Different Sports and their History

Diving

The History of Diving as you would have imagined is simply from

people jumping off things into the water. The earliest forms of diving
took the form of people jumping off cliffs, hills or trees. As diving
history progressed people began to jump off of man made features
such as buildings, bridges and fishing piers. Some of the original
dwellers from exotic places used to impress the tourists while cliff
diving and it sparked an interest in these individuals to take the feat
back to there homes which helped spread diving.

The earliest of competitions in diving history was in the late

1800's. Often performed throughout Europe most every athlete
performed the basic forward straight dive. Diving first debuted in the
Olympics in St. Louis at the 1904 games where only made its first
Olympic appearance at the 1904 St. Louis Games. It wasn't until 1908
that springboard diving was invented.

Around the early 1900's the diving world began to relax a

number of its rules which started the evolution of pikes, tucks and
somersaults. Diving has since evolved into a highly athletic display of
power, skill and grace. A sport that has roots in gymnastics more so
than swimming, which is evident of its Swedish ancestors who
practiced training for gymnastics by landing in the water.

Diving always gains popularity around the time of the Summer

Olympics as spectators line up to see incredible feats of flexibility,
strength and power. The most prominent diver in US diving history is
Greg Louganis, who went on to win several gold medals in dramatic
fashion. The US has always recognized diving at every scholastic level.
Most high schools and colleges maintain diving teams that often train
with the swim teams. But don't get them mixed up, as divers are
definitely not considered swimmers.

The history of diving is a simple one that involves the evolution of

a sport from something as simple as jumping off high elevations into
water. The sport has become one of tremendous athletes conquering
great feats in the air that leave spectators breathless. From the
summer pool party to the greatest athletes in the world, diving will
always be great fun....So goes the history of diving.
Tennis

Knowing history of the sport you are interested in never hurts. If

you are thinking about getting into tennis here are somethings that you
maybe interested in knowing.

It's a sport that has been played for hundreds of years. It is

thought that possibly European monks created the game. There were
many different forms of racquets used and the ball also evolved with
the racquet. The game was very well liked among the monasteries in
Europe, but at one point the church thought about banning the game.

Major Walter C. Wingfield patented equipment and rules for a

game very close to the game of tennis we play today. That same year
tennis courts were made in the U.S. The year after that equipment
could be found in many countries.

Because croquet was a popular game at that time, people took

the croquet courts and set them up for tennis.

The first Wimbledon tournament was held in 1877. The court was
a bit different from the court that is used today. The rules were
basically the same as they are today though.

In the 1930's the game of tennis became rather chic. The outfits
for tennis were a little different from what is commonly worn today.
The outfits were longer and more constricting. Shorts were not worn in
the game until 1933 by Bunny Austin.

Throughout the times there have been many champions in the game of
tennis. The game became so popular that in 1986 the yellow ball was
introduced for the first time to make the balls easier to see on
television!

Ice Hockey

Everyone has a favorite sport, but not many are aware of the
history behind their favorite one. In this series we try to present history
of some of the major sports in the world. We will continue from our
previous article. Today we cover another sport: Ice Hockey.

Ice hockey as the name suggests is a team sport played on ice

with players using sticks to drive the puck in to the rival team's goal.
Ice hockey requires a seasonal and reliable ice cover. That is one of the
reason it is quite popular in Northern United States, Canada and Nordic
states.

There have been accounts of ancient hockey like game (with a

ball and not the puck) being played between Mi'kmaq First Nation in
Canada. Hockey games played by soldiers stationed in Kingston and
Halifax during mid 1850s are the first recorded accounts of the game.

The first sets of rules were laid down by students of the McGill
University (W. L. Murray, Richard F. Smith et al) in Montreal. These
rules included restricting teams to 9 players per side and replacing the
ball with a wooden puck.

The word puck, as per Austin Hockey Association, is derived from

word "puc" (Scottish word) or "poc" (Irish word), meaning to poke,
punch or deliver a blow.

The first indoor game ever played was organized at Montreal's

famous Victoria Skating Rink. The game's popularity led to the first
world championship being organized at Montreal in 1883 with McGill
giving the "Carnival Cup".

It is safe that though origins of the game have been somewhere

else, Montreal has been in the centre of development of hockey in the
form we see today.

Gymnastics

The beauty of gymnastics and the strength of the athletes is an

awesome thing to watch, whether it is in person or on the television.
There are several athletes to choose to cheer for and many countries to
watch in each gymnastic competition, including the biggest
competition, the Olympics. This sport has only been a competitive sport
for a little over 100 years, but during that time, it has had an
interesting past.

