Why You Should Buy the New Balance 991

The New Balance 991 has been the staple of mildly flat footed runners and is at the forefront of the battle to making New Balance the leader in running shoes.  With patented shock absorption technology and extremely lightweight supports, it is among the most desired running shoes on the market.

Beginning with the specifications, the New Balance 991 uses ABSORB technology to provide cushioning and shock protection to the heal and forefoot.  Other trademarked cushioning and support systems like C-CAP and ENCAP provide additional support and absorption of shock forces.  To top off the list of features, the shoes only weigh an astonishingly super light 13.3 ounces.

The amount of comfort and support the shoes provide the wearer are unparalleled.  And any shoe that is designed for running should be.  Running puts a tremendous amount of impact stress on all of the joints of the runner’s feet, legs, and lower back, so comfortable running shoes are critical to a runner’s success.  The amount of padding packed into this ultra light shoe is incredible and the shock resistance that it offers is mind blowing.

Aside from saving your feet, knees, and lower back, these shoes also offer unprecedented durability.  These shoes were designed to last.

For such an amazing pair of shoes, one must be expected to pay a small fortune, right?  Not with the New Balance 991.  These shoes are competitively priced to offer extraordinary performance for a reasonable amount.  There are plenty of other running shoes on the market that offer similar features, but with costs well above $200.  Not because you pay more do you get more; in fact, these shoes are substantially cheaper and you get more with them.

And if you are the type of person who buys shoes because they are worn by a celebrity or have been endorsed by a sports star, consider this.  Steve Jobs, the Chairman and CEO of Apple and former CEO of Pixar, has been caught on several occasions sporting a pair of New Balance 991’s.  Steve Jobs has more money than most sports stars, so his choice in shoes can’t be wrong.

The New Balance 991 allows you to get as close to walking on air that you can.  The give their wearers unrivaled comfort, foot protection, and shock absorption.  And when compared to other shoes of their class, they offer a far more affordable solution.  You cannot ask for a better pair of running shoes. If you’d like to learn more about the 991 go to Shoechampion.com

How to Defend Yourself in Real Fights

Why fight? Fighting is a part of the world today. You can walk away from a fight or take it. There are many kinds of fight styles. Street fight knockouts, real fights, and girl fights. The purpose of this article is to determine what to do in these situations. The safe thing is to out run them and take cover in a safe place.

There is the chance of a street fight knockouts. If someone is knocked out in a street fight then they should get care immediately from a call to 911. Whenever a fight occurs every attempt to avoid hitting someone else should be attempted. As we all know it is often not possible. There is the possibility of getting in a real fight real quick.

The fights can occur at any time. It could be someone from your past that sneaks up and wants to invoke revenge against you for something you did when you were a kid. The next thing you know you are waking up in a hospital bed or worse not at all. You should protect yourself and be aware of your surroundings at all times. Girls fights occur this way too.

Girls fights can start over a boyfriend or ex just as quickly. Alarmingly these happen from time to time. Women should especially be aware of anyone running up behind them and be ready to defend themselves by carry mace in their hand as they walk the streets.

Trying to avoid a fight is always the best form of defense. If that doesn’t work prepare to smack, kick, punch, and scratch your way out of the fight. Protect your face and head. Remember walk away, call 911, and defend yourself. If all the above doesn’t work take your efforts to court and sue them to the end.

What To Look For In Paintball Pants

If you have ever considered using something other than your worn out work pants or a cumbersome pair of jeans for paintball play but you don’t have a clue about what to look for here are a few things.

Just like any sport the range of items you can purchase for that sport range a great deal.  Trying to figure out where to start can be a hassle to say the least.  The first thing to ask yourself is, how serious of a player are you?  Possibly an even more important question to ask is how serious do you think you want to get.  If you aren’t sure, then that’s completely fine, you just might want to start with something basic.

photo credit: paintball-art

Also ask yourself what type of game play you are most interested in.  If for example you prefer to play woodsball, and you are playing with a few friends on the occasional weekend you might do just fine using a simple pair of camo paintball pants.  On the other hand, you could spend as much as 170.00 dollars or more for a single pair of paintball pants that are the best of the best.  These are usually used for extreme and professional competition.

Here is what most people end up using.

For the average person who enjoys paintball but is probably never going pro and who plays maybe once a month starting basic is best.  You can pick up a simple pair of paintball pants for about 40 bucks and maybe even less on sale that will be a great improvement over a pair of jeans.

Look for this stuff.

Lightweight- the lighter the better assuming it doesn’t affect the overall durability of the pants.

Padded- especially in the crotch area, you’ll thank me later, also the waist area and knees.

Breathable- on those hot days you will really need as much air flow as possible.

Overall the only real difference between the less expensive paintball pants and the expensive pair is just more.  More stitching, more padding, and more breathe ability.  Start off with a basic pair and later if you get more serious you can always upgrade.  It’s always good to have and extra pair for emergencies anyway.

