Hi people

I've just decided to take a break from Taekwondo for a while, maybe for good, and I'd like to pick your brains for a new hobby/interest.

I'm not looking at martial arts anymore but I am looking for something fairly physical so that I can keep my fitness up, either in or outdoors and something that can be done with a group of similarly interested people. Can't be too expensive like joining a gym tho cos I'm skint until September. A friend has suggested rock climbing and that sounds interesting but any other ideas are very welcome.

Cheers in advance people.

Edit: Sorry mods, can u put this in Sports please?

[max]

Try fencing. PM me for details or search for previous posts on the subject.

[noseyrosie]

Morris dancing? My mum runs a group that practice on Mondays, very good exercise...

[Lickszz]

How about Crown Green Bowling?

[FairyNormal]

How about coming round and doing my housework? You can be as enegetic as you like!! Won't cost you a penny and I'll even chuck in a cuppa if you do a good job!!

[oxbeast]

I would suggest snowboarding, round at the Ski Village. It does cost 'nuff money though. Rock climbing is great, meet loads of people doing it.

Don't go round to FetishFairy's. Judging by the avatar, you'll never be let out...

[Jayne]

Orienteering - it's a great sport. forget any concept of getting lost walking with a map when on some school outdoors trip.

The running is very physical as the terrain varies a lot, and obviously running over moors, through forests etc is harder than just taking a path.

There is a lot of skill involved but you go your own pace, and it doesn't matter how good you are.

My club (South Yorkshire) are currently running events every tuesday night in various parks around sheffield/rotherham. They're being run as sprint races - but are basically 2-3k races through parks so technically fairly easy.

If you're interested I'll post the details up here.

[Hodge]

How about walking/scrambling and climbing? All three can be done locally in the Peaks (or you could venture to the Lakes, Snowdonia, Scotland...), and there's also a couple of indoor climbing walls in Sheffield.

Pretty much all good suggestions. Particularly like the walking/scrambling/climbing and outdoorsy suggestions. Keep em coming pls people.

[duffman]

Join me at Tennis or Basketball, you could also come to the Gym with me it will only cost you a pound every time you come down, I could do with a training partner who will be commited to going at least 3 times a week.

Originally posted by oxbeast
I would suggest snowboarding, round at the Ski Village. It does cost 'nuff money though. Rock climbing is great, meet loads of people doing it.

Don't go round to FetishFairy's. Judging by the avatar, you'll never be let out...

Naaaaaah, she's just misunderstood really.

[SilentStatic]

Try tennis - keeps you fit and is great fun

[Chris_Sleeps]

Originally posted by Pauly
I am looking for something fairly physical [...] and something that can be done with a group

Swinging?

Chris.

Originally posted by Chris_Sleeps
Swinging?

Chris.

Oh please

[Chris_Sleeps]

You busy Saturday?

Chris.

[Rich]

Form a pop group and go for the next Pop Idol....

'Appen you'd have more talent in your little finger than most of the teeny boppers in the charts today put together.

[ToryCynic]

Climbing, Rowing and golf are all cool.

I see now we've gone through all the sensible suggestions we've sunk to the silly ones. I guess I expected it tho.

Cheers to the people who posted.

[evildrneil]

How about joining one of the conservation volunteer groups - lots of outdoor exercise and you get to feel all green too

[Phanerothyme]

Sheff is great for flying kites. That discovery was a real bonus when I moved here.

Flying a stack of stunt kites is pretty good exercise, as well as honing your reactions, speed distance computation, and meteorological skills. You learn to work with the wind, to develop fine directional control for aerobatics and to scare the crap (quite literally) out of birds.

Flexifoils are great fun to, fast as hell - they have been clocked at over 70mph in a level out from a power dive, and pull like trains. Not as crisp control as a delta on account of their flexible tapered spar though.

Get a power kite - these things really pull - on a quad line (lets you adjust the angle of the kite to alter the amount of lift) and try buggies.

If you ever go to the seaside, have a look at kite surfing - never tried it myself, but it looks wild.

For my money there is nothing more relaxing, but pleasantly tiring too, than putting up a big 7' stunt kite in a stiff breeze, on nice long lines and with tails or drogues, sticking a minidisc in and flying for an entire june evening - dancing the kite round the sky in time to the music. (or as near as you can get )


But to start off, buy a simple £5 pocket kite and try it out - the sheer pleasure of simply flying a piece of fabric on the end of a string is not really apparent until you try it.