It all began in 1830 when a group of immigrants, namely Charles

Beck, Charles Foller, and Francis Lieber, began to introduce this sport
into the local school system. This began the realization of a sports
dream for many American children. The year 1881 saw the formation
of the Bureau of the European Gymnastics Federation. Their job was to
establish and monitor international competitions, like the Olympics and
World Championships. The United States formed the Amateur Athletic
Union in 1883. This union was in control of the gymnastic competitions
within the United States. This encompassed all the various
championships, from the local level ones to the national ones that
decided who were going to world championships. At the Athens, Greece
Olympics in 1896, gymnastics made its debut, but only the men
participated. The events included the horizontal bar, vault, parallel
bars, rings, and pommel horse. Five countries participated in these
events and Germany, which was one of the countries, took almost all of
the medals in every event. It was correct to say that Germany clearly
had the edge during those games. 1903 saw the introduction of the
first international gymnastics event, which was considered the first
world championship, which took place in Antwerp, Belgium.

There were gymnasts there from Belgium, France, Luxembourg,

and the Netherlands. In the following year, the Olympics were held in
St. Louis. This saw the competition of the men's team which added
more events, as the individual events were the only ones that were
preformed before then. Women were finally allowed to participate in
the 1928 Olympics in gymnastics. They were only allowed one event
and it was the team combined exercise. The Netherlands won this
event. In the 1930 world championship, the events were extended to
more track and field events. The reason that track and field events
were scheduled as gymnastic events is uncertain, but it did not stay
that way long. The events that the athletes were to participate in were
the pole vault, 100 meter dash, broad jump, rope climb, and shot put.
The first women's gymnastics' team for the United States was
established in 1936 and has been strong ever since.

Today, gymnastics have turned into a huge display of tumbling,

strength, rhythm, dance, and coordination. With athletes in this field
like Shawn Johnson and Paul Harmon, the bar for performance has
been set incredibly high for the next World's Championship. One can
only look forward to how creative these athletes will be with their
routines and their moves, along with how strong their athletics are, for
future events.

Fencing

The sport known as fencing has been popular throughout the

world since the Middle Ages in Europe. It came to the United States
when the British colonists came during the 1600s. It has stayed
popular on the east coast of the United States, probably because that is
where it originated in America. The University of Connecticut fence
team is well known throughout the nation as one of the best at the
sport. The CT fence team is proud to carry on the tradition that has
survived through so many centuries. Since it has been around for so
long, there have been many types to form from all different parts of
the globe.

Fencing was always around since stone and metal existed

because people used these materials to fight each other. Fencing
schools have been documented in Europe in the 1100s. Wealthy
Europeans wrote about their techniques and how they learned and
taught others. It was popular in most Western European countries such
as Germany, England, France, and Italy. All of these countries seem to
have influenced each other when it comes to developing the art of
fencing. Also, during this time it was only the wealthy who could
participate in the sport because it was seen as something only the
wealthy could or were able to do. Fencing was practiced through a duel
in which two men would fight each other, usually to the death over a
debt, nobility/honor, or a woman.

By the end of World War I, fencing in Europe and in the United States
was no longer a duel. Schools began teaching students as a sport, instead of
training in case the need to fight in a duel ever arose. When the fencing
schools opened was when those who were not considered wealthy started to
participate in the sport. This was also the time when different types of fencing
began to come about as different schools and teachers taught fencing
different ways.

Today, fencing is still done with just two people. There is a

certain "weapon" depending on the type of tournament or practicing
one is doing. A lot of protection must be worn when participating in this
sport because serious injuries can occur. A mesh and cloth facemask is
worn to protect mainly the eyes. Also, both men and women wear
chest protection otherwise the tip of the weapon might sting. Gloves
are also worn not only to protect the hands, but to give a better grip on
the weapon as well. Finally, special shoes are worn on the mats for
protection and for grip against the mat that is placed on the ground.
The outfit that is worn is almost always white in color.

Fencing has always been a part of the modern-era Olympics.

Today, there are three different "swords" that can be used during a
match, each with different abilities. The type of fencing that is practiced
today comes from 1800s France, which got some of the ideas from the
Renaissance period in Italy. Fencing is a sport that will most likely to
continue to change and evolve in the decades to come. The sport
certainly does not seem as though it will go away anytime soon.

Horse Racing
 People around the globe love horse racing as a sport. The
countries that get especially excited about it is Japan, England, and the
United States. Many other countries do carry a history of the sport.
When a horse has a perfect body, a sense of reliability, and indomitable
satisfaction he is ideal for racing. Think of all of the past cultures and
ancient times that relied on the horse species for combat and
transportation. It was only a matter of time before humans would be
able to tame them and use them for sport.

The history of horse racing can be traced back to Central Asia

more than 6000 years ago. Raising a horse for the sole purpose of
racing it requires a special talent indeed. The horse itself has always
been a symbol of prestige and wealth. There has always been a
difference in the way that people used horses for their gain. Some folks
used horses for daily tasks around their homes and farms but such
people as monarchs have always supported horseracing.

In the original Olympics horse racing had an important spot. It

continued to receive glory during the dominance of the Roman Empire.
It quickly spread from Central Asia to Europe while it gained the
respect of very powerful emperors. England helped solidify modern
horseracing. Horse racing spread like a wild fire during the early years
of the 18th century and then colonists continued to spread the joy to
all the nations in which they landed.

During the past century horse racing has advanced into a major
sport worth millions of dollars at stake on the results of a contest that
lasts for no more than a couple of minutes. Traditional horse racing has
faced some growth along its vast journey and it has also faced many
obstacles. By way of the Internet, people more than ever are able to
participate in the sport, even those in remote locations. In earlier times
it was only wealthy and powerful kings and princes that enjoyed the
sport of horse racing but today anyone can enjoy it.

Modern horse racing originated in the 12th century when Arabian

horses were bred with European stock. The result was horses that were
sturdy and that could run very fast. In the 1700s, racecourses were
very common in England and in 1750 the Jockey Club was formed. It
was the Jockey Club that established rules, regulations and standards
for horse racing that are still used today. The 1600's saw horses and
horse racing brought to America by the British. The first racetrack was
established in 1665 in Long Island, NY.
 Today in the United States there are 90 thoroughbred racetracks
and 29 standard bred racetracks across 33 states. In the United States,
races are held on flat dirt or grass surfaces and these are used for
thoroughbreds while other tracks are used for the other types of horse
racing. Each country has adopted a different style of racing, distance
and also event types.

Martial Arts

When you search the history of Marital Arts, you shall find the
task to be difficult and challenging. You find conflicting information
throughout the literature making it impossible in some cases to
separate fact from legend and fiction. Although this makes it difficult
when trying to do an academic treatment of the historical facts related
to martial arts, it should not alter the fact that these legends are an
integral and inseparable part of martial art history and are important in
the formation of the overall martial art philosophy.

It is important also to note there are many political, social,

economic, cultural and geographic influences that shaped the different
forms of unarmed combat and the martial arts. Anyone of the forms
practiced throughout history has a descent made from a cross-section
of these influences and each influence had a different impact on its
formation.

The martial arts as we have come to know them in today's world

are actually a modem phenomenon having been widely introduced to
the world in the early part of the twentieth century. However, the
history of unarmed combat goes back as far as civilization itself with
the earliest records showing unarmed combat going back to about
4000 B.C. There were hieroglyphics found in the Egyptian pyramids
showing the military men of that time using fighting techniques
resembling what we know as boxing.

During the thirteenth century B.C. a warrior class developed in

India known as Kshatriya. This class was important in that they
practiced the indigenous pugilistic art of Vajarmushti. Translated,
Vajarmusht would seem to denote a warrior (Kshatriya) who used his
fists for weapons. Vajaramushti can be read in Chinese as Hsian ch'
ahsiang P'u. What makes this early martial art important to the history
of Oriental martial arts is the influence it could have had on the Shaolin
school of boxing. Bodhidharama (Daruma in Japanese) by tradition
played a major role in the development of the martial arts practiced at
the Shaolin monastery. Bodhidharama was born into Kshatriya, he
would have been trained in Vajaramushti. This then would have been
the art that was introduced to the monks of Shaolin monastery.
According to tradition, Bodhidharama found the monks to be in poor
physical condition. As a way to increase their physical condition he is
reputed to have taught them a method of conditioning called Shin Pa
Lo Han Shoo He is also credited with having a major influence on
Chinese fighting arts.

Track and Field

The history of track and field event was started way back in 776
BC. The first foot race was held at the first Olympic festival in ancient
Greece. The walking, running, and throwing things is a natural process
in man from his birth. This process gave birth to track and field events.
Many individuals started to compete with each other and the events
became more popular as the days progressed. The events began to
develop and many new track events were included in the process. Well,
let us have a look at the history of track and field event.

The ancient track event included the stade race, which is called
sprint in modern event. The contestants ran from one end of the track
to the other. The distance covered was roughly 200 meters, which later
gave birth to 200-meter sprint. The 400-meter sprint was inspired from
two stade races and the long distance run was the result of 724 stade
races. The ancient field events such as long jump, javelin, short put,
etc had a similar look as in modern days. The history of track and field
in modern Olympics started in 1896.

Now, let us look at the history of track and field event such as
jumping and pole vault. The jumping events came from the past and
the pole vault was developed in Netherlands where people used poles
to jump over natural hurdles such as canals, streams, and marshlands.
The jumping events such as long jump, high jump, triple jump, and
pole vault were all included in first modern Olympics in 1896. The
women participants had to wait until 1928 and women's high jump was
first introduced in 1928 Olympics and soon followed by long jump in
1948. The triple jump for women was introduced in 1996 and pole
vault in the next Olympics in 2000.

In the past, the pentathlon included the five major events while
the modern Olympics in 1912 included the decathlon, which is
supposed to consist of 10 track and field events. The pentathlon for
women was included in 1964 and was again replaced by heptathlon (7
track and field event). The marathon event has its own history in
Olympics. The marathon was inspired from a legend that ran 26 miles
from the plains of Marathon to Athens in 490 BC. The first official
Marathon in the history of track and field event was introduced in 1896
Olympics. The 5000 and 10,000 meter was added in 1912 and 3000
steeplechase meter was added in 1920. The 800 meter was the
minimum distance for women in 1928 and the maximum 5000 meter
was added in 1996 Olympics.

The history of track and field mainly revolves around the Olympic
Games. Also, there are many international events such as Common
Wealth Games, Asian Games, etc that includes the different track and
field events. The track and field events in the United States are
reported to be started way back in 1860. As the time progressed, many
new events were added and the formation of IAAF in 1913 created
history in track and field events. Soon, the women were allowed to
participate in the track events. It was only after 1913 track and field
events were treated as a professional sport.

Darts

The accepted opinion is that darts was first conceived due to the
boredom connected with being a soldier during medieval times. In the
course of downtime between brawls, troops might challenge one
another to games of throwing short spears at a thin piece of a cut down
tree. The age rings within the timber as well as the splits that
developed from drying out created a basic likeness to a present day
dart board comprised of numerous lines and several various scoring
regions. The sport evolved into somewhat accepted in the middle ages
as it was used to maintain soldiers' hurling arms in practice.

The sport of darts eventually grew to become a lot more

prevalent and even noblemen would be known to throw a round ever
so often. In fact, history indicates that England's King Henry VIII was
given a group of darts as a present. The sport as we know it was in risk
of being transformed through the years. People attempted numerous
variants like using a blowpipe to direct the dart. Many Scandinavians
still play a variation of darts by hurling foot long small-scale spears
from many meters away.

Since it increased in acceptance, the game of darts has overcome

multiple attempts to have it prohibited. Many individuals thought that
darts was a game of odds and not a game of skill, so it needed to end
up being settled in a courtroom in 1908. The sport was illegal in
Scotland because a corrupt influence but the civic outcry made it short-
lived.

Currently the sport is most well known in Britain in which you will
find an incredible number of competitors and thousands of registered
groups, however it's rapidly growing to be a global hobby. The sport is
common in the Netherlands, Germany and the Scandinavian areas. In
the U.S. many of thousands of dartboards are bought yearly and
numerous Americans play darts every week.

Judo

The history of judo makes a fascinating study. Soon after the end
of the Tokugawa period in Japan, the Restoration period was in
progress, and the old forms of hand-to-hand combat were replaced by
weapons of steel. The masters of the jujitsu art were dismissed from
service to their feudal lords, and many turned to public showmanship
as a means of making a living. The natural result was a degradation of
the art.

About this time, an eighteen-year-old student, soon to become

famous among Japanese educators, began his practice of jujitsu under
the instruction of Professor Hachinosuke Fukuda, the eminent master of
the Tenj in Shinyo-ryu school. The student, who was to become the
founder of judo, was Jigoro Kano. After the death of Professor Fukuda,
Dr. Kano trained under the new master of that school, Professor
Masatomo Iso. Death soon took Professor Iso, however, and Dr. Kano
transferred to the Kito-ryu school to study under Professor Tsunetoshi
Iikubo.

Dr. Kano began to study jujitsu because of his respect for the
prowess of his masters, but he soon began to thirst for a mental
knowledge that was lacking in their teachings. He began to look for the
secrets behind the superior expert control that the professors had
mastered. He theorized that there would be greater value in combining
the various schools and their techniques into one standard system: one
that could be adopted as a physical education program for schools and
would at the same time embody mental culture as well as physical skill.

In addition, jujitsu could be practiced as a competitive sport if the

more dangerous techniques were omitted. This mastery of mental
culture could thus produce a pattern of subconscious behavior that
would be useful in achieving "mutual welfare and benefit." He wanted a
system that would be rational and logical and would develop the
potential of the student's real personality. The do of the word judo
symbolizes this philosophy.

In 1882 Dr. Kano formed his system and called it "judo," the
word which has now superseded the term "jujitsu." The final step in the
history of judo came when he founded the Kodo-kan in Tokyo, the
institution that was to become the mecca of judo. The name Kodokan is
made up of three words: ko, meaning "to preach," do, meaning "way,"
and kan, meaning "hall."

Dr. Kano explained the new art of judo by pointing out that
"gentleness means giving way until the right moment arrives"; that is,
not to oppose the brute force of your opponent and thus to be
defeated, but to utilize this force to your own advantage.

Suppose that your opponent has a total force of ten units, while
yours is equal to three. If he pushes toward you with a force of seven
units and your force equals only three, it is futile for you to try to
oppose his force, for it will overcome you. But if you give way and
harmonize your force of three units with his attacking force of seven,
you automatically acquire a force of ten units.

Now you can defeat him because you can overcome his force of
seven units with yours of ten. It can thus be appreciated that judo is a
highly valuable science as well as an art.

Handball

Variations on the game of handball have been played all over the
world for thousands of years. Known as one of the oldest ball games,
handball was played in Egypt over four thousand years ago, in ancient
Rome, and by many South American cultures.

The ancient Egyptians played a variety of ball games. Drawings

of Egyptians playing handball have been found decorating five
thousand year old tombs at Saqqara, which depict girls in teams of two
playing the game. Balls used in Egyptian handballs were designed to be
both light and durable - they were made of a leather skin stuffed with
hay or other plant fibers such as papyrus.

In the Roman Empire, the game was called expulsim ludere, and
was played on courts called sphaeristas. Alexander the Great is said to
have been responsible for spreading the game amongst Greek colonies
in Italy in the first millennium BC, and from there it spread to other
countries of the Roman Empire. Details of how the game was played
during this era are sketchy, but it is believed it was similar to what is
known today as one-wall handball.

In France during the Middle Ages, the game was called jeux de
paume (palm play) and was popular with both nobility and peasants.
The ball was made from pieces of tightly-rolled cloth stitched together,
and as the game evolved gloves were used to allow more forceful
hitting of the ball. This form of handball is thought to be an early
precursor of tennis - as the game evolved in France, players began to
use larger and larger gloves, until eventually they began to use items
which resembled early tennis racquets.

In America, handball is over three thousand years old, and

originated in Mexico. Handball players are depicted on painted pottery
items, sculptures, and wall paintings found at archeological sites in
many parts of Central America. Of the games played by these ancient
civilizations, the one which most closely resembles modern handball is
Rebotea a mano con pelota dura, or "Hardball pelota rebounded with
the hand". This game was played by the Chichimeca people, on courts
measuring 20 feet by 40 feet. Many ancient ruins sites in Central
America contain such courts, and together with the multitude of art
which depicts the game, indicates that it was an important part of life
for these ancient cultures.

These days, handball is an increasingly popular sport - it has

become part of the Olympic Games, and many international
tournaments are dedicated to handball - not surprisingly, the Egyptian
team is known to be very talented, perhaps because of all the
civilizations in the world, they have been playing it the longest!

Triple Jump

The athletic triple jump is known as the most athletically event in

track and field. A person will start running down the runway and as if
by magic makes a long jump that sometimes looks as though they are
flying through the air and landing in the sandpit. The triple jump
history made its mark thousands of years ago when it was first
introduced in the Tailteann games which took place in Scotland in 1829
BCE.
 Among the ancient Irish and Greeks this event gained a lot of
popularity. It was during its time in ancient Greece that this hop, step
and jump became quite an sport attraction. The athlete would prepare
with 3 long jumps and then one long jump right onto a sandpit.

During the year of 1896 this jump was put into the modern
Olympics and it adopted a technique of only 2 hops and one long jump.
The hop, hop and jump would be a practiced routine that would stay as
a method used during that time period.

A more modern version of this athletic event made its way to the
Olympics and was known as hop, step and jump. This newer technique
would redefine the event as an athlete would jump and land down on
the leg he or she took off from. This technique would stay as part of
the athletes performance of this jump well into the present time.

Towards the end of the inaugural Olympics was when the first
medal for this event was earned back in 1896. It was performed by
using the two hops and one jump routine, but right after that the
modern version came along and would stay as the commonly used
method in this sporting event.

It is quite necessary for an athlete to know the knowledge and

skills towards this event which makes this such a specialized event
when in competition. In regard to track and field this has become one
of popular and anticipated competitive sports events in the history of
this jump and shall remain that way far into the future of athletic track
and field competition.

Long Jump

Long jump history arches back thousands of years to the ancient

Olympic Games in Greece. In those days it was a part of the pentathlon
event, and this makes it one of the oldest track and field events and
the oldest jumping event in athletics.

The original Olympics were a competition and training ground for

warriors. The event was created and included in the Olympics because
it was deemed important for warriors to be agile and able to avoid
obstacles such as leaping across ditches or streams.

At first the athletes were required to carry a weight in each hand

that was between 1 and 4.5 kilos while running. These were called
halteres and they were used to gain momentum with when you were at
the point of making the leap. The pit that was originally used was not
filled with sand as it is today, but was merely a pit of tilled earth.

It is thought due to witness reports of the Olympics in Greece

that the longjump was accompanied by music, which was used to give
the athlete some rhythm into the jump while running with their
weights. It was thought that the representations of long jump at
Ancient Greece were in fact a triple jump, but it has been shown that
the event was what we know as long jump.

When the modern Olympics were started in 1896, the winner of

the first long jump gold medal was Ellery Clark who jumped 6.35
meters. Another milestone in the history of the event was the world
record set in 1935 by Jesse Owens who jumped 8.13 meters. This
record would stay in place for 25 years until it was broken in 1960. The
current longjump world record is 8.95 meters in the men's event and
7.52 meters in the women's. The women's record has been in place for
more than 20 years.

Long jump history goes back thousands of years and today it is

still a popular track and field event, which is popular for athletes of all
ages.

Canoeing

A canoe is a small and narrow boat; many people use this type of
boat for fishing and transportation. Other people use a canoe as a
mode of recreation. Early men made every canoe that they used out of
wood. In fact, these canoes were made out of hollowed out tree trucks.
Paired with every canoe were paddles. Paddles are used by every
canoe operator to properly move that boat in and around the water.

There are different types of paddles that serve different

functions. Some paddles are used for racing, while others are used for
paddling around a lake. While all paddles may be different and have
different functions they are all similar. The one characteristic that all
paddles had in common is weight. Canoe paddles are lightweight and
easy for anyone, of any size, to use.

Historically, a canoe was used for many things. These included:

transportation, sport, recreation, and fishing. These boats are ideal
items for lakes, rivers, and oceans. Early canoes were usually made of
wood. However, today they can be made of other materials; such as,
metal or aluminum. Each canoe that is built does look basically the
same; it is a small, single passenger boat that is pointed at both the
bow and the stern.

Canoeing can be a difficult sport to learn. A person must master

the art of moving the small boat in the water. While in flat water with
little waves this can be easy, it is more difficult in rapids. That is why
prospective boaters often turn to professionals or at least people who
are experienced in canoeing. These people can pass on their knowledge
of canoes to amateurs.

Certification is not required to use a canoe for fishing, sport or

recreation; however, it is important that prospective boaters learn the
basics of the sport, as well as safety. Many people learn how to canoe
each year and it is fairly easy, all that is needed is a good instructor.
Instructors can be found at many outfitters, specialty shops, and
resorts. These places will also often offer a guide for canoe trips and
adventures. When venturing into an unknown part of the wilderness, it
is always a good idea to have a guide, or someone who is experienced
with the area, there to help you.

Today canoes are sold in many retail locations, both on the

Internet and in local sporting goods stores. However, shipping can be
pricy with some online retail stores. That is why it is important to
research a retailer before buying a canoe. The best Internet retailers
offer a high quality product with standard shipping or free shipping for
large items.

Once a canoe is purchased it is important to obtain the right

accessories. Some of the best accessories include lifejackets and
paddles. Proper lifejackets are the most important items for a canoe
trip. They can usually be purchased or rented at the same place as a
canoe.