Learn to Fly - How Flight Training Made Me A Better Person

When I was younger I used to think about getting my private pilot's license all the time, but something or other would always come up, and after a while I forgot about this dream and went on with my life. Every once in a while I would start thinking about it again, and even though deep down I had this burning desire to have the freedom to fly an airplane by myself, the process seemed really daunting. As such I would continue to put it off, and the years passed by.

Finally in my late thirties, I started seriously thinking about the direction of my life. It is easy to dismiss your dreams when you are younger, after all it seems like you have an infinite amount of time left to accomplish things, it becomes very easy to put your dreams off. But now it was becoming increasingly apparent to me that time was not a luxury that I would have forever. If I wanted to get my pilot's license, and still have some time to enjoy it, the time to do it was now.

I looked at some local flight schools, and after trying a few instructors I finally settled on one and began training pretty regularly. Flying didn't come easily to me, and I frequently thought about quitting. And frankly if I had done this when I was younger I almost certainly would have quit. I was having trouble controlling the plane and maintaining my altitude, pretty basic stuff. But I kept at it, and soon I moved on to flying the traffic pattern around the airport and trying to nail my landings. This is where I hit another road block, I flew the traffic pattern what seemed like an endless number of times, and I just wasn't getting it. Again thoughts of giving up started creeping into my thinking, and this time they were more serious. It didn't seem like I was getting anywhere, maybe I just wasn't cut out for this.

My instructor gave me a pep talk, and told me that about 80% of students quit before their first solo flight. He told me that I was very close, that I was improving, and that I would be able to fly solo very soon. One day it just click for me, and I would wonder why I had so much trouble landing the plane. I was of course doubtful, but I told myself I was going to keep doing it until I got it, no matter how long it took.

Then one day I arrived at the airport, I had a determined attitude, instead of the defeatist attitude I normally had, and I could just feel that this would be the day. Sure enough I nailed about 5 landings in a row, and my instructor got out of the plane and told me to go fly it myself. It was truly a day I will never forget.

I went on to finish up the rest of the requirements for getting a pilot's license, and I still regard it as one of the best things I have ever done. It taught me an extremely valuable lesson that I still carry with me, and has allowed me to achieve much more than I would have otherwise. Before getting my private pilot's license I would quit almost any endeavor once the going got tough, and just assume it was something I could not do. Getting my pilot's license taught me the true value of believing in yourself and sticking with something relentlessly until you get it right. We are truly capable of more than we know, if we just have the courage to see things through we can do almost anything. It is unfortunately that 80% of people quit before the solo flight, they will never know the joy and freedom that comes with flying an airplane wherever you want whenever you want.

John Schmon is a private pilot and FAA certified advanced ground instructor, he maintains a fascinating blog on aviation and travel.

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3 Tips to Becoming a Better Clearing Lacrosse Goalie

As a lacrosse goalie, clearing the ball up the lacrosse field is one of your most important jobs. It doesn't really matter if you save the ball like an MLL goalie if you can't move the ball up the field.

When your team is getting ready to clear, it is important for you to take an active role in the clear. A lacrosse goalie is a lot like a quarterback in football. It is their job to communicate and facilitate the clear up the field. This starts before the whistle blows by making sure that the whole team is set up and in position.

Here are three steps to become a better clearing goalie:

Use the Crease

When your team is setup for a settled clear, the goal is use your extra man advantage. There are six offensive players on the field and seven defensive players. This means that you as the goalie have to work to create distance from the player covering you.

One easy way is to line up the ball, the attack men on you, the goal, and yourself all in a row. Now you can use the crease like a screen and cut toward your teammate for the pass.

Play Dumb

This is a funny little trick. Start just milling around the crease like you're not really sure what is going on. Try to bait the attack men into paying more attention to the player with the ball than to you. As the whistle blows and the attack men looks way, make your break to an open passing lane.

Using this technique is a great way to get a step or two on your attack men. Most of the time, this is all that it takes to gain an edge.

V-Cut

As the seventh man in your clearing squad, it is so important for you to be working for the ball. If an attack men is covering you close, work him by continuing to v-cut for the feed. This will help you out in two ways. First it will help create separation for a pass. When your teammate has the ball, they are going to be trying to move the ball up the field as quickly as possible. V-cutting can help you get open and receive their pass. The other way v-cutting helps you is that is can occupy your defender, allowing the defense to continue the clear with a man advantage.

Remember, always be a threat. You're always working!

To find more lacrosse goalie training tips and techniques to help you become a better goalie, check out Mind the Crease.

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How to Make Your Group or Club Better

If you have a hobby, interest, skill or just a desire to meet new people, starting a club or social group is a great way to improve your life and other people's. A regular meeting with like-minded individuals, say weekly or monthly to discuss a topic of shared interest isn't just a good way to meet people - it also helps you to improve your skills or knowledge around the chosen subject. Sharing ideals, hearing other people's opinions and gaining feedback are vital parts of self-improvement.

Starting a group can be the most difficult bit. If you already know some people who you think would like to get involved it makes it easier, but if it's just you it can be daunting. First, find a venue, even just a pub which is usually quiet on a Monday so will give you a good amount of space will do. Ask if they'll help you promote or if they know anyone who'd like to go along - bar managers of local pubs tend to know a lot of people. Use online services too like Meetup to advertise your group and find attendees, and see if there's a Linkedin group that would be relevant and promote yourself for free there too.

But once you've started this group and got a few members and had a few successful meetings, how do you make the leap from monthly get togethers around your particular subject to a genuine group of friends?

Firstly, set up communication between meetings. Set up a Facebook group, Linkedin group or Google group to share photos, thoughts about the meeting, links to relevant websites etc so people can keep in touch and keep the discussions going between meetings. Look for opportunities as well to meet up away from the scheduled meetings - are there events, concerts, films or other trips you could do which could interest your members? Even if it isn't related to the topic of the group, suggest some ideas and see what interests people. Look for other creative ways to make your group more personal - if it's a sports team or active group perhaps printed polo shirts would give a sense of community? Even just memberships badges or certificates can help people feel more included and committed to a group. Make an effort to send people messages saying thanks for attending, ask for their input and suggestions and once you get bigger you can create a committee to make your group more formal.

Always remember though, the point is to have fun, and as long as you keep this in mind and encourage everyone to enjoy themselves it should be a success.

Express Garment Printing is a UK company that specialises in the express personalisation and customisation of quality Workwear and Leisure Wear. For more information visit http://www.expressgarmentprinting.co.uk/

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Can A Tennis Ball Machine Help A Tennis Player Play A Better Game?

A participant of any athletic undertaking must be in top physical condition to compete in a particular sport and this goes for those who play tennis as well. This sport demands a participant have fast reflexes, quick pivots, strong arms and legs, and a sturdy core. For a person to gain these attributes a certain type of exercise regimen is followed. Specificity is part of that routine meaning whatever sport one plays, for instance basketball which requires the ability to jump well and so many jumping activities are performed to increase this ability, there are specific exercises used to increase performance. A tennis ball machine is used for these athletes as one of these training tools.

There are many types of these machines and some of them have the ability to mimic a real game being played against another person. This is a great aspect of training for specificity. A follower of this sport must use a high level of imagination when playing this mode of the machine because this will definitely increase their performance capability.

A professional Britain player asked a coach if his game would improve if he purchased a ball machine and the coach responded by telling him it's all about the use of the imagination. He used one and ended up beating another expert player.

These machines, when playing the simulated game mode, also have the capacity to talk to you and this is an awesome feature because a player must be able to handle this type of distraction when playing a real match with another person. The old way of training in this sport was to use a wall without being able to learn to ignore these distractions.

Only the expert or upcoming professional would be wise to purchase this training device because they do come with some mechanical shortcomings and need to be fixed on occasion. A couple of the faults these machines have are in the consistency of the ball ejection and the speaking instrument within it.

Many hours and frustrations go into training to become a professional and highly effective player and these training tools can be costly so unless you are intending to play this game as a career and achieve some type of reimbursement for the money you have put out of your pocket, the use of one of these devices may not be a good idea to invest your hard earned cash in to.

However good one of these gadgets may be in helping the athlete perform better, other forms of exercise training are of import. Running and swimming also help one's body gain strength. Swimming enables the person to increase strength in the forearms, triceps, deltoids, shoulders, and back while running increases strength in the gastrocnemius, quadriceps, hamstrings, and pelvis areas.

From the wall method of training to the chain and ratchet method to the talking method, training has definitely improved over time for this type of athlete. Even if your a pro player, a tennis ball machine may be of great value to the increased improvement and function of your overall play.

Find details about the reasons why you should buy a tennis ball machine and view our Lobster tennis ball machine selection, now.

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