MAN Magazine- Summer 2020

SUMMER 2020 | FREE

INTERVIEW WITH THE REAL EDDIE HALL THE FUTURE OF GOLF: NIALL HORAN IMPROVE YOUR GOLF SWING WITH INSPIRATION FROM OTHER SPORTS

20 GR8 APPS 4MEN

SUPPORTING THE MENTAL HEALTH OF BRITISH MEN

IT’S OK TO ASK! WORLD SOCCER: SON OF THE FATHER

TOP SPORTS CARS 2020

WHAT CAR? COMPARISON

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CONTENTS Executive Editor: Lee Gatland Art Director: Richard Hejsak Managing Editor: Jordan Martin Jordan@sevenstarmedia.co.uk Feature Writer: Ara E Lee Ara@sevenstarmedia.co.uk Sales Team: 01959 574 556 sales@sevenstarmedia.co.uk

76 – It’s OK to Ask! What to look for & where to get support 79 – Gambling in Lockdown & Beyond: Be Gamble Aware

MAN MAGAZINE

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Style

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82 – A Star Barber: An interview with Ahmed Alsanawi 84 – Top 20 GQ Grooming 87 – Man’s Best Friend & Benefits of Owning a Dog 94 – Top 20 GQ Styling

Celebrations 97 – Top 20 Tips for the Best Ever Virtual Quiz: Gavin Inskip 102 – Cruise with the Booze 103 – High Protein, Low Fat Recipes: musclefoods.com

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DIY 109 – How to Lay a Patio

Cover credits: Thanks to Eddie Hall’s team at Jo Wander Management

TECH 114 – 20 Gr8 Apps for Men

TRAVEL Sport

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08 – Rugby Stars of the Future 12 – The Man Behind The Beast: An interview with the real Eddie Hall 16 – Son of the Father: World Soccer Stars 24 – The Future of Golf: An interview with Niall Horan 31 – Gold Strike: Golf techniques inspired by other sports 50 – Rise of the Machines: Artificial Intelligence 55 – LIFE: An interview with boxer Luke Campbell

Healthy Living 64 – 24 Reasons Why Men Don’t Talk About Their Mental Health: Men’s Health Magazine 71 – Ultimate Guide to Supporting Mental Health: Mind Charity

MAN MAGAZINE SUMMER 2020

116 – Get Active in the Lake District

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MOTORING 119 – Top Sports Cars 2020 122 – Tall for their Age – What Car? Comparison Disclaimer: Man Magazine is published bi-annually (twice per annum) by Seven Star Media Ltd. No part of Man Magazine may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted to any form without permission. Views expressed in the magazine are not necessarily those of Seven Star Media Ltd, and are included to provide advice only. No content is a substitute for professional medical advice.

During printing, images may be subject to a 15% variation. © Copyright of content belongs to individual contributors with the magazine copyright belonging to Seven Star Media Ltd. All rights reserved.

Please either keep this magazine for future reference, pass it on for somebody else to read, or recycle it.

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RUGBY

OF THE FUTURE

STARS

WATCH THIS SPACE! RUGBY WORLD EDITOR SARAH MOCKFORD PICKS OUT FOUR NAMES TO LOOK OUT FOR IN 2020 AND BEYOND

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udlam created one of the iconic rugby images of 2019 before his England debut against Wales last August. The passion and emotion he showed when singing God Save the Queen before kickoff quickly made him a fans’ favourite as video clips of the anthem went viral on social media.

The 24-year-old forward, who was a surprise pick in Eddie Jones’ World Cup squad, has always been one to get fired up ahead of a match but now he’s making sure that emotional energy isn’t leaving him drained. Former Northampton Saints team-mate Heinrich Brussow has been particularly helpful in this regard.

“I’ve always been a passionate player and tend to build up really early on in the week,” says Ludlam. “As soon as the team is announced I’m ready to go, ready to rip in and that can probably take a lot out of me in training. He (Brussow) helped me on how to deal with being on the international stage and preparing for games.

Excitement is a good thing and I do get emotional during games but it’s about controlling that. My focus is to have as big an impact on the game as possible - a positive impact. It’s about targeting what I do rather than over-chasing things.”

the line. Now he is striving to get better so he can become a regular for his country as well as his club. He says: “Being a

back-row, you’ve got to be good at everything and I want to get better at everything.”

A SURPRISE PICK IN EDDIE JONES’S WORLD CUP SQUAD

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LEWIS LUDLAM (England)

Ludlam is still at the start of his rugby journey – he’s won only eight caps to date – but he has the determination to make the journey last a long time. He’s already recovered from knockbacks like being cut from the Saints academy in his teens and shown his worth when a new club contract was on

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SPORT JORDAN LARMOUR (Ireland)

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or an idea of the sort of threat Larmour is with ball in hand, look at his statistics from Leinster’s two matches against Northampton in the European Champions Cup this season: six clean breaks, 19 defenders beaten, 22 carries and 250 metres made… Those are incredible figures and it is the unpredictable nature of what he will do when in possession that makes him such a dangerous runner.

He can flummox defenders with his footwork, stepping left or right in milliseconds.

His instinctive nature has not always been embraced by the Ireland set-up and he was more often used as a replacement in the

INSTALLED AS FIRST-CHOICE FULL-BACK

SCOTT CUMMINGS (Scotland)

S “

cott is an outstanding prospect. He’s one hell of an athlete. He’s quick, but he also runs great lines and has a great pair of hands.” Those were the

words of Glasgow Warriors coach Dave Rennie in late 2017, shortly after he took the reins at the Scottish club. The New Zealander was quick to spot Cummings’s potential and duly rewarded the second-row with plenty of game time, giving him the opportunity to develop his physicality and improve his tactical nous.

Come August 2019, Cummings was making his Scotland debut off the bench against France and he was subsequently involved in all his nation’s matches at the World Cup. That may have been a disappointing tournament from a Scottish perspective, but Gregor Townsend’s team bounced back to some extent in the Six Nations to beat Italy and then end France’s Grand Slam hopes with a memorable victory.

Cummings started in the second row in all four Six Nations games and aims to bring a little panache, alongside his power, to the Scotland forward pack. The 23-year-old says:

“I don’t always want to just truck it up, I want to come in on angles, running hard on to the ball, offer a point of difference. Scottish forwards have the skill and the footwork, it’s just having the confidence to do it.”

Over the years, Cummings has eagerly watched Warriors team-mates like Jonny Gray, Leone Nakarawa and Tim Swinson to see what he can take from their games and incorporate into his own. He’s a player who likes to soak up knowledge from those around him so he can get better – and if he continues to do that he will be in the Scotland team for a long while yet.

“I’ve got masses to learn but I’ve got great people to learn from,” he says.

early days of his international career, but a change of coach this year – Andy Farrell stepping up to replace Joe Schmidt – has seen him installed as first-choice full-back.

Now he is working to add different dimensions to his game, like coming in at first receiver when the occasion calls for it. “I’ve still

HE WILL BE IN THE SCOTLAND TEAM FOR A LONG WHILE YET

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got a long way to go but it’s something I consciously work on,” says Larmour, who turns 23 on 10 June. “The best way to do that is in games, to step up and be more of a ball player, calling for the ball more and picking the right options.”

Larmour, who was a promising hockey player before he focused on rugby, is also working on the mental side of the sport, ensuring that he is not overwhelmed by the size of the occasion. “They’re big games but it’s still a game of rugby –

it’s 15 men against 15 men.

I sometimes get nervous. Nerves aren’t a bad thing, though, if you use them in the right way and don’t go into your shell. It’s using them as a positive rather than a negative.”

No neutral would want to see Larmour going into his shell such is the excitement he can generate on a rugby pitch.

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ADVICE FROM THE BEST

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HE’S MADE RAPID PROGRESS THIS SEASON LOUIS REES-ZAMMIT (Wales)

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onny Wilkinson is one of the most famous figures in rugby having dropped the goal that sealed England’s 2003 World Cup triumph in Australia, yet he admits he struggled mentally with the pressures of playing at the top level. Looking back now he’s retired, he recognises the importance of balance and how rugby shouldn’t be the be-all and end-all. “The

idea that stress and sacrifice is what’s required to live well and be successful is not the truth as far as my experience,” says Wilkinson. “At the beginning (of my career) there was an incredible amount of energy and desire. But I finished by surviving.

For six and three-quarter days a week I stressed the hell out of myself, then for periods of two hours at the weekend I experienced absolute ecstasy. That engagement with life – for six and three-quarter days I couldn’t be further removed. Then the next week I’d look to work harder, so the stress became a little longer and the on-field experience a little less. By the end, I was barely getting those moments...

peed is the name of the game for this Welsh teenager. He’s made rapid progress this season and one of the reasons for that progress is his out-and-out pace.

Rees-Zammit’s goal at the start of the season was to play in one or two Gallagher Premiership matches for Gloucester – and he achieved it by mid-October. The winger’s scoring ratio is impressive too, with 12 tries in 15 matches this season, including a hat-trick against Northampton. He was also named Player of the Month in the English top flight for December.

As former England wing Ugo Monye said then: “His

Rees-Zammit only moved to the wing when he started at Hartpury College aged 16, previously playing elsewhere in the backs at scrum-half, fly-half and outsidecentre, but his pace allows him to excel in the wide channels.

“I haven’t looked back,” he says of his switch to wing. “I’m getting faster with coaching at Gloucester.

I’ve run 10.2m per second this season.”

Growing up, Shane Williams – Wales’ record tryscorer – was Rees-Zammit’s idol. The youngster, at 6ft 3in and nearly 14st, has a very different build to the Welsh icon but he has taken his first steps towards Test rugby by being named in Wales’ Six Nations squad. He didn’t make it onto the field during the championship but it is a case of when rather than if he will win his first cap. He’s not lacking in motivation. “When I was 12 or

13, I was basically told that I wasn’t good enough and since then I’ve wanted to prove people wrong.”

He’s certainly been doing that.

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“Surely the best way is being in the moment now.

It’s not about winning or not winning, it’s about how you’re living your life. We can’t control what happens around us, but we can be responsible for how deeply we engage in it.

For young people coming into the game, becoming a rugby player is all they’ve ever wanted to do, but if you just explore rugby you miss out on life. If you explore life, you get all of rugby.”

That’s advice players young and old, amateur and professional can follow.

Sarah Mockford, Rugby World editor @heelsonhalfway | rugbyworld.com

MAN MAGAZINE SUMMER 2020

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searing pace is something that stands out, but he’s got really nice deft touches as well. It’s a winger’s job to score tries and he’s doing that, but to change the course of a match takes something really special, and he’s clearly got a very special talent.”

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THE MAN BEAST

AN INTERVIEW WITH THE REAL EDDIE HALL

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BEHIND THE

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RESTING IS AS IMPORTANT AS TRAINING

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I

catch up with Eddie Hall.

He’s in his pool at home, training of course. It’s one if those infinity pools that creates a current you can swim against. It looks over his garden. “I need to get a roof on it,” he shares, but until he gets someone in to do it, he’ll be enjoying the Northern weather and skyline. ‘What’s the best part of your training regime?’ I’m keen to know. He takes a moment to think about it and then surprises me. I was expecting something related to deadlifts and bench-presses but, no. “I think the part I’m especially good at is the recovery – that’s the part of the training where I come into a league of my own.” At first, I think he’s joking. Any sportsman worth his weight in gold (medals, championship belts and trophies) will tell you that resting is as important as training. But he’s serious. It’s his ability to totally switch off and take a legitimate break from any sort of training. Also tapping in on the active recovery that doesn’t involve an armchair. We run down the usual list of physio costs, chiropractic sessions and the magic of the hyperbaric chamber (no chat with Eddie would be complete without its mention). The tech and open approach to looking beyond conventional therapies that supports Eddie’s hard work lifting, taking him to the next level. Over and over. All part of the investment beyond the hours of weightlifting that goes into building the ‘Beast’.

I skip the part about the diets and the meals on cheat days (sorry to disappoint but if you want to read those stats you should just pay your mate Google a quick visit). “I get asked those things all the time”.

MAN MAGAZINE SUMMER 2020

I’m interested in what keeps him going, day in day out. He surprises again: “I don’t really have low points.”

Eddie was diagnosed with depression at the age of 12. “You just got to push on don’t you.”

Off days might be rare but it’s the pushing on that has kept Eddie going through some tough times, “I just set myself the next goal – a more ridiculous goal than the last”. I’m wondering if it’s ridiculous to set yourself the goal of becoming the WSM. May be, until you achieve it. “You need to keep your mind busy and focussed in a direction and you need to have a vision of the end result.” This gives me some insight into the winner’s mentality that seems to be driving Eddie forward.

So it’s no beer, no NetFlix binging and no crisps then. “No – it’s about recognising your own cycles, I’m not sure if the science backs it up but I think men have a dip in testosterone in the month – I tell myself this is when I need to put in the work.

Always envision your opponent going through the same.” He’s tightly disciplined – training through the lows and taking those rest days when the training plan dictates rather than the mood. “It’s a mind game. You have

to have a good hold of what’s going on around you in the world – not get so caught up in yourself. Be the best you can be.”

Doesn’t he doubt his ability to achieve the goals he sets? “Course everyone has self-doubt but you got to keep at it.” Creating a vision helps Eddie stay focussed. “The big problem with people with imagination is you need a vision to keep the doubt at bay.

You’ve got to have faith, people said I wasn’t strong enough or tall enough, at 6ft3 I was the shortest in the final.”

