Thierry Henry

1977Born August 17 in Paris.

1990Joins French first division Monaco as a 13-year-old.1994August: Makes French first division debut for Monaco against Nice, Monaco lose 2-0. Monaco coach was Arsene Wenger.

1995April: Scores first goals in first division, two in 6-0 victory over RC Lens.1996May: Voted French Young Player of the Year.1997January: Signs first professional contract with Monaco.May: Monaco win French league championship. Henry scores nine goals in 36 matches.June: Helps France reach quarter-finals of World Youth championship in Malaysia.October: Wins first French cap in World Cup warm-up match against South Africa in Lens.1998June: Plays in six of seven games in World Cup finals for winners France, staying on the bench for the 3-0 final victory over Brazil but scoring three first round goals -- one against South Africa and two against Saudi Arabia.1999January: Joins Juventus on after Italians outbid Arsenal.

April: Scores first goals for Juventus, two in 3-1 defeat of league leaders Lazio.1999August: Joins Arsenal for 10.5 million pounds.September: Fails to score in first eight appearances, eventually getting off the mark in 1-0 win over Southampton.2000June: Scores three goals as France win Euro 2000.2001May: Ends season with 22 goals.2002May: Scores 31 goals for Arsenal as they clinch the Double.June: Sent off for France against Uruguay in the World Cup finals as his country fail to progress from group stage.2003May: With three games remaining, Henry has scored 22 league goals as Arsenal chase second consecutive league title. He has also helped them reach second straight FA Cup final in a row.

June: Voted PFA player of the year and Football Writers' Association player of the year.December: Runner-up in European Footballer of the Year poll, same position in FIFA world player of the year poll.2004May: Top scorer in Premier League with 30 goals as Arsenal win title without losing a match, a feat last achieved 115 years previously. Voted PFA player of the year. Becomes first player since award began more than 50 years ago to be named FWA player of the year in successive seasons.December: Runner-up in FIFA world player of the year poll.2005May: Helps Arsenal win FA Cup although injury keeps him out of final against Manchester United.October: Becomes top-scorer in Arsenal's history, netting twice in Champions League win over Sparta Prague to take his tally to 186, one more than set by Ian Wright in 1990s2006February: Scores 200th goal for Arsenal in win over Birmingham.April: Voted Footballer of the Year for the third time in four years by the Football Writers' Association, becomes the first player in 59 years of the award to receive the accolade three times.May: Captains Arsenal in their first Champions League final. Arsenal beaten 2-1 by Barcelona after goalkeeper Jens Lehmann sent off... Agrees to a new four-year contract with the Gunners, ending months of speculation about his future.

handbal history

The origins of Handball are a subject of great debate. One view is that it was invented in Germany, back in the late 19th century, as an outdoor sport to keep soccer players fit during the summer months. Outdoor Handball involved 11 players on each side and was played on a virtually fullsize turf soccer ground with soccer goals. It was mainly played with soccer rules, except it was played with the hands and kicking the ball was illegal rather than the other way round. However, there are records of handballstyle games going back to antiquity. The sport was depicted on a tombstone carving in Athens dated 600BC. The first match of the modern era was officially recorded on 29 October 1917 in Berlin, Germany. Outdoor Handball had its only Olympic Games appearance in the XIth Olympiad (1936 Berlin Games). The first international match recorded was played on 3 September 1925 with Germany defeating Austria, 6:3.
The sport's international governing body was first formed in 1928 as the Federation Internationale Handball Amateur, and took its current name in Copenhagen, Denmark in 1946 as the International Handball Federation (IHF). The IHF's first president was Avery Brundage an American who went on to become president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
Indoor Handball was invented in the 1940s in Denmark. This is a 7aside game, played on a court slightly larger than a basketball court with smaller goals than its outdoor counterpart. Again, this sport flourished in the Germanic nations where it was hoped that it would appeal to a wider audience. With rules from other sports like basketball being introduced, this made the game simpler to play and more exciting to watch. The fact that it became a winter sport added to the spectator appeal being away from the cold, seated in comfort, with more action and excitement and higher scores than soccer. The sport is now played all over the world and was reintroduced as an Olympic event for the XXth Olympiad (1972 Munich Games).
Handball has always been a sport dominated by the European nations. In its formative years as an outdoor game, Germany, Austria and Denmark dominated in the international sphere, even though not many other nations outside Europe were playing the game.

After World War II, and the introduction of the indoor game, the Eastern Europeans quickly become competitive and were soon dominating the sport. Nations like the Soviet Union, Romania, Yugoslavia, East Germany and Hungary were regularly in the top three in most of the male and female international competitions. Only Sweden showed any significant resistance to the Eastern Bloc.

With the conclusion of the cold war and the collapse of the Eastern Bloc alliance, many of these nations suffered a temporary economic downturn which effected some of the national teams to lose the winning edge and a number of prominent players and coaches migrating to the west. Countries like France, Spain and Germany began to dominate. Some African (Algeria and Egypt) and Asian (South Korea and China) nations started to make an impact on the international competitions (especially the Olympics) in the late 1980s early 1990s.

The indoor game is now the more popular of the two types of handball. The outdoor variety is rarely played these days mainly for special occasions or by purists.

In recent years, a new outdoor version has emerged called Beach Handball, played naturally on the sands of a beach. This variety is now recognised by the IHF and now has formal rules.

Handball is now played on every habitable continent on this planet. It is estimated that about 7 million players are registered with a club. Many of the European clubs are professional and professional clubs in Asia (in South Korea, China and Japan) are becoming established and are considered as very competitive on the international stage. Africa, Americas and Oceania (our region) mainly comprise of amateur clubs but are very enthusiastic.

About Handball

Handball (or "team handball") is a fast-paced game involving two teams of seven players who pass, throw, catch and dribble a small ball with their hands while trying to score goals. The team with the most goals wins the game. A game consists of two 30-minute halves with a 10-minute half-time break. Even the ancient Greeks...The sport of handball as it is played today certainly has a chequered history.

The very fact that man has always been more adept at using his hands than his feet lends credibility to the claim made by famous sports historians that he started playing handball much earlier than, say, football.Ancient forms of handballThe games that were precursors of handball can only said to be distantly related to it in terms of their structure and rules of play.

Nonetheless, the games of "Urania" played by the Ancient Greeks (and described by Homer in the Odyssey) and "Harpaston" played by the Romans (and described by the Roman doctor Claudius Galenus in 130 to 200 A.D.) as well as in the "Fangballspiel" (or 'catch ball game') featured in the songs of the German lyrical poet Walther von der Vogelweide (1170-1230) all contained certain features that can be described as ancient forms of handball.Modern handballModern handball was first played towards the end of the 19th century. For instance, one such game was played in the Danish town of Nyborg in 1897. The real impulses emanated from Denmark, Germany and Sweden. The founding fathers of field handball were probably German physical education experts who gained recognition for field handball as a separate sport at the turn of the century, based on the games of "Raffball" ('snatch ball') and "Königsbergerball" (Konrad Koch 1846-1911). In Sweden it was G. Wallström who introduced his country to a certain sport named "handball" in 1910.

Money Laundering through the Football Sector

The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has published a study examining what makes the football sector attractive to criminals. The report warns that football is at risk from criminals buying clubs, transferring players, and betting on the sport. The study has relied on the experience and support of the Member States of the FATF, the European Commission and the private sector. The report is a contribution to the implementation of the White Paper on Sport in the area of the fight against corruption and money laundering.

The FATF report examines the football sector in economic and social terms and provides case examples identifying areas that could be exploited by those who want to invest illegal money into football. Vulnerable areas relate to ownership of football clubs or players, the transfer market, betting activities, image rights and sponsoring and advertising arrangements.
The goal of the report is to draw attention to some of the risks facing the football sector in particular (and the sport sector in general) regarding misuse by criminals, so that Government policy makers, law enforcement bodies, the financial sector and sports regulatory authorities can better understand and deal with this problem.
The report presents some policy recommendations, including the need to raise awareness.
The European Commission welcomes the report. In its 2007 White Paper on Sport, the Commission indicated that corruption, money laundering and other forms of financial crime should be tackled ("Pierre de Coubertin" Action Plan, actions nos. 44 and 45):
(44) The Commission will support public-private partnerships representative of sports interests and anti-corruption authorities, which would identify vulnerabilities to corruption in the sport sector and assist in the development of effective preventive and repressive strategies to counter such corruption.
(45) The Commission will continue to monitor the implementation of EU anti-money laundering legislation in the Member States with regard to the sport sector.
The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is an inter-governmental body whose purpose is the development and promotion of policies, both at national and international levels, to combat money laundering and terrorist financing.