Safety Tips When Setting Up Swingsets: All’s Well When it Ends Well

Swingsets can provide your children with loads of fun and when combined with other play equipment can play a huge role in creating a child’s paradise in your backyard. They not only stimulate your child’s imagination but provide exercise without it actually feeling like exercise. But while they can be fun, there are some safety precautions you need to observe, not only when setting up your swings but also to help them last longer.

The first step to setting up swingsets is location. A swing needs to be well away from obstacles like fences, trees or bushes. It should also be located where you can see it when you are in the living room or some other part of the house where you spend your time.

photo credit: mikehickerson

And you should never just set up a swing on a raw surface or just set it on the ground without preparing first. If it isn’t level, it can tip over, and if just set on the ground it can fall over when your kids are playing.

Make sure the surface is level, and dig a hole for each leg to bury them at least six inches in the ground.  Some people prefer to fill the hole with concrete so that the legs are more secure, and it really is a great idea if you will be living there a while.  Create a soft area under the swing itself, so that if your kids do fall, there will be a cushion instead of the hard ground.  To do this, you can buy a rubber mat, sand, dirt, or wood chips.

Next, when setting up swingsets, make sure that all the connections are firmly secure and that the swings themselves are an appropriate height for you child. Their feet should just sit on the ground when they are sitting on the swing.  If your set comes with other toys, like a teeter totter or a slide, make sure it is adjusted for your child’s size as well.

When you are setting the swings themselves up, make sure that when you connect them to the frame that you close any gaps so the chains or ropes won’t come off when your kids are playing on them. Also make sure that these are secure to the seat itself, for the same reasons.

And before you let your kids play, you should test the equipment yourself first.  Since your weight is going to be much more than your child’s, if the swing can withstand you, and not break or start to tip, then you know it’s going to be all right for them.

Another safety consideration is material.  Swingsets can be wood, metal, or even plastic, and each has their pros and cons. Metal may last the longest but can rust, as well as develop sharp edges over time. Not to mention that since these tend to be more permanent, and are usually stand alone models, with just a slide as an accessory, you can’t add onto it.

Wood is great, lasts a long time, and is almost as durable as metal without the corrosion factor. The biggest drawback is that not all wood is the same, and you don’t want to purchase light, or pine woods, you want darker wood, like oak or redwood, which tends to be a little more expensive.

Plastic is not going to last very long, just a few years at best.  So it may be cheap, but you get what you pay for.

Where To Donate Toys

Have a pile of unwanted or discarded toys that are still usable?  Want to give them away to a good cause?  There are lots of places that will gratefully take used playthings.  Just make sure that whenever you donate toys, you have cleaned and sanitized them.  The recipient will likely also clean and sanitize the donations, but it is a good courtesy to do anyway.

Children’s hospitals are always looking for toy donations. The children there are bored and lonely, and since toys can cost a significant amount of money, these overworked hospitals are not in possession of the funds to buy them new.  They rely on donations from generous people like you.  Contact the hospital ahead of time to make sure they are still in need of donations, then bring a box on by.

Children’s ministries at churches often need toys as well. The volume of children that come through even a smaller church ministry every week means that the toys they get will eventually be destroyed and discarded, so they are always on the lookout for new toy revenues.

photo credit: Aurelian Săndulescu

Your local library may have a toy check-out program; talk to your librarian to see if they do, or if not, if you can help start one.

Orphanages need all the supplies they can get, and toys are a great joy to the children.  You can also donate toys to orphanages in other countries, where money is so tight that they won’t be able to afford more than the basics.

Organizations like the Salvation Army take all types of donations, and toys can go to them as well.  Although organizations take toy donations, you may want to consider giving them to one of these other sources, since they can really use them.

Wherever you choose to donate toys, see if you can get a tax write-off for a charitable donation!

What’s The Best Way To Travel With Golf Clubs?

If you’re headed on a vacation or business trip and are hoping to spend time on the green, then bringing your golf clubs with you can be an economical choice. Traveling with a packed golf case is best when the protective case exceeds your needs and conserves space while traveling. There are many options when it comes to golf travel bags.

Deciding on a travel case for your golf clubs is not to be underestimated. There are two general categories of cases: a soft, padded case and a hard, shell case.

Soft cases: Soft cases are the most economical cases for golf clubs. They comply with most airline carrier’s standards, as long as there are no more than 14 clubs held in the bag. The soft padded allows for flexibility with the clubs, and is more economical to purchase. If you’re packing clubs in a soft case, place them in a golf bag first. Cover the heads of the clubs and fill any additional room with soft items and clothes. Place the golf bag into the soft travel case, and be sure to fill any other spare room as well. This will keep the clubs from knocking into each other and will provide a soft, safe space for the clubs to rest while traveling.

Golf Travel Bags

Hard Cases: Hard cases offer ultimate protection, since these cases are basically shatterproof boxes that protect the clubs. Most pro golfers are seen with their clubs in hard cases, which attests the effectiveness of these cases. Although the protection for these types of cases is high, so is the price. Another common fear with the hard cases is that since the shell is hard, those handling the case will be much rougher with it. Like the soft case, you’ll want to fill most of the extra space when packing a hard shell case.

Conserve space: Since you’ll have space to fill in your protective case, fill it with the shirts, socks, visors, and gloves that would otherwise be tossed into a carry-on or suitcase. This will help limit the general amount of luggage you need to bring.

Renting: Consider the cost of bringing the clubs versus the cost of renting. With most forms of land travel, it would be most economical to bring the clubs along with you. Yet with the new fees for checked baggage on flights, the costs of a protective case, and the risk of checked luggage getting lost, it may be more economical to rent clubs at your destination.

Airport travel: If you are flying with your golf clubs, make sure to wipe the heads clean before taking them into the airport. Some fertilizers can set off the bomb detectors at airports, which can be a headache to the traveler. It’s also nice to arrive at the golf course with freshly cleaned clubs. Plan on checking the golf case onto the airplane. Golf bags are too big for a carry-on and are inconvenient to haul around an airport.

Useful Golfing Accessories From Gloves to Golf Cart Wheels and Tires

There are MANY golfing accessories for the new golfer to the seasoned pro that has their own golf cart. In fact golf is a pretty fanatical sport for many and some folks even customize their golf cart wheels and tires as a personal statement. Before we get to that extreme, let’s start with accessories for the begging golfer.

As a newcomer to the sport of golf, you will find that there are numerous things that may not be apparent at first.  These items may be the rules, how to keep score, and any golfing accessories that may be useful to you.  As a result, this article is going to discuss a few golfing accessories which you may find useful.

The most obvious is getting a golf bag to carry your golf clubs in.  Depending on your preferences, you can use a simple golf bag that you must carry, a golf bag with wheels, or even a golf bag that has a trolley system.  Since we are big believers that golf should be fun and not work, we recommend the golf bag with the battery operated trolley system.

The next useful golfing accessory is golf gloves.  Unfortunately, not many people realize that golfing gloves exist until they develop unsightly calluses and blisters on their hands.  At that point, they will usually learn about golf gloves from a more experienced golfer.  As a side note, while the gloves will protect your hands, they will also improve your golf game since you will be able to get a better grip on the golf club.

golf cart wheels and tires

The third useful accessory that we are going to talk about today is the golf club cleaner.  Since your golf club will either make or break your golfing game, you will want to ensure that you take the best care of them that you can (since accumulated mud and dirt can affect your shots).

A golf cart cleaner kit is usually made up of brushes and a cleaning solution.  Oftentimes, these kits can be carried around in one of your golf bag pockets.  As you can imagine, you will always want to have you golf club cleaning kit with you on the golf course.

And now, for the folks off the deep end that have just about everything they can for golf, there are many customizations that can be made to their golf cart. One of my favorite modifications is to replace the stock golf cart wheels and tires with custom ones that remind me of the hot rods from the 1960s and 1970s. Perfect for a near one of a kind golfing accessory that will really turn heads.

While these three golfing accessories are useful, if you would like to learn about more golfing accessories, we recommend you check out the Golf Cart Covers Guide and the Golf Cart Tires Guide.

MBS Atom 85

Kids under the age of 10 are generally too small to ride an adult mountainboard. The stance is too wide for the most part and the bindings do not fit kids feet. This is a real shame as kids love mountainboarding and have a lot of fun doing it. On top of that it is great exercise and helps children develop physically. Any activity which involves getting kids outside and away from computers and consoles is a good thing.

MBS have developed the Atom 85 with this in mind. The deck length is only 85 cm which makes everything much smaller including the stance. The F1 bindings go really small so they can be adjusted to fit smaller feet. The 7″ tires are noticeably smaller and lighter than the 8″ tyres on most adult boards too. All this put together with a colorful and fun graphic makes a great junior mountainboard. Found out more about the MBS Atom 85.

Why Use A Cycling Disc Wheel?

If you have been taking part in cycling time trials or triathlons a while then you might have seen some people using a disc wheel on the back of their back, just why do people use disc cycling wheels?

Well the advantage of using a disc wheel have been long understood and to understand why, we need a basic science lesson. A solid rear wheel allows air to pass more easily over it and the easier the air moves over a surface the less drag is caused.

The second thing that you should know about disc wheels is that to get the best out of them you have to ride faster, science has proven that the faster the disc spins, the less turbulance is caused which again leads to better aerodynamics.

Spring Skiing

Spring skiing, there’s surely nothing finer. To feel the crisp snow beneath your board early in the morning and enjoying the freedom of not having to completely rug up. It’s a magnificent way to spend the last few weeks of the season.

In Australia, the snow season winds down in September and the powder hounds manage to eke out the last few days of perfect conditions before the slush and slurry takes over. Now is the time to pick up your trusty Burton snowboard and put it to some good use with another visit to Perisher Blue or a hop over to Thredbo.

Make sure you get an early start during the Spring because there is an inevitability about each day. You know it will start with lovely crisp conditions but by 1 or 2 in the afternoon the snow on the lower slopes will be quickly turning soft and slushy.