Archive for August, 2010

Pilates Certification Courses: An Overview

Posted by hanun On August - 31 - 2010ADD COMMENTS

Pilates Exercises have been getting more and more attention from lots of people. Since its introduction to the American Population in the 1910’s, the exercise technique invented by the German national Joseph Pilates has caught the attention of millions of Americans to date. Pilates first started with simple springs attached to hospital beds for his first Pilates machine, and since then the machines, as well as the techniques used have improved so well. Pilates also has his share of students, who continued his “teachings” his studio and his work. Nowadays, the modern day Pilates instructor, need only a certification, that they indeed have the proper training to supervise a safe and effective Pilates class. Pilates certifications are offered by a vast number of firms that aside from offering Pilates certifications also hold classes for practitioners.

A Pilates Certification course basically consists of the different basic techniques in the Pilates exercise, as well as good positioning, machine work and mat exercises.

The first Pilates certification course that would probably be taught in a typical Pilates Certification class is basic matwork exercises. These are beginner and intermediate level matwork classes after which, you will be certified to teach beginner or intermediate level Pilates Class. You won’t need a machine for Pilates matwork, which make it the highest in demand because, if you’re planning on teaching Pilates for a living, you can easily start on a low budget, and teach Pilates without using Machines.

The second topic in your Pilates certification course may probably be standing Pilates; this like mat Pilates doesn’t need machines as well, but may take a bit more experience to learn because of the complicated position of standing upright, most Pilates certification schools do not teach standing Pilates until after the trainee has a certification in matwork Pilates.

After standing Pilates, is advanced matwork Pilates. The Pilates certification for advanced matwork, is given later because as its name says, it is advanced, meaning more difficult moves, which entails a higher probability of someone making a mistake. It is therefore crucial that the instructor to be is well trained before he gets an advanced matwork Pilates certification.

After the non equipment courses, the next course for Pilates certification would be the apparatus courses, where you’ll be certified as an instructor for certain machines. First, the would-be instructor is trained with the basic Pilates equipment, Cadillac, reformer, circle, and barrels. After the course, you will have a Pilates certification for apparatus. Some schools offer standing apparatus Pilates certification, as a separate training program from basic apparatus training, if you want to learn it all at once, then you’ll most likely find a certification firm that will accommodate you.

The last and probably the most complicated one is the training for people with special cases, like those with back, neck, knee, shoulder problems. These are more complicated situations and need more focus on. The only one that probably needs a better trained instructor would probably be Pilates for rehabilitation. Yes, Pilates can be used for rehabilitation, but to get a Pilates certification for rehabilitation, you must be certified in all the other Pilates techiniques, this is because most people that need rehabilitaiton are fragile and therefore need extra care, as well as extra training.

After getting a Pilates certification for every course, the trainees should have the skills to teach the exercise techniques, as well as its Pilosophical aspects to practitioners. Some schools even teach the trainees so that after they finish each course, they will also have enough skills to modify the exercise techniques to fit their class’ needs, so that after you train, you can further improve on the teachniques that we’re taught to you and apply them as the case may be.

US Open bets for the big three in 2010

Posted by admin On August - 28 - 2010ADD COMMENTS

The US Open is just around the corner, scheduled for the end of August. It is the last Grand Slam of the tennis season and one of the oldest tennis tournaments in the world.

The first US Open took place in 1881 which was 4 years after Wimbledon started. The US Open is known for its hard acrylic surfaces which create fast court action.

Rodger Federer won the US Open 5 times in a row from 2003 to 2008, but was beaten in the 2009 final by Juan Martín del Potro. He will be looking to win back the title in 2010. However he is now 30 and it is clearly showing. 2010 hasn’t been a good year for him having been beaten by Marcos Baghdatis, Ernests Gulbis, Albert Montanes and Lleyton Hewitt.

Surprisingly the US Open is the only Grand Slam that Rafael Nadal hasn’t won yet, so he will certainly have something to prove this year. He does seem to have trouble on acrylic courts though. He doesn’t have the time to play his devastating top-spin forehand shots that makes him so feared on grass and clay. Maybe the speed and heat of New York will get to him again? A good point to make is that Nadal has never met Federer in this tournament. Maybe you want to place your US Open bets on the outcome of a clash between the two?

Andy Murray is also a big contender for this tournament. He has previously beat Nadal and Del Potro to reach the final in 2008. However he lost the final in straight sets to Federer that year. He does look to have improved form at the moment so we will just have to wait and see.

Special technical expertise is required for sports facilities construction and installation of equipment related to different sports. Different sports facilities require sports pitches to be prepared to different specifications depending upon their use. For instance, sports facilities to be used as Multi-use Games Areas will have to take into consideration the requirements of all the sports to be played on the pitch as compared to single-purpose sports facilities or indoor sports halls.

In case of outdoor sports facilities, the process of construction begins with a site inspection followed by excavation of the ground. The base layers are installed in a way as to offer a stable foundation and to serve as an effective shock pad. Good drainage is one of the most important requirements of these sports pitches.

Synthetic sports surfaces can vary in their playing characteristics depending upon the requirements of the sports to be played on them. This is the reason why artificial turf is available in a range of pile lengths. While shorter pile is meant for sports played at the professional level, longer pile length may be preferred for recreational sports. An expert firm, based on your requirements, can install a 30mm pile or a 20mm pile. The most important thing in this regard is to conform to the I.A.A.F guidelines for installations.

A professional firm, specialised in manufacturing and installing artificial grass, also offers a choice of colours of artificial turf. For instance, you may go for one colour blade artificial pitch to the ones that feature two colour or multi-coloured tufted blade.

Outdoor athletics tracks with artificial surfaces also require the expertise of a professional firm for their construction.  Athletic tracks should be slip resistant so as to minimise chances of falls to athletes. These surfaces, in most cases, are made from an impermeable double compound polyurethane system which allows for better drainage, whilst making the surface uniform and durable. Fibrous rubber granules are blended with polyurethane binders in a special machine. The mixture is then installed at full depth using special equipment.

The construction of indoor sports halls would benefit from a complete design and advisory service with budget proposals. Therefore, services of a professional firm may be sought.  Multi-coloured markings on the sports surface are an integral part of a sports facility used as an indoor sports hall or a Multi-use Games Area, where a variety of sports are played.

Sports facilities construction  not only includes the installation of  sports surfaces, but also other important services such as installation of fences, fixed sports equipment, floodlighting, electronic scoreboards, air supported structures, and much  more. Many leading companies in this field do not only offer the services of sports facilities construction, but also that of sports surface maintenance.