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The microsoft Xbox 360 is a great console system with a large range of games and some seriously innovative ideas like xbox live and the achievement points system. However nothing in life is perfect and problems do arise and need repairing. Here are some of the commonly asked questions and some possible answers and fixes for these issues.

Q. My xbox is not working and is showing 3 red lights!
This is of course the most common issue, the dreaded 3 red lights on the Xbox that means something is wrong. This does not have a single answer however as it could mean a few different things but should the 3 red lights show this means your X box has suffered an issue that could be fixable. Read on for more.

Q. 3 red lights are showing and my Xbox is very hot.
This could mean your Xbox 360 is overheating. The Xbox is a powerful device, much more powerful than previous console systems and because of this is can output a lot of heat which can inhibit its workings. The most common mistake is that people put it into small confined spaces to save room which does not allow heat to escape; this in turn reheats it to levels it cannot sustain. The best solution to this is to put the Xbox in a much cooler position which allows it to cool down by venting heat into open spaces. Take it out of its hidey hole and leave it for a good 10-20 minute to allow it to cool and try again.

Q. The 3 red lights are on but it is not overheating!
This can often be a very simple fix, check your cables! Often when installing your Xbox or if you move it a bit the cables in the back can wiggle loose, this throws up an error that your game system gives you with the 3 red lights. If the box is cool then recheck your power cables and make sure they are all firmly plugged in. Make sure you turn the power off before you do this then turn it back on and try again. If a cable was loose it could start up without error.

Q. The 3 red lights are on and I have tried everything else and it still wont work!
If you really cannot see any problem with overheating or cables and it still will not work this can be a serious problem. Sometimes you can be lucky and can fix this by turning the Xbox off for a period of time then trying again. If it has an internal error sometimes turning it off like this and then back on will simply allow the console to try again starting up and not generate a random error. If this does not work then it may need more technical expertise.

Q. My Xbox randomly errors when playing!
Again if this continues beyond all measure previously mentioned this is an internal hardware error that may lead you to the Xbox 360 repair centers that will take a lot of time and money to fix.

The 3 red light error is defiantly an unhelpful device as it cannot pinpoint the exact problem with your Xbox 360 but I hope this guide has helped somewhat in being able to stir your favorite game system back to life!

Why should this cliche mean anything to us? On the surface it seems like a pretty meaningless catch phrase the pro's like to throw out during interviews because they have nothing better to say. And whilst this may sometimes be true, "One shot at a time" has a very real meaning.

golf is a slow sport and we have a lot of time to think. We have the luxury of musing on the past and future. That missed putt, "Oh damn just think how well I'd be doing if I hadn't missed it. Oooh, there's a par five coming up if I birdie it I might be abole to avoid going up 0.1..." Whatever.

These thoughts really aren't at all helpful. Rather we should aim to remove them because they break our concentration totally, lead to nervousness and anger. Ultimately they are the cause of poor play and all "caves" can be put down to suddeny becoming aware of how well you are doing (thought about the past) and hoping to finish it off well (thought about the future). When this happens we are likely to get nervous and "choke."

The pro's use one shot at a time as a mantra to bring them back into the present moment. They are only concentrating on what they are doing at exactly that moment, whether that be lining up a putt or talking to their playing partners. When the present moment is all that matters a Retief-Goosen-like calm descends. No shot is more important than another and interestingly golf can't make you angry.

Can you remember what you were thinking about during your best round ever? Take a few seconds to consider this...

For most people the answer is invariably very little. It's because you were so focused on what you were doing you didn't really think that much at all. You were too busy playing to worry about irrelevant things like the hole before or the greenside pond on the next hole. You were in "The zone". Another of golf's favourite cliches... :).

Falling out of the present isn't so much of a problem in continuous or fast moving sports though it is still possible. But that is no excuse to let it happen to you in golf. Next time you catch yourself slipping say that mantra to yourself "One shot at a time." And if that isn't enough there is the master cure to the disease of thinking too much: stretching your muscles. When you stretch you become aware only of the feeling in your muscles and it takes your focus into the present. Feelings can only exist in the present moment.

Fraser Hasell is the owner of www.goodatgolf.com

Irons are used for medium to long-range shots, and the variety of their uses is why they compromise more than half the clubs in a usual set. Irons are used for shorter golf shots, ranging from 200 yards to less than 100 yards. Long irons such as 1-iron (also called driving iron) and 2-iron are not included in the standard set of irons because they are the most difficult irons to handle.

Iron

Novice and recreational golfers are advised to stay away from 1- and 2-iron. They should even consider replacing 3- and 4-iron with higher lofted fairway woods, 7-wood or 9-wood, because they are easier to hit and produce comparable distance. In general, irons are used for distance that is less than 200 yards from the green.

one of the secrets to successful iron play is knowing exactly how far you can hit with each club. Higher number irons are used as you are closer to the green. Even though, driver is used to off the tee, but irons are also used off the tee for Par-3 or narrow & short Par-4. This is why cast irons also known as 'perimeter weighted' irons. Therefore, cast irons bring significant performance improvement for average golfers who have the tendency to hit the ball off-center.

Forged irons - In contrast to cast irons, forged irons feature a full back on the rear of the club head. Hence, forged irons with smaller sweet spot are less forgiving. But forged irons offer more control and extra 'feel' than cast irons. Therefore, forged irons are recommended for low handicapper. Graphite shaft irons allows an average golfer to swing the club faster that could add extra distance. You are strongly recommended to use graphite shafts in your irons if your golf swing is slow.

Shaft

The higher the iron clubs, the more loft and the shorter shaft length is. Graphite shafts are lighter than steel can reduce the overall golf club weight which is good news for all golfers, especially for weaker players such as senior and women. Graphite shaft irons allows an average golfer to swing the club faster that could add extra distance. There are different types of shafts used for irons, and the right choice allows you to make easier and better shots.

Steel shafts are affordable and durable, making it the preferred choice of many. Graphite shafts are for people who wish to add speed or distance to their shots by making their clubs lighter without sacrificing its strength. And lastly, there are shafts that are made from a combination of graphite and steel to give you the best of both worlds.

There are many things to consider when buying clubs, like identifying your needs which shaft flex it is best suited for your swing would a club fitting benefit you the value of used golf clubs. Most teaching professionals say that up to 75% of all golfers use shafts that are too stiff. If you're not sure which shaft flex or club head is right for your game then a custom club fitting may be right for you.

James Young Clark is a successful Webmaster and publisher of www.AGolfersParadise.com. He provides more information about golf and golf issues that you can research in your pajamas on his website.

Practice does not make perfect. Only perfect practice makes perfect. Vince Lombardi

I want to get two points across. The first being that practice does not make perfect. The second being that perfect practice can make anybody perfect.

The first one is easy to explain: if you practice the wrong habits you ingrain patterns into your muscles that enable you to repeatedly hit poor quality golf shots with expert precision. Practice makes permanent. Whatever you practice you make a habit. Therefore if you are practicing hitting shots with a terrible golf swing you're just making it harder to change to a good swing (hence the importance of a professional to see that you're working on the right things).

Before I start on the second one I've got to tell you that I am a sceptical person. I'm not a pessimist but I feel that most "You Can Do It!" style motivational stuff is very unrealistic and false. You could say I'm a scientifically minded guy. I like to see evidence.

For a long time scientists have been asking the question: what makes some poeple great and other's not? The presumed answer to this for most people is that genetics is the determining factor. But the research actually says the opposite and the more evidence pours in the more convincing it appears. What it suggests is that natural talent doesn't really matter at all in the achievement of excellence. hard work is what it takes to get what you want, but not just any kind of work. It must be "deliberate practice." This is the term coined by Dr. K. Anders Ericsson in his landmark study into the acquisition of expert performance.

He also procured the figure of 10,000 hours as his estimated amount of deliberate practice required to achieve mastery in most skills for any person. Now the question becomes, what is deliberate practice? Deliberate practice is quite simply goal orientated practice, whereby you set targets for yourself to maintain motivation, measure results and experiment to find what works. Over time you make micro adjustments until you get the results you want. And then you repeat it again and again and again.

The evidence that the theory of "deliberate practice" is based upon on is real life case studies of people who have achieved mastery in a field. A classic example of a person who signifies the deliberate practice model is michael jordan- arguably the greatest sportsman ever. Not many people know that he wasn't naturally brilliant at basketball to begin with. He was even cut from his highschool team because he wasn't up to standard.

So how did he go from mediocre highschool kid to the most succesful player in NBA history? He practiced. And practiced. And then he practiced some more. After his team had finished their gruelling training sessions he would stay behind for more. He set himself goals as he went along and wouldn't allow himself a break until he achieved them.

As far as golf goes, this means setting yourself goals as you practice. They must be achievable and yet challenging. As you go on you increase the difficulty and keep on practicing until you get there. It's a lot like setting SMART goals in business. Your goals must be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time Related.

For example, I must hole 5 putts in a row from 10 feet and I can't go home until I do this. The next day make it 6 putts in a row. Whatever. Or it could be- I must hit 8 out of 10 eight-irons to within 20 feet of a target 140 yards away. All this time you are monoitoring performance and making appropriate adjustments (a professional is often necessary for guidance in making these adjustments).

This kind of practice is particularly gruelling and takes a lot of energy but it works. There is no evidence of anybody in history performing to a standard of mastery without deliberate practice. Aimless practice just does not cut it. It could even make you worse. Unless you have something constructive to work on it is probably best not to practice at all. (Note: warming up does not count as practice in this sense.)

A lot of people like to think that they probably have a natural talent in something and should they find it then success will just flow easily, but it doesn't work like that. This is both encouraging and daunting. It offers us all a challenge: how much do you want it? Are you prepared to pay the price and to make the commitment to yourself to take what you want? Personally I say STEP UP.

Take this article as an introduction. On it's own it is hardly convincing evidence. This has barely scratched the surface and I wouldn't be convinced by this article if I was you. Do some more research into this topic and if you're like me you'll find it fascinating.

Fraser Hasell is the owner of www.goodatgolf.com