The bottom-5 of the top-10 sports :

6. Basketball: Hugely popular in countries like USA and Philippines and gaining momentum in China and other countries. Basketball is a rich man’s sports and does not appeal to third world countries but has enough followers to make it the sixth most popular with around 230-240 million fans. The NBA stages the most popular basketball events and is probably the most popular professional league in the world .

7. Volleyball: It is very popular in USA and almost 100 countries play the game professionally. The game may not be most popular in any one country but certainly enjoys a popularity level in almost all nations. Considering the amount of people playing the game it must have been among the top five sports, but as a spectator sport it ranks seventh, with a mass following of in excess of 200 million.

8. Table tennis: The fact that it is the second most popular sport in China alone puts it the amongst the top five, but internationally it has limited audiences although it thrives in Korea, the UK and and some other European nations.

9. Rugby Football: Rugby union and Rugby league are very popular in Australia, South Africa, England, Wales, New Zealand, France, Argentina and Fiji – rugby is the most popular sport in as many as six countries and has 200 million observers helping it to be ranked at No.9.

10. Golf: Golf has the stiffest competition from American football and ice hockey. Both ice hockey and American football have almost 200 million followers, but considering the popularity of golf across the world – especially in the USA, Europe, Asia, South Africa and Australia – it has to be ranked higher. Golf is not your poor man’s cup of tea as it is probably the costliest sport in the world.

The Arabian horse is recognised worldwide as the purest and oldest of all horse breeds. Hailing from the Middle Eastern deserts its stamina was an invaluable asset, ensuring it could carry its rider at speed across miles of open desert with little food or water.

Today, almost every breed and type of horse has traces of Arab blood and all English Thoroughbreds are descended from three horses: Byerley Turk, Darley Arabian or Godolphin Arabian, which were imported to Britain in the early 1700s.

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Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on a field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the runs scored by the batting team. A run is scored by the striking batsman hitting the ball with his bat, running to the opposite end of the pitch and touching the crease there without being dismissed. The teams switch between batting and fielding at the end of an innings.

In professional cricket the length of a game ranges from 20 overs of six bowling deliveries per side to Test cricket played over five days. The Laws of Cricket are maintained by the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) with additional Standard Playing Conditions for Test matches and One Day Internationals.

The term Kung Fu refers to the martial arts of China. Kung Fu originated in a place called the Shaolin Temple, where monks practiced Kung Fu for health and self-defense during their quest for enlightenment.

The first Shaolin temple was a Buddhist monastery built in 377 A.D. in the Henan province of China. In 527 A.D. a Buddhist prince, Bodhidharma, or Da Mo in Chinese, traveled to the temple for religious teaching, but found the monks weak and in poor health. To find a way to give the monks strength and vitality, Da Mo locked himself in a room for nine years of meditation. His resulting work, Yi Jin Jing, a series of exercises which developed strength, vitality, and internal energy, is considered the original Shaolin martial art.

Historically, Kung Fu in China was an integral part in the education of scholars and the leaders of government. The Chinese people placed great value in the practice of Kung Fu because they felt it taught respect, patience, humility, and morality.

Many Americans believe that Kung Fu is a term which describes a single martial art, much like Taekwondo, Judo, or Aikido. In reality, Kung Fu is a general term which includes hundreds of styles of Chinese martial arts. Some examples of Kung Fu styles are Long Fist, Eagle Claw, and Taiji Quan.

Another misconception is that Kung Fu is a “soft” style compared with Karate or other “hard” styles. This is not so: each Kung Fu style contains both hard and soft techniques. Also, many people believe that Kung Fu is an external style and Taiji Quan is an internal style. While most Kung Fu styles emphasize external development, all styles of Kung Fu contain both internal and external components.

Sumo is a Japanese style of wrestling and Japan’s national sport. It originated in ancient times as a performance to entertain the Shinto gods. Many rituals with religious background are still followed today.

The basic rules of sumo are simple: the wrestler who first touches the ground with anything besides the soles of his feet, or who leaves the ring before his opponent, loses. Fights take place on an elevated ring, called a “dohyo”, which is made of clay and covered in a layer of sand. The fights themselves usually last only a few seconds, or in rare cases, about a minute.