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goal, switched the swimming for bodybuilding but realised I wasn’t a body builder, but I was strong!

You can’t cure mental health, you manage it – setting goals, ridiculous goals – keeping your mind busy, being proactive – seeing your future and chasing it.”

I ask him, Eddie, what really scares you? “Being normal,” he answers without losing a breath. I’ve heard him say it before but what does ‘normal’ mean? “You know, I’ve had that life.

– YOU NEED TO SEE EVERY LOSS AS A WIN – ‘CAUSE YOU LEARN FROM IT!

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Been up at six, worked a ten-hour shift, had my tea and done the same again, day in, day out.” I get the point he’s making. “Struggling is normal.

Wanting to be myself but working under somebody is what scares me.”

Normal for most of us. “I remember getting to work – I was a mechanic at the time, and my boss giving me my jobs for the day, and me thinking, am I seriously happy working for someone else for the rest of my life!” It’s not a choice for some people, “I know you got to work to pay your bills, but I felt like crying. I felt trapped”.

“For people content with their lives, working nine ‘til six then retiring – that’s great and all, but for those who don’t want to do that….”

I’m listening, “I did it with a vision. I set a target when I was nineteen”.

(I think back to the target I set to look fit in my tight hotpants – wasn’t as ambitious as aiming for a WSW title, but visionary nonetheless). “Then my day job became a means to an end – I needed money to travel and that was a means to get to my dream.” Eddie is all about setting goals, “then having the balls to take that step, handing in my notice and saying ’I’m gonna be a strong man now’. You make your own destiny. I wasn’t content in that position, so I changed it.”

Photographer: Zoie Carter-Ingham

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I’m interested in how he handles not winning. “Losing is easy, you need to see every loss as a win – ‘cause you learn from it! And say you have to lose twenty-five times before you win, you know that every time you lose you’re getting yourself one step closer to a victory. The way I see it is you got to lose to win.” Spoken like a true champ. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m always after that next high, living that dream I envision. Who doesn’t love winning? I always remember every gold medal, standing on a plinth,” Eddie looks back to his swimming days.

“Winning doesn’t make you better than anyone else.”

It was tough being a teenager, “I was the John Travolta of high school” – on the GB swim team, training twenty hours a week, “I didn’t have a social life – while everyone else was playing computer games and out at parties, I was staring at the bottom of a pool”. It was a lot of pressure with school and exams, “being a popular kid, then getting a girl pregnant when we were 13”. Little wonder that life felt overwhelming “-I was having anxiety attacks, locking myself away, not wanting to be around anyone. I lost my passion for swimming as part of the problem”.

Talking to someone and taking the prescribed medications helped Eddie, “it made me feel like I wasn’t alone”. It seems obvious but it’s not easy when you’re stuck, “talking about it made me realise that it’s something you go through – that’s the point.

You don’t stay there, you get through and out the other side and once you’ve been through it, you stop questioning existence and get on with it…

Then I found myself a new

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SPORT

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BEING POSITIVE IS SOMETHING THE WORLD IS NOT DOING ENOUGH OF When you’ve got a couple of kids looking up to you (and half the world watching you pull a car), it’s time to remember that you have a responsibility as a role model, it must be cool for the kids to say their dad’s a strong man, “My daughter’s grown up on it. I’m proud of her – she’s very into her school and my son’s very down to earth.”

When do you get down now? “It happens, when I’ve got a lot of work on, a lot going on at once, then I just flip it on its head and see the positive – keep plodding and pushing on.”

I’m wondering what ridiculous goals are in the pipeline – will Eddie run for office like his role model Arnie? I can see him sporting a tamed undercut, suited and booted, shaking the hands of dignitaries, opening hospitals and kissing a baby’s forehead on his rounds. “>Laughs< I definitely want to give back,” though he’s not quite ready for politics let alone the PM role, “I’m still building my legacy, I’m interested in acting, TV shows and the movie side of things”.

Eddie definitely brings the theatre to his sporting appearances, I suppose it’s the difference between a sportsman and a sporting personality, “I want to use sport as a platform – it opened so many doors for Arnie”. I see the acting potential when Eddie is out there ‘performing’ as the Beast. His ability to work the audience, zone out cameras and stay focussed on the performance, his acting coach agrees. I’m wondering why it appeals to him, “I’m always looking at how actors portray a character and find it fascinating. I want to challenge myself with an acting role”.

I could definitely imagine Eddie starring in some gritty Guy-Ritchie-style blockbuster. Before signing off, I thank Eddie for sharing some final tips on managing mental health.

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IT MADE ME FEEL LIKE I WASN’T ALONE Photographer: Zoie Carter-Ingham

My Message on Mental Health: People say they don’t suffer with mental health problems and that’s good, but knowing yourself and your mental health can make you sharper.

No matter who you are – work hard, find a goal.

When you achieve it, you feel success and that turns into happiness, whatever that means for you – a new job, or having a wife and three kids.

Set a goal and see it as a vision. Take the steps, and find the motivation to keep pushing on.

Community counts for a lot, being with people who make you feel wanted and who help you – your

family, your coach and nutritionist, whatever your community means for you.

There’s no magic squad who will do it for you.

Get out and be with people – even down to the petrol station and speak to people to get your mind away from your worries.

Being positive is something the world is not doing enough of – be nice, what’s the point of being nasty and angry!

eddiehallstrongman.com youtube.com/user/ TheUkstrongest @eddiehallwsm Interviewed by A E Lee

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SON

OF

FATHER

IS FOOTBALL TALENT GENETIC? THE LIST OF CURRENT YOUNG STARS WITH FAMOUS DADS SUGGESTS THEY HAVE INHERITED FOOTBALLING GIFTS FROM THEIR PARENTS...

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THE

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DANIEL MALDINI (Milan), son of Paolo, grandson of Cesare

YOUNG ERLING CLEARLY HAS INHERITED HIS FATHER’S BODILY POWER, INTENSITY AND SINGLE-MINDEDNESS ERLING HAALAND (Borussia Dortmund), son of Alf Inge Haaland

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henomenal is the only way to describe Erling Haaland’s netbusting feats of the past few months. The Norwegian teenager (he turns 20 on July 21) has been a revelation since he burst onto the scene in his first full campaign as a Salzburg starter, earning a 20 million euro move to Borussia Dortmund in January.

Haaland’s statistics speak for themselves: 39 goals in all competitions this season for Salzburg and Dortmund, including no fewer than six hat-tricks. He has proved an extraterrestrial scoresheet plunderer.

Haaland made a sensational impact for Salzburg, notching five competitive hat-tricks for his club, including a triple salvo in his inaugural Champions League test, the 6-2 thumping of Genk.

Only two other players (Wayne Rooney of Manchester United and Real Madrid’s Raul) have netted a Champions League hat-trick at a younger age and just to prove Genk wasn’t a fluke, Haaland continued to terrorise defenders, amassing goals galore (against Napoli, Liverpool and in the return fixture with Genk) in further Champions League group games.

His remarkable goal-scoring productivity carried on with Dortmund, where he has

MAN MAGAZINE SUMMER 2020

enjoyed instant success at the Westfalenstadion, scoring 12 goals in 8 competitive matches up until late February. His goals have turned him into a global phenomenon, an internationally recognisable figure at just 19 years of age.

With the benefit of hindsight, Haaland appears to have been limbering up for this term’s goal explosion at last summer’s World Under-20 championships, where he struck nine times in Norway’s 12-0 demolition of Honduras.

The opposition keeper that day, one Jose Garcia must still have nightmares about the blonde babyfaced killer who casually used him for a dartboard.

The son of the former Norwegian international Alf-Inge Haaland, who served Premier League sides Nottingham Forest, Leeds United and Manchester City as a toughtackling defender or midfield enforcer, young Erling clearly has inherited his father’s bodily power, intensity and single-mindedness.

But also boasts a host of added extras. He is much taller than his dad, is far pacier and much more poised and skillful on the ball. He is a dead-eye finisher too, a speciality which Haaland senior only displayed now and then.

Ex-Norway striker turned TV pundit Jan-Aage Fjortoft is convinced that the strapping kid from Game of Thrones casting is on his way to the very top: “The boy is a jewel.

His mixture of speed, goal instincts and irrepressible will is sensational. “

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he 18-year-old attacking midfielder, who recently made his Serie A debut as a late substitute against Verona, is the third generation of the world famous Maldini dynasty to wear the colours of the ‘rossoneri’, following in the footsteps of grandfather Cesare - who skippered the club to the European Champions’ Cup title in 1963 – and iconic father Paolo, an outstanding servant of the red-and-blacks for two-and-ahalf decades. Unlike his illustrious forebears, both of whom were defenders, Daniel is a creative type, a highly-accomplished technician brimming over with craft, vision and anticipation.

Former Milan youth section chief Filippo Galli – an ex-teammate of Paolo Madini – praises Daniel for his innate feel for the game, his instant appreciation of time, space and the movement of others. For Milan fans of a certain vintage, it’s impossible not to recognise him as Paolo’s son… Same elegance, same upright gait, same straight-back running style. An Italian champion with Milan’s Under-16 side in 2017, he played his first senior game for the club on a pre-season tour of America last summer.

FOR MILAN FANS OF A CERTAIN VINTAGE, IT’S IMPOSSIBLE NOT TO RECOGNISE HIM AS PAOLO’S SON

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IANIS HAGI (Rangers), son of Gheorghe (Romania great)

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MARCUS THURAM (Borussia Monchengladbach), son of Lilian (France ‘98 World Cup-winner)

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arcus Thuram, Borussia Monchengladbach’s new French Under 21 attacker, has a novel way of toasting victories at the surprise Bundesliga pacesetters.

Every time the Foals win, Thuram is the choreographer of the postmatch celebrations, grabbing a corner flag, draping it with a Gladbach shirt and dancing with his teammates in front of their fans. The 22-year-old, bought from Breton outfit Guingamp in summer 2019 for 9.5 million euros, already is a cult hero for followers of the White-and-Green order.

THE CHIP OFF THE OLD BLOCK SAYS HE PARTICULARLY GETS A KICK FROM THE FEROCITY OF BUNDESLIGA COMBAT.

and there’s no time at all to take a breather. For 90 minutes, it’s full throttle.

In France, teams often start cautiously. They have a good look at the opposition and wait.

In Germany, as soon as the first whistle blows, it’s off.”

Thuram, known to his friends as ‘Tikus’ – an amalgam of the French word for small (petit) and the last part of his christian name – has something to offer everybody. Tall and muscular, he has no problem mixing it physically, he can play anywhere across the front-line (main striker or on either wing) and most definitely has an eye for goal, on the score-sheet this season against Fortuna Dusseldorf, Hoffenheim and Eintracht Frankfurt.

fter struggling to make his mark in Belgium with Genk, the playmaker son of Romanian great Gheorghe Hagi has finally started to fulfil his potential following a loan move to Rangers in January 2020.

Two goals in his side’s 3-2 victory over Braga saw the Scottish club progress to the last 16 of the Europa League and put teams all over Europe on alert – particularly back in Italy, where he had a torrid time with Fiorentina four seasons ago.

HAGI HAS FINALLY STARTED TO FULFIL HIS POTENTIAL

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The son of former French World Cup-winning defender Lilian Thuram, the chip off the old block says he particularly gets a kick from the ferocity of Bundesliga combat. “The intensity here is unbelievably high,” he told Kicker magazine. “There are so

many duels and challenges

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SPORT MATTHAUS son of Bebeto (Brazil 1994 World Cup-winner)

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A MOVE TO ONE OF THE BIG FIVE EUROPEAN LEAGUES COULD BE ON THE CARDS RIVALDINHO son of Rivaldo (Brazil and Barcelona star)

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ONE OF THE MYSTERY FIGURES OF THE PORTUGUESE SCENE

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s the young Brazilian striker admits himself, it is “more a burden than a help” to be the offspring of a footballing god such as Rivaldo. Comparisons with the paterfamilias inevitably are unfavourable and for much of his career, the 24-year-old has struggled for acceptance on his own terms, making next to no impact at Boavista in Portugal, Levski Sofia and leading Brazilian side Internacional of Porto Alegre. Even when Internacional sensationally were relegated to the Brazilian second tier in 2016, they still could not find a place for him.

Fortunately for the son and heir,

a mid-term move last season to Romanian top-flight side Viitorul has worked out splendidly. The air at the Constanta club – owned and coached by Romanian icon Gheorghe Hagi – clearly agrees with junior. Last spring, he helped Viitorul win the Romanian cup and he has continued to impress in the current campaign, catching the eye with his clever movement off the ball, deadly two-footed finishing and unselfish assist work.

A move to one of the big five European leagues could be on the cards. Dad must be proud.

attheus, the son of Brazilian World Cupwinning frontrunner Bebeto, is one of the mystery figures of the Portuguese scene. The attacking midfielder, 25, showed a great deal of promise at Estoril – earning himself a move to Sporting in 2017 – and on a subsequent two-season loan spell at Vitoria Guimares. But now back at Sporting, he has, to all intents and purposes, been frozen out. Some speculate that he is paying the price for refusing another temporary posting (to China, Russia or Turkey) last summer.

The former Brazil Under-20 international deserves a better fate.

Sporting’s midfield play has not passed muster this term and the Lions certainly could use his assets: his thumping left-foot shot, long-range passing ability and expertly-timed runs into the box. His father famously marked his birth in 1994 with a ‘cradle the baby’ goal celebration in Brazil’s quarter-final victory over Holland at the World Cup in America.

