Guides
Short, practical explainers backed by tools: read the guide, then apply it right away on the same page.
How tournament draws and seeding workSeeding decides who avoids whom; the draw decides the rest. This guide explains pots, country protection, the UEFA Champions League and FIFA World Cup 2026 draws, and how to seed a knockout bracket with byes.League tiebreakers: goal difference, head-to-head and what comes nextWhen teams finish level on points, competitions use different orders of criteria. This guide compares the two main systems, overall goal difference and head-to-head, with worked examples and the order used by major leagues.7-a-side football rules: how small-sided games are usually playedThere is no single global rulebook for 7-a-side or 5-a-side football. This guide sets out the rules most leagues and venues use, the youth formats adopted by federations, and how to agree house rules before kick-off.How to run a PlayStation EA SPORTS FC tournament with friendsFix the player count and time, pick a format, draw clubs at random and write the rules down before kick-off. This guide takes you from the n(n−1)/2 formula to splitting the prize pot, with worked numbers.Badminton rules: how scoring, serving and the court workEverything you need to referee or play a fair game of badminton, from rally scoring to 21 and the fixed 1.15 m service height to the 3×15 change approved for 2027.Ball sizes by sport and age: which ball do you need?Tables of official ball sizes for football (soccer), futsal, basketball, volleyball and handball, with circumference, weight and the age groups that typically use each size.Basketball fouls and violations: the complete listA violation is a rules breach without illegal contact and costs you the ball; a foul involves contact or unsporting behaviour and can cost free throws and players. This guide covers both under the FIBA Official Basketball Rules 2026, with NBA, NCAA and high-school differences.How long is a basketball game?An NBA game has 48 minutes of playing time, a FIBA game 40 and a US high-school game 32, yet all of them take far longer on the clock. Here is how quarters, breaks and overtime add up under the FIBA Official Basketball Rules 2026 and the NBA Official Rules 2025-26.Basketball rules: how the game works, from tip-off to overtimeBasketball has two main rulebooks: FIBA for the rest of the world and the NBA for the US pro game, with NCAA and high-school rules in between. This guide explains the shared basics using the FIBA Official Basketball Rules 2026 and the NBA Official Rules 2025-26.Boxing rounds and scoring: how a fight is timed and judgedHow many rounds a fight has, how judges score each one under the 10-point must system, and what UD, SD, MD, TKO and technical decision really mean, with worked scorecards.Yellow and red card rules: what gets you booked or sent offCards are defined by Law 12 of the IFAB Laws of the Game 2026/27, but suspensions are set by each competition. This guide covers both, with the numbers for the Premier League, UEFA competitions and the 2026 World Cup.How long is a football (soccer) match?A professional football match is 90 minutes of play split into two halves, but with half-time and added time you should plan for about 1 hour 50 minutes. Here is how the clock works under the IFAB Laws of the Game 2026/27.Football rules: a plain-English guide to the Laws of the GameFootball (soccer in the US) runs on 17 Laws written by IFAB. This guide summarises them as they stand in the IFAB Laws of the Game 2026/27, with notes for the Premier League, MLS and grassroots players.Futsal rules: how the official indoor game worksA plain-English summary of the FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game 2025/26, covering players, timing, restarts, the 4-second rule, accumulated fouls and sendings-off.Handball rules: how the game works, from steps to suspensionsA clear summary of the IHF Rules of the Game (indoor, 2025 edition): team size, match length, ball handling, the goal area, passive play and the progressive punishment system.How long is a game? Match durations in every major sportRegulation time, overtime rules and the real time you should block in your calendar, checked against the 2026 rulebooks of IFAB, FIBA, NBA, NFL, MLB, ICC and more.The offside rule explained: position, offence and exceptionsOffside is two separate questions: is the player in an offside position, and are they involved in active play? This guide walks through both under the IFAB Laws of the Game 2026/27, with examples for Premier League and MLS viewers.Padel rules: how to serve, use the walls and keep score in 2026A clear walkthrough of the FIP Rules of Padel in force from 1 January 2026: the court and net, the underhand serve, what the walls allow, the faults that lose a point and the three scoring options, including the new Star Point.Table tennis rules: scoring, serving and doubles explainedThe Laws of Table Tennis as published in the 2026 ITTF Statutes, explained for club players, coaches and PE teachers: how games and matches are scored, what makes a legal serve, when to call a let, and how doubles and the expedite system work.Tennis scoring explained: from love-15 to the final-set tiebreakHow points, games, sets and tiebreaks work under the ITF Rules of Tennis 2026, with the no-ad and match tiebreak formats used in club and doubles play, plus the unified Grand Slam final-set rule.VAR explained: how the video assistant referee worksThe video assistant referee can only step in for four types of decision, and only when the on-field call is clearly wrong. Here is how the process works under the IFAB Laws of the Game 2026/27 and the VAR protocol.Volleyball rules: how scoring, hits and faults workA practical summary of the FIVB Official Volleyball Rules 2025–2028: how sets are won, what counts as a hit, the most common faults and what changed for servers.Volleyball rotation and positions: who stands where and whyHow the six court positions are numbered, when a team rotates, which overlap rules still apply under the FIVB Official Volleyball Rules 2025–2028, and how the common player roles fit into a rotation.Beginner 5K training plan: how to start running from zeroThree short run/walk sessions a week for nine weeks are enough to take most healthy beginners to a continuous 30-minute run or a first 5K. Here is the plan, the pace to use and the mistakes to avoid.Heart rate zones explained: how to calculate and use themHeart rate zones turn a vague instruction like "run easy" into a number. This guide compares the main formulas, shows a full worked example and explains when your watch can and cannot be trusted.Marathon training plan: how to build 16–20 weeks of trainingA good marathon plan is less about secret workouts and more about structure: a base, a build, a peak and a taper, with mostly easy running, a growing long run and a fueling strategy you have practised.Creatine dosage: how many grams a day, and is loading needed?The ISSN's fastest route is 0.3 g/kg/day (about 4 × 5 g) for 5–7 days, then 3–5 g a day. Skipping the load and taking 3–5 g daily reaches the same point in roughly four weeks. Worked numbers and myth-busting below.How much water should you drink during exercise?Start hydrated (5–7 mL/kg about 4 hours before), keep body-mass loss under 2% and never finish heavier than you started. Here is how to measure your own sweat rate in kilograms or pounds and turn it into a drinking plan.How bowling scoring works: frame by frame, with a full exampleTen-pin bowling adds bonus pins to strikes and spares, which is why a running total can jump. Here is the traditional USBC and World Bowling method, a complete worked game and the newer current frame scoring.Chess rules and time controls explainedHow the pieces move, the special moves beginners miss, every way a game can be drawn, and how FIDE defines classical, rapid and blitz, plus how Elo ratings change after a game.Darts rules: how 501, double out and the bust rule workFrom the numbers on the board to the 170 checkout: how to score, finish and set up a regulation board, with the legs-and-sets formats used in pubs, leagues and on TV.Golf handicap explained: the World Handicap System step by stepYour Handicap Index is the average of your best 8 score differentials from your last 20 rounds. Here is how each number is calculated under the WHS rules (2024 revision), with a complete worked example.Naismith's rule: how long will your hike take?Allow one hour for every 5 km (3 miles) and add one hour for every 600 m (2,000 ft) you climb. Here is how the rule works, how Langmuir and Tranter refined it, how the Alpine clubs calculate, and worked examples in metric and imperial.