Body surfing is an aquatic activity that humans have enjoyed for centuries. It involves riding a wave without the assistance of any buoyant devices such as surfboards or bodyboards, relying solely on one’s body to catch and harness the power of the ocean waves. This article examines the art of body surfing, its history, techniques, and tips for both novices and seasoned body surfers. Tracing the Origins of Body Surfing An Ancient Pastime The genesis of body surfing is believed…
Cha-cha-cha is a dance that developed in Cuba in the 1950s. Original Cuban cha-cha-cha, and the one used in ballroom competions, counts “one, two, three, cha-cha” or “one, two, three, four-and”. Among casual contemporary dancers, there has been a shift over to “one, two, cha-cha-cha” which shifts the timing by a full beat. Cha-cha-cha features the typical Latin dance hip movement, which can be achieved through the alternate bending and straightening action of the knees. In competitive cha-cha-cha dancing, however,…
Pilates is a system for physical exercises developed by Joseph Pilates in the early 1900s. He called his method Contrology, but today we know it as Pilates. In his book “Return to Life through Contrology”, Joseph Pilates describes his method as the art of controlled movements. In 1980, Frank Philip Friedman and Gail Eisen published a modern book on Pilates, which helped popularize Pilates during the late 20th and early 21st century. In their book The Pilates Method of Physical…
Craft beer tourism is a fun hobby that involves visiting craft breweries, craft beer festivals, craft beer tastings and other craft beer-related events. Informally, holidays with a focus on beer are known as beercations. Craft beer tourism has grown dramatically in the 21st century, especially in Europe and North America. Craft beer tourism is a subset of the wider food and beverage tourism sector, where people plan their travels around the ability to experience and learn about local food and…
Birdwatching, also known as birding, is a popular form of wildlife observation. It can be done with the naked eye, but many birdwatchers bring along binoculars or a small telescope. Some members of the hobby prefer they term birding over birdwatching since this hobby isn´t just about watching birds. For many participants, non-visual aspects of the hobby are very important, such as listening to birds and learning how to identify birds from their sounds. There are many bird species that…
Tai chi originated as a Chinese martial art, but is today also widely practised for its health benefits and as a form of mindfulness training. Some forms of Tai chi are known for having slower movements compared to when utilized for self-defence, and since the late 20th century, Tai chi classes with an emphasis on health and well-being have become very popular in many parts of the world. From its native China, Tai chi spread worldwide and several training forms…
Scrapbooking is a way of preserving and presenting memorabilia, such as photographs, tickets, sketches, notes and coins in scrapbooks, although some types of scrapbooking forgo the traditional book and does instead preserve and present the memorabilia in boxes, on cards, as big collages, or similar. The pages of a scrapbook are typically decorated and contain a mix of different items, such as pretty journal entries, tickets from a show or trip, photographs, coins glued to the page, etcetera. Crops –…
Argentine tango is a social dance that developed in working-class areas of Buenos Aires and Montevideo in the late 1800s. Over time, a lot of different styles and elements developed, and the dance spread from Argentina to the rest of the world. The United Kingdom was swept by a tango craze in the 1990s in response to the immensely popular international touring shows “Tango Argentino” and “Forever Tango”. A tango dance hall – known as a Tango Milonga – was…
British bingo is a type of 90-ball bingo played with a 9 x 3 bingo ticket. It is the dominating form of bingo in the United Kingdom, and it is also very popular in several other regions that used to be a part of the British Empire. In India, it is known by the name Tambola. British bingo is played both offline and online, and the advent of online bingo has helped popularize British Bingo in parts of the world…
Klootschieten is a Frisian sport associated with the Netherlands and the part of Germany known as Ostfriesland. Each player throws a ball (called kloot) as far as possible. A skilled klootschieten player will utilize a rather complex throwing style that requires both power and speed. The current record is held by Stefan Albarus, who manged to throw his ball 106.20 meters. Casual games of klottschieten typically involves two teams playing against each other. Zetten klootschieten, which is a more formal…