Named after the German midfield ace Lothar Matthaus, he came through the youth ranks at top Rio side Flamengo.

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GIOVANNI REYNA son of Claudio

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MARCOS LLORENTE (Atletico Madrid), son of Paco, great nephew of Francisco Gento

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gritty, energetic defensive midfieldercum-link man, whom Atletico Madrid acquired from Real Madrid in the close season, belongs to the most awe-inspiring of Iberian football family trees. His father Paco featured on the right-wing for Real in the 1980s and 90s; his great uncle Francisco Gento, another flank wizard, won six European Champions Cups with the Bernabeu outfit; while his maternal grandfather Ramon Grosso was a long-serving frontline headliner for the All-Whites.

His uncle Julio Llorente, a rugged defender, also played for ‘Los Blancos’ alongside his dad.

Voted Man of the Match after scoring in Real’s victory over Al-Ain in the final of the 2018 World Club Cup, he has not enjoyed the best of luck lately,

20

hampered by a groin problem last season and ultimately forced out of the Bernabeu by the sheer consistency of Casemiro in the pivot role. Marcos, still only 25, initially found the going tough at Atletico, usually confined to the bench. But has been enjoying more game-time in 2020, with coach Diego Simeone using his long-striding industry on the right-side of the engine room. He capped some fine performances with the crucial goals at Anfield that knocked Liverpool out of the Champions League.

THE 17-YEAR-OLD ATTACKING MIDFIELDER MAY EVEN OUTSTRIP DAD IN THE GOLD PROSPECTING STAKES sevenstarmedia.co.uk

HE CAPPED SOME FINE PERFORMANCES WITH THE CRUCIAL GOALS AT ANFIELD

earing in mind the multiple sporting achievements of his father Claudio – 112 caps for the USA, the national team captaincy, his participation in three World Cup finals and starring roles for clubs in the Bundesliga and Premier League - ‘Gio’ has the toughest of acts to follow. Yet all the signs so far are that the 17-year-old attacking midfielder may even outstrip dad in the gold prospecting stakes.

Just eight months after joining Dortmund from New York City FC, the gloriously-gifted teenager already is making a name for himself on the German and European circuit, opening his goalscoring account for the ‘SchwarzGelben’ with a brilliant curling strike in a DFB Cup loss to Bremen and appearing as a substitute in the 2-1 victory over Paris SaintGermain in a Champions League Round of 16 first-leg. While his lot, for now, is first-eleven cameos, he has way too much talent to remain a part-timer. He has it all: the pace, the ball skills, eye for a killer pass, athleticism and sniper-like marksmanship. A chip off the old block if ever there was one.

Gavin Hamilton & Nick Bidwell worldsoccer.com

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MAN MAGAZINE SUMMER 2020

23

BIG BIGINTERVIEW INTERVIEW

U F E RE R A AN ND D L EL EX X I TI TA A K K R RD DS S WWO O SUE .CO.UK SUE3 89 3 89TODAYSGOLFER TODAYSGOLFER .CO.UK 46 46 ISIS

G GE SE S I MI MA A T TY Y G GE ET T S S U UR RE E I CI CT T K KP P TO T OC C S S R R T TE E H HU UT T I TI TS S T TR RA A P PO OR R

E H TE R U T U OF F L O G

O T G N I D R O C C A

L L NIARAN HO tar s a g e m sic gement u m e h T lf mana res and go ny owner shaure compaion for the fut his visgame he loves of the

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iall iallHoran Horanhas hasmade madehimself himself one oneof ofthe themost mostinfluential influential people peoplein ingolf. golf.This Thismight might sound soundcrazy crazyfor foraa25-year25-yearold oldwho’s who’sbuilt builthis hisfame fameand and fortune fortuneon onsinging singingin inboyband boybandOne One Direction.

Direction.But Buthe’s he’sloved lovedthe thegame game since sincelong longbefore beforeSimon SimonCowell Cowellfirst first spotted spottedhim himon onan anX XFactor Factoraudition audition in in2010.

2010.

Some Somepeople peoplemight mighthave havescoffed scoffed when whenHoran Horanlaunched launchedModest!

Modest!Golf Golf Management Managementin in2016, 2016,but butthe the company’s company’sprogress progress––and andNiall’s Niall’s commitment commitmentto toititsince sincethen then––has has left leftno nodoubt doubtover overhow howseriously seriouslyhe he is istaking takingthis thisbusiness businessventure ventureand and his hisultimate ultimategoal goalof ofgrowing growingthe the game. game.The TheIrishman Irishmanis isin inaaunique unique position positionwith withaaglobal globalstatus statusthat that includes includesover over40 40million millionfollowers followerson on social socialmedia media(90 (90per percent centof ofwhich which are arefemale), female),aasuccessful successfulcompany company managing managingprofessional professionalplayers playersand and running runninggolf golfevents, events,plus plusthe theear earof of all allthe thesport’s sport’spower powerhitters, hitters,from from Rory RoryMcIlroy McIlroyto toEuropean EuropeanTour Tour chief chiefexecutive executiveKeith KeithPelley.

Pelley.

Horan’s Horan’sgrowing growinginvolvement involvementand and influence influencecan canonly onlybe beaapositive positive–– and andhe herevealed revealedhis hisvision visionto toTG TGat at the thelaunch launchof ofhis hisnew newevent, event,the the ISPS ISPSHanda HandaWorld WorldInvitational.

Invitational.

TODAYSGOLFER TODAYSGOLFER.CO.UK .CO.UK IS ISSUE SUE 3389 89 47 47

BIG BIGINTERVIEW INTERVIEW The Thegrowth growthofofModest!

Modest!Golf Golf

“I“Iwas wasthinking thinkingabout aboutthis thisrecently, recently, actually. actually.Three Threeyears yearsago, ago,we wewere were player-less player-lessand andthe thefirst firstplayer playerwe we ever eversigned signedhas hasjust justwon wonhis hissecond second European EuropeanTour Tourevent event(Guido (Guido Migliozzi), Migliozzi),which whichisiscrazy crazywhen whenyou you think thinkabout. about.ItItwas wasquiet quietthere therefor foraa while, while,with withpeople peoplehaving havingtheir theirfirst first years yearson ontours toursand andgetting gettingtheir their rankings, rankings,and andnow nowit’s it’sreally reallystarting starting totokick kickon. on.Guido, Guido,Connor ConnorSyme, Syme,Jack Jack Singh SinghBrar Brarand andLeona LeonaMaguire Maguirehave have all allwon wonrecently. recently.Christiaan Christiaan Bezuidenhout Bezuidenhouthas hashad hadfour fourtop top10s 10sinin the thelast lastsix sixtournaments tournamentsasaswell. well.

Overall, Overall,it’s it’sjust justgoing goingwell. well.Getting Getting involved involvedwith withDr DrHanda Handaand anddoing doing things thingslike likethe theISPS ISPSHanda HandaWorld World Invitational Invitationalisisthe thenext nextstep stepfor forus usasas aacompany. company.Getting Gettinginvolved involvedininthe the women’s women’sgame gametoo toohas hasbeen beenbig bigfor for us. us.Having Havingthe thelove lovefor forgolf golfthat thatI Ido do was wasthe thereason reasonI Iwanted wantedtotoset setup upthe the company companyininthe thefirst firstplace, place,and andhere here we weare arethree threeyears yearslater laterwith withsome someofof the themost mostinfluential influentialpeople peopleiningolf. golf.

It’s It’sbeen beenaagood goodfirst firstfew fewyears yearsand, and, hopefully, hopefully,after afterthis thistournament tournamentinin August Augustwe wecan cankick kickon onagain againand and really reallytry tryand andget getthis thisgame gamemoving.” moving.”

Signing Signingyoung, young,unranked unrankedplayers players

“That’s “That’sthe thewhole wholereason reasonwhy whywe we wanted wantedtotostart startthe thething thingininthe thefirst first place, place,we wewanted wantedtotosee seeyoung youngpeople people succeed, succeed,and andififI Ican canbe beaasmall smallpart part ofofwatching watchingthem themwin winaamajor major championship championshipthen thenititwould wouldbe beaa great greatstory storytotobe beable abletototell. tell.You Youcome come ininand andyou’ve you’vegot gotno noreputation reputationinin golf golfwhatsoever. whatsoever.You’re You’rejust justaafella fella who whohas hasaafew fewquid quidand andwalks walks through throughaadoor. door.You Youcan’t can’tjust justgo go around arounddemanding demandingthat thatyou yousign signtop top 50 50players playersstraight straightaway. away.I Ididn’t didn’t want wanttotobe bethat thatguy. guy.I Iwas wasjust justsoso passionate passionateabout aboutwatching watchingthese these young younglads ladssucceed. succeed.Maybe Maybethe thenext next thing thingfor forus usisistotogo godown downthat thatroute, route, but butthat’s that’sthree threeyears yearsininthe themaking.” making.”

Growing Growingthe thegame game

“We’re “We’realways alwaystrying tryingtotofind findways waystoto be beinnovative innovativeand andgrow growthe thegame. game.

The Theway wayI Istarted startedwas wasby bytrying tryingtoto sign signyoung younglads ladswho whowere wereunranked unranked and andguys guyswho whowere werestill stillinincollege college over overininAmerica.

America.Justin JustinRose Rosehas hasjust just got gotinvolved involvedininthe theTelegraph TelegraphJunior Junior Golf GolfChampionship Championshipand andthings thingslike like that thatare arehow howyou yougrow growthe thegame. game.

Rose Roseisisone oneofofthe thetop topplayers playersininthe the world, world,and andhe’s he’sEnglish, English,and andififkids kids watching watchinghim himon ontelevision televisionwant wanttoto play playininhis histournament tournamentthen thensimple simple stuff stufflike likethat thatwill willgrow growthe thegame. game.

Like Likethe thegirls girlswho whofollow followme meon on Twitter.

Twitter.Augusta AugustaNational Nationalisisthe the perfect perfectexample. example.I Igo goand anddo dothe the Drive, Drive,Chip Chipand andPutt Puttevery everyyear yearwith with them. them.It’s It’shaving havingpeople peoplearound aroundwho who SUE 89 .CO.UK SUE3 3 89TODAYSGOLFER TODAYSGOLFER .CO.UK 48 48 ISIS

‘I‘IWOULD WOULDSAY SAYWITH WITH40 40 MILLION MILLIONFOLLOWERS FOLLOWERSI’D I’DLIKE LIKE TO TOTHINK THINKTHAT THATWE WECAN CANPULL PULL AACOUPLE COUPLEOF OFPER PERCENT CENTOF OF THEM THEMINTO INTOTHE THEGAME’ GAME’ actually actuallywant wanttotogrow growthe thegame gameand and aren’t aren’tdoing doingititfor forcompletely completely different differentreasons. reasons.I’m I’maagolf golfnut nutsosoitit would wouldbe begreat greattotoget getinvolved involvedininall all sides sidesofofgolf golfatatsome somepoint.” point.”

My Mygrowing growinginfluence influenceiningolf golf

“I’ve “I’vealways alwaysbeen beenininlove lovewith withgolf golf and andonly onlyininthe thelast lastfive fiveororsix sixyears years have haveI Ithought thoughtthat thatI Icould couldmaybe maybedo do something somethingtotohelp, help,and andnow now watching watchingititturn turnout outlike likethis thisisisreally really mad. mad.The Thecompany companyhas hasbeen beenflying, flying, the theguys guyshave havebeen beendoing doingreally reallygood good work workand andwe’ve we’vejust justtaken takenon onaanew new member memberofofstaff. staff.You Youwant wantpeople people around aroundyou youwho whoactually actuallywant wanttoto change changethe thegame gameand andI’ll I’lltake takethat that description descriptionasas‘one ‘oneofofthe themost most influential influentialpeople peopleiningolf’ golf’ because becauseI’m I’mininititfor forthe the right rightreasons. reasons.I Iwant wanttotosee see this thisgame gamesucceed. succeed.I’m I’mnot not going goingtotomove movethe theneedle needle massively, massively,but butI’d I’dsay saywith with 40 40million millionfollowers followersand and about about90 90per percent centofofthem them being beingfemale, female,I’d I’dlike liketoto

Below: Below:Horan Horanand and good goodfriend friendJustin Justin Rose Rosehave haveteamed teamed upupforforananannual annual charity charityevent eventhooked hooked around aroundgolf. golf.

think thinkthat thatwe wecan canpull pullaacouple coupleofofper per cent centofofthem theminto intothe thegame.” game.”

Inspiring Inspiringpeople peopletototry trygolf golf

“It’s “It’shappening happeningquite quiteaalot lotactually. actually.

More Morethan thanI Ithought. thought.I’ll I’llbe bedoing doingmeet meet and andgreets greetswith withpeople peopleon onthe thestreet street and andone oneorortwo twopeople peoplewill willcome comeup uptoto me meand andsay saythey theystarted startedplaying playing because becauseI Iplay playgolf. golf.It’s It’sexactly exactlywhy whyI I wanted wantedtotostart startModest!

Modest!Golf Golfand andbe be involved involvedwith withthe theISPS ISPSHanda HandaWorld World Invitational.

Invitational.I Imet metthis thisgirl girlininthe thestreet street ininLos LosAngeles Angelesaafew fewweeks weeksago agoand and she shestarted startedplaying playinggolf golfseven sevenororeight eight years yearsago agoafter afterseeing seeingme meplay playititand and now nowshe’s she’sininthe thejunior juniorteam teamatatthe the University UniversityofofSouthern SouthernCalifornia.

