By Julio Trujillo
 Have you watched any tennis or snooker recently. How many times have you seen the players stop dead before the serve or take a shot because someone in the crowd has coughed or flashed their camera. All these years practicing and a small noise can put them off so much that they refuse to play until the noise has abated. What has this got to do with chess strategies? Well I do not condone trying to put your opponent off but I have studded psychology at university and know that very small changes in behavior can have a detrimental effect on your opponents concentration. And to me this is all part of the chess strategies we can use.
Here is an example. I played the other day against a player I know all to well. He attacks with his bishops, usually both on the same file and this can be devastating against an opponent. Now if you have read my previous essays you will have noted that I go against the grain and like to take at least one of
my opponent's Knights out when I get the chance as I hate playing against 2 attacking knights and my opponent knew this as well. Nevertheless, 6 moves into the game and I changed strategies and exchanged his Bishop for my Knight. He was totally perplexed by this this and I could see him trying to think of another strategy he could use which would not include 2 Bishops.
But more importantly was his attitude to the game. I could see from his expressions that he was desperate to beat me now but every time he developed a piece which looked threatening I would exchange it for one of my undeveloped pieces. In the end he made to uncharacteristic mistakes and lost the game. I had totally put him off his stride and won.
During most games I have anticipated my opponent's next 3 moves at least. Therefore when it comes to my move I usually play quite quickly especially if I have set a trap and my opponent has walked into it. I think it is only human to play quickly straight after she has moved to show that it was a plan and you had calculated this out from the very start My advice: Don't do it I have lost a number of games doing this where I thought I had considered ever possible move my opponent could make only to find she knew one more and scuppered my strategy. Always take at least 1 minute to go over your next move again. Now his piece is in position it will be easier to see if there is any flaws in your plan. This is using psychology as it shows you think out every move thoroughly and this can install negative thoughts into your opponent.
By the way, on the subject of taking your time over each move, it is quite acceptable to stand up and stretch your legs. Take your eyes away from the board and rest them. Think about something else for a minute then come back to the board a little fresher. Have a look at the you and your opponents position and reevaluate it. It is amazing what you will find which you may have overlooked. Walk behind your opponent and have a quick look at the board from his end. You my be surprised and what the pattern of play looks like from this angle. Do not spill hot coffee down the back of his neck this is not acceptable. Taking a long time to think about your next move does agitate opponents. Does it not agitate you?
By the way, a short walk before any major chess game will help you feel refreshed and ready to go. A bar of chocolate and a cup of coffee have been proven to increase your brain power so go for it. Back to the game .
Never show any concern or emotions during a game of chess. Even if you lose your Queen in the first few moves. Play on as if it is a strategy and tactic which you always use. Remember it is a GAME of chess. What is the worst that could happen. Get over it and get on with the game. I have lost major pieces through my own carelessness at the beginning of many games and have fought back to win. Remember, a Queen is not usually used until the middle game as it is quite dangerous to bring her at the start as she is easily trapped. Therefore, use this knowledge to your advantage. At the beginning losing your Queen will not affect the game that much apart from psychologically. You must put it to the back of your mind and use all the pieces including the pawns to work as a unit to ultimately win the game. Take a leaf out of football,s book. How many times has a player been sent off but the team playing with only 10 men hold out for a draw or even win. This is because all the players double their efforts. the pressure is off as they are not expected to win. They work as a single unit fighting and battling for each other. Remember, your opponent is a piece up and may now be complacent. Concentrate on traps and tricks, forks and pins to get your piece back.Pounce on any mistakes she makes she makes. Try to spring an attack out of the blue on her King before she realises what has hit her.
As soon as you have made a mistake do not show any emotion but put a very slight rye smirk on your face. You want her to thing this is a sacrifice and you are willing her to take the bait. Do not say anything as this would be deemed unsporting. You never know, she may refuse to take your piece if you put on a good act.
Finally, one of the oldest chess strategy cons in the book to put your opponent off. Concentrate your eyes on one side of the board while planning to attack the other side.
You can do it: Use psychology
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How To Buy And Sell Sports Memorabilia
By Arnoldo Watson
 Anything that is worth collecting will differ in value because of many different factors. For instance, a Dallas cowboy's jersey may not be of any value whatsoever to a New York Yankees fan.
To maintain the value of many sports memorabilia, the items must have no imperfections whatsoever. No stains, no tears, no wear around the edges, no fading color, no chips, and no missing parts. On the flip side, there are items that are considered of greater value because they were used by the athlete. Avid fans will often go to great lengths to gain access to something an icon touched, wiped their sweat on, inserted their smelly feet into, or got grass stains on during a game.
