ACE
serve that is neither touched nor returned by the receiving player.

ADVANTAGE
 (”In” or “Out”) - the first point won by a side, following deuce. When the serving side wins this point it is called advantage-in. If the non-serving side wins the point, it becomes “break point” and the advantage is out.

ALLEY
The lane between the singles and doubles sidelines; out-of-bounds in singles play.

ATP
Association of Tennis Professionals, the men’s professional circuit

BACKHAND
player turns so that the shoulder of the racket-bearing arm faces the net before bringing the racket forward and across the body to meet the ball.

BACKSPIN
undercutting the ball with the racket so that it bounces back toward the net and away from an opponent.

BAGEL
winning a set 6-0. A double bagel is winning 6-0, 6-0.

BALL BOY
a person, male or female, tasked with retrieving tennis balls from the court that have gone out of play

BASELINE
boundary on either end of the court representing the outer limits of the length of the court.

BASELINE PLAY
hitting long ground strokes from the baseline

BREAK POINT
when a non-serving player has the scoring advantage and is one point away from winning the game.

BREAKING SERVE
when the non-serving side wins the game.

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• Women’s water polo made its Olympic debut in the Sydney Olympic Games in 2000.
• Water polo players swim up to one and a half miles during the course of a water polo game.
• The water polo ball is the size and weight of a #5 soccer ball and is thrown at speeds of up to sixty miles per hour.
• The USA Water Polo Women’s National team has won a medal in each Olympic water polo competition to date, silver in 2000, bronze in 2004.
• Women’s water polo became a NCAA championship sport in 2001 with the University of California Los Angeles winning the first title.

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Background: Originally considered far too dangerous for female participation, field hockey became popular in the mid 1800’s with women whose previous introduction to sport included the “socially acceptable” outdoor activities of croquette and lawn tennis.

The Basics

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For yourself or for a gift, everything you need to improve your field hockey game.

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Trouble following through when you’re up to bat? Well, hips don’t lie.  Here’s a fastpitch hitting drill to help you master this movement. 

1. Grab your bat and a partner. 
2. Place the bat horizontally across the small of your back. Make sure if you’re a right handed batter, the knob of the bat is to the left. If you are a lefty, the knob is to the right. 
3. Hook your elbows around both ends of the bat behind you.
4. Face your partner like she’s the pitcher.
5. Use your feet and legs to assume regular batting stance.  
6. When your partner tosses the ball turn your hips like a follow through and hit the ball with the barrel portion of the bat.  

Author Keri Mikulski is a softball coach in South New Jersey.

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Artificial Turf
synthetic surface on which all international matches are played.

Attack
the team possessing the ball as it advances toward the opposing goal.

Blade
flat part of the hockey stick used for hitting the ball. The blade face is always on the left side of the hockey stick.

Bully
neutral re-start to play following a stop in the action, much like a face-off in ice hockey.

Clearing
when the defense stops an offensive attack by passing or dribbling the ball away from its goal; usually done by the goalie.

Covering
defensive maneuver in which a player positions herself between an opposing player and the ball in an effort to intercept a pass or to tackle an opponent moving with the ball.

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If you’ve ever heard the expression “You throw like a girl,” it means your throw kinda sucks.

The “girl throw” refers to a wimpy style a lot of girls seem to have. Girls often face the target with their forearm cocked back and the ball in their upturned palm. Then they throw with just the arm (rather than the whole body). The action is usually limited to a quick extension of the forearm. Essentially, girls tend to “push” the ball rather than hurl it.

Well, before we go any further - let’s get one thing straight. Girls can throw. In fact, many girls can throw harder and faster than a lot of guys. Softball players like Jennie Finch can pitch a ball close to 90 miles per hour.

Some people think the reason for the “girl throw” is based on physical differences between guys and girls. Not. If you ask an orthopedist, an anatomist, or a coach of a women’s softball team, they’ll tell you that there is no anatomical reason why boys and girls throw differently.

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Assist
the last player to handle the puck prior to the scoring of the goal is credited with the assist.

Boarding
penalty given to a player for flagrantly knocking another player into the boards.

Boards
wooden and glass walls that surround the rink.

Body Check
using the hip or shoulder to impede the progress of a player or knock into a player.

Breakaway
one-on-one scoring opportunity between the puck carrier and the opposing goaltender.

Butterfly Save
goalie drops to her knees and points her toes out, creating a “V” shape with the goal pads to prevent the goal.

Changing on the Fly
substitution of players without stopping the play.

Charging
infraction in which a player deliberately checks another player after taking more than two strides.

Check
used to gain the puck from an opponent; sometimes indicates a player that is being covered closely in one on one defensive

Coast to Coast
player skates from their end to the opponents end without passing or losing the puck.

Crease
semicircle in front of the goal known as the goaltender’s privileged area. No players are allowed inside the goalie’s crease.

Crossover
skating technique is which one skate is placed in front of the skate on the opposite leg.

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Air
getting airborne

Bail
to abandon a board; jump off

Barrel
space inside a breaking wave between the lip and face; a surfer may be completely hidden from view during a barrel ride. See tube.

Bashing
body surfing

Beach Break
waves breaking over a sand bottom

Break
when a wave passes from deep to shallow water the crest or top part of the wave tumbles or “breaks” down the face of the wave

Bodyboard
boogie board

Booger
a bodyboarder

Bump
a swell created by the wind

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 The Basics:

• Volleyball is played by two teams of six players on a court divided by a net.
• The object of the game is to send the ball over the net so that the opposing team cannot return the ball or prevent it from hitting the ground in their court.
• Each team has three hits to attempt to return the ball.
• The ball is put in play by a serve that is hit by the server over the net to the opponent.
• When the receiving team wins a volley, it gains the right to serve, and the players rotate one position clockwise.
• When the serving team wins a volley, it wins a point and the right to continue serving.
• The ball must clear the net on a serve.
• A game is played to 21 points or some other agreed upon number. The team that wins the best two out of three games wins the match.
• Common positions include hitter, setter, libero (defender)

Equipment: Volleyball, sneakers (indoors), knee pads (optional)

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Filed under: 101-Basics, Lingo, Playbook, Volleyball by jane
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