California.She’s She’s going goingtotobe beininone oneofofthe thetop topcollege college teams teamsininthe thecountry! country!IfIfI Ican canhave haveaa small smallpercentage percentageofofmy myfollowing followingsay say that thattotome methen thengolf golfisisiningood goodshape.” shape.”

The Thewomen’s women’sgame game

“The “Theimportance importanceofofthe thewomen’s women’sgame gameisis huge. huge.IfIfyou yougrow growthe thewomen’s women’sgame, game, you yougrow growgolf, golf,asasfar farasasI’m I’mconcerned. concerned.

There’s There’ssosomuch muchtalent talentout outthere. there.I I watch watchcollege collegegolf golfon onaaweekly weeklybasis, basis,I I was wasatatthe theAugusta AugustaNational National Women’s Women’sAmateur Amateurand andyou youcan can see seethe thetalent talentthat thatjust justdoesn’t doesn’t always alwaysget getseen seenon onTV TV ..

That’s That’swhat whatwe weneed needtoto change, change,ififwe wecan canget getgirls girls on onTV TVmore moreand anddoing doing stuff stuffwith withsponsors sponsorslike like Charley CharleyHull Hullwith withISPS ISPS Handa, Handa,that’s that’show howyou you grow growthe thegame. game.Hopefully Hopefully

! GOL F

’S

G N I S RI ARS ST T MODE S

GUIIDOOZZI MIG22LFROM 2IT0A1L6Y AG E N E D P R O TUR

The former Italian Boys champion has two wins in 20 starts on the European Tour, and his latest (in Belgium) moved him into the world’s top 100 for the first time.

Niall is good pals with Rory and has played alongside him in pro-ams and caddied for him at Augusta. when we get to Galgorm Castle in August, we can bring more females through the gates as well.”

The future of pro golf

“I think it’s on the right path and having people around like Keith Pelley, who is trying to do great things, and Dr Handa, who has been heavily involved in golf for the last 30 yards and even more so now, can only be positive. There aren’t many tournaments where men and women can play together, and Dr Handa is involved in two (ISPS Handa Vic Open and ISPS Handa World Invitational) and that says a lot about where we’re at. I have the same vision for golf as he does and partnering up for the ISPS Handa World Invitational and potentially making this into a bigger event in the years to come is really exciting. Golf took a lull for about the last 10 years, but it’s on the up and the quality of player out there is better than ever.

Above: Modest! player Guido Migliozzi won his second European Tour title in just 20 starts in June.

It’s harder for people to win and you feel so happy for them when they do because as golf people we understand how hard it is to win. The sport is now being dominated by high-profile young guys and girls, like Lexi Thompson, Justin Thomas, Brooks Koepka, and Rory McIlroy has only just turned 30. They’re all young and they’re the biggest stars of the game.”

The importance of hard work

Below: Whenever Niall posts anything about golf on social media, it gets thousands of likes and retweets.

“The one statement that always made me think was that if you think you’re working hard then there are 100 lads out there working 20 times harder than you. I don’t know whether that helped, but our lads are starting to turn the corner now and the hard work is really starting to pay off. I know personally how hard they work and seeing it pay off is a really special thing.

You have to work hard. We wanted to keep it small and we want every player to represent us as a brand. The reason we started was to grow the game and we want to see hard-working young lads and girls.”

Kit Alexander interviewed Niall at the launch of the ISPS Handa World Invitational Men | Women, presented by Modest! Golf Management. The event is an innovative rebranding of the Northern Irish Open that will feature male golfers from the Challenge Tour and top female players, including Charley Hull, playing in two separate but concurrent tournaments for equal prize money. It will take place at Galgorm Spa & Golf Resort and Massereene GC from August 15-18, 2019.

Visit www.worldinvitational.golf and follow @World_Inv_Golf for more information.

LEOUNIARE MAGAE 2G4 PFRROOM20N1I8 TURNE

D

Topped the women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking for 135 weeks, the longest run in history.

R CONMNOE S3YFROM S0CO17T

AGE 2NED PRO 2 TUR

Turned professional after playing in the 2017 Walker Cup. In May 2019 he won the Turkish Airlines Challenge, the opening event of the Challenge Tour season.

JACKH SINAGR BR2 FROM E0N1G7

AG E 2 D P R O 2 TURNE

Finished sixth in the Order of Merit on the Challenge Tour in 2018 to book his place on the 2019 European Tour.

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BASKETBALL

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STEP STEP 11

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STEP 2

TOP 50 TEACHER THE TRAIN FEELING

We don’t have to look too hard in sports to see many versions of the ‘ready STEVE ASTLE position’. goalkeeper Advanced PGAA Professional facing penalty, Morley Hayes, aDerby and Headaofreceiving Coaching tennis player,Golf a fielder at East Midlands Academy in the slips… all adopt a similar, P ready I C T U Rposture.

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Check: type of ironplay

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Take inspiration from other sports to fire more power and STEP penetration into3 your iron game IT BRING

BACK TO GOLF Golf may be very different from basketball, but the stance we adopt needs to confer surprisingly similar attributes: the need to feel athletic, balanced while being able to create power, speed and rotation. So, without over-complication, simply bring that feeling of readiness into your set-up position.

instruction. We are Stance not goingwidth to talk Look for around shoulder about plane, connection, width, ideal for supporting compression and all the rest of the movement above. it – well, perhaps the odd mention.Weight Instead,placement we’ll look at Keep it 50-50 and feel four other sports to see how maximum pressure under visualising and assimilating your shoe laces, towards the their simple and instinctive theyour balls of your feet. movesback canofgive action all those technical desirables… and Knee flex in a much more integrated and As your chest tilts forwards effective andway. your pelvis moves back, With your theirknees neednaturally for accuracy, flex irons can into control to turn createusbalance.

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It’s ‘ready position’. important we maintain the flow, rhythm and commitment that comes a little easier with the driver.

The four sports I have chosen – an American theme of baseball, basketball, American football and tennis – can help you. You will learn how their common moves and positions relate to the golf swing, and One key how copying them can lead to a difference freer, more fluent and powerful In golf,that we are addressing a ball on action actually enhances the ground and, as a consequence, precision and accuracy. our upper body will tend to tilt down Let’s start basketball... more.

But the with fact remains that if you can bring that feeling of balanced readiness, so easy to achieve in other sports, into your golfing posture, you’ll be in much better shape to start the swing well.

Shot at the superb five-star La Finca resort, Alicante.

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BASKETBALL BASEBALL

Build afrom pitcher’s Learn the transition ‘ready position’ strike irons powerfully and us InTogolf we our need a stance that allows needand theathleticism, body to move toaccurately, move withwe speed through specific as can the find with ironsaas well assequence woods. We backswing endsexamples and the downswing one of the best of an athletic begins.inYou can train that sequence by stance basketball. picturing and mimicking a baseball pitcher.

STEP1 1 STEP

PICTURE PICTURE THEMOVE MOVE THE

A baseball pitcher makesto anadopt extravagant coiling Basketball players are taught the so-called move, pulling his lead leg away up off balanced the ground ‘ready position’ – essentially, perfectly he settles his to back leg, rotate his upper body stanceasthat allowson them jump, or move rotated and coiled.

From here, dynamically in any direction.

Lookasatemphatically the image demonstrated the sequence below and in wethe canimage see itbelow, in action. into the throw is athletic, Itsactual key ingredients are: fluent and extremely powerful...

That cocked lead leg

drives forward, creating an aggressive weight thrust and a dynamic, lower-bodyled uncoiling.

The upper body initially remains rotated and coiled during that lead leg drive, creating powerful torque through the body.

The body unfurls from the ground up – knees, hips, core and shoulders – with speed and power

Feeling theincreasing floor through

each segment.

In the ‘ready position’ basketball players are semi-squatted, an attitude that allows them to pile pressure down through their feet into the floor. From here they can use the ground to push off in any direction.

Balance

Weight is evenly distributed across the feet, both front-toback and side-to-side.

Engagement

Key muscle groups like the core and glutes are ‘switched on’, promoting the ability to move with speed and stability.

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STEP 2

TRAIN THE FEELING

You might not be able to create the sheer athleticism of a Major League Baseball pitcher, but you can copy this impressive transitional sequence.

Pick up a golf ball and hold it in your trail hand. Wind up like a pitcher, bringing your lead foot up off the floor and wind your chest and shoulders up over your back leg.

Even as you complete your wind-up, allow your lead foot and leg to thrust forwards, towards your target. Make this move as aggressively as possible; ideally, you will feel your back remains facing the target while your leg is driving forwards. You should feel a separation between your top and bottom halves, your lower body starting the chain reaction while your upper half momentarily holds position.

STEP 3

BRING IT BACK TO GOLF

The more you can bring that pitching feeling into your golf swing transition, the more speed you will create and the more powerfully you will compress your irons.

Make your regular backswing; but as you get close to the top, work on getting as close as possible to bringing that lead leg drive into starting your downswing.

Lead leg drive

Plant pressure aggressively down and through your lead knee and foot; allow that move to power your lead hip forwards, towards the target, even though your upper body remains coiled. This is a transitional move that takes care of weight shift, power and speed. But it also drops the club on to plane, giving you a solid, neutral attack path.

BASKETBALL TENNIS

Learn from the ‘ready position’ In golf we need a stance that allows us to move with speed and athleticism, with irons as well as woods. We can find one of the best examples of an athletic stance in basketball.

STEP 1

PICTURE THE MOVE

Basketball players are taught to adopt the so-called ‘ready position’ – essentially, a perfectly balanced stance that allows them to jump, rotate or move dynamically in any direction. Look at the image below and we can see it in action.

Its key ingredients are:

Learn to ‘open up’ through impact A feature of strong iron players is that, as the downswing continues, their upper body continues the rotation initiated by their lower half. This allows them to maximise speed and use body rotation to square the face. It’s a move we see most clearly in tennis.

STEP 1

PICTURE THE MOVE This image captures Roger Federer in full forehand flow – and we can see clearly how chest-on he is at the point of contact with the ball. Of course, in this one-handed move the position is exaggerated; but golfers can still learn and benefit from the principles being demonstrated:

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As in any effective hitting sequence, Feeling Federer’sthe floor

In the ‘ready unwinding has position’ basketball players are worked from the semi-squatted, ground up. Afteran attitude that to pile pressure lowerallows body them rotation through their feet into openeddown the hips up, the the floor.

From here they can upper body has simply use the ground carried that rotation to push off in any direction. on, continuing and amplifying the speed and power. Balance Weight is evenly distributed across the feet, both front-toSquarer shoulders back andthis side-to-side. would have stalled core rotation, forcing him to ‘flip’ the racquet Engagement through Key muscle groups like the core with his hand and arm. and glutes are ‘switched on’, Federerpromoting is using the ability to move speed and stability. the rotationwith of his body to bring a ‘square’ racquet face back to the ball.

STEP 2

TRAIN THE FEELING

In the first instance, work on ‘opening up’ by splitting the difference between golf and tennis.

Start with your trail hand only – that’s right for the right-hander – and swing the club with the head a couple of feet off the ground.

Chest to target

But as that hip rotation reaches its conclusion, let your upper body take over. Turn your chest through to face the target… and feel how this more aggressive upper body action brings the face to square, without any need to work the arm or manipulate the clubface.

Hips before shoulders

During the downswing, the lower half starts the journey and the upper half continues it. As per the baseball pitcher transition, start down through the lead foot and leg.

Feel your weight moving into the lead heel as your lead hip turns to the left (right-handers) before your shoulders begin to unwind.

STEP 3

BRING IT BACK TO GOLF

Free turn

Work on giving your upper body this freedom to rotate and you will start to feel how much easier it is to develop speed through the impact zone. You will also begin to sense how this is a much better way of delivering a square and stable clubface to the ball; your iron shots will become more powerful, and more consistent.

Finally, add your gloved hand and take your regular grip and stance.

Now, of course, with your lead arm on the club, your ability to open up with the upper body through impact is instantly compromised; you’re never going to get chest-on! So instead simply focus on that core principle, allowing your upper body to continue the rotation of your lower half.

Strong match

It is no coincidence that the Tour pros that look most chest-on at impact – Dustin Johnson, Rickie Fowler, Zach Johnson – employ ‘strong’ grips – lead hand more on top of the handle. A strong grip tends to want to close the face; but opening up through the chest calms forearm rotation, helping this golfer hold the face square.

BASKETBALL AMERICAN FOOTBALL

Learn from the Let your follow-through ‘ready position’ show commitment any athletic and dynamic InThe golffinal we result need aofstance that allows us a fully committed finishing toaction moveiswith speed and athleticism, position. ownWe finish, with ironsTo as inspire well asyour woods. can watch find the of best from theathletic NFL. one thequarterbacks best examples of an stance in basketball.

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STEP 1

STEP 1

PICTURE THE MOVE

Basketball players are taught to adopt the so-called ‘ready position’ – essentially, a perfectly balanced stance that allows them to jump, rotate or move dynamically in any direction. Look at the image below and we can see it in action.

Its key ingredients are:

PICTURE THE MOVE

American football might not be your first thought when looking for sports to compare to golf. However, consider the athletic throwing of the quarterback. It’s typically a side-on motion, needing power and precision to hit a target. The finishing position of players like former New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady actually makes an excellent study and reference for your golf swing.

Feeling the floor

In the ‘ready position’ basketball players are semi-squatted, an attitude that allows them to pile pressure down through their rotates feet into The chest the floor.