History of Volleyball

In 2009, the sport of Volleyball is 114 years old!
The sport originated in the United States, and is now just achieving the type of popularity in the U.S. that it has received on a global basis, where it ranks behind only soccer among participation sports.
Today there are more than 46 million Americans who play volleyball. There are 800 million players worldwide who play volleyball at least once a week.
In 1895, William G. Morgan, an instructor at the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) in Holyoke, Mass., decided to blend elements of basketball, baseball, tennis, and handball to create a game for his classes of businessmen which would demand less physical contact than basketball. He created the game of Volleyball (at that time called, mintonette). Morgan borrowed the net from tennis, and raised it 6 feet 6 inches above the floor, just above the average man's head.
During a demonstration game, someone remarked to Morgan that the players seemed to be volleying the ball back and forth over the net, and perhaps "volleyball" would be a more descriptive name for the sport. On July 7, 1896 at Springfield College the first game of "volleyball" was played.

1895: W. G. Morgan (1870-1942) created the game of volleyball in Holyoke, Massachuesetts for the YMCA.
1900: a special ball was designed for the sport.
1916: in the Philippines, an offensive style of passing the ball in a high trajectory to be struck by another player (the set and spike) were introduced.
1917: the game was changed from 21 to 15 points.
1920s: there are unconfirmed whispers of men’s teams playing on the beach in Hawaii, but most accounts place the sport's origin in Santa Monica, California where the first Volleyball courts are put up on the beach at the Playground. Families play 6 vs. 6...
1920: three hits per side and back row attack rules were instituted.
1922: the first YMCA national championships were held in Brookliyn, NY. 27 teams from 11 states were represented.
1928: it became clear that tournaments and rules were needed, the United States Volleyball Association (USVBA, now USA Volleyball) was formed. The first U.S. Open was staged, as the field was open to non-YMCA squads.
1930s: the first two-man beach volleyball game is played in Santa Monica, California..
1934: the approval and recognition of national volleyball referees.
1937: at the AAU convention in Boston, action was taken to recognize the U.S. Volleyball Association as the official National Governing Body (NGB) in the U.S.
1947: the Federation Internationale De Volley-Ball (FIVB) was founded.
1948: the first two-man beach tournament was held.
1949: the initial World Championships were held in Prague, Czechoslovakia.
1964: Volleyball was introduced to the Olympic Games in Tokyo.
1965: the California Beach Volleyball Association (CBVA) was formed.
1974: the World Championships in Mexico were telecast in Japan.
1975: the U.S. National Women's team began a year-round training regime in Pasadena, Texas (moved to Colorado Springs in 1979, Coto de Caza and Fountain Valley, CA in 1980, and San Diego, CA in 1985).
1977: the U.S. National Men's team began a year-round training regime in Dayton, Ohio (moved to San Diego, CA in 1981).
1983: the Association of Volleyball Professionals (AVP) was formed.
1984: the U.S. won their first medals at the Olympics in Los Angeles. The Men won the Gold, and the Women the Silver.
1986: the Women's Professional Volleyball Association (WPVA) was formed.
1988: the U.S. Men repeated the Gold in the Olympics in Korea.
1989: the FIVB Sports Aid Program was created.
1990: the World League was created.
1995: the sport of Volleyball was 100 years old! This Web site - Volleyball.Com goes live!
1996: two-person beach volleyball debuted as an Olympic Sport.
1997: Dain Blanton (with Canyon Ceman) becomes the first African-American professional beach volleyball player to win a tournament on the Miller Lite/AVP Tour.
1998: For the first time in the FIVB World Tour, men and women players are rewarded at the same level with $170,000 in total prize money per Open event.
1999: For the first time beach volleyball was included in the Pan American Games which were held in Canada.
2000: Olympic Beach Volleyball Men's Gold medallists: Eric Fomoimoana & Dain Blanton (USA). The women's Beach Volleyball America (BVA) announces their inaugural season of play.
2001: Christopher "Sinjin" Smith plays the final match of his impressive career, a 21-19 and 24-22 loss with George Roumain to Dax Holdren and Todd Rogers in the 4th round of the contender's bracket at the AVP Manhattan Beach Open. Sinjin retires as the leader in tournaments played with 416, 2nd in all-time victories with 139, and 4th in all-time winnings with over US$1.6 million earned.
2002: Beach volleyball court dimensions reduced to 8m x 8m per side.
2003: Karch Kiraly becomes the first player to earn US$3M in prize money and oldest player to win an AVP tournament at age 42 years, 9 months and 14 days. (You're never too old for volleyball!)
2004: Kerri Walsh and Misty May Win the Women's Olympic Beach Volleyball Title
2005: Olympic gold medalists Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor win their second Association of Volleyball Professionals (AVP) Open women's title and the 2005 overall women's championship.
2006: Elaine Youngs' second place finish (with Rachel Wacholder) in Seaside Heights pushes her career earnings past $1 million. She becomes the third American woman to achieve that mark.
2006: In Seaside Heights, both Casey Jennings (with Matt Fuerbringer) and Kerri Walsh (with Misty May-Treanor) won titles, becoming just the second husband-wife duo to win pro beach events on the same weekend. They join Mike and Patty Dodd, who accomplished the feat four times in 1989, but each time in different locations.
2006: Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor win in Chicago as Walsh joins the millionaire club. She is the 18th person worldwide to win over $1 million in her career, and did so in fewer events (90th tournament) as well as being one of just four to reach the mark before turning 28 years old.
2007: Misty May-Treanor passes Brazilians Adriana Behar and Shelda Bede as the winningest player since the women's competition on the international beach volleyball circuit began in 1992.
2007: Misty May-Treanor becomes the women's all-time wins leader by capturing her 73rd victory, surpassing Holly McPeak's record by winning with Kerri Walsh in Hermosa Beach. She reached this total in just 123 tournaments -- winning 57.5% of her event.
2007: In a championship match that lasted 1:41, Nicole Branagh and Elaine Youngs defeat Jennifer Boss and April Ross 21-19, 18-21, 16-14 in Seaside Heights. The volleyball marathon set the record for the longest match in rally scoring, men or women, in domestic or international play.
2007: Karch Kiraly retires to close an impressive career on the beach, leaving as the all-time wins leader and money earner. His longevity was marked by the fact he won a tournament in 24 different years, and he advanced to the semifinals in over 75% of all the events he ever played and was named as the AVP's MVP a record-most six times.
2008: Hot Winter Nights, a series of 19 events in January and February, kicks off in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma marking the first ever indoor beach volleyball tour. Mark Williams and Nancy Mason are the first winners in the "King of the Beach format" events.
2009: Taneesha Chase (Lincoln High School of Lincoln,Nebraska) has been scouted by over 50 schools. And holds the recored for "Most schools scouted for a Female Athlete" yeeepeee!

How much running do I need to do?

The American College of Sports Medicine Position Statement on Exercise that I mentioned earlier recommends that all healthy adults should do the following:
1. Frequency of training: three to five days per week2. Intensity of training: 55/65%-90% of maximum heart rate (HRmax)3. Duration of training: 20-60 minutes of continuous or intermittent aerobic activity4. Mode of activity: any activity that uses large muscle groups, which can be maintained continuously, and is rhythmical and aerobic in nature (for example, walking-hiking, running-jogging, cycling-bicycling, cross-country skiing, aerobic dance/group exercise, rope skipping, rowing, stair climbing, swimming, skating, and various endurance game activities or some combination thereof)
Running and jogging are right there, and they count!

