Football is an extremely fun team sport, and almost everyone plays it at some point in their lives. With the 2022 World Cup being here, more and more people are getting into playing the sport again, which could be what brings you here, too! So, what are the benefits of playing football? Are they only physical? Let's find out: Teamwork Building Everyone is somewhat aware of the physical benefits of football but what people are often unaware of is the way football builds teamwork in individuals. As football is a team sport, it is difficult, if not impossible, to play the game without coordinating with the team and establishing proper roles. For example, someone has to play the position of goalkeeper, someone has to be defending, someone has to be in the midfield, and lastly, someone has to be the striker. Building a team around these roles and playing with coordination is something we learn without even knowing we're learning. Body Coordination Similar to a team in football, your body and its various parts need to coordinate well to perform at their best, and football is one of the best ways to do just that. Things like hand-eye coordination, which are crucial in any area of life, are improved significantly through the various motions we perform when playing football. These include dribbling, shooting, shielding an opponent, and tackling, among other things. Cardiovascular Health Unlike some other sports, football rarely allows an opportunity to stay sedentary; you must constantly walk or run to be in the correct position for a pass or intercept an opposition play. Accordingly, this means your heart rate stays up constantly and builds strong cardiovascular health by reducing plaque buildup in your arteries, reducing blood pressure, and burning excess fat (if any). Muscle Strength In football, the entirety of your body gets exercised as you need both upper and lower-body strength to excel at the game. Lower body strength is needed for kicking the ball harder and running faster than your opponents, while upper body strength is useful for defending the ball from a nearby opponent and for throw-ins. Through consistently playing football, you can build your overall muscle strength up significantly. Lower Body Fat As discussed earlier, football forces you to be constantly moving in order to play at your best. This means a constantly elevated heart rate which creates for an excellent cardio workout! Apart from this, football also contributes to muscle building while burning fat at the same time. This is because of the way we have to alternate between different movements during the game; our bodies can develop slow-twitch and fast-twitch muscle fibres simultaneously. Accessibility Unlike a sport such as tennis, for example, you do not need any specific court or area to be able to play football; it can be played virtually anywhere! The only thing you really need, as you'll have seen in street football, is an open space and a football, and you're off!

The NBA has produced some of the most magical moments of basketball, captivating fans all around the world in the sport that is accessible and fun for everyone! Basketball has been around for well over a hundred years now, but it hasn't found quite the popularity that football has, for example. For this reason, it can be confusing for new people to understand exactly how the game is played and what they'll need. Well, worry not! We're here to show you everything that you'll need to get started with basketball and have the time of your life:   What You’re Supposed to do The goal of the game is to throw the basketball into the opposing team's hoop, which gets you points based on the distance and type of shot you landed in it. Generally, teams will pass the ball around and try to score at all costs, with longer shots meaning more points (but harder to land) and short baskets giving comparatively fewer points. Like any sport, the team with the higher points at the end is crowned the winner of the match.   What You’ll Need to Get Started Let's get straight to the best part of basketball (for me, at least); the shoes. The feeling you get with getting a pair of Nike Kobe 9 Elites in the Moonwalker colorway, or maybe your favorite pair of Jordans, is just unbeatable for me and creates half the appeal of playing the game in the first place! That aside, basketball shoes are essential to make sure you can maneuver and position yourself around the court without slipping or hurting your ankles. Apart from shoes, you'll need a basketball (of course) and a court with at least one hoop (which is enough for playing a half-court basketball game). Only five players at maximum can play at a time on the court, with seven players acting as substitutes. The positions are defined as follows: Point Guard Defensive Guard Center Offensive Forward Defensive Forward The positions act as guidelines and are crucial for carrying out match strategy, but no player is prohibited from moving around freely on the court. The measurements of the court are roughly 90 feet long and 50 feet wide, with a center line and three-point arcs around the hoop of each team. These arcs define the limit outside which if you can score a basket, you are rewarded with 3 points, while baskets within the arc are scored as 2 points. There is also a marking called the 'key' within the arc, which is where free throws are taken from should a foul occur. The time format of the game is split into four phases; quarters, each lasting 4 minutes. There is a half-time gap between the 2nd and 3rd quarters for the players to rest and strategize if needed. That wraps up our guide on getting started with basketball; we hope this has been helpful and that you have lots of fun with the game!

The world of sports is an incredibly diverse and dense one. Each sport, from football and basketball to curling and ice skating, has an unfathomable amount of depth to it. It can be a truly magical journey going from learning the ropes to becoming a semi-pro or even professional-level player! With that said, let's get into the five sports we think you need to try because they're way too much fun:   1. Football I may be partial in this case because football is a sport really close to my heart and something I've played since I was a kid, but I can assure you that you'll have just as much fun with it as I have all my life! The fundamentals are simple; you have to kick the ball into the other team's net, and you can only use your feet (kind of) to do it.   2. Basketball It's no secret that you need to be tall if you want to make it big in basketball, but that doesn't mean you can't pick it up as a fun game to play on the weekends. The feeling of getting a three-pointer for the first time is unmatched by anything and gives you a high that you will be chasing for the rest of your basketball-playing career! All you need to get started is a basketball, a hoop, and a basic rundown of the rules.   3. Table Tennis Ping pong, you've probably seen Forrest Gump go crazy for it, and there's a good reason that happened! Table tennis is one of the most fun sports and is really simple to start. The rules are similar to tennis; the ball has to go over the net and bounce twice in the opponent's half or fall off the other side. Unlike tennis, it involves much less effort and is much easier to learn, so pick up a racket today and give it a shot!   4. Squash Think tennis, but against a wall. Squash is one of those sports where you really get to unleash all your frustration with a racket in your hand and a tennis ball in front of you. Jokes aside, squash is another somewhat niche but really fun sport that is best played with a friend and makes for a really good workout in the process! You'll probably need a squash court to get started, but you can also get away with just a horizontal line on a wall (acting as the net), and a racket and ball are essential.   5. Volleyball We’ve all seen the movie scenes of beach volleyball and wondered what it would be like to make a diving hit at the last second to get it over the net. Well, it’s time to stop wondering and go try it for yourself! Volleyball is essentially badminton with a football-like ball that is much lighter. The rules are to hit it with your hands and get the ball to drop in their half for a point. We hope we've been helpful, and until next time, goodbye!

Football, or soccer if you prefer, is one of the most popular sports in the world and for a good reason; it's extremely fun! Especially with the 2022 FIFA World Cup upon us, football is gaining popularity again, with more and more people wanting to play. However, not everyone has had a football to play with since they were kids, or maybe they did but never actually played with proper rules and teams. Where is a person like that supposed to go to learn? Right here! Today, we will show you the best way to learn and play football like your favourite pros during the World Cup!   Learn the Proper Way to Kick the Ball Too often, I see new players try to kick the ball with the tips of their toes, sometimes known as 'punting', which is incredibly dangerous and absolutely the wrong way to do it! Kicking the ball with the tip of your toes may seem easy or natural, but by doing so, you put all the force of your kick on your toes and nails, which could lead to a serious injury for you if the angle is slightly wrong or you kick too hard. So, what is the proper way? If you've looked closely at a professional football player kicking a ball, you will see that they use the top or sides of their feet rather than their toes. This not only protects from injuries to your toes and nails; it is also the optimal way to shoot with power and get the ball to go exactly where you’re aiming.   Practice with a Friend or Against a Wall One of the best ways to learn how to play is, you guessed it, by playing! Practising as much as you can is the best way to learn any new thing, and it's particularly important in the case of football. For me, practising kicking the ball against a wall and trying to keep it as straight as possible was a good way to learn side-foot kicking. Once you’re familiar with that, you will want to learn how to kick the ball with power. For this, you can either get a friend involved or go to your local park and play with anyone there. Start by putting about 50 meters of distance between you and your friend and try to kick the ball as accurately towards them as you can. Remember to use only the top or sides of your foot. You will find that side-foot shooting is a lot easier than with the top of your foot but does not allow you to get as much power in your shots.   Familiarize Yourself with the Rules Playing in the park is often an informal game of football with few rules involved, but you'll still want to be familiar with them so you can get started with proper matches right from the get-go! You can find a detailed list of rules and explanations on YouTube, which should be easier to understand than written explanations.