Fromto here they canleft through face well use of thehis ground to push offgreat in target, showing any direction. commitment to the release.

Balance Head and neck have

Weight is evenlytodistributed swivelled allow his eyes across theto feet, both track thefront-toball. back and side-to-side.

Despite the chaos of Engagement everything going on

Key muscle like theremains core aroundgroups him, Brady andbalanced glutes are on’, – a‘switched key to delivering promoting the ability to move power with precision – with with thespeed frontand footstability. and trail toe supporting his weight.

GOLD STRIKE STRIK

STEP 2

TRAIN THE FEELING

To train this feeling of a full, committed follow-through, go back to throwing a ball.

You’ll note how this release follows on from the previous two positions of the baseball transition and the opening up of the body through impact. Here that upper body rotation continues right through to the finish, the chest facing well left of target (right-handers).

Head turner

Note how, when you throw the ball, there is no ‘staying down on the shot’. Your head simply turns through with the upper body. This is an important feeling to rehearse because it is key to letting your upper half rotate; trying to keep your head down stalls shoulder rotation and keeps you side-on and flippy.

Take inspiration from other sports to fire more power and penetration into your iron game

TOP 50 TEACHER

STEVE ASTLE Advanced PGA Professional

Morley Hayes, Derby and Head of Coaching at East Midlands Golf Academy P I C T U R E S B O B AT K I N S , GETTY IMAGES

elcome to a different type of ironplay instruction. We are not going to talk about plane, connection, compression and all the rest of it – well, perhaps the odd mention. Instead, we’ll look at four other sports to see how visualising and assimilating their simple and instinctive moves can give your action all those technical desirables… and in a much more integrated and effective way.

With their need for accuracy, irons can turn us into control freaks and make our swings cautious and disjointed. It’s important we maintain the flow, rhythm and commitment that comes a little easier with the driver.

The four sports I have chosen – an American theme of baseball, basketball, American football and tennis – can help you. You will learn how their common moves and positions relate to the golf swing, and how copying them can lead to a freer, more fluent and powerful action that actually enhances precision and accuracy.

Let’s start with basketball...

W

STEP 3

BRING IT BACK TO GOLF After throwing six balls as hard as you can, pick up your mid iron and hit a series of balls focusing on the same, free and full release through to the finish.

Commit to allowing your eyes to track the ball off the blade and through to the target; this will help your head and neck rotation.

Finish with your trail shoulder closer to the target than your lead shoulder. This will guarantee strong upper body rotation right through to the end.

Make sure you are performing more Shot at the this superb five-star aggressive move to the finish balance; lose your La in Finca resort, Alicante. poise and any number of technical For morecomplications information visit can cropwww.lafincaresort.com up.

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BASKETBALL IRONPLAY STATS

Learn Whatfrom the the ‘ready position’ numbers say The of improving theus In golf weimportance need a stance that allows power, accuracy andathleticism, consistency is to move with speed and outwell by the stats. Shot Scope’s withborne irons as as woods.

We can find V2the shot-tracking system GPS one of best examples of anuses athletic to provide the golfer with an accurate stance in basketball. assessment of every shot hit. To date, the system has mapped more than 15 million golf shots and has reduced its users’ handicaps by an average of 2.7 shots. This is what it tells us about approach play.

STEP 1

PICTUREThe true cost of THE missing MOVE the green

average, missing green in Basketball players are On taught to adopt thea so-called regulation (one shot on balanced par 3s, two ‘ready position’ – essentially, a perfectly onthem par 4s, onrotate par 5s)orwill cost the stance that allows tothree jump, move 1.3 shots across all the handicap dynamically ingolfer any direction.

Look at imageranges.

This figure is based on an assumption that below and we can see it in action. the golfer is in a position to hit the green Its key ingredients are: from their tee shot or second shot on a par 5. So, if a golfer hit three more greens in a round, that would equate to a saving of four full shots.

Where we miss greens

Green blues

A two-handicapper averages 57% of greens-in-regulation – that’s between 10 and 11 holes per round. But, as the handicap rises, this number swiftly drops. A 14-handicapper averages just 28% (five greens) and by the time we reach the typical 20-handicapper this figure drops to 21% – between three and four. This demonstrates a clear opportunity for improvement.

This graphic shows the true cost of trying to over-control iron shots; 80% of our approaches – four out of every five – come up short.

While underclubbing plays a role here, this figure suggests a clear need for club golfers to improve their ball-striking.

Feeling the floor

In the ‘ready position’ basketball players are semi-squatted, 12% an attitude that 8% allows them to pile pressure down through their feet into the floor. From hereGREEN they can use the ground to push off in 47% 33% any direction.

Balance

Weight is evenly distributed across the feet, both front-toback and side-to-side.

GIR by club

Across all ability levels, golfers hit the green 30% of the time with a 7-iron. This revealing stat tells us that even with one of our favourite irons, we are missing more than two out of every three greens we shoot at. Even with the more lofted 9-iron, the figure is just 44%.

Improve these stats and you will quickly improve your scores.

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Engagement

Key muscle groups like the core and glutes are ‘switched on’, promoting the ability to move with speed and stability.

www.bushnellgolf.com

TaylorMade SIM Max £449

DRIVERS

◆ Lofts: 9° / 10.5° / 12° ◆ Stock shaft: Fujikura Ventus Blue 6 or Red 5 ◆ Adjustable hosel: Yes (+/- 2°)

Verdict: Toning down the contrast between the Max’s chalk-colour top edge and chromium carbon crown means TaylorMade have unwittingly created not only a super looking driver, but also a more forgiving appearance (than the M6). The stock Fujikura Ventus shaft wasn’t our test pro’s best fit – switching to the SIM’s Project X HZRDUS Smoke Green added five yards of carry, which highlights just how important a good fitting is. At 278 yards SIM Max was among our

test’s longest three drivers of 2020. Like a lot of 2020 drivers SIM Max puts huge emphasis on optimising aerodynamics, so it was no surprise to see it among our three fastest drivers, too (not including Wilson’s super-light D7, which reduces weight to go faster).

We’re big fans of how TaylorMade have built on the tech success of the M family, so you now get the proven Speed Injected TwistFace tech in a model which is even more aerodynamic.

Callaway Mavrik £469 ◆ Lofts: 9 / 10.5° ◆ Stock shaft: Project X Evenflow Riptide 50g / Aldila Rogue White 130 MSI 60g / 70g ◆ Adjustable hosel: Yes (-1/+2°)

Verdict: We weren’t overly excited when Mavrik first appeared on the conforming lists before Christmas.

The head design looks plain, the back is shaped like drivers from yesteryear and the name, considering Top Gun II hits cinemas this summer, was a bit cheesy. We couldn’t have got it more wrong.

After learning about the reasoning behind the plain design (sole features affect sound), and how the Mavrik’s three-driver family is tailored more than ever to the types of golfer who’ll use them, Mavrik is one of the driver stories of 2020.

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Callaway’s R&D chief Alan Hocknell told us about “spin robustness”, which improves accuracy and drop-offs (essentially forgiveness) – and Mavrik absolutely delivered.

A ball speed within 0.1mph of the fastest driver of the year (which you wouldn’t expect from a more forgiving model) and within two yards of our longest carrying driver is impressive. But doing it while offering up the narrowest back and sidespin drop-offs (by 32%) as well as the tightest carry drop-offs (by 55%) of our whole test is a seriously impressive performance.

Ping G410 Plus £450 ◆ Lofts: 9° / 10.5° / 12° ◆ Stock shaft: Ping Tour,

BEST OF THE REST

Ping Alta CB, Grafalloy Evenflow, Mitsubishi Tensei Orange

◆ Adjustable hosel: Yes (+/- 1.5°)

Verdict: The G410 Plus launched last year, and the family is likely to be updated later in 2020. But we still love how the movable weight system has zero impact on MOI and forgiveness, which isn’t the case with most movable mass drivers. We’re also fans of the matt crown (titanium rather than carbon fibre) and how it gives a simple, clean appearance at address.

There’s no hiding how the G410 gave up 12 yards against the super-powerful Mizuno ST200, but it did feature among the smallest three drop-offs for ball speed, side/back spin and carry, which tells you everything you need to know about how forgiving it is. Make sure you dial in maximum distance using Ping’s new driver launch and spin fitting chart, which is based on your attack angle and ball speed.

Cleveland Launcher HB Turbo £309 Verdict: Cleveland have taken a very different approach to driver design, coming up with one, solid, powerful non-adjustable model that suits a decent amount of the golfing population, which we applaud. For players who aren’t overly bothered about being fitted, you’re likely to give up five or six yards of distance opting for Launcher, but in doing so you will keep an extra £150 in your wallet.

The head sits beautifully at address; there’s quite a few creases and ridges on the crown, but thanks to a matt black paint job it’s inoffensive and has a reassuringly wide footprint.

most other lightweight drivers.

D7 is aimed at boosting speed for all swings, where Wilson’s Launch Pad, Cobra’s F-Max Airspeed and Honma’s T//World XP-1 are all lighter with draw bias, and they’re designed for much more moderate speeds.

PXG 0811 XF Gen 2 £550 Verdict: We can’t highlight our favourite drivers of the year and not include the game’s highest MOI model. Callaway have taken a slightly different stance this year over pure MOI (as Mavrik is lower MOI than the previous Epic Flash, yet improves accuracy), but for now at least extreme MOI performance is highly relevant to most club golfers. Remember, big, wide heads (that boost MOI) tend to be slower aero-wise, and produce less ball speed, but that’s why PXG also has the lower-spinning 0811 X.

Cobra King Speedzone Xtreme £349 Verdict: The Xtreme is a better driver than Cobra’s standard Speedzone for more golfers than you may think. The wider head nudges up forgiveness and our pro felt it was more solid and stable than the standard SZ. Numbers-wise the Xtreme didn’t rip up any trees – it gave up 13 yards against the Mizuno ST200, our longest 2020 driver. But for us, the Xtreme offers sound forgiveness, it looks fantastic and it’s available for a lot less than some of the very top models.

Mizuno ST200 £349 ◆ Lofts: 9.5° / 10.5° ◆ Stock shaft: 11 premium options ◆ Adjustable hosel: Yes (+/- 2°)

Verdict: Mizuno have taken huge strides in the driver market over the last five years, and we feel 2020 is the year they’ve legitimately earned the right to dine at the top table of total driver performance.

Last year’s ST190 was so close to being among our best drivers of the year, but ultimately just didn’t quite offer the same forgiveness as some as it chased low-spin performance (which adds speed and distance) at the expense of

forgiveness. This year’s a different story, though. The ST200 is right up there alongside the very best.

Powerful, great sounding, lovely looking and with enough forgiveness to keep drives on the cut grass. Our test has the ST200 down as our second longest of 2020, and because carry dropped off by just 11 yards (second best) from our longest to shortest drives, it’s earned a place among our favourites of the year.

Callaway Epic Flash £499 Verdict: Granted, most golfers will be seduced by the newer model, but in reality the still-onsale Epic Flash is still a fantastic driver. Our data has it giving up five yards to the Mavrik, which is pretty much what most golfers would expect of the latest model.

Flash comes into its own when you need to dial in a personal ball flight shape, which you can’t do with the Mavrik as it has no movable sole weight.

Wilson D7 £269

Verdict: The D7 goes at lightweight like a bull in a china shop, shedding weight from every component – and boy does it make a difference. D7, in our test pro’s spec, was nigh on 1mph faster than any other driver we tested, beating the average by 2.61mph and our slowest driver by a hefty 3.8mph. It was one of our longest drivers last year, but in 2020 our data has D7 six yards behind the very longest, which probably reflects how new tech improves the latest models. Just remember not to confuse D7 with

Srixon Z785 £349 Verdict: The Z785 has ended up in more Tour pro’s hands (like Graeme McDowell’s) than any previous Srixon driver. And for us, Z785 still sits beautifully, has a lovely simple look, sounds really crisp and will set you back less than most of the competition. All in a really solid driver for very sensible money. Like the Ping (G410) and Titleist (TS) drivers the Z785 is scheduled for an update in 2020.

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TaylorMade SIM Max D £449

DRAW DRIVERS

◆ Lofts: 9° / 10.5° / 12° ◆ Stock shafts: UST Mamiya Helium 5 / 4 ◆ Adjustable hosel: Yes (+/- 2°)

Ping G410 SFT £450 ◆ Lofts: 10.5° ◆ Stock shafts: Ping Alta CB ◆ Adjustable hosel: Yes (+/- 1.5°)

Verdict: The SFT is a draw driver pumped full of performance enhancing steroids. It offers even more draw bias than Ping’s brilliant G410 Plus with its weight in the draw position, which makes it a serious slice-tamer for club golfers.

We love the matt crown, and how the crown ridges and aero turbulators focus attention on the ball at address, it’s something you won’t find on other models. The SFT was Simon’s longest driver (by two yards), but it’s also (a lot) louder than the competition. For some golfers loud is good, but for others, with modern carbon crowns getting more muted, it will draw attention. At the end of the day, though, SFT is a brilliant all-rounder for many, many club golfers.

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Verdict: If we gave out awards for the best looking driver, SIM would win hands down – and that doesn’t change when it comes to the draw model. The Max D is a cracker.

We love how it’s been tailored to suit its intended audience with a bigger face etc.