Plenty of people who aren't sports fans often think the value placed on memorabilia is outrageous and silly. After all, the players are just people and the items are just stuff. However, any small town coach who has seen a player evolve into greatness will beg to differ. This coach will see a person with special talent who deserves a claim to fame and will honor any memorabilia connected to this person. Of course, there are also coaches who try to ride on the coattails who barely knew the person. Those type people will often try to grab some of the spotlight themselves in hopes of building their own worth.
Players make more than just themselves famous. They make items famous that they use on a daily basis, items they special order, companies associated with products they use (even if they don't personally endorse these items). Everything they use, touch, or buy for themselves becomes of interest to the public. Their camping equipment, lawn maintenance equipment, toothbrushes, socks, and so on, will now be of value to someone somewhere.
Zach Johnson won the 2007 Masters Tournament with Titleist golf balls, drivers, irons, and wedges. He wore shoes by Foot Joys, so this brings business to them as well. Now these products will be important to sports enthusiasts.
Of course, there is a downside. Collectors must beware of the dreaded forgeries and fakes. These can be devastating to those who saved their pennies for years and finally reach their goal of owning that special piece to their collection, only to find they'd been duped by some con artist. Fake memorabilia can be extremely profitable as they are hard to spot. A really good con artist can sometimes pass off something to even a seasoned collector as being an original. They have become professionals, perfecting the art, so to speak, of the scam.
An experienced collector can recognize the fake memorabilia upon close scrutiny most of the time. They research and educate themselves, becoming familiar with the signs. They learn how to find the value of an object before they spend their hard-earned money on it. They also learn the value of authentication and grading.
Remember as well that sports memorabilia value can change with the times and the importance to the public of the famous person it is associated with. Just because you had something appraised 10 years ago does not mean it will retain that same value today.
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Important Information on Heart Rate Monitors
By Jimmie Mcdowell
 Before, when we exercise, we have to stop what we were doing and count our pulses manually. If they are way beyond our target heart rate, we decrease the intensity of our exercise. Way below target heart rate, and we increase the intensity of our exercise. Or, we can gauge our exercise level by the way we breathe and talk when we exercise. For example, if we cannot say three sentences and are gasping hard for breath when we are doing the treadmill, then that means that we are exercising more than we should have been doing in the first place. If we can still talk easily as well as breathe just as well, then we are not optimizing our exercise.
Modern Way of Monitoring Heart Rates
With the advancement of technology, we also saw a lot of improvement in terms of exercise machines as well as devices like heart rate monitors. Now, there are heart rate monitors attached to treadmills, and these monitors we can attach to our chest area to monitor our heart rates. This is a good way go gauge the intensity and level of our exercise without stopping and counting the pulse rate or assessing our breathing. Heart rate monitors are not seen on treadmills alone as they can also be found in other exercise machines like elliptical trainers as well as stationery bikes.
Kinds of Heart Rate Monitors
There are two common kinds of heart rate monitors. One is the heart rate monitor watches. As the name implies, this heart rate monitor device is attached to the wrist. You can simply attach to your chest the chest strap that comes with the device, and it will monitor your heart rate where it will then send the recording to the watch. This kind of heart rate monitors is widely used by athletes as well as those that people that exercise in the convenience of their homes since this is lighter in weight.
The other kind is the strapless kind, which is more convenient to use. In this device, you no longer have the chest strap, and you can easily monitor your heart rate by placing two fingers onto the sensors provided in the device for about 5 to 15 seconds before you will get a reading. This kind of heart rate monitors is more for the casual monitoring of heart rates.
Benefits of Using Heart Rate Monitors
There are a lot of benefits that one can get from wearing heart rate monitors when exercising:
1. They are more convenient than stopping the exercise program and manually counting the heart rate.
2. They are more accurate than manually counting your heart rate.
3. This easily helps you monitor your exercise level and increase the level and intensity accordingly until you have reached your target heart rate.
4. This will give you a signal if you are overexerting yourself and needs to slow down a bit.
Tips in Purchasing Heart Rate Monitors
Here are some tips if you want to purchase a heart rate monitor.
1. Know your purpose. If you are only going to use it at home for your aerobic exercises, then the low-end heart rate monitors are for you. If you are an athlete and need it for your training, then it is much wiser to get those with additional features.
2. There are so many brands out there to choose from, and the best way to choose among them is to read forums and reviews regarding heart rate monitors. You will get the best review from those who have tried a brand and found them helpful or not.
3. The best way to buy heart rate monitors is to buy online where you will be given a variety of designs and brands as well as functions.
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The Greatest Wakeboarding Tricks Ever
By Julio Trujillo
 So you've mastered the basics of wakeboarding tricks and you are ready to move on to something more advanced? If you think you're ready to try your hand at the more complicated maneuvers on a wakeboard then consider the following top ten wakeboarding tricks to test your skills.
#1 Top Wakeboarding Trick
First is the Crow Mobe which is a toeside front roll with a frontside 360. This is actually one of the easy mobe tricks that you can do on a wakeboard and if you do it correctly it will impress anyone watching. This trick can even be done without having to gain a lot of air and you can choose to do it without a mid-air handle-pass to make it easier as you get used to the trick. Before you try the Crow Mobe it is a good idea to be good at rotating scarecrows fast and be able to effortlessly do toeside 360s both with and without passing the handle.
#2 Top Wakeboarding Trick
The Mobius which is a heelside backroll with a front side 360. This was the first mobe trick done on wakeboards, but it is very difficult to remain consistent when doing this trick so you don't see many people, even professionals, doing it today. So by doing this trick you will definitely gain admiration and respect from people who are watching you. Before you try this trick you should be able to do roll to reverts with a short cut and good height. You should have strong handle passing skills and be fluent in performing heelside 360s.
#3 Top Wakeboarding Trick
Then there is the Tantrum to Blind which is a tantrum with an indy grab and a backside 180. This is a very difficult trick that requires you to have both skill and grace. It is also another one of those wakeboarding tricks that is very difficult to become consistent with. Although once you master this trick it is a very beautiful looking trick. Before doing this trick you should have a strong understanding and ability of the wake-to-wake tantrum and the ability to do a backside 180 which requires you to land wrapped.
#4 Top Wakeboarding Trick
Fourth is the Elephant which is a scarecrow with a rewind 180 performed backwards to forwards. This trick is very similar to the scarecrow except you pull the board back just before landing instead of landing switch. To do the Elephant correctly you must rotate and look like you are doing a scarecrow instead of a toeside front roll. Before doing this trick you should be able to do toesides that require hard edging, be able to do big wake jumps toeside and have the ability to do large scarecrows.
#5 Top Wakeboarding Trick
Next is the Front Flip which is an end over end cartwheel style flip. This is considered a more advanced trick even though it is a classic invert because of the fact that you can grab in different ways to both make it your own and also add big style to the trick. Before doing this you should be able to make large wake jumps heelside, do cartwheels on the ground or on a trampoline and be very comfortable going upside down while moving.
#6 Top Wakeboarding Trick
The sixth trick is the Half-Cab Roll which is a switch roll to revert. The roll to revert is probably the second easiest invert a wakeboard can learn, but landing switch makes it a little bit harder than the easy inverts. You can add style to this trick by choosing to grab melan, mute or nose. You should be able to do a back roll, be comfortable with a heelside 180 and do big wake jumps before attempting this trick.
#7 Top Wakeboarding Trick
The comes the heelside backroll which is easily described as a reverse cartwheel. The backroll is one of the easiest inverts to do on a wakeboard and in fact this is probably the first trick you learned. After you have developed proper technique and edge the backroll is actually quite easy, but then a lot of tricks will be built off of it. Before moving on you need to master the backroll by being able to edge hard and progressively, make large wake jumps and have practice going upside down on a trampoline.
#8 Top Wakeboarding Trick
Next is the Scarecrow which is a front roll with a frontside 180.This trick can be done either small or big. The hardest part is the approach and pop off the wake. You should be able to edge hard and progressively toeside and master the toeside 180 before attempting this trick.
#9 Top Wakeboarding Trick
The Tantrum is a heelside backflip that is a classic wakeboarding trick and one of the first inverts many will attempt. This is one of the first trick in wakeboarding history and is similar to doing a back flip on a trampoline. You can build on the trick by grabbing in different ways for style and build on it with harder trick such as the Whirlybird. Before attempting this trick you should have good edge control and be comfortable performing aggressive heelside cuts and big landings.
#10 Top Wakeboarding Trick
Lastly there is the whirlybird which is a tantrum with a backside 360 while rotating the handle above your head. If you perform this trick right it can be one of the most beautiful tricks in wakeboarding. Basically you have to perform a tantrum with a backside 360 while keeping the rope over your head instead of passing the handle. You should be very comfortable performing Tantrums before you attempt to do this wakeboard trick.
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