What are proper running techniques?
Beginner tips
Sure, you could go out and just run, and there's no evidence to suggest that that won't work just fine. But if you're struggling with running, or something just doesn't feel right, then it might be worth paying attention to your form. The following tips for correct running form are adapted from Runner's World Magazine and Jeff Galloway. I'll start at the top and work down.
Head: You should look forward toward the horizon when you run. To do that, keep your head on top of your spine and do not bend forward or look down at your feet. Your head weighs at least 13 pounds, and you don't want it dragging you down with forward-head posture! The emphasis is on keeping your body erect, because you're fighting gravity when you lean forward (it's okay if you look down at the ground at least 20 feet ahead of you since you won't lean forward to do that). Keep your face and jaw relaxed, too; it's okay if they shake and bounce as you run.
Shoulders: Keep them relaxed and loose. Shrugging, tightening, and creating tension in your shoulders and neck will waste energy and deplete you quickly. Stay loose as a goose!
Torso: As Jeff Galloway says, "Your torso's only along for the ride." Track coaches describe the ideal posture as running tall, which means that you stretch yourself up to full height with no strain from the torso. This will allow you to breathe maximally and put your body in the optimal biomechanical position for moving forward.
Hips: Your hips are close to your center of gravity and will be in proper alignment if your torso and head are aligned. If you lean forward, your hips will tilt forward too and that will strain your lower back.
Legs: Sprinters lift their knees very high when they run, but for distance running, and even shorter distances, keep your knees low. It takes a lot of energy to lift your knees, and even running a mile will be tough if you do so. Instead, quicker ankle action will help you increase your speed.
Ankles: Your ankles are efficient levers that have the potential for great power when you run. Feel your calf muscles and ankles work as you push off on each step.
Arms: Arms should remain close to the body and swing forward and back and not across your body to minimize torso rotation (the exception is Bill Rodgers who had memorably wide elbows when he ran). Your hands should not cross the midline of your body (imagine a line drawn right down the center of your chest). The swing should be held low, elbows bent at a 90-degree angle and relaxed. You should do most of the work with your lower arms; the upper arms should not move very much.
Hands: Cup your hands by gently touching your thumb to the top half of your index fingers. It's as if you are holding a small bird that you don't want to fly away but you don't want to squeeze too tight either.
Some additional tips
Breathing tips: Lift your chest up and out while running to breathe deeply. Also exhale fully; this will increase your inhalation. Keep some focus on your torso, neck, and shoulders, too. Tight muscles will constrict breathing, so work on maintaining a relaxed posture when you run.
Running uphill: Maintain your rhythm and the same level of effort but shorten your stride and slow down as you climb.
Running downhill: Let gravity work so the hill pulls you down, but stay in control. Your stride will lengthen, but don't let it lengthen too much because the pounding will fatigue your legs.

Psychological Benefits of Jogging

Aside from the health benefits jogging or running imparts, there are also many psychological benefits to a regular running or jogging program. Some of these include the confidence and character that running builds, the stress relief, and the attitude boost. Oh, and let's not forget the runner's high.

Running builds confidence like few other individual sports can. It allows the runner to defeat trial after trial, growing stronger and more sure of themselves with each footstrike. It allows you to truly climb hills and clear obstacles. It provides a feeling of empowerment and freedom that comes with knowing that your legs and body are strong and capable. Confidence is even more a product of running for those who lose weight and gain a better self-image through running.

Stress relief is another huge benefit of jogging. Whether by allowing you the time to think about life's problems or time to escape them for awhile, tension easily flies by the wayside as you fly over the miles. Distance runs are great for solving problems that are nagging at you. What better than a 3 hour run all by yourself to clear your mind and allow you to pin down an answer? Speed runs are great for tearing through aggression and anger. Focus all that emotion into a few sprints and you'll feel better in no time.

Aside from just the stress relief, jogging has also been proven to improve attitude. Running, especially outside and on trails, creates a release of endorphins that can cause euphoria (runner's high) or just a general sense of happiness. Running has been used for years to treat clinical depression and addictions of all kinds. Less tension, less depression, less fatigue, and less confusion are just a few of the changes that patient's have seen after beginning a regular running program. Running gives something for them to focus on, allowing them to see something besides their depressed state or addiction.

Along that line, running can help train the mind as much as it trains the body. By making yourself overcome the obstacles that running brings, you learn focus and determination. The will and strength that gets your body through long runs or those runs you'd much rather skip is what in turn strengthens your mind and gives you focus and determination in other areas of your life.

As you can see, the benefits of jogging affect the health of your body and your mind. But running still has more benefits to provide.

To avoid injuries while running

The only thing runners fear more than rabid dogs and porta-potty emergencies is getting hurt. An injury means taking a break, and runners hate the thought of losing fitness, gaining weight, or missing an endorphin fix. But what if you knew what injuries you were likely to face — before a single symptom struck?

Sports physician Jack Taunton, M.D., and exercise scientist Michael Ryan, both recreational runners from the University of British Columbia, were studying sports injuries four years ago when they recognized a lack of data linking specific traits, weight, gender, foot type — to running injuries. So they decided to conduct research that was later published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. "We found that certain injuries were statistically more significant among particular people," Ryan says. "Women are more likely to experience one kind of knee pain — patellofemoral pain syndrome — while men are more likely to experience another — patellar tendonitis."

Ryan and Taunton's findings focus on six injuries and the runners they most commonly afflict. Whether you're in a high-risk group or not, simple training adjustments can keep you safe. These precautionary measures could save you from the dreaded routine of rest and rehab.

Achilles Tendinitis

What It Is Tenderness in your lower calf near your heel that usually strikes when you push off your toes You're at Risk Men with a BMI of 25 or higher (a man who is 5'10" and weighs 175 pounds, for example) who run a nine-minute-per-mile pace or faster

Why The Achilles absorbs several times your body weight with each stride. A faster pace and additional body weight put even more stress on this tendon.

Prevent It Strengthen your calf muscles (with your toes on a step, lower and raise your heels). Stretch your calves (keep your heel on the ground, lift your toes back toward your shin). Others at Risk People who regularly run hills (the Achilles has to stretch more on inclines) and who have increased their mileage more than 10 percent per week (sudden increases in mileage strain the tendon)

Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome

What It Is Pain and soreness along the inside front of the lower leg, commonly called shinsplints

You're at Risk Runners whose feet roll inward excessively (overpronate) Why The posterior tibial tendon, the connective tissue that gets sore with shinsplints, runs into the arch of the foot. If your feet roll inward, this tendon has to work extra hard to counteract that motion.

Prevent It Wear motion-control shoes. Strengthen your calves (hold dumbbells while doing toe raises). If you've had daily shin pain for longer than a month, see a doctor for a bone scan to rule out a stress fracture. Others at Risk Beginning runners; people who train on slanted surfaces; women who wear high heels

Patellar Tendinitis

What It Is Pain in the tendon that connects the kneecap to the shinboneYou're at Risk Men with a BMI of 25 or higher or who have a history of playing basketball and have suddenly increased their weekly mileageWhy The patellar tendon helps your leg extend during running or jumping, but that repeated motion can create small tears in the tendon. After years of activity and then a sudden increase in mileage, your body may struggle to repair those tears. Extra body weight doesn't help. Prevent It Keep your weight in check. Do squats to strengthen the patellar tendon and stretch your quads and hamstrings. Avoid increasing mileage by more than 10 percent per week.

Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome

What It Is Pain and stiffness around the kneecap You're at Risk Women who run a 10-minute-per-mile pace or slower Why Ideally, your kneecap glides smoothly in the groove at the end of your thighbone. But because women have more flexible joints and a more extreme angle from hip to knee (called the Q angle) than men, their kneecaps are more likely to fall out of alignment. Pain intensifies at slower speeds because the knee goes through less range of motion, putting more demand on a smaller area of the joint. Prevent It Strengthen your quads, hamstrings, and glutes with squats and lunges to stabilize your kneecaps and help keep the pelvis level while you run.

Benefits Of Running

There are a number of different benefits which an individual can gain from running on a regular basis. There are some runners who run simply for the joy of running but there are others who run because they realize there are a great deal of benefits which can be gained from rigorous exercise such as running. Some of these benefits may include weight loss, improved cardiovascular health, improved bone health, improved mood and better coordination. This article will briefly describe how running can result in each of these benefits.

Those who are looking to lose a few pounds often find running to be one of the most effective forms of exercise for helping them to achieve their ideal body weight. Running is an excellent form of exercise for losing weight because it requires a great deal of energy. This energy requirement means the body burns a large number of calories while running. The number of calories burned while running is typically significantly more than would be burned during less taxing forms of exercise such as walking or doing yoga. The simplest formula for weight loss includes burning off more calories than the individual consumes. When this type of calorie deficit is created, the body begins to shed excess weight in the form of fat. In order to lose one pound of body weight, the body must create a calorie deficit of 3500 calories. This is equal to burning 500 calories per day. Most runners can easily burn off this many calories in less than one hour of exercise. The number of calories burned while running depends on a number of factors including the individual’s weight, the intensity of the workout and the efficiency of the runner.

Improved cardiovascular health is another benefit of running. Some of the benefits of running include lowering the blood pressure and helping the arteries to maintain their elasticity. While runner, the arteries expand and contract approximately three times as much as they do when you are sedentary. This means you are not only working out to improve your physical appearance but also the overall function of your body. In doing this the risk of heart attack and stroke becomes diminished.

Running is also beneficial for slowing down the aging process. Those who run regularly are less likely to experience bone and muscle loss as they age at the same pace as those who do not run regularly or at all. The bones grow and become stronger by responding to physical demands. Those who lead a rather sedentary lifestyle do not put this type of demand on their bones and as a result the bones may become weaker. When this happens the individual is more likely to be susceptible to osteoporosis as they age. Conversely, those who run on a regular basis are continually taxing their muscles and their bones so the bones are stimulated to remain stronger and do not as easily weaken with age.

Running can also have many psychological benefits. Most significantly runners typically report being happier and feeling less stressed than their counterparts who do not run or exercise regularly. Running actually has the ability to alter an individuals moods because hormones called endorphins are released while running. These hormones create a sense of euphoria often referred to as a runner’s high and can result in an improvement in the runner’s mood. Running has also been reported to alleviate stress in most runners. There are a number of factors which may contribute to running lowering stress levels. One of the most obvious reasons is the act of running allows the individual to focus on the task at hand instead of being worried or stressed about work, family or other stressors in his daily life. Additionally, running can be very challenging on the body which can result in the individual feeling a sense of accomplishment by completing the run which shifts the focus of his attention from negative stressors to a sense of pride and accomplishment.

Improved coordination is another worthwhile benefit which may be gained from running. This may seem surprising to many who assume it is not possible to gain these types of benefits from running simply because it is such a simple sport. However, there is some coordination involved in running. Trail running which involves running on unpaved trails especially requires a great deal of coordination. The uneven surface combined with obstacles such as rocks and tree roots can make trail running quite difficult. However, runners who regularly run on these types of services, quickly learn to maintain better control over their bodies to prevent tripping and stumbling while running. Even running on a flat surface which is paved can also result in improved coordination because it forces the body to work together to keep the runner upright and traveling in the correct path. Those who run regularly typically move more fluidly than those who do not run or engage in any type of regular exercise.

Arsenal and young players

Arsène Wenger believes Arsenal is the best place for young players to develop - because any shortcomings at the top clubs are quickly exposed.

The Frenchman was pressed on his club's policy of recruiting fledgling talent from overseas when he faced the media ahead of this weekend's game at Manchester City. The topic has been a hot one since Chelsea were banned from signing players for 18 months after being found guilty of inducing Gael Kakuta to break his contract with Lens in 2007.

Wenger staunchly defended his own club's transfer policy and explained why talented foreign kids have the best chance of realising their potential if they come to Arsenal. According to the manager, the conditions at London Colney eclipse those elsewhere in the world. And if they didn't, the media and Fifa would be the first to find out.

"Fifa can come here and immediately I open the door for inspection to show them what we do and how we treat the boys," said Wenger. "That's not the case everywhere.

"There are some places in Brazil where the boys do not have the same conditions or treatment we have here. It is less well medically, psychologically and footballistically. Here, if we have any little problem, you [the media] are here to punish us.

"What I mean is you cannot escape. If you don't treat the boys well you would know about it."

Some of the figures bandied about since Chelsea's ban suggest that Arsenal import a swathe of foreign talent every year but Wenger completely rejects that notion. The Frenchman is focused on finding and nurturing the very best, not clogging up the Club's academy and blocking the path of local youngsters.

"It is ridiculous because I heard some people say we sign here 30 or 40 players," said Wenger. "We have no room for 30 to 40 players; we sign one or two. And if you look today at the home-grown players nobody has more than us in the Premier League. We are ahead of everybody.

"If we buy a young boy - because there is compensation there - we give him a programme and give him a chance to play. We promote, we educate and we integrate. That is why we have success in the way we do it."

Biography Messi

Lionel Messi (born 24 June 1987 in Rosario) is an exciting Argentine soccer player, who currently plays as a second striker for FC Barcelona. He has shown remarkable ability for a player so young, and is often touted in the media as "the new Diego Maradona".On December of that year, the Italian newspaper Tuttosport awarded him the Golden Boy 2005 title for the best under-21 player in Europe, ahead of Wayne Rooney and Lukas Podolski.

LIONEL MESSI AND ARGENTINA

Lionel Messi was offered the chance to play for the Spanish national football team, but declined, preferring to wait for the opportunity to play for the country of his birth. In June 2004 he got his chance, playing in an under-20 friendly match against Paraguay.In June 2005 Messi starred for the Argentina U-20 team that won the Football World Youth Championship in The Netherlands, picking up the Golden Boot as top scorer with 6 goals, and the Golden Ball for the best player of the tournament. Despite his youth, Lionel was already being compared to Diego Maradona, one of the greatest football players of all time.On August 4, José Pekerman called him up to the senior Argentine national team. He made his debut against Hungary — coincientally the very same side that Maradona debuted against for Argentina. However, he only played for three minutes of the game, being shown a red card and making him leave the field in his first attempt on goal.

LIONEL MESSI AND FC BARCELONA

Lionel Messi started playing football at a very early age for his hometown club, Newell's Old Boys. From the age of 11, he suffered from a hormone deficiency and as his parents were unable to pay for treatment in Argentina, they decided to move to Barcelona, Spain. Shortly after arriving, Lionel tried his luck with a trial at FC Barcelona, despite being only 13 years of age. He excelled at the trial and rapidly found himself starting for the Barcelona B team, averaging more than a goal per game.In October 2004 Messi made his official debut for the first team against RCD Espanyol, becoming the third-youngest player to ever play for FC Barcelona. He scored his first senior goal for the club against Albacete on 2005-05-01.On 2005-06-27 FC Barcelona renewed his contract until 2010, establishing a selling clause of €150 million.Messi obtained Spanish citizenship on September 25 and was finally able to make his debut in this season's Spanish First Division. He had previously been unable to play because FC Barcelona had filled their quota of non-EU players. Messi's first outing in the UEFA Champions League at the Nou Camp was on September 28 against the Italian club Udinese. He impressed with some great passing and a seemingly telepathic relationship with Ronaldinho that earned him a standing ovation from the 70,000-odd Nou Camp faithful.

American football

American football, known in the United States and Canada simply as football,[1] and often as Gridiron outside North America, is a competitive team sport known for combining strategy with physical play. The objective of the game is to score points by advancing the ball[2] into the opposing team's end zone. The ball can be advanced by carrying it (a running play) or by throwing it to a teammate (a passing play). Points can be scored in a variety of ways, including carrying the ball over the opponent's goal line, catching a pass thrown over that goal line, kicking the ball through the goal posts at the opponent's end zone, or tackling an opposing ball carrier within his end zone. The winner is the team with the most points when the time expires.
American football is closely related to Canadian football, but with significant differences. Both sports originated from rugby football. The major forms of football in the United States are collegiate football and professional football. There have been numerous major professional football leagues in the U.S.; the two currently in existance are the National Football League (NFL) and the United Football League.
The sport is also played outside the United States. National professional and collegiate leagues exist in United Kingdom, Germany, Italy,[3] Switzerland,[4] Finland, Sweden,[5] Japan, Mexico, Israel,[6] Spain, Austria,[7] and several Pacific Island nations.

FC Barcelona club description

Established in 1899 by Joan Gamper and a group of Swiss, British and Catalan players, the FC Barcelona is more than a football club. Several other sports teams play under the blue and maroon banner, including basketball, roller-hockey, handball and amateur women's basketball and football. Anyone who has watched a Barça team play may have noted something peculiar about their uniforms - the absence of sponsorship advertising. The blue and maroon uniforms bear the Nike swoosh – the company produces their kits – and a small logo for the Catalan television channel TV3. The team colours are considered a symbol of Catalonia, and club officials deem sponsorship logos as interfering with this long-standing tradition.
Guided stadium tours:The Camp Nou, unveiled on September 24th 1957, is the Barça's official home. It now seats 98,787 spectators and measures 55,000 m2. It is 250 metres long, 220 metres wide and 48 metres high, making it the second largest football ground in the world. Visitors are welcome to explore the club’s museum and take a guided tour of the stadium. The tour includes a stop at the visiting team’s changing room, before continuing through the tunnel to the pitch. Visitors can walk around on the grass and take a breather on the team bench. The tour concludes with visits to the chapel, TV room, press room, Fundaci Zone, the Presidential Box and the two European Champions Cups. Tours are given throughout the year, except on January 1st and 6th, September 24th and December 25th.Use entrance 7 at the stadium to get to the museum and tour office.
Monday-Saturday: 10am-6:30pmSunday and bank holidays: 10am-2pm
Tickets:
Adults: tour + museum: 9,90€; museum: 6,00€Children (13 years old or younger): tour + museum: 7,50€; museum: 4,50€Supporters, clubs, senior citizens and students: tour + museum: 6,50€; museum: 3,50€

FC Barcelona: Club History

2006 has been a good year for the Barça, Barcelona's blue and maroon football team. On May 3rd 2006, the club won its 18th La Liga title, brought home by a team of stellar talents like Ronaldinho, Eto'o, Deco, Giuly, Larsson, Márquez, Puyol, Valdés, Messi and van Bommel and helmed by their young and energetic coach - Frank Rijkaard – and president – Joan Laporta. Their 18 game winning streak came to a head on May 17th when they faced Arsenal in Paris for the final UEFA Champions League game – and brought home their second UEFA cup trophy, further proof that the club’s long and illustrious history is not a thing of the past.On October 22nd 1899, Joan Gamper put an ad in the publication Los Deportes to find partners for his enterprise: the founding of a new football club. Eleven players attended that auspicious first meeting, including Gualten Wild, Lluís d’Ossó, Bartomeu Terrados, Otto Kunzle, Otto Maier, Enric Ducal, Pere Cabot, Carles Pujol, Josep Llobet, John and William Parsons, foreshadowing the future of a team that would always be international in character and Catalan in spirit.Gamper was a tireless club leader during his 25-year presidency, recruiting over 10,000 members by 1922 and getting the club its first stadium in 1909. The stadium on Carrer Industria seated 6,000 and was quickly outgrown as the team’s popularity grew steadily and membership rose. By 1922 the team had moved into the Les Corts Stadium, which originally seated 30,000 but was expanded to hold 60,000 and nicknamed the "Cathedral of Football". In 1929, the club won its first ever La Liga Championship, but unfortunately the decade to follow would have less glorious moments in store for Barcelona’s team.Gamper’s death in July 1930 ushered in a period of political upheaval, low membership, athletic downfalls and increasing pressure from the Franco government. Josep Sunyol, the club’s president, was murdered by Franco’s soldiers near Guadalajara in 1936 at the height of the Spanish Civil War. In 1938 a fascist bombing destroyed much of the social headquarters of the FC Barcelona. After the Civil War came to an end, the Catalan language and flag were banned, leading to the team’s name being changed to Castilian and the Catalan flag being removed from the club’s shield. By 1939 the problems the club endured at the hands of the Franco forces had turned it into a symbol for the Catalan people, despite the fact that membership had fallen to an all-time low of 3,486. One highlight from this decade was the club’s tour of Mexico and the United States in 1936, which earned them their first dose of international popularity, something that would only increase over the years.The 1930s were also when the by now legendary rivalry between Real Madrid and Barça truly erupted in full force. Real Madrid was seen as the government’s team, as the favourite of the fascist regime, whereas Barça was crowned as the hero of the opposition. This picture, however, forgets to mention those members of Real Madrid who also suffered under Franco rule, like the club’s then president Rafael Sánchez Guerra – a prominent Republican – who was arrested, tortured and imprisoned, a fate shared by several other members of the Real Madrid club. Nevertheless, Barça became an important symbol of resistance with which many Catalans identified during their long struggle against the oppressive regime.The 1940s brought an upswing to the club’s luck, bringing home several Liga wins in 44-45, 47-48 and 48-49 as well as its first international success, the 1949 Copa Latina. Things got even better in June 1950, when Barça signed a player that would go down in history as one of their very best and most legendary: Ladislao Kubala. With the Hungarian powerhouse on their side, the team was unstoppable, winning every single competition they played between 1951 and 1953, including Liga wins in 51-52, 52-53 and five Copas: Liga, Copa, Copa Latina, Eva Duarte and Martini Rossi. They also won Ligas in 58-59, 59-60 and the Copa de Ferias in 57-58 and 59-60, making the 1950s one of their most glorious and celebrated decades.

The 1960s also kicked off to a good start when Barça beat Real Madrid in the European Cup game, thus bringing the latter's monopoly of the competition to a dramatic halt. The late 1950s had seen the inauguration of their new home; the Camp Nou was unveiled on September 24th 1957 with a game against Varsovia, which Barcelona won 4-2. The late 60's were marred by a decline in the club's athletic prowess, but marked an ever increasing national identification with the club, its colours and the belief that it was a way with which to defend the threatened Catalan national identity. The club's motto "más que un club" (more than a club) was born during this time.The 1970s would go down in club history for the arrival of yet another champion, Johan Cruyff (1973/74), who would become one of the most popular players amongst local fans for truly embracing his adopted city. He also garnered immediate goodwill in Catalonia for stating that he couldn’t play for Real Madrid, because it was linked to Franco. He was named European Footballer of the Year twice in a row. With Cruyff taking the club to new heights, membership rose to an impressive 69,566 - making Barça the strongest athletic organisation in the world. Not a bad way to celebrate one’s 75th birthday.In 1978, under the leadership of Josep Lluís Núñez - then president – the club reached 100,000 members and, in order to accommodate its newest supporters, expanded the Camp Nou to the same capacity. The club also added new installations, including the Miniestadi and the Palau Blaugrana.The 1980s saw the return of Cruyff, this time in the role of manager (1988). He brought star players to the club, putting together his so-called "Dream Team" (90-94), which won four consecutive Liga titles and collected a total of 11 trophies, including the UEFA Cup (91-92), making Cruyff the club’s most successful manager to date. He left in 1996 due to differences with the club’s president Núñez. The 80s also featured a short-lived appearance by the Argentinean football icon Diego Maradona (1982), and the 96-97 season was graced by Ronaldo, who helped bring home 3 important trophies, including the European Cup. The season also starred Vitor Baia, who is considered one of football’s all-time best goalies. In 1997, Barça was named the World’s Best Football Team of the Year by the IFFHS (International Federation of Football History and Statistics).1998 was another memorable year as the club snagged a double win – the Liga and the Copa del Rey – under Louis Van Gaal and a line-up that included Luís Figo, Luís Enrique and Rivaldo. In 1999, four Barça club teams were named champions of Spain. However, the year also brought a significant loss, as club captain Figo abandoned his blue-maroon uniform to don Real Madrid colours. President Núñez resigned in 2000 after helming the team for 22 years and overseeing the winning of 30 football trophies and 176 club trophies. The next three years were a difficult transition period, managers came and went and the club fell into a slump until a young and energetic new president – Joan Laporta – grabbed the reins and brought Barça back into the light.The football club’s current line-up represents nine countries – Spain, Brazil, Argentina, Netherlands, Cameroon, France, Sweden, Mexico and Portugal. It is made up of equal parts talent and experience, featuring international stars like Ronaldinho and Eto'o and home-grown talents like Carles Puyol and Xavi and Víctor Valdés. In 2005, the team won the Liga and the Supercopa de España. Ronaldinho was voted European Footballer of the Year. However, the team didn’t manage to bring down Chelsea during that season’s Champions League game. On May 3rd 2006 they were crowned champions of Spain after Valencia lost to Real Mallorca and Barça defeated Celta Vigo with a goal by Eto'o. On May 17th 2006 they returned to the UEFA pitch and this time they came home victorious, defeating Arsenal 2-1 with goals by Belletti and Eto'o. The player from Cameroon is Barça’s top scorer with 26 goals, followed by Guily with 11 and Ronaldinho with 10. Barça is the only European football team to have played in European competitions uninterruptedly since 1955. The club’s membership currently numbers 105,706 and has a total of 1,508 fan clubs around the world.

History of Barcelona

Barcelona has emerged from a spotty history. With Castilian kings pumping cannonballs over the city walls and anarchists disagreeing on which shoulder to hang their rifles, the city shrank in the shadow of greater cities and powers for centuries. Though founded around 230 BC, likely by the Carthaginians, and invaded by the Visigoths and then the Muslims, the history of the city, in a sense, only truly began after armies from what is now France pushed back the Muslims in 801 AD. At the time, the plains and mountains to the northwest and north of Barcelona were populated by the people who by then could be identified as 'Catalans' (although surviving documentary references to the term only date to the 10th century). Catalan's closest linguistic relative today is the langue d'oc, the old language of southern France.

In the 12th century, Catalunya grew rich on pickings from the fall of the Muslim caliphate of Córdoba. The Catalans managed to keep their creative forces alight through to the 14th century, when Barcelona ruled a mini-empire including Sicily, Malta, Sardinia, Valencia, the Balearics, the French regions of Rousillon and Cerdagne and parts of Greece. But by the 15th century, devastated by the plague, spectacular bank crashes, and the Genoese squeezing their markets, the empire ran out of steam. While the Catalans may have hoped that union with the kingdom of Castile would pump cash back into the coffers and vitality onto the streets, heirs to the crowns of Castile and Aragón were more interested in juicing Catalunya to finance their own imperial ambitions. A 1462 rebellion against King Joan II ended in a siege in 1473 that devastated the city. Barcelona was more or less annexed into the Castilian state, but was excluded from the plundering of the Americas that brought fantastic riches to 16th-century Castile. By now, the peasants had started to revolt. Disaffected Catalans resorted to arms a number of times, and the last revolt, during the War of the Spanish Succession, saw Catalunya siding with Britain and Austria against Felipe V, the French contender for the Spanish throne. That was their undoing. Barcelona fell in 1714 after another shocking siege, and as well as banning the Catalan language, Felipe built a huge fort, the Ciutadella, to watch over his ungrateful subjects in town. After 1778 Catalunya was permitted to trade with America, and the region's fortunes gradually turned around. Spain's first industrial revolution, based on cotton, was launched there, and other industries based on wine, cork and iron also developed. By the 1830s, the European Romantic movement virtually rescued Catalan culture and language just as it was in danger of disappearing. The Catalan Renaixença, or Renaissance, was a crusade led by poets and writers to popularise the people's language. A fervent nationalist movement sprang up around the same time, and was embraced by all parties of the political spectrum.

The decades around the turn of the century were a fast ride, with anarchists, Republicans, bourgeois regionalists, gangsters, police terrorists, political gunmen called pistoleros and centrists in Madrid all clamouring for a slice of the action. This followed an explosion in Barcelona's population - from around 115,000 in 1800 to more than half a million by 1900, then over a million by 1930 - as workers flocked in for industrial jobs. As many as 80% of the city's workers embraced the anarchist CNT by the end of WWI, and industrial relations hit an all-time low during a wave of strikes in 1919-20 when employers hired assassins to kill union leaders. Within days of Spain's Second Republic forming in 1931, Catalan nationalists declared a republic within an 'Iberian Federation'. Catalunya briefly gained genuine autonomy after the leftist Popular Front won the February 1936 Spanish general election, and for nearly a year revolutionary anarchists and the POUM (the Workers Marxist Unification Party) ran the town. Get 10 anarchists in a room, though, and you'll have 11 political opinions; in May 1937 infighting between communists, anarchists and the POUM broke out into street fighting for three days, killing at least 1500 people.

The Republican effort across Spain was troubled by similar infighting, which destroyed any chance they may have had of defeating Franco's fascist militia. Barcelona, the last stronghold of the Republicans, fell to Franco's forces in January 1939, and the war ended a few months later. Rather than submitting to Franco, thousands of Catalans fled across the border to France, Andorra and farther afield. Franco wasted no time in banning Catalan and flooding the region with impoverished immigrants from Andalucía in the vain hope that the pesky Catalans, with their continual movements for independence, would be swamped. But the plan soured somewhat when the migrants' children and grandchildren turned out to be more Catalan than the Catalans. Franco even banned one of the Catalans' joyful expressions of national unity, the sardana, a public circle dance. But they'd barely turned the last sods on El Supremo's grave when Catalunya burst out again in an effort to recreate itself as a nation. Catalan was revived with a vengeance, the Generalitat, or local parliament, was reinstated, and today, people gather all over town several times a week to dance the sardana. While there's still talk of independence, it remains just that - talk. Barcelona is its country's most happening town, and seems set to stay that way.

Manchester news

Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand could make his first competitive appearance of the season on Saturday.

The England defender has been out since the Community Shield with a thigh injury but has been in training this week and could come into the reckoning away to Tottenham Hotspur.
United manager Sir Alex Ferguson said: "Rio has been in training this week and has a got a chance for Tottenham, I'm not sure how big a chance but he has got a chance."

John O'Shea is almost certain to be missing after suffering a calf injury on duty with the Republic of Ireland. But Ireland coach Giovanni Trapattoni's worries that the defender could be ruled out for a couple of months seem to be unwarranted.
Despite it being international week, Ferguson has had an impressive selection of senior players to work with in training.
"We've had a good number of players training here - Ferdinand, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs, Gary Neville, Anderson, Park Ji-Sung and also young Fabio and Michael Owen.
"If the worst came to the worst we would have a reasonable group of players fit."
Tottenham have won four matches out of four and are just above United in the Barclays Premier League table, behind Chelsea on goal difference.
Ferguson added: "I watched a couple of videos yesterday and they will be a handful for us.
"They have had a good start and Harry has brought in a few of his own type of players, players he's familiar with such as Peter Crouch, Jermain Defoe and now Niko Kranjcar as well."

Japanese Players in English Football

Japanese players first appeared in English football in 2001 when Junichi Inamoto famously joined Arsenal in the Premier League.
Junichi Inamoto at Fulham
The central midfielder made his name in Japan playing for Gamba Osaka in the J-League, scoring 16 goals in 118 appearances.
Inamoto went on loan to Arsenal in the summer of 2001, a transfer that caused a sensation in his home country. However, he failed to break into the first team and only managed 4 appearances, 2 in the League Cup and 2 in the Champions League.
The midfielder left Arsenal before starring for Japan in the 2002 World Cup, scoring the equaliser in the 2-2 draw against Belgium and the winner in the 1-0 victory against Russia, both in the group stage.
Inamoto then joined Fulham in the Premier League in another loan deal, where the midfielder finally proved himself able to compete at the very top level. He scored 9 goals in 58 appearances for Fulham over 2 seasons, including a memorable goal in Fulham's 3-1 win over Manchester United at Old Trafford in October 2003.

At the end of the 2003-04 season Junichi Inamoto signed for West Bromich Albion for a fee of £0.2m, and played 32 games for the Baggies in both the Premier League and the Championship, scoring 1 goal. During his time at West Brom Inamoto also briefly went out on loan to Cardiff City, making 16 appearances at the Welsh capital.
In the summer of 2007 Inamoto signed for Turkish side Galatasary and concluded his 6 years in England.
Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi at Portsmouth
Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi, a goalkeeper, spent 7 seasons playing for the J-League club Yokohama F. Marinos before signing for the English First Division side Portsmouth in the summer of 2001, the same year that Inamoto moved to Arsenal.
Breaking Portsmouth's club transfer record with his £1.8m deal, Kawaguchi turned out more slightly more successful at Pompey than his compatriot did for the Gunners, making 12 appearances over 2 seasons.
Kawaguchi's taste of English football exposed his inability to cope with the physical aspect of the English game as the goalkeeper was blamed for a number of heavy defeats for Portsmouth, relegating him to reserves appearances despite popularity among fans.
In the summer of 2003 Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi finally moved on, leaving Portsmouth for a brief spell in the Danish league before returning to Japan in 2005 to play for J-League side Jubilo Iwata.
Alex Santos Denied the Chance to Play for Charlton
Alessandro dos Santos was born in Brazil but obtained Japanese citizenship in 2001 after playing for J-League side Shimizu S-Pulse since 1997.
Since switching nationality the attacking midfielder has been a regular feature for the Japan national team, scoring 7 goals in 82 appearances. He was a member of the Japan squad for both their 2002 and 2006 World Cup campaigns.
In August 2002 Alex Santos signed for Charlton Athletic in the Premier League. However, the move fell through as Alex was denied a work permit by the British Home Office on the grounds of insufficient international appearances as he was a player from outside the EU.
Failing to play in the Premier League Alex returned to Japan, joining J-League side Urawa Red Diamonds.
Hidetoshi Nakata at Bolton Wanderers
In August 2005 Premier League side Bolton Wanderers signed Fiorentina's Japan international midfielder Hidetoshi Nakata on loan.
Sam Allardyce, manager of Bolton at the time, had developed a reputation for bringing the best out of veteran players and his move for the 28-year-old Nakata, who won the Italian Serie A with AS Roma in 2001 and was very much a football icon in Japan, was enthusiastically received by Bolton fans.
Nakata spent only one season at Bolton but was widely considered a success story of Asian footballers playing in the Premier League, scoring once in 32 appearances for the club.
Bolton was to be the last team Nakata played for, as the midfielder retired from professional football at the end of the 2005-06 season at the age of 29.
Mitsuo Ogasawara on Trial at West Ham
Kashima Antlers and Japan midfielder Mitsuo Ogasawara was taken on trial at West Ham in January 2006.
However, the trial failed to produce a permanent contract for Ogasawara in a deal that was widely perceived as driven by West Ham manager Alan Pardew's motivation to break into the Japanese market rather than signing genuine Premier League quality.
Ogasawara was back in Japan after only a week at the Hammers.

History of English Football

In 1848, as the game started growing more and more popular in the public school system, Henry de Winton and John Charles Thring organized a meeting at Trinity College in Cambridge, with several representatives from other colleges being invited. They devised a set of soccer rules known as the "Cambridge Rules" and despite the fact that they haven't been found yet, it's believed that they played a major role in England's football history, as they are allegedly the base on which the Laws of the Game would later be constructed.In 1863, several football clubs were called upon to decide a set of organized rules for the game of soccer, since it was growing popularity and needed some form of organization.Representatives from these clubs met in London, at the Freemason's Tavern in Great Queen Street, where they set up the first soccer organization in the World, called the Football Association (FA).Two months after the FA was formed, another great step in the history of British soccer was taken, namely the birth of the Laws of the Game, which are still the constitution on which soccer is based (although they have underwent several major and countless other minor changes). It wasn't long before the first football league was formed (1888), established by Aston Villa director William McGregor. This league would suffer a lot of structural changes in the history of English soccer, gaining a pyramidal configuration over time, with different lower and upper leagues that teams could promote and relegate from.

Despite the fact that in 1992 the top Football League clubs formed a new league, called the Premiership, the FL didn't die down. Instead, it continues to exist as the Championship, League One, League Two and Conference divisions, which are the lower tired leagues of the Premiership. As you can see, the history of English soccer is as long as it is complicated, but we can't blame them. It was up to them to devise a set of working rules for the game, create an organization to lead it and make the game popular and they succeeded brilliantly, so we have to be thankful to the English people.

The Future Of English Football

This is a subject that has been receiving a lot of attention of late, not just in the media but from within the games' governing bodies, concerns have been raised and opinions voiced about the possible dangers lurking for the future of the game in this country

It is a subject on which Football England obviously feel very strongly. We too are concerned and our fears are manifold. This article will address some of those worries, though probably nowhere near all of them.

The first thing to establish here is what I, personally, mean by English football.

To me English football doesn't mean Manchester United and Chelsea and Liverpool etc. and the Premier League. These clubs and the league they play in are obviously in rude health, living the life of luxury thanks to Sky's billions and a clutch of foreign investors.

Most of these clubs, and the league itself, will survive and go on to thrive even if Sky and their wealthy backers decide to pull the plug sometime in the future.

Although I am particularly concerned with England we may as well call it Britain. The traditions and style of playing football has always been the same within these isles and whereas I had no problem whatsoever with the proliferation of Scots, Welsh and Irish who used to populate our clubs; I am nowhere near as enamoured of the invasion of foreigners we now have.

When anyone talks about an English, or British, way of playing everybody understands exactly what is meant.

The images conjured are of blood and thunder, hard tackling, fast, furious, whole hearted football.

It is an image which has come to be derided in many places and, as a nation, we are being encouraged to disown and be embarrassed by it.
We are being assailed from every angle with the "fact" that our football is backward and ineffective. That we are labourers rather than craftsmen.
The latest person throwing fuel on the fire was Trevor Brooking who went into great detail in describing the way our coaching at youth level lags behind the continent.
Basically, he reckoned, we don't get our boys at a young enough age, we don't have the coaching resources to properly train the ones we do catch and this means that at the age of sixteen our budding footballers cannot compare with those in Spain, France and Italy etc.

Swimming Stroke Length, Stroke Rate and Training

If you think back to your days at school, and in particular during your Physics and Maths classes, your grumpy-old professors (mine were anyway!) would have talked to you about POWER, and more importantly the equation for this:
POWER = FORCE x SPEED
FORCE = STROKE LENGTHIf you think of the FORCE element as your swimming STROKE LENGTH, i.e. increasing the amount of force you apply to the water (so long as it is directed in the right direction), will increase your stroke length which is manifested as fewer strokes per length of the pool. Simple. Most swimmers will, at one time or another, count how many strokes they take per length and aim to reduce the number of strokes by focusing on such elements as catch, pull through, and body rotation. This is an excellent way to improve your economy and efficiency through the water. Most people will see improvements in performance with this method if their stroke is rather inefficient to begin with.
SPEED = STROKE RATEConsider the other side of the equation, SPEED. Speed in this scenario we can take to mean STROKE RATE, and is represented as the number of strokes you take per minute as opposed to the number of strokes per length. I would normally recommend asking a friend or coach to help you assess this, and ask them to count the number of strokes you take in 15 seconds (for a 25m pool) or 30 seconds (for a 50m pool) and multiply the result by 4 or 2. This should be done preferably during a continuous swim of maybe 400m and you will notice, just like stroke length, that the rate will be slightly variable during the set distance. It shouldn't be if you're economical, but it will tend to be initially and we'll come back to how to correct that in just a mo'. Just like cadence on the bike and stride rate on the run, we should really count this as the number of complete arm cycles (i.e. number of times the right arm completes a full stroke). However, as the numbers we are typically dealing with are much lower for swimming than cycling and running, for ease and accuracy (especially when the length of the pool requires you to restrict your assessment time to 15 seconds due to turning), I would recommend you count left-arm as 1, right-arm as 2, left-arm as 3 etc. Once you have ascertained a base rate, we know where we can move from and to.
STROKE LENGTH RELATED TO STROKE RATEIn response to stroke length increasing (i.e. FORCE), stroke rate will typically drop off (sometimes considerably) and vice versa - for someone working on developing their stroke rate (SPEED), their stroke length will typically drop off (leading to the feeling that you are losing your stroke and feel for the water). Obviously the ideal scenario would be for one of these factors to stay constant whilst the other increases. But which should we work on...?
The biggest single difference between the bio-mechanics of an elite pool swimmer and an elite open water swimmer is in the balance between their stroke rate and stroke length. A typical age-group triathlete may have a stroke length that allows them to complete 5om in about 38 - 52 strokes, and a stroke rate of 54 - 64spm (strokes per minute). Compare this to your stereo-typical picture of elite mid-distance swimming perfection Ian Thorpe who would typically swim with a stroke count of 27 - 32 strokes per 50m and a stroke rate of 72 to 76spm, and its easy to see how a swimmer like this moves faster through the water than you or I. However, whilst we all probably know that his stroke length is much greater than ours, his stroke rate may seem quite high for someone who seems so relaxed.

Swim Strength Training

Sport specific work is the best way to get better at that sport; if you want to be a better swimmer, then swim! But how can you make additional gains when you have maximized your swim time? One way is to add dryland work - flexibility exercises, plyometric work, swimming while wearing weights, and resistance training are some of the options. One example of resistance training is weight work aimed at adding strength and speed to your stroke.

hat muscles are used in swimming? Almost all of them, from the top of your head through your toes. To maximize your time, this program will emphasis the major groups that should give your swimming some extra strength. This type of dryland work can help endurance, but other types of work, such as swim trainers (like the Vasa Trainer) or stretch cords are better at this based on lower resistance and higher repetitions. These are also a valuable part of any swimming program.
This is a basic plan designed to increase muscle strength. It can be more refined based on a particular need or a season plan. It may need to be modified based on what equipment you have available. You will use the routine two to three times each week, progressing through each phase. The first few sessions in each phase establish starting points for the rest of the sessions. The final phase is for the last four to five weeks before your biggest competition; you should stop lifting weights 10 days before the first day of the competition. To make gains, you are breaking down your muscles, then letting them rebuild. To give them the time to rebuild, do not lift two days in a row. To help prevent injury, do not "lift to failure"; always end feeling like you could do a few more.
Warm up before you begin any of the routines. Spend 10 to 20 minutes building your heart rate to increase blood flow, body temperature, and general range of motion; Place your general stretching routine after completing the weight routine, but you could do a short stretch for the muscle groups just used while you recover between exercises. Some warm-up ideas are stationary cycling, jogging, rowing, or jumping rope.
Keeping a log book is vital. Record the date, time, phase, lifts (including sets and repetitions), amount of weight for each lift, and other comments for the day, like general feeling about the workout. You will use this information throughout the program to track your progress.
An additional area to be aware of is muscle balance (thanks for the reminder, Mikey 810). Swimmers can do some simple shoulder exercises to maintain strength balance in the rotator cuff/shoulder girdle area every day with stretch cords or barbells if desired; this can help prevent shoulder injury.
The exercises used in this program are:
Squats
Leg Press
Leg Extension
Leg Curl
Lat Pull-down
Seated Rowing
Bent-over Rowing
Lateral Raise
Shoulder Press
Bench Press
Dumbbell Curl
Push-up
Abdominal Work
Assorted Stretches
This workout program uses three different phases. The first phase is to either get you started or to build strength. The second phase is to take your strength gains and build on them. The third phase is for the last three to four weeks before your biggest competition, and you should stop the routine 7 - 14 days before the first day of the competition. You are going to maintain most of your strength gains, build more muscular power, and begin to reduce the stress to your muscles so they are fully recovered by your big event. There are more details to these phases on page two.
Remember to start light and gradually increase the weights; slow progress is the key to good strength gains without injury! Keep that log book, hit the weights, and feel yourself get stronger in the pool.

Muscle building

Training the quadriceps muscles is an integral part of most sports strength programmes. The quadriceps are important for cycling, swimming, running, jumping, sprinting, throwing - in fact, virtually every full-body athletic movement. Three of the most common quadriceps exercises are the squat, the leg press and the knee extension. But although all three exercises target the quads, they all vary in terms of knee joint forces, muscle activity and functionality. There are even variations within an exercise through changes in technique or equipment

The squat and the leg press are considered to be a different type of exercise from the knee extension. The squat and the leg press are known as closed kinetic chain exercises (CKC), whereas the knee extension is considered an open chain kinetic exercise (OKC). CKC exercises are distinguished by the foot being fixed and the knee joint moving in conjunction with the hip and ankle in a predictable manner. With the squat, for example, the foot is on the floor. and ankle, knee and hip all flex and then extend in sync. OKC exercises, on the other hand, are distinguished by the foot being free to move and the knee joint working independently of any other joints. With the knee extension, the hip joint is fixed and the knee flexes and extends with the foot freely rotating. (Recently, researchers have argued that this classification system of exercises is too simplistic, but for the purposes of this article, the simple distinction is sufficient.)

researchers say

Researchers and physiotherapists seem to be agreed that CKC exercises are superior to OKC ones. CKC knee exercises are considered safer and more effective since they place less strain on the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and elicit a hamstrings co-contraction together with the quadriceps. Researchers from the Mayo Clinic (New York) showed that leg press placed no strain on the ACL and elicited significant hamstring co-contraction, whereas the knee extension placed strain on the ACL at 30° of flexion. The decreased ACL strain makes CKC knee exercises important for ACL rehabilitation programmes.The Mayo Clinic team also argue that CKC exercises are superior because they are more functional than OKC exercises. Walking, jumping and running movements all involve the kinetic chain of ankle, knee and hip. Thus it is advantageous to strengthen the quadriceps in a similar manner to real movements - specificity of training is an accepted principle in sports science. During the squat and leg press, the knee and hip extend together. While the knee extends, the rectus femoris shortens and the hamstrings lengthen, but while the hip extends, the rectus femoris lengthens and the hamstrings shorten. The result is a simultaneous concentric and eccentric contraction at the opposite ends of each muscle. This is known as the 'concurrent shift', and is a specific neuromuscular pattern which occurs during all multi-joint leg movements. This concurrent shift does not take place in OKC exercises. Theoretically, training the quadriceps in isolation, without normal muscular recruitment patterns, could lead to inefficient neuromuscular coordination in athletic movements. Training movements that involve the concurrent shift are very important, so CKC knee exercises are recommended.Other studies have compared the muscle electromyographic (EMG) activity during the squat, leg press and knee extension exercises. EMG activity is an objective measure of the amount of muscle activity during the exercise. This allows exercises to be compared. Joseph Signorile and a team from the University of Miami investigated the EMG activity of the quadriceps during the squat and knee extension. They used experienced lifters and determined the 10-repetition maximum weight for each exercise. This guaranteed that both exercises required the same relative effort. The team found that the squat elicited significantly more quadriceps EMG activity compared to the knee extension. Signorile et al concluded that because of this the squat should be seen as the superior quadriceps exercise, especially as it is a more functional movement.

Important tips for swimmers

Breaststroke
This is the easiest stroke to use for long distances. It allows you to take a breathe during each stroke as you lift your head above water. In breaststrokes, your arms and legs bend deeply and then straighten out quickly to propel you forward.
Backstroke
Learning how to float on your back helps you to learn the backstroke, which is restful and useful in distance swimming its movements are similar to those of the crawl except that you are lying faceup in the water, so breathing is not difficult. Because you are on your back, your arms move in a backward circularmotion to help propel you forward.
Sidestroke
In sidestroke, your body is turned slide ways to whichever side is more comfortable, and your lower arm sweeps through the water in a forward circular motion. Using scissors kick, your legs separate, knees bent, and then come together and straightened out qickly to propel you forward

Crawl/Freestyle
You can use the fluter kick as your arms alternate moving in and out of the water in a forward circular motion. You breathe as you lift your head above the water and exhale when your head is under water

Butterfly stroke
Although classified as a breaststroke, the butterfly has arm movements similar to those used in the crawl, except that both arms make the stroke at the same time. You use what is called a dolphin kick--your feet move up and down in the water at the same time--during each stroke. The butterfly is used mostly in competition.