TaylorMade has made several draw drivers now, but in our opinion SIM Max D is the best. The whole package – carbon crown, Twist Face, Speed Injection (which puts every driver face on the edge of the rules) and now a full-on aero package – along with an excellent stock shaft and grip – make it an absolute top performer for club golfers in 2020. It’s worth mentioning the new softer rubber Golf Pride Z-Grip; it feels wonderful and offers excellent traction.

Callaway Mavrik Max £469

◆ Lofts: 9° / 10.5° / 12° ◆ Stock shafts: UST Helium Black 40g, Project X

Evenflow Riptide 50g / 60g ◆ Adjustable hosel: Yes (-1/+2°)

Verdict: Arguably the Max could sit in our traditional MOI category, as with the 14g sole weight in the back port it’s the Mavrik family’s highest MOI model. The head is much wider and rounder than the TaylorMade, which aerodynamically slows it down a little against the standard Mavrik. But if you’re prone to spraying shots around the face, Max is a seriously good option for preserving ball speed and carry. We love how the Max comes with a full range of shaft options, too, which means you can go from lightweight and fast (the UST Helium) to firm and stout (Aldila Rogue White 130 MSI), which proves perfectly how draw drivers are not just for average swing speeds.

BEST OF THE REST

Mizuno ST200X £349

Wilson Launch Pad £269

Verdict: In the Far East golfers love lighter, longer, draw-biased drivers, yet this is the first time Mizuno have brought such a model to the west. Heel weighting, an upright lie angle and a 39g shaft (seriously light) all help create a draw flight. We reckon the X will be right up the street of ageing golfers who’ve lost a bit of speed and moderate swing speed golfers who put a premium on speed over all-out forgiveness.

Verdict: The Launch Pad is lightweight (13g lighter than Cobra’s equivalent F-Max Airspeed) and there’s a ton of anti-right technology built in.

There’s quite a shallow face, and bulbous head that’s round in shape which gives a really friendly appearance at address.

The lie angle is upright (which helps encourage a draw) and there’s extra face curvature to neatly hide a closed face angle.

LOW-SPIN DRIVERS TaylorMade SIM £479

◆ Lofts: 8° / 9° / 10.5° ◆ Stock shafts:

Mitsubishi Diamana S Limited 60, Project X HZRDUS Smoke Green 70 ◆ Adjustable hosel: Yes (-/+2°)

Callaway Mavrik Sub Zero £469 ◆ Lofts: 9° / 10.5° ◆ Stock shafts: Project X Evenflow Riptide 50g

/ Aldila Rogue White 130 MSI 60g / 70g

◆ Adjustable hosel: Yes (-1/+1.5°)

Verdict: Callaway know the Sub Zero isn’t as fast or aerodynamically optimised as the standard Mavrik, but insist the golfers likely to use it are much less worried about speed. That statement alone says a huge amount about who should really be using this model – above-average swing speed players. That said, our test pro thought the Sub Zero felt like a rocket when shots impacted the centre of the face, and was more punishing when they didn’t. As far as numbers go Mavrik Sub Zero is every bit as fast and long as the SIM. There are though, as you’d expect bigger drop-offs (difference between our longest and shortest, fastest and slowest shots) in ball speed and backspin, which proves this model is less forgiving than the standard Mavrik. We love how Callaway have removed the crown stripe, which was divisive on the previous Epic Flash.

Verdict: The SIM’s new chalk coloured paint and “chromium” carbon fibre crown look absolutely stunning, and give a fresh, clean appearance when most of the competition are clad in shiny black paint. In our opinion at least, SIM are the best-looking drivers TaylorMade have made for a while.

If you’re looking for a low-spin driver, or want to dial in a particular shot shape (a 10g sliding sole weight gives 20 yards of draw or fade bias), SIM absolutely has to be on your shortlist in 2020. It is every bit as powerful as Callaway’s Mavrik Sub Zero (the pair tied on 278 yards carry) and by posting a club speed above our test average, we have to say the new aerodynamic sole design is earning its keep.

TaylorMade’s tour staff are likely to be split 50/50 between the SIM and SIM Max. The Max has an 8% bigger face size and a 10% higher MOI over SIM; that should make you question whether you really need to go low spin or not.

BEST OF THE REST

Cobra Speedzone £349 Verdict: The Speedzone replaces Cobra’s brilliant 2019 F9 driver, which was amongst our four favourite drivers last year. It’s a cracking looking driver; it sits behind the ball beautifully and the new infinity milled face is a great story. Speedzone isn’t strictly a low-spin driver, but with the 14g sole weight in the front port it becomes a low-spin option. In Speedzone’s favour are the excellent shaft options (weights and launch profile) which mean any swing type or speed can be fitted into a decent stock model.

Ping G410 LST £450 Verdict: If you need further proof low-spin drivers aren’t for everyone Ping staff pros Tony Finau and Lee Westwood don’t play the lower spin LST model.

Where other brands put in weight tracks at the expense of MOI forgiveness, Ping say the G410’s movable weight tech has zero impact on MOI. Essentially this is last year’s model, and even though our data has the LST giving up seven yards to the longest low-spinning driver in 2020, we reckon thanks to its fitting and forgiveness tech it’s still relevant in any low-spin driver conversation.

Callaway Epic Flash Sub Zero £499 Verdict: It’s ironic the Epic Flash Sub Zero (on paper) was our longest driver of the year, yet our pro made no bones about not being able to use it successfully on the course. And that comes down to its lower forgiveness levels. Hopefully, those words alone will set alarm bells ringing for you, especially when you see ball speed and carry gains jump up on a launch monitor when trying one. Many golfers are seduced by the traits of low-spin driver tech, yet less than 10% of golfers actually need one...

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ADVERTORIAL

BECOMING THE ULTIMATE IRON PLAYER

THESE ARE THE THREE AREAS THAT YOU CAN WORK ON TO BECOME A GREAT IRON PLAYER:

1. STRATEGY Strategy is massively important in becoming a good iron player. If you have a good strategy when you’re hitting shots, it can allow wiggle-room for poorly struck shots. The first thing you should think of is, what is my general strategy going to be?

So, are you going to be a ‘flag hunter’, a ‘middle of the green hitter’ or a ‘hazard avoider’?

The best train of thought for any amateur golfer should be to aim for the middle, or avoid hazards. The only time you should aim for the flag is when it is in the middle or furthest away from the hazards.

The biggest issue we see with poor strategy on the course is when golfers only think about hitting the flag no matter where that flag is. For example, you can even hit pretty good shots but because you were aiming at a front right flag and you hit your 7 iron a little out the toe, losing 4 yards, it ends up short and plugged in the bunker.

Whereas, if you had hit a 6 iron to the middle of the green you have that 30-footer for birdie!

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MAN MAGAZINE SUMMER 2020

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WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO BE THE ULTIMATE IRON PLAYER? IT’S IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND THAT IF YOU CAN HAVE A SWING THAT IS AS TECHNICALLY SOUND AS TIGER WOODS, THEN OBVIOUSLY THAT’S IMPORTANT, BUT IT’S ONLY ONE PIECE OF THE PUZZLE! THERE ARE DEFINITELY MORE FACTORS TO BEING ABLE TO HIT MORE GREENS WITH YOUR IRONS AND IF YOU CAN IMPROVE THESE FACTORS SUBSTANTIALLY, THEN THEY WILL EVEN HELP COVER-UP FLAWS IN TECHNIQUE…

ADVERTORIAL

3. BALL STRIKING

2. TECHNIQUE What we’re looking for with technique is to be able to control the Low Point of your swing, basically the part of the swing arc that is the lowest relative to the ground.

If we think about the best ball strikers, they will hit the ball followed by the ground thus creating a Low Point, which is after the ball by several inches. Whereas someone who hits the ground and then the ball, you’ll find that the Low Point will be before or under the ball. We help create a good Low Point with several factors such as; set-up, body pivot, club face control, weight shift, and sequencing and concept.

Set-up – by favouring the

lead side at set-up you give yourself more chance of creating a later Low Point.

Body pivot – if you sway

(move excessively away from the target) in your back swing you can have poor Low Point control, so a good body pivot in your back swing will be a good idea.

Club face control – one of

the biggest reasons for poor Low Point is an open club face. This causes the body to stall in the downswing so you can square the club face, but this stalling causes you to have a Low Point which is often before the ball. You need to get that club face squared in the backswing.

Although ball striking is a part of your technique, we wanted to separate the two to stress how important it is.

You can miss-hit shots vertically and horizontally on the face, but we are going to focus on the horizontal striking. In other words, heel and toe strikes.

Now, we all know they affect shots, but you can deliver a square club face and be on a great neutral club path. However, if you hit it out the toe you could easily lose 10 yards.

That can be the only thing that causes the ball to finish short in the water, so hitting it out the centre is something you need to practise. A tee peg or head cover gate works great for this in your normal practice, as well as a nice forgiving set of cavity back irons!

If you want to master your irons and become the best iron player you can be, head over to meandmygolf.com/sign-up and become a member today!

As a member at Me and My Golf, you will gain access to our Coaching Plans, extensive Video Vaults and Shot Fixer tool that cover all aspects of your golf game.

Shifting weight – towards

the target with good sequencing will help you to lean the shaft forwards at impact, making the club head hit the ball on the way down; as a result, this will create the forward shaft lean at impact that you’re after, which de-lofts the clubs and gets that Low Point after the ball.

Concept – If you’re trying

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to hit the ball on the way up because you feel this is what will hit the ball in the air, then you’ll more often than not hit the ground before the ball and have poor Low Point control. If your concept is to lean the shaft forward when striking the ball, you’ll create good Low Point control and be able to strike Ultimate Irons!

MAN MAGAZINE SUMMER 2020

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Use the code: MAMGMAN30 at meandmygolf.com/sign-up To find out more, please visit meandmygolf.com/how-itworks/

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E TH IS

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RISE OF THE MACHINES

How Artificial Intelligence is being used to change the way we play and watch golf PICTURES GETTY IMAGES, SHUTTERSTOCK

62 IS SUE 3 89 TODAYSGOLFER .CO.UK

id what the computer come up with surprise me? It scared the hell out of me to be honest!”

That was the reaction of Dr Alan Hocknell – the man who’s overseen Callaway’s club design for the last 15 years – when he first clapped eyes on the first driver designed by the company’s new $5 million super-computer.

“People rightly said ‘you’re the head of R&D, you’re supposed to know how your clubs work’, and I didn’t know how it worked. The worst part about it was that if it didn’t work, we didn’t know how to modify it to make it work.”

Fortunately, Callaway’s new Epic Flash drivers did work – thanks to a radical new face design created by Artificial Intelligence, or machine learning. It’s just one example of how A.I. is now being used in golf.

From the way you watch the game on TV to the shots you choose out on the course, the technology is now influencing all of it.

And this is just the start…

D

“

A.I. IN… TIGER’S MASTERS WIN

The Masters has been a bit slow to adopt the latest tech for the year’s first major, but they made up for it last year with arguably the best digital coverage of any of golf’s biggest events. They used A.I. designed by IBM to capture EVERY shot by all 89 players in the field to produce a three-minute highlights video for Masters.com almost instantly at the end of each round.

“For the first time ever in golf, we will capture virtually every shot of every player during every competitive round,” said Augusta National Golf Club chairman Fred Ridley. “This extensive library of content will be available on our website and apps through the leaderboard and track features.

Within minutes of every shot, this added content will now allow our fans online to follow their favourite players from their drive off the first tee to their Shots now in the PGA final putt on the 18th Tour’s ShotLink database, making it green.” too unwieldy for This technology from humans to make IBM Watson Media also sense of. analysed the video from every player and scored every stroke based on characteristics that may indicate a significant or exciting moment.

Every high-five and every fist pump

174 MILLION

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20,000

IBM Watson analysed around 20,000 shots from 5,000 holes to create a three-minute highlight reel for every round by every player at the 2019 Masters.

the audience.

Previously, this level of detail wouldn’t have been available until after the moment had passed.

A.I. IN… SHOT TRACKING

A.I. confirmed the moment Tiger holed his winning putt at Augusta was the most exciting moment of the week.

‘AT LEAST FOUR OF TIGER’S SHOTS IN THE LAST ROUND SCORED A PERFECT 1.0 IN CROWD REACTION’ is focused on one broadcaster who is telling a specific set of stories. The broadcaster next door might be telling a completely different set of stories.

And if you are writing for our digital content, it’s another set of stories.

Instead of trying to scale that function with people, we are trying to automate it. Through A.I., we can build systems that continue to learn and develop on their own, allowing the Tour platforms to evolve with the fan.”

What does it all mean? An example. At last year’s Memorial Tournament, Bryson DeChambeau was clinging to the lead in the final round when he missed the green on the par-5 15th, leaving himself 57 feet from the flag. At this point, he was 15 from 19 in scrambling to lead the field. DeChambeau pitched to five feet, a distance from A.I. IN… TV BROADCASTS which he converted 46 of 50 times Microsoft has worked with the PGA for the week. He made the putt Tour to develop software that can and went on to win. All this sift through nearly 20 years information was of stats collected by instantly available to ShotLink (over 170 the broadcast team, million shots), as well who could relay it to as 80,000-plus hours The number of data of video, to give TV points – per event – the PGA Tour’s viewers real-time ShotLink System has trends and storylines. offered since 2001.

“In the broadcast truck, decisions on what content airs on television are made in real-time as the story is unfolding in front of everyone,” says Steve Evans, SVP Information Systems of the PGA Tour. “The ShotLink broadcast team was noted by Watson, which also measured the patrons’ reactions to notable shots. All this info was used to create “Crowd Roar” and “Player Gestures” ratings, which then offered an overall excitement score for every man in the field.