At the top of the sumo wrestlers’ hierarchy stand the yokozuna (grand champion). Once a wrestler reaches the rank of yokozuna, he cannot lose this status but he will be expected to retire when his results begin to worsen. Many former wrestlers remain active in the sumo world as members of the Japan Sumo Association.

Downhill skiing consists of four main events which include Slalom, Giant Slalom, Super Giant Slalom, and Downhill. The different between these events is the placement of the gates. You also wear different gear and use different length skis for each event.

Slalom – This event is when the ski gates are the closest together. Ski racers quickly navigate through the ski course. The ski gates “breakaway” as the ski racer hits them with their shin and/or arm as they ski by them. The reason ski racers hit the ski gates is to try to ski the straightest line possible down the ski slope. The straighter the line, the faster you go and the faster your run time. Ski racers bring the tip of their ski close to the ski gate and sometimes catch their ski tip and spin out. Ski racers were shin, arm, and hand guards plus a protective helmet.

Giant Slalom has the gates farther apart then slalom. Ski racers do not hit the gates like they do in slalom. Therefore, they tend to wear less guards. However, a helmet is still required.

Super Giant Slalom and the Downhill, in addition to Slalom and Giant Slalom, are usually done in professional ski racing or at Junior Olympic ski races for aspiring professional ski racers.

The length of skis varies from year to year. Typically, though, slalom requires a much shorter ski then giant slalom. Super Giant Slalom and the Downhill require longer skis.

Any understanding of the sport of diving begins by learing about the basic elements that make up a dive and the diving meets in which they are used.
Elements of the Dive

An important aspect of learning to dives is to understand that each dive can be broken down into a series of movements, techniques and skills. These movements and skills can then be practiced and mastered, and put together again during the dive. But before you can get to the point of breaking down a dive you have to understand what the movements, techniques are that make up a dive.

Well, enough bla bla for the web. Hah!

Tennis is one of the most popular sports played across the globe. Since its emergence as a modern sport, tennis has been gaining popularity.

If you wanted to choose a sport that requires minimal equipment, you could try, say, sumo wrestling. But tennis is probably a little more fun. So don’t let the equipment factor prevent you from starting a sport that you can enjoy for a lifetime. Here’s all you need to know to get geared up.

There’s a huge price range: You can get a stripped-down “starter” racquet at Wal-Mart for around $30, while a top-of-the-line premium frame, bought either online or at a pro or specialty shop, could cost as much as $300. But you should be able to find a good current-generation premium racquet for around $150.

What are the kinds of tennis racquets out there today?
The choices are mind-numbing; there are almost as many different racquets to choose from as there are car brands and models. But most racquets fit into one of three basic categories:

1. Game-Improvement Racquets are usually for beginners, players with lower-level skills, and players with less mobility. These players generally have short, slow or tentative swings, and take the racquet back no more than six inches when they prepare to strike the ball. They need the racquet to provide most of the power, and the game-improvement frames provide the boost their users don’t have. How do these frames accomplish that? They have oversized prime hitting areas, or “sweet spots,” of 102-115 square inches, plus wide stiff beams measuring 27 millimeters or more at the sides, and “head heavy” balances (which means most of the weight is in the upper portion toward the head like a hammer). But these racquets’ overall weights are light (under 10.5 ounces) to counter the head-heaviness which would make them sluggish in motion.

2. Player Racquets are for accomplished hitters with long fluid swings; they are used by most tour pros. Contrary to popular opinion, these racquets have not turned professional tennis into a power game; in fact, they have very little inherent power. These are really control-oriented racquets. Most of the power comes from the player’s ability to whip the racquet through the air at high acceleration. These racquets have narrow (17-21 millimeter) beams which flex on ball contact for touch and control, small hitting areas (85-97 square inches) which help keep the racquet stable, and hefty pick-up weights (11.6-13 ounces), which are tempered by their head-light balances.

3. Hybrid Racquets have some of the characteristics of game-improvement racquets and some of player racquets, with head sizes and beams in between the two and balances that are slightly head-light. They’re primarily for intermediate players with medium swings, but with their best-of-both-worlds appeal they’re also used by some advanced players, including Rafael Nadal and Maria Sharapova.

Cycling, also called bicycling or biking, is the use of bicycles for transport, recreation, or forsport. Persons engaged in cycling are cyclists or bicyclists. Apart from ordinary two-wheeled bicycles, cycling also includes riding unicycles, tricycles, quadracycles, and other similarhuman-powered vehicles (HPVs).

Bicycles were introduced in the 19th century and now number about one billion worldwide.They are the principal means of transportation in many regions.

Cycling is an extremely efficient mode of transportation optimal for short to moderate distances. Bicycles provide numerous benefits compared to motor vehicles, including exercise, an alternative to the use of fossil fuels, no air or noise pollution, much reduced traffic congestion and likelihood of causing a fatality, easier parking, greater maneuverability, and access to both roads and paths. The advantages are at less financial cost to the user as well as society (negligible damage to roads, and less pavement required).Criticisms and disadvantages of cycling include reduced protection in crashes, particularly with motor vehicles, longer travel time (except in densely populated areas), vulnerability to weather conditions, difficulty in transporting passengers, and the skill and fitness required.

Fishing is a fun and tranquil sport that lets you spend quiet time with your friends, family and with Mother Nature.

Fresh water fishing is a sport involving the catching of fish in lakes, rivers and streams. It involves a lot of patience, challenge and a lot of acquired skill over time. Anyone can participate in this fun activity, including the kids.

To start, you have to check your States fishing requirements and make sure if a license is needed for you to fish. If it is required, you must acquire one by checking with a sporting goods store. They will help you how to get it, and some will even provide it for you.

During the time that you are in your favorite sporting goods store, you can look around and buy the right fishing equipment that you will be need for your trip. Considering that you are a beginner, make sure that you budget well the cost and your spending on the equipment, not deciding on expensive equipments; buy only the basic things you will need.

When in doubt as to what is needed, ask the help of the store keeper, but do keep in mind that you need to stick to a budget. Take your time and dont hesitate to ask how to use each piece of equipment that is offered to you. Artificial lures for bait can be used or you can simply look for worms from your back yard.

An inexpensive fishing rod and reel will be enough along with a fishing line, hooks, weights, a bobber (this keeps your line afloat), fishing lures and net. A polarized sunglass is also essential, as it will help to see clearly through the water and lessen the glare.

Then if you dont know the good locations to fish, ask about local hot spots, or check your States fishing regulations for information about fishing locations around your State.

The time will surely come when you will be a better fisherman; then you may decide on upgrading your equipment. In the meantime, keep things simple.

It is always advised that you avoid fishing alone. Always be with a friend, as when emergency strikes, there can be someone who can call for help.

It is wise to start fishing in shallow waters. Aim your cast in shady or rocky areas where the water is deep, as this is where the fish is expected to be found. Keep in mind that this is all practice first.

As your skill level develops and increases, you can then attempt into deeper waters. But before going, take the time to practice casting to familiarize yourself with your rod and your reel.

What better place to practice than your back yard. To do so, mark off an area using a rope and use this as your guide in aiming your cast. Rehearse and study your movements to discover a method that will work for you. Bear in mind, cast with your wrist, and not with your arm.

Fishing hooks are very sharp and needed to be handled with care to avoid injury. Before casting, it is important that you should look around you and stay unobstructed to avoid hurting other people with your hook.

When the right time has come and you go fishing for real, keep in mind to cast your line always ahead of the fish, making your bait land slowly, with as little splash as possible. The fish will see well at a close point, but cannot see behind.

If your casts are going in a disorganized manner, move closer to the water so you can gain better accuracy.

Watch the bobber closely for any movement. If and when a fish grabs the bait, the bobber will be pulled under water. This signals that you got a fish on the line. Dont get too excited. Remain calm.

Keeping your line tight, slowly reel in your catch. Place the net near and use it to bring the fish out. Remove the hook from the fish with great care.

If you got an undersized fish (as noted in the states regulation book), quickly return it to the water. Likewise, if you have no intention in eating your catch, do not waste it and return it to the water. Releasing the fish will supply the water with more fish, giving future fishermen the thrill to experience a catch.

Lastly, look around you and feel the calm, restful and serene view of the river.

Have fun!