Top Coach for Sports Communication

Vampires stalk our collective imaginations. The stars of books, movies, and even role playing games, they are at once both dangerous and alluring. No Halloween celebration would be complete without wax teeth, fake blood and a black cape.

But were there ever any real Vampires? Probably not, although there are any number of historical figures whose bloodthirstiness may have provided a basis for the legend.

Countess Elizabeth Bathory certainly stands as a prime example.

Born in Hungary in 1560, Bathory was married at age 15 to a warlord who apparently spent much of his time away fighting the Turks. Left at home, Bathory satisfied her own bloodlust by torturing and killing young girls.

Her victims at first were peasants, but as her sadistic urges grew, Bathory expanded her prey to include the daughters of minor gentry.

It was this that proved to be her undoing. Missing peasant girls is one thing, but the gentry were wealthy and educated. Local priests brought their suspicions to Emperor Matthias II, and an investigation was launched.

George Thurzo, the Palatine of Hungary, led the inquest, and on December 29, 1610, caught Bathory in the act. The Countess and four suspected accomplices were arrested.

Over the next three years, more than 300 people were interviewed and a chilling story emerged. Always a harsh mistress, Bathory apparently came to truly enjoy the pain she inflicted on her servants. Her cruelty was regrettable, but certainly not unheard of.

One day, a servant pulled Bathory’s hair while brushing it. The Countess raked the girl’s cheeks with her long nails, spilling blood on her wrinkled hand. Bathory imagined that the drops of blood smoothed away her wrinkes, and concluded that the blood of young girls could restore the beauty of her youth.

That’s when the horror really began. Bathory began to kill young girls to bathe in, and drink their blood. Evidence at the trial put the body count at more than 600.

Following the trial, Bathory’s accomplices were burned alive. Because she was nobility, Bathory escaped execution, and was instead walled up in a room in her own castle, where she died three years later.

But horrible as it is, Bathory’s story is usually overshadowed by that of another Eastern European noble.

Vlad III was a Romanian nobleman who lived from 1431 to 1476. Held hostage by the Turks as a child, Vlad later came to rule his father’s kingdom, which has variously been identified as Transylvania and Wallachia. He was also known as the Son of the Dragon (Dracula) in reference to his father’s position as a Knight of the Order of the Dragon.

Because his kingdom served as a buffer zone between Moslem Turkey and Christian Europe, Vlad’s life was one of constant warfare. Leading frequent raids into Turkish territory, he burned crops, pillaged, and poisoned wells. Legend has it that one of these excursions resulted in the deaths of 20,000 Turks.

Both home and abroad, Vlad gained a reputation for cruelty and ruthlessness. His father was murdered in a political intrigue, and Vlad apparently was determined not to suffer the same fate.

In one story, he is said to have invited his political enemies to a meeting at his castle. Vlad then locked the doors and burned it to the ground.

Another story tells of the visit of an Ottoman ambassador. When the ambassador refused to remove his turban as a sign of respect, Vlad had it nailed to the poor man’s head. That surely did not do anything to improve relations between his Kingdom and the Turks.

But the cruelty for which Vlad is best known also gave him his nickname: Tepes, which means “impaler.”

To serve as a warning to his enemies, Vlad would impale his prisoners on long poles, leaving them to twitch and rot in the sun. It is said that the roads to his kingdom were lined with these poor unfortunates.

So much of Vlad’s history is mixed with legend that it is imposible to know how many of these stories are true. But contemporary reports seem to verify many of them.

Accounts vary as to the circumstances of Vlad’s death. Tradition holds that he died in battle with the Turks and that his head was sent as a gift to the Sultan of Turkey. Another version claims that he was killed by the Hungarians. It’s also possible that he was killed accidentally by his own troops.

Strange as it may seem, Vlad Tepes is seen as a folk hero to many in that part of the world.

Vlad may have been lost to history, except for the research of a writer named Bram Stoker. Planning a novel on vampires, Stoker rediscovered Vlad and made him the central figure in the novel that bears his name: Dracula.

In more modern times, several serial killers have been dubbed “vampires” by the press.

Fritz Haarmann committed at least 24 murders in Germany between 1919 and 1924. He killed his victims by biting their necks. During his trial, which became a media circus, Haarmann was variously called a werewolf and a vampire. He was beheaded in 1925.

Haarman wasn’t the only “vampire” in Germany at that time. Peter Kurten, a serial killer who was beheaded in 1932, was known as the “Vampire of Dusseldorf.” He was charged with nine murders and a variety of other offenses, including sexual assaults.

It is said that Fritz Lang’s movie “M” was based on the Haarmann and Kurten stories.

In England, John George Haigh, the infamous “Acid Bath Murderer,” also was known as the “Vampire of London.” Haigh, who was hanged in 1949, claimed to have drunk the blood of his victims before destroying their bodies in a vat of sulfuric acid.

Are there real vampires?

Again, probably not. But there are those whose monstrous crimes make us wonder about the terrible creatures of night and legend.

More on the haunted history of Halloween can be found at Top Halloween Links at http://www.thingsinthebasement.com .

This article is derived from his lectures on the haunted history of Halloween.

One question that I am frequently asked is whether a baseball swing can be ruined by playing golf. I have rather strong feeling concerning this topic. It is my opinion that playing golf can ruin a baseball swing in certain circumstances.

There are four circumstances that determine how harmful or detrimental playing golf is for a baseball swing. Those four different circumstances are:

1. How hard did the baseball player have to work to master his baseball swing? Was it difficult for the player to perfect his baseball swing?

The chances that the golf swing will harm the baseball swing are greater if the player is less skilled, a mechanical learner, or had a difficult time learning to swing the baseball bat properly. And if a young kid has not yet mastered the baseball swing, the last thing he needs to do is to go play a couple rounds of golf. If the player is a baseball player that has to work hard at keeping his swing tuned, I would recommend that the golf be played after he season is over.

2. What time of year is the golf being played?

Timing is everything! That certainly can be said for playing golf in the middle of baseball season. I would strongly try to discourage baseball players from taking to the links right before a big game, the league championships or just as the playoffs are beginning.

I do not see anything wrong with playing golf out of season. But I would not experiment with my golf game during baseball season. I have two reasons for this; 1) Muscle soreness may result from swinging the golf club. 2) The player may pick up a bad habit that may hurt his baseball swing at a crucial time of the season.

3. How much golf is being played?

The main reason I ask this question is that I want to know what is being neglected to get the time to play golf. If golf is becoming a daily activity, then what time sacrifices are being made? Has the player cut back on baseball practice time to play golf? Is the player taking his golf more serious than his baseball? I want my players eating, breathing and sleeping baseball. I do not mind if they play an occasional round of golf. But, if it is being taken to the extreme, I need to know. I want that player to stay focused on what he needs to do to help his baseball team. If he is considering playing golf over baseball, then that is an off season decision that he and his family must make. In the meantime, I need his full commitment and his “sense of urgency” should be in the sport of baseball.

4. How athletic is the player?

Some kids are such a gifted athlete that playing golf every day of the season does not affect their baseball swing. They know that both the golf and baseball swings are basically the same swing but the ball is just at a different level. They feel that playing golf helps them to learn to better focus their eyes on the baseball. These players are so talented and skilled they feel that that each swing type helps the other by relating back certain points to focus on.

Therefore, I feel that the more talented, more athletic, and more mentally confident a player in, the less the chances are that his swing will be harmed by playing golf.

Coaching Point: In all of these factors, there is a mental side to the controversy. You and I know that every player has heard or been told, more than once, “If you play golf, your baseball swing will suffer.” If he does go to the course and plays a round of golf and his first couple at-bats are bad ones, there may be a beginning of a “mental slump” or the player may question, in his mind” “Is my swing as good as it was?”

So in conclusion, you may ask, “Should I allow my Child to Play Golf”? My answer is simple, consider, the factors I have discussed and make the best decision for your child. However, if you child shows the potential to be a future prospect in baseball, keep him off the golf course, and in the batting cage instead.

I hope that you found this article to be informative and interesting. I really appreciate you taking the tile to read it. I wish you and your team the best of luck in the coming season. Have a great day, Nick.

An expanding PDC tour, bigger venues and increased viewing figures all point to a sport enjoying a golden age. Then when you look further you discover an abundance of local leagues and a county circuit. Darts surely has to be one of the most played games in the world, but where is the coaching?

When sportsmen are interviewed they regularly talk about their relationships with their coaches. Sports such as snooker, tennis, golf and football all have high profile coaches. In all sports coaching is seen as the most recognised way to improve your game and is normally widely available. But anyone that plays darts is expected to improve through trial and error as they bang away hour after hour. I am not saying there has never been any coaching, but it is not something actively promoted within the game. Unlike most other professional sports bodies, the Professional Darts Organisation makes no mention of coaching on it’s official site.

We are talking about a game played by millions, where the slightest movement at a pivotal time can be the difference between winning and losing. At the top level the difference in ability between the players is marginal and success and failure can be divided by the thickness of a wire. Mental training is also crucial if you want to hold yourself together when hitting a double under pressure.

As darts continues to expand I expect a greater demand for coaching with more players having a desire to improve. As darts is embraced as a thriving and true sport, darts coaching and darts coaches will become commonplace.

The golf swing is where most golfers make the most mistakes. Some of the most common mistakes include body position errors, grip errors, and mechanical errors. If your swing is not what it should be then you can correct the problems that you are having with a little help and a little practice.

The first step to developing the perfect golf swing is to know what a perfect swing looks like. If you want to see what a good golf swing should look like then you can either watch a professional golfer play a round of golf, or you can purchase a golf instruction video. These videos will show you how your body should be positioned, how to get a good grip, and how to properly initiate and complete your golf swing.

If you are still having problems with your golf swing then you many need to enlist the help of a golf coach. Golf coaches are a great option for people who are having problems with their golf swings because they can evaluate where your problems are occurring, and then they can recommend solutions. One solution that some coaches use to correct golf swing problems is a training aid. These aids help to isolate the swing problem and correct it by forcing your body to conform to the correct body position and range of motion. Golf coaches will also offer you great golf tips that you can implement into your training and playing, which will help to improve your overall game.

The final step to the perfect golf swing is practice. Now that you know why your swing isn’t perfect, as well as how you can correct your swing problems, you need to put this information into action. Practice your swing at home or in the park using your training aids. Then play as much golf as you can. The more that you practice your golf swing the better your swing will get.

If you need some golf coaching, Florida golf schools are situated in a state for which golf and vacation are by-words. If your driving has been a bit under par lately, or your swing seems to be failing you a bit more than normal, perhaps you need a refresher course, or maybe you want your whole game checked out by a professional.

Why not combine your instruction with a great vacation for the whole family? Golf schools in Florida combine marvellous golf schools with some of the best vacation resorts known to man. Florida was designed for vacationing. The climate is fabulous all year round, and apart from the golf there are enough attractions to keep your family happy for as you as you need them to be.

Nobody’s Golf Game is Perfect

Most good golfers, and many poor ones, attend a golf school at some time in their playing careers. You can’t kid yourself that you are perfect, and your game cannot be improved. Some golfers are beyond improvement, but that’s a different thing altogether. No amount of coaching will help them, but the rest of us need a tweak to our swing, or a bit of help with our stance. We don’t all know how to hit straight into the ball, and sometimes that hole just seems to far away and too darn small!

Golf schools can give your swing the once over with state of the art video technology allied to biometric analysis that can check out every movement made by your joints and your muscles. There’s nothing old fashioned about modern golf schools in Florida, and it’s more than just a club pro standing behind you watching you swing. It’s all high-tech these days, and they can break your swing and your drive right down to every individual movement.

Make a List and Book your Golf School

In Florida you can get everything from ten day golfing vacations with coaching thrown in to one day intensive training courses. You can get what you want, but what’s more, you get what you need! You will return home from one of these courses a much better golfer than when you left. Check out what’s available and decide what’s best for you. Make a list of what you are looking for, both in you golf schooling and your vacation, and get the best deal you can that provides it.

There are lots of good schools in Florida. Why not let the family visit Disney World in Orlando while you get some badly needed golf instruction at the Kissimmee Golf Club, with accommodation at the Lake Suites Hotel. A superb spot to combine a fabulous vacation with some great golf. Or if you prefer to head further west to the Gulf, there is the Belleview Bitmore Golf Academy at Belleaire, close to Clearwater Beach.

Just mention Florida and wife and kids will go wild. You’ll have no problems getting away for a round or two and some great coaching and any of the dozens of Florida golf schools available.