The roars for Tiger Woods were – as you’d expect – the loudest. At least four of his shots in the last round scored a perfect 1.0 in crowd reaction – his bogey putt to win on the 18th, and his birdie putts on the third, 13th and 16th in the final round. Tiger’s highest score – another 1.0 – in Player Gestures was on 18, when he fist-pumped his winning putt and high-fived the crowd as he walked off the green.

Of the other 88 players, Bryson DeChambeau’s hole-in-one at the 16th in Sunday’s final round was the next best, reaching 0.94 on the Crowd Roar scale; his body and facial reactions scored a perfect 1.0.

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46.7

How much faster Arccos says golfers tracking their stats can cut their handicap, compared to those who don’t.

Every shot hit on the PGA Tour is logged by a volunteer on a Microsoft laptop.

Shot trackers are said to help golfers cut their handicap 46 times faster than players who don’t use them.

That’s an impressive claim – and it’s backed up by the man who runs Ping, and who’s just signed a deal to offer Arccos sensors as an option on the millions of clubs Ping fits and makes (they’re already a feature on all Cobra clubs).

The sensors, which screw into the top of the grips on all 14 clubs, turn a player’s smartphone into a GPS rangefinder that can currently measure shot distance and location on more than 40,000 courses. All this data – how far you’ve hit every shot, and where you’ve hit every shot – is transmitted to the cloud where Arccos uses artificial intelligence to create “the world’s smartest caddie”.

Over several rounds it learns about your game – like how far you actually carry your 7-iron when it’s uphill and into the wind – so it can offer advice to help you make better decisions on the course.

One man who’s seen a benefit to his game is Ping CEO John K Solheim, who says his handicap has dropped since using the system.

He said: “With our long-time focus on data collection and the ability to improve product performance and custom-fitting techniques through expert analysis of a golfer’s tendencies on the golf course, it’s a tremendous opportunity for us to join with Arccos to help bring more visibility to the benefits of playing ‘smart’ golf.

They’ve pioneered the gametracking category and are recognised as the clear leader when it comes to providing on-course ‘caddie advice,’ performance tracking and postround analysis.

“We’ve been tracking and studying ball-flight data since the early days of Ping Man through a variety of methods,” added Solheim.

“With Arccos, average golfers have access to data previously only available to Tour professionals. This ‘intelligence’ leads to club recommendations that give you the best opportunity to play your best.”

E

time this year, thanks to Callaway – head of R&D Alan Hocknell takes up the story of how it was used to create the Epic Flash drivers…

he motivation for Intelligence. what we are doing If we look at the definition was to try to see if we of ‘Intelligence’, it is the ability could use computer to sense your environment and tools to reach beyond our current come up with a course of actions design thinking and help us go that maximise your chances of ‘outside the box’. achieving a certain goal.

The design of Callaway’s Epic The ‘Artificial’ element refers Flash driver, and specifically to whether computers can be the Flash Face, started as a instructed in ways to behave theoretical challenge and if it like that, and that is what were to work, could numerical machine learning is, using these optimisation done by a computer numerical optimisation tools to produce a different face? At the try to learn about this design beginning we didn’t even know if space. Once the computer has this project would be a success. done enough learning, it can then One area in that field is called plot a course to achieving its ‘Machine Learning’, maximum goal. which happens The computer went Callaway’s A.I. to be one of the through 15,000 computer is roughly branches that iterations... which the size of a domestic forms the greater means that every fridge, and is installed tree known single iteration in a data centre in California in a highly as Artificial was, in fact, the

T

air-conditioned facility with special shielding and an uninterrupted power supply.

IS

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TH

A.I. IN… CALLAWAY’S DRIVER DESIGN A.I. has made its way into club design for the first

design of a new face in a head. In retrospect, I wish we could have done a better job of ‘peeking in’ when the computer was doing its work! The first 1,000 designs were terrible, simply because the computer was educating itself about what it was trying to achieve, but it was constantly learning at a level that humans would find impossible in that time frame.

How long would it have taken to reach the current Flash Face design if A.I. wasn’t used? We simply don’t know – maybe never. Even if we (as humans) ran 15,000 iterations over X number of years, we’d never have come up with anything close to this design. So, the honest answer is that it is unlikely that we would have EVER arrived at this design without A.I. It’s too early to say whether this type of technique will set a revolutionary path in the manufacturing of golf equipment. Clearly, we have identified a significant process that can give all golfers a genuine performance advantage.

If we can develop this learning into other parts of the driver, or other products, it truly will be a breakthrough that all golfers are going to enjoy. It is down to us how creative we can be with it, while also staying true to the goals of what people want to achieve with their golf clubs. It has tremendous potential and we’re only scratching the surface at the moment.

15,000

The number of times Callaway’s supercomputer ‘redesigned’ the Flash Face. Before, a new driver face design typically took eight to 10 iterations.

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LUKE CAMPBEL

LIFE

MAN MAGAZINE SUMMER 2020

SPORT

PRO BOXER, LUKE CAMPBELL CHATS TO US ABOUT LIFE INSIDE AND OUTSIDE THE BOXING RING, AND HE SHARES WISE WORDS THAT PACK A PUNCH

55

SPORT

Can you tell us what you’ve been up to since your last fight in 2019?

I’ve been busy in the gym really: Boxing is my life apart from my family!

But all I do is train and strive to become the best, that’s my passion and dream… To be the best. I will be there very soon.

Other than training I do have a foundation where we go into schools and do training session with them and try and pass on some inspiration and give students hopes and dreams. I believe kids’ mental wellbeing is very important and they should be taught how to look after themselves – I believe this needs to be included on the curriculum.

What you are doing to help children improve their mental health is very admirable – and also very much needed…

You fought Lomachencko, a man considered by many to be the best pound-for-pound fighter the World has ever seen. Let’s be honest, the guy is insane… so how did you stay mentally strong as well as physically strong?

I believed in myself and I trained hard. I don’t listen to everyone else’s opinions.

No one walks in my shoes.

No one thought I had a chance. I got sick of all the same questions (LOL). To see no one had faith in me was funny. I was calm and ready. And felt I took him all the way.

My heart rate was slightly higher

56

than normal the night before – but does anyone sleep well before a fight? (LOL).

I look back at that performance and know I can do so much better. I’d love the rematch later down the line. I still feel I can beat him. The best man won that night and it was a great fight.

Do you have any weird rituals you do before a fight?

None. I got myself out of that. As it’s a different day and different location and different me. So I always try and mix things up.

When it comes to fighting in the ring, it is sometimes obviously tough, but it must have been really tough to lose your dad just two weeks before you fought Jorge Linares for the World title.

Our sincere condolences. Is it true you didn’t tell anybody at the time?

Yeah, I didn’t tell anyone as I didn’t want the news getting out there. I thought if my opponent found out then his confidence would grow, as he would know I wouldn’t be at one-hundredpercent and I didn’t want that to happen.

So I kept it to myself.

Honestly I look back now and think to myself, I don’t know how I did it. How I managed to stay focused! I knew my dad would have wanted me to continue.

MAN MAGAZINE SUMMER 2020

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Yes, mental health issues are becoming a massive part of our society nowadays! We have open platforms where everyone seems to have an opinion on everyone else – which can change the way we think and feel. It’s very important to keep our kids’ minds strong. I’m putting programmes together and hopefully soon they will be launched where we can help a lot more young people do exactly that.

SPORT

Quick Q&A

IT’S VERY IMPORTANT TO KEEP OUR KIDS’ MINDS STRONG

Best film: Warrior.

Blonde or brunette: Brunette.

The single meal that you could eat every single day for the rest of your life: I’m from Yorkshire so a chicken Sunday roast.

What would you be if you weren’t a boxer? Nothing – Ha! Hardest punch from someone else: Some guy in the USA I was sparring he was a light middleweight and was a big puncher.

Favourite alcoholic drink: I don’t drink yet – Ha! Waiting until I retire!

What was it like suddenly dealing with all the media attention you gained after winning?

Inspiration: My family.

To be honest, it was hard. I certainly wasn’t used to it. It took me about a year to adapt. I didn’t know who to be.

Or how to act. But what I can say is that I did keep my feet firmly on the ground.

Other sports: I don’t really play other sports… My sons play football and I’m really starting to enjoy that!

Favourite genre of music? I listen to a massive variety of music.

Any mindset tips for staying grounded in general?

Did your dad ever teach you anything that you live by when it comes to boxing?

When people say you’ve changed in life. Of course you will change, you have to adapt to life -Live, learn and become wiser. But that doesn’t mean your principles and values have to change. Treat people how you want to be treated.

Yes, but I keep that close to my heart.

Certain words. Not boxing skill itself.

As a family man yourself – what life lessons from boxing do you (or will you) teach your sons?

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The hard work and discipline. And if you fall you get back up again and continue.

We don’t quit and we don’t give up.

Apart from having two sons and being married – has anything ever come close to the feeling of winning gold at London’s 2012 Olympics?

When I win a world title that will be the same!

MAN MAGAZINE SUMMER 2020

ALL I DO IS TRAIN AND STRIVE TO BECOME THE BEST

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THE IMPORTANCE OF STAYING PHYSICALLY AND MENTALLY FIT When the government instructed gyms to close down from the 21st March, our first thought was how could we still support our members and help keep them and the wider community moving. Now more than ever it’s so important to stay physically and mentally fit, so here are some of our top tips to looking after your wellbeing during lockdown.

Keeping Moving We talked with Dr Sarah Hattam from Concilio Health who explains how every single bit of our body benefits from regular movement.

“Exercise contributes to good health, helps to support your immune system and can reduce your risk of disease.”

And not only can exercise help us become fitter, healthier and stronger, research also suggests that it can boost our mental strength, relieve stress and help to form positive habits.

Adapting to a change in your routine Our lives have all been turned upside down with this pandemic, so we understand that it can be challenging to adapt to a change in your normal routine.

We also spoke with Annika McGivern, Sport and Exercise Psychology consultant who explains that when faced with change the human brain tends to focus on what has been lost, instead of what could be gained.

“Figure out what you have the opportunity to improve at as a direct result of your new reality.”

The key to adapting is to stay curious about, and open to, the learning opportunities that always accompany a significant change.

Looking after your mental fitness Although physical wellbeing is often at the forefront of everyone’s mind, here at PureGym we believe that your mental health is just as important as your physical health.

We all have mental health. And just like our physical health, it’s important that we look after it.

The current pandemic has affected all of us in one way or another, so it’s essential that we stay in tune with how our mental wellbeing is handling our new normal. Dr Sarah Hattam from Concilio Health recommends creating a resilience diary which rates your ability to cope with and thrive in the face of unexpected pressure. This will help to spot patterns and trends and keep an eye on any consistent shifts in your mental wellbeing.

THE UK’S FAVOURITE GYM

GETTING BACK INTO FITNESS Although we’re all giddy to jump back into a squat rack or onto an exercise bike as soon as gyms reopen, it’s important to ease back into your training regime.

We recommend that you’re patient with your body and focus on recovery methods to help you get back quicker to your pre-lockdown training intensity. Our top tips are: Always remember to warm up before a session, and make sure you stretch and cool down after your workout is done to help avoid injuries.

Protein is key for repair and recovery, so make sure to consume enough protein to give your body the adequate nutrition it needs to manage the increased stress of your new training regime.

If you find yourself feeling sore, you can try foam rolling to relieve muscle tightness. Or you could even try myofascial release with a spike ball.

“PureGym provides 99% of what the population needs for a great workout”

Sir Chris Hoy 6 x Olympic Medallist and PureGym Ambassador

MAN MAGAZINE

Check out our digital Summer 2020 supplement special on CBD including: HOW DOES CBD WORK? CBD FOR MENTAL HEALTH 101 FAQS CBD FOR FITNESS WWE ROB VAN DAM INTERVIEW DOES CBD AID SLEEP?

MAN Magazine does not endorse CBD brands or products, and all information within the CBD supplement is intended to provide information only. It is recommended that you consult your doctor or health professional regarding using CBD products for specific needs..

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MAN MAGAZINE SUMMER 2020

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24 Reasons

Mental Health Why Men Don’t Talk About Their

GUTTER CREDIT

Words by Joshua David Stein and Scarlett Wrench Photography by Sun Lee

76 MEN’S HEALTH

HEALTHY LIVING

GUTTER CREDIT

…And Why They’re All B*ll*cks

MEN’S HEALTH 77

HEALTHY LIVING

0101

There’s There’snothing nothing wrong wrongwith withme me This This article article isn’t isn’t about about you, you, right? right?

You’re You’re fine.fine.

ButBut here’s here’s thethe crucial crucial thing: thing: acknowledging acknowledging thatthat it isit is useful useful to work to work on on your your mental mental health health doesn’t doesn’t mean mean there’s there’s something something wrong wrong withwith your your brain, brain, anyany more more than than going going to to thethe gymgym to train to train your your triceps triceps means means there’s there’s something something wrong wrong withwith your your arms. arms.

It’s It’s justjust good good practice. practice.

02 02

Fine.

Fine.But ButI don’t I don’t have havea amental mental health healthproblem problem “Think “Think of mental of mental health health as aascontinuum. a continuum.

No No oneone is is completely completely mentally mentally healthy, healthy, or or completely completely mentally mentally ill,” says ill,” says Amy Amy Morin, Morin, a psychotherapist a psychotherapist andand thethe author author of 13ofThings 13 Things Mentally Mentally Strong Strong People People Don’t Don’t Do.Do. SheShe advises advises thinking thinking about about it init in thethe same same wayway youyou do your do your physical physical well-being: well-being: waiting waiting untiluntil a problem a problem is threatening is threatening to derail to derail youryour routine routine is aisfara less far less efficient efficient strategy strategy than than seeking seeking advice advice when when thethe firstfirst symptoms symptoms arise. arise.

Or, Or, to put to put it another it another way:way: “Most “Most menmen aren’t aren’t embarrassed embarrassed to go to to gosee to see a dentist a dentist to keep to keep their their teeth teeth healthy. healthy. ” ”

03 03

My Myproblems problems aren’t aren’tthat thatbad. bad.

I can I candeal dealwith with them themmyself myself Perhaps Perhaps youyou can. can.

ButBut if you’ve if you’ve been been trying trying for for some some time time andand it’s it’s stillstill notnot working, working, do do what what you’you’ d do d do in any in any other other situation: situation: “Get“Get an outside an outside opinion. opinion.

Objective Objective advice advice is key is key to to seeing seeing your your problems problems in ain a different different way,way, ” says ” says Morin.

Morin.

TalkTalk to someone to someone youyou trust, trust, or go or go to to thethe experts: experts: “Therapists “Therapists have have specialised specialised knowledge knowledge andand therefore therefore cancan reduce reduce thethe time time needed needed for for improvement. improvement. ” ”

04 04 My Myproblems problems are arejust justtoo too complicated complicated totofix fix

You’re You’re missing missing thethe point. point.

Your Your brain brain isn’tisn’t a faulty a faulty plug plug socket, socket, andand neither neither is your is your life.life.

A good A good firstfirst stepstep is toisforget to forget about about “fixing” “fixing” yourself yourself andand focus focus on on working working outout exactly exactly what what it isityou’re is you’re feeling, feeling, andand what what might might be be thethe rootroot cause. cause.

05 05

What Whatif ifallallofofmy my Having Havinga a friends friends find find out out mental mentalhealth health thatsomething something problem problemmeans means that is is wrong? wrong? that thatI’m I’mweak weak

So So what what if they if they do?do?

If they If they “There’s “There’s a difference a difference really areare your your friends friends – not – not justjust between between acting acting tough tough andand really “people youyou know” know” – they – they won’t won’t being being strong, strong, ” says ” says Morin.

Morin.

“It’s“It’s “people judge youyou for for having having difficulties difficulties easy easy to act to act tough tough by pretending by pretending judge your your mental mental health, health, or for or for thatthat youryour problems problems don’t don’t exist. exist. ” ” withwith taking taking steps steps to manage to manage it. They it. They ButBut addressing addressing those those issues issues support support youyou all the all the way,way, justjust takes takes truetrue strength. strength.

It might It might helphelp willwill as you’ d support d support them them in the in the to make to make a mental a mental list list of men of men whowho as you’ same situation. situation.

Friends Friends have have have have spoken spoken publicly publicly about about their their same your your back back – it’s – it’s in the in the jobjob mental mental health health difficulties, difficulties, starting starting gotgot description.

If they If they haven’t... haven’t... withwith thethe Rock, Rock, boxers boxers such such as as description. we’we’ d advise d advise finding finding newnew friends. friends.

Tyson Tyson FuryFury andand Frank Frank Bruno, Bruno, andand thethe hosts hosts of SAS: of SAS: Who Who Dares Dares Wins.

Wins.

Weak Weak men? men?

Hardly.

Hardly.

78 MEN’S 78 MEN’S HEALTH HEALTH

06 06

Why Men Don’t Talk

12

07

I don’t want people to judge me You can’t control other people’s reactions, but you can try to confide in someone you know to be sympathetic to mental health issues. “Even if you pick the wrong person, it’s still the right step,” says Dr Drew Ramsey, a psychiatrist and Men’s Health adviser.

“People who are very private often seek [professional] help first to get a plan and support, then speak to their family and friends afterwards.”

08

But I don’t want a therapist to judge me, either

10-11 I always feel better after a pint and/or a workout

Both may temporarily alleviate symptoms of depression and anxiety, concedes Dr Gregory Scott Brown, an integrative psychiatrist, “but neither helps address the root causes.” While dealing with a mental health issue doesn’t oblige you to give up drinking, using your pint of Budvar as an emotional prop isn’t a failsafe coping mechanism.

As for your training? It’s a good, sustainable strategy, says Dr Brown. “Studies have shown that people who are more physically active have a lower risk for developing depression. However, you’re probably not going to cure depression or severe anxiety by going for a run.”

I just don’t want 13 to be a burden I talk to my Here’s another way to think partner, and about it. In a Men’s Health that’s enough survey of more than 15,000 men, 34% of respondents said that they would be more comfortable addressing a topic such as depression if a friend talked about his own mental well-being first.

Perhaps, then, you should try to see this as a matter of helping to unburden others.

“Depression and anxiety are extremely common,” says Dr Brown. “Often, when men open up to a friend, it’s either an experience that person can relate to personally, or they know someone who was able to overcome a similar struggle.”

That’s a good thing – but it has its limits. “Sometimes, men think talking to their partners is a substitute for therapy,” says Morin. “But while it’s important to be able to talk about how you’re feeling, venting every day may strain a relationship. It’s a problem I’ve seen in my work.

The partner who is listening may feel pressure to cheer the other person up, or calm them down.”

Carry on talking to your other half. But if things don’t seem to be improving, you might need to speak to a professional, too.

A therapist is, by definition, disinterested in you. That doesn’t mean “not interested”, though. You are a patient, one of approximately 15 that the average therapist sees in a week. They’re not caught up in the details of your life.

They’re professionals, so they look at you in the same way your mechanic looks at your car’s gearbox. (This is helpful to keep in mind even if you’re already in therapy. One survey revealed that 93% of people lie to their therapists; the prime motivations are shame and fear of judgement.)

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09

I wouldn’t even know what to say…

Consider “coaching” the person you’re speaking to, says Dr David Wexler, executive director of the Relationship Training Institute. “Say something like, ‘I want to tell you something that’s been bothering me, but all I need is for you to listen. I’m not looking for you to fix it, or come up with an action plan.’ A decent friend or family member – or therapist – can rise to that.”

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01 14 nothing There’s

wrong mea I wentwith to see This article isn’t about therapist once, you, right? You’re fine. but he just sat But here’s the crucial thing: there and acknowledging that it isdidn’t useful to work on your mental say anything health doesn’t mean there’s

We asked Dr Wexler for something wrong with your his thoughts. brain, any more than going to Q: Why is it that you just sit there the gym to train your triceps and make vaguely sympathetic means there’s something noises but don’t speak? wrong with your arms. It’s A: [Silence.] just good practice.

Q: No, but seriously.

A: [Silence.]

Q: Oh, I get it. It’s because in some types of therapy, your job isn’t so much to direct me as it is to give me space to express myself. It’s as if all these words I’m saying are clearing out “Think of mental the tubes of my health mind like an as aemotional continuum. one isuntil, bilgeNo pump completely mentally healthy, or exhausted, we start getting completely ill,”issues, says down tomentally some real Amy Morin, a psychotherapist those I’ve long kept hidden, andeither the author of 13they Things because seem Mentally Strong People so trifling – like whenDon’t I was Do.eight and She advises thinking about fell off my bike and it instarted the same way you do your crying and instead of physical well-being: empathising withwaiting me, my dad untilsarcastically a problem issaid, threatening “Wah-wah!” to derail your routine is a far less – or because they’re shameful, efficient strategy thanI think seeking like the fact that that advice when the first symptoms I’m fundamentally unlovable arise.

Or, to put another way: and that if I itever let anyone “Most men aren’t know me, like embarrassed really know me, to go to see a dentist to keep with all my defences down, their teeth healthy. they’ d see that.” Is that it?

02

Fine. But I don’t have a mental health problem

A: [Silence. Hands over a

box of tissues.]

03 My 15problems

aren’t that bad.

Dragging up I can deal with old stuff them just myself sounds Perhaps you can. But if you’ve miserable been trying for some time and

can yes. But that it’s It still notbe, working, doinwhat isn’t you’sense, d do inpsychotherapy any other situation: say, “Gettoo andifferent outside from, opinion. physiotherapy. kinds Objective advice isBoth key to of therapy can be painful seeing your problems in a in the way, short” says term,Morin. but both different Talk will ultimately help you to someone you trust, or goget to Just grit your teeth thebetter. experts: “Therapists have if you have to and goand through specialised knowledge with it. can It’s worth it. the time therefore reduce needed for improvement.”

78 MEN’S 80 MEN’S HEALTH HEALTH

16

Once you start addressing this stuff, you will never be done with it Few of us struggle to accept that maintaining good physical health is a life-long commitment.

Likewise with your mental well-being. But built into your long-term plan can be shorter, sharper programmes to zero in on specific issues. For certain issues such as phobias and compulsive habits, an intensive three-hour course can be enough to free you. You are not condemning yourself to a lifetime on the psychologist’s couch just because you speak the words, “I’m scared,” or concede that your childhood probably wasn’t all that.

17

I want to get help, but I have no idea what to ask for Many so-called “talking therapies” are available from the NHS. As for what all those acronyms mean…

CBT Cognitive behavioural therapy has a proven record for depression, anxiety, phobias and obsessive compulsive disorder.

You’ll unpick your behavioural patterns, set goals and learn healthy new habits. You won’t be asked to delve into your relationship with your mother.

MBCT Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy teaches You’re missing the point. Your brain isn’t a faulty you to identify and manage plug socket, and neither is your life. A good first challenging thoughts and step is to forget about “fixing” yourself and focus feelings. It can be useful for on working out exactly what it is you’reWorried feeling, they’ll spot “There’s a difference the cracks?

“Many men those with addiction issues. and what might be the root cause. feel that they havebetween toughalland to have itacting all together, of EMDR Helpful after trauma, eyebeing strong,”they feel, says Morin.

“It’s the time, despite how miserable ” says movement desensitisation and easya to act tough pretending Dr Samantha Dutton, social workerbyand retired reprocessing helps your brain problems ” lieutenant colonel.that But your it’s very hard todon’t do aexist. good safely reprocess memories.

But addressing those issues job when you’re feeling miserable. So, if you really There’s also counselling for takes strength.

It might do need to have your shittrue together, you can’t help everything from bereavement to make afford to ignore your mentala mental health. list of men who to panic attacks. Your counsellor have spoken publicly about their won’t tell you what to do, but mental health difficulties, starting will help you to understand with the Rock, boxers such as your thought processes and Tyson Fury and Frank Bruno, come up with solutions. and the hosts of SAS: Who Dares Wins. Weak men? Hardly.

04 18 My problems are just tooBut everyone 05 complicated thinks I have Having a to fix mental health my shit problem means that I’m weak together

19 The NHS 06 waiting times

What if alllong of my are too friends find out It’s still worth consulting that something your GP. If that doesn’t appeal, self-help books: whatever istrywrong?

there’s So you’re what ifgrappling they do?with, If they a guide to managing it. For really are your friends – not just the more tech-minded, there “people you know” – they won’t are chatbots such as Wysa judge you for having difficulties Woebot, which canorbefor withoryour mental health, surprisingly taking steps to astute. manageFor it. help TheyIRL, can find support groups willyou support youlocal all the way, just at mind. org.uk (search as you’ d support them in“local the minds”).

If youFriends can freehave up a bit of same situation.

BetterHelp offers gotbudget, your back – it’s in the jobaccess to licensedIf they therapists via Skype description. haven’t... phonefinding call, withnew subscriptions we’doradvise friends. from about £30 per week.

Why WhyMen MenDon’t Don’tTalk Talk

22 22 20 20

My Mywork work schedule schedule won’t won’tallow allowitit

AreAre youyou sure? sure?

AskAsk your your HRHR department. department.

Mental Mental ill-health ill-health is covered is covered by by UKUK employment employment law,law, as as wellwell as as companies’ companies’ sicksick leave leave policies, policies, so so alterations alterations to your to your hours hours andand responsibilities responsibilities cancan be be Worried Worried about about snowflake snowflake discussed discussed in the in the same same wayway as as jibes? jibes?

It’sIt’s unfortunate unfortunate butbut if you if you were were recovering recovering from from truetrue thatthat there’s there’s stillstill a stigma, a stigma, a bout a bout of pneumonia. of pneumonia.

A formal A formal butbut thethe reality reality is not is not thatthat diagnosis diagnosis of, of, say,say, depression depression young young people people areare lessless resilient, resilient, means means that, that, by by law,law, your your rather rather thatthat they’re they’re more more employer employer is required is required make make open. open.

According According to YouGov to YouGov “reasonable “reasonable adjustments” adjustments” research, research, nearly nearly halfhalf of adults of adults to your to your jobjob spec. spec.

That That might might aged aged 55 55 andand over over saysay thatthat simply simply mean mean letting letting youyou leave leave they they have experienced have experienced early early oneone dayday a week a week in order in order depression depression and/or and/or anxiety. anxiety. to see to see a therapist. a therapist.

Besides, Besides, no no one’s one’s asking asking youyou to post to post about about it on it on Instagram, Instagram, or start or start a self-care a self-care journal. journal.

DoDo things things your your wayway – just – just don’t don’t do do nothing. nothing.

I just I justfind findallallofof this thistalk talkabout about mental mentalhