DALLAS SPORT

Welcome back. So we’ve discussed basic billiard stance and the need to maintain a straight stroke through the entire execution of your shot by keeping all your moving parts within a single plane-of-motion. We’ve also talked about how to play pool better by having a proper understanding of billiards shots like the center-ball hit, the draw shot, and the follow shot. I think next, I’ll go over some billiards lessons concerning English.

Very early on, every eager amateur player wants to learn how to play pool using English to move the cue around the pool table. It’s seems like a natural progression: learn some basic on how to shoot pool, and then jump right into spinning the cue ball all over the place. Yet many of you don’t realize how dangerous and uncontrollable English can be, even after witnessing poor position results and missed billiard shots over and over again. Learning to control side-spin requires an enormous amount of practice.

Amateur players would serve themselves well by forgetting that side-spin even exists, yet since that will likely never happen, I am going to do my best to lay out some pros and cons, and some why’s and how’s about the proper use of English in your pool game.

PROS:

* A gentle application of side-spin might help you make your next position, allowing you to hit the cue ball with less force than if you tried to reach the same position with a center-hit.

* English might dig your cue ball out of a hole when you are out of other, more comfortable, options like center-ball draw and follow.

* English can quickly spin the cue around several rails where a billiard shot with only draw or follow might fail to get you where you want to go easily.

* English can actually be used to throw an object ball along the proper path when you otherwise might not have enough of a shot to make the ball.

When people think of sports they very rarely consider Badminton one of them, but it is a real sport and it can be a really tough sport at the higher levels. It is very popular around the world, and fun to play. In fact, anyone can play the game without too much training, but for the world badminton players, its fierce competition, and they mean business!

The reality is that the average person doesn’t even know how to spell Badminton without a spell checker. They try things like;

• Badminton
• Bad Mitten
• Badminton
• Bad mitten

All of which is really bad spelling errors, so you need to know that first. Next, before you go out and trash a sport you don’t know much about, I suggest you go to YouTube and search “Crazy Badminton” and watch a few of the 1-2 minute videos of extreme rallies, Olympic style competition, and world class tournament play. Then come back to this article so, you can participate without your incorrect pre-conceived notions of one of the greatest games ever created.

You see, badminton requires extremely sharp hand-eye coordination, super agility, and when two-man teams play, there is a lot of strategy to be worked out, well, if you want to win that is. Yes, it is true you can go to Wal-Mart and buy a badminton set complete with net for about $29.00 but that is not what the world class players or serious players use.

Luckily, you can get a backyard set up very inexpensively, and you start there, it’s great for kids, BBQs, and fun. Then as you progress you can work yourself up to an amateur category. But I warn you these superstars of humanity that play at the world class level are nothing short of incredible athletes all the way around, and they are young too, in their early 20s. Please consider all this.

Lynch’s Woods Park, located off Hwy. 76 just east of Newberry, South Carolina is a local gem. Although the park has been around for a number of years, it has only recently begun to attract visitors from outside the Newberry area. A three mile section of the park has been designated as part of South Carolina’s Palmetto Trail, and that has led to its discovery by a wider group of users.

The 286 acres that today make up Lynch’s Park was once part of a larger tract of land that was owned by Elijah Lynch in the 1840s. The land was eventually acquired by Newberry County. In the 1930s the Civilian Conservation Corps began to develop the park, and a road, stone walls, and a camp were built. The park was used through the 1940s and 1950s, and then began to fall into disrepair. Since the 1990s many improvements have been made to the road and the facilities.

Lynch’s Woods is a lovely upland forest containing loblolly pine, tulip poplar, hickory, and white oak trees. Several small creeks run through the park. Access into the park is by a four mile gravel road. There are designated loop trails for hikers and bikers, including a 7.5 mile mountain bike trail of moderate difficulty. Some trails are also designated for horseback riding. In addition, there are picnic shelters, rest rooms, and primitive campsites.

Three miles of trail within the park are part of the Palmetto Trail, a 425 mile recreational trail that will eventually connect the mountains with the sea. When finished, the trail will begin at Oconee State Park in the Upstate and end on the coast north of Charleston. The Palmetto Trail will be a multipurpose trail designed for hikers, bikers, and equestrians. A network of other trails will branch off of it. Approximately 2/3 of the trail is complete and open to the public, including the three mile section incorporated within Lynch’s Woods. This section is known as the “Gateway to the Upstate”.

After a day of recreation in Lynch’s Woods Park, visitors should save time for a stop in historic Newberry. This city has a charming downtown with many buildings that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Visitors will enjoy Newberry’s many antique and specialty shops, and its fine restaurants. The city is also home to picturesque Newberry College, a liberal arts college founded in 1856.

Manchester City has spent in excess of £100 man, in summer signings, in a bid to ‘buy’ the Premiership. At the least, this has ensured that expectations are sky high. But even a top four spot, let alone the title, has to be earned. And for that, City will have to do much better on the field, especially in away matches.

For instance, their home record was the third best of the last season. Yet, the Citizens finished 10th on the League table.

The first catch of the summer was Gareth Barry snared away from Aston Villa, and out of the grasp of Liverpool. Next came Blackburn Rovers ‘striker Roué Santa Cruz, answering the call of his former manager Mark Hughes.

Such was the lure of money that Carlos Tees was prepared to snub Manchester United to join the procession. Then followed Arsenal’ Emmanuel Adebayo and Kilo Toured.

But not all players would move only for the money, as for instance, John Terry and Samuel Too who said no to Hughes’ overtures.

Now, the team is so top heavy with big name players that Hughes’ biggest problem is ensuring that all of them get sufficient time in the playing eleven.

For instance, there is a surfeit of star strikers in Carlos Tees, Emmanuel Adebayo, and Roué Santa. (Incidentally, Robinson has left for AC Milan, on a four-year deal, in one of the Deadline Day surprises.)

Midfield could be a bone of contention with Barry likely to start, with an embarrassment of riches, on the bench, clamoring for the other two spots, including and Villa’s Milner, Nigel De Jung, Vincent Company, Martin Petro and Shaun Wright-Phillips.

Defense remains the grey area if any, with Shay Givens the best man in the back line. Sedum Omaha would need quality assistance on the field to help reach his potential, and another summer snare in the form of Jolson Escort could fill in that role.