of countries before mentioning the United States of America. It’s just not their kind of sport. They have the MLB, the NBA, the NFL and the NHL and that’s about it. You won’t see soccer become a national sport any time soon there.

Now, let’s say you’re about to make a career-defining choice and you weren’t quite made to be a social worker. God, no, you make absolutely no chemistry with counseling – or psychotherapy for that matter. You just can’t see yourself talking with people about anything like that; it’s not your thing. How about choosing any of the careers in law enforcements? You have the body type of a police officer who could put down a few criminals without breaking a sweat, but no, you’re not interested in any of that. As a matter of fact, you have an inclination to become involved in sports. There’s nothing wrong with that, there are people meant to play on a field. But here comes the interesting part. You live in the USA and you want to be a soccer player! What? A soccer player? Since when? Doesn’t American Football sound better to your ears? No, you actually want to be a soccer player and you know exactly what it means.

Believe it or not, soccer suffered an increase regarding its popularity in the USA. And believe it even less, women are also in part responsible for that. In 1994, the United States hosted their first World Cup, leading to the creation of the Major League Soccer two years later. The signing of David Beckham by the LA Galaxy in 2007 helped further the reputation of this sport. However, the women are the ones who really put the USA on the map of football. Hosting two FIFA Women’s World Cups and being the best female national team in the world not only convinced the women to give more attention to this sport, but also the men, who by the way, aren’t that bad either regarding the FIFA World Rankings, being ahead of teams like Belgium, Venezuela, Nigeria or Czech Republic and occupying the position 34.

It’s interesting to see how women can make a difference in one of the least expected fields, which is clearly dominated by men. But they can play as good as them. Just check out this dribbling that would make Leo Messi proud: