sports Archives - Serendipity Mommy

Best Beaches to Try Paddleboarding in Asia

July 21, 2020 by Mandy

If you haven’t already tried stand up paddle boarding, why not? It’s the fastest growing water sport in the world, and it’s a great way to see a new place. Just imagine paddling along an alpine lake with a mountain background, catching waves on a sun-kissed surf beach, or sunrise yoga with no-one else around. All of these and more are possible when it comes to SUPing!

SUPing is challenging but rewarding, and it may seem a little intimidating when you first try it. However, the more you do it, the more you’ll get used to it. In this post, we’ll take a look at some things you should think about before your first paddle boarding adventure. Hopefully, it’ll put your mind at rest, and you’ll be able to make the most of your trip. Let’s take a closer look!

Where to go

The first and most important thing to take into consideration is where to go for a SUP trip. After all, there are lots of different ways to use your board. Do you want to do the simple stand up paddling? If so, it’s better to take a look at somewhere with flat water that you can just relax and enjoy the scenery as you’re working your body’s core. Perhaps you want something a little more adrenaline fueled? Surf SUP is what you’re looking for – for that you’ll need to head to a beach with the right conditions. Usually, a surfing beach is perfect for this, just make sure to know your place in the line–up. SUP yoga and SUP fishing are a little more specialised – but do your research and it won’t be hard to find places where you can practice either of these.

Get the right equipment

There is lots to think about when it comes to beginning stand up paddle boarding. Whether you’re thinking of buying or renting, the first things you’ll need is a board, paddle, PFD (personal floatation device) and leash.

At this point, you might be wondering what size paddle board is right for me? Generally, that comes down to your weight and skill level. Make sure to choose a board with a bit of room for man oeuvre in the weight capacity – you may need to factor extra weight for bags, or who knows, you may bring your dog along a SUP trip!

Once you’ve got the right board, it’s onto the paddle. That should be around 25cm longer than your height. If you’re buying your equipment, a paddle should cost around 20% of the board price.

A PFD and leash are both essential pieces of safety equipment. The former will keep you floating should you fall off the board. That’s particularly handy when it comes to surf SUP! The leash will help you in a different way if you fall – you won’t lose your board if you’re attached. A surf leash is different to a SUP leash, so don’t expect to use the same leash for both sports.

Learn to take a fall

While on the subject of staying safe, don’t assume that you’ll be fine if you fall with a PFD and a leash (though the chances are you will). You also need to fall in the right way. Obviously, you’d rather not fall at all, but it can be quite difficult for beginners to master their balance on the board. If you feel yourself losing balance, it’s important to fall away from the board. That way, you won’t get any unpleasant injuries. Even an inflatable board can do some serious damage if you faceplant it!

It’s more strenuous than it looks

When you see people stand up paddle boarding, it looks like they’re having the time of their lives (they probably are, by the way), while putting in very little effort. However, it takes a lot of core strength to stand up paddle board. You’ll use muscles that you’re not used to and at first it might hurt a bit when you get off your board. However, don’t let that put you off. The substantial improvement of your body’s core improves your posture and makes you more flexible.

SUPing is a full body workout that you don’t notice at the time, and what could be better than that?

Respect those around you

Once you start to master the basics of SUPing, you need to be aware of other people around you too. Obviously, the dream is having a whole mountain lake to yourself, but when you start off, you’re likely to be boarding with other newbie SUPers. Make sure that you do so on calm and flat water with plenty of room. That way, if you fall or get into any difficulties, you won’t put off other new SUPers.

Another time you’ll need to respect those around you is when you’re surf SUPing. Even after a bit of experience, you’ll need to learn the line–up. Surf SUPers sometimes get a bad rep with surfers, so if you are in any doubt, speak to a local or experienced surfer at the beach. Not only is this useful for learning the line–up, but it’ll also alert you to any hazards or dangers in the water.

Both of these are about more than just respecting other people. It’ll also prevent injuries to you and them!

Final Thoughts on your first paddle boarding adventure

If you follow the five steps written above, you will be sure to have a blast on your first paddle boarding adventure. And you’ll hopefully come back safe and sound too! Wherever you’re planning your adventure, we wish you a great time.

Fun Sports That Your Kids Will Love To Play

June 6, 2018 by Mandy

Being a busy mom is incredibly rewarding, but it brings lots of challenges too, including how to keep your kids happy and how to keep them fit. Encouraging your children to participate in sports can go a long way towards solving both these problems, but the difficulty can come in deciding which sport is right for your little darlings. You may want to stay away from sports that potentially involve a lot of knocks and physical contact, such as football, but there are plenty of other sporting activities to choose from. The three below can be particularly good choices, as they are great fun and you won’t have to spend too much money on initial equipment.

Soccer

Soccer has long been the world’s most popular team sport, but in recent years it’s been growing rapidly here in America as well. One of the great things about soccer is that it’s popular among both boys and girls, and a typical soccer game involves a lot of running for all participants, as well as helping to improve coordination skills. If your children are interested in soccer, all they’ll need initially is soccer shoes, a t-shirt, and shorts and a soccer ball. A perfect accessory to this is a Nike soccer bag, as kids will love this cool backpack, and it comes with a special pocket to hold a soccer ball.

Swimming

Swimming is, in many ways, the most ideal sport for any child to learn, and that’s because it gives them a skill that could one day, quite literally, be a lifesaver. Swimming can also be great fun, and whilst it provides a workout for the full body, it doesn’t place stress upon ankles and joints, as soccer and other sports that involve running often do. That’s why it’s great for children who have joint pain because of growth spurts or other reasons, and whilst it’s an excellent way to get fit, it can also be strangely relaxing too. Above all else, swimming is an activity that children and parents can participate in together, and what could be better than that?

Quidditch

Yes, I said Quidditch, the sport played by Harry Potter and his friends, and enemies, at Hogwarts. Of course, Quidditch, as imagined by author J.K. Rowling, involved flying through the air, but Potter enthusiasts have now invented a more grounded form of Quidditch that can be enjoyed by children and adults without the need for magic powers. It’s become incredibly popular across the United States and beyond, and there’s even an American national team that competes in the Quidditch world cup. If your children love all things connected to Harry Potter, then it’s worth checking to see if there’s a Quidditch team or league in your area.

Habits learned in childhood often continue into adulthood, which is why helping your children stay fit and healthy, and encouraging a love of sports and exercise, could be one of the best things you ever do for them. Swimming, soccer, and Quidditch are just some of the sports that children love, and there’s no prouder feeling as a parent than seeing your child competing or excelling at the sporting activity they do best.

To Become a Sports Leader Develop these Skills

July 23, 2017 by Mandy

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To become a sports leader takes a set of skills beyond an ability to play your sport. In every sport, there are those like Jack Elway, who have great statistics and excel. Yet many of these players have peers who do not look up to them or count on them for their leadership. While there are others that everyone in the league agrees is a true leader. The difference between these two players is that the second has developed leadership qualities. Here is a description of two of the most important qualities of a sports leader.

Have High Emotional Intelligence

At the root of all decision making sits emotional intelligence, which forms the base for emotional well-being and how that person makes decisions. It also forms the foundations for self-esteem which provides us with an ability to take on tough challenges. Sports leaders have matured emotionally and have a strong sense of self-worth; knowing how they want to treat people and be treated.

The core of this confidence can often be traced back to the person’s childhood and how they interacted with their parents. Did they have healthy and productive relationships with them? If so, there is a good chance that they matured a lot emotionally during that time. As they grew into their teens and peer focus became prevalent, if they had a great emotional foundation established with their parents, they could use this to set up relationships with their peers. If not, they might tend to gain an emotional grounding from their peer group, which can be shaky and often leads to problems for the young person. You will often hear sports leaders talk about someone who had a major emotional impact in their life. It might be a dad, mom or even a coach who acted as a father figure and provided an emotional grounding, and the key elements of emotional intelligence: how to identify their feelings, comprehend where they come from, and then learn how to deal with them.

Research has shown that emotional intelligence is a major predictor of success in relationships and can also tell whether the person is likely to make healthy choices in life. So sports leaders are likely to have very high emotional intelligence.

Take Responsibility

Sports leaders are always prepared to take responsibility for the conditions and outcomes of teams and games with which they are involved. Someone who is responsible accepts what their role is and the positive or negative consequences that result from their choices.

In many sports organizations and in society in general today too often qualities like responsibility are not stressed and nurtured and as a result they are not seen enough. The result is that too many people look to pass blame onto others and never get the lessons we all need to get from our failures. Failures often teach us more than victories and in fact they are also often the biggest part of a victory. Any sports leader will tell you that it is the things they learned while failing that made them so strong a competitor and leader. When you take on the responsibility role you also place yourself firmly in a position to fix whatever problem there was that occurred. Own it and then repair it. Sports leaders understand this so they always look to take responsibility.

These two qualities are important to understanding why someone becomes a sports leader. If you want to lead, focus on improving your leadership skills as well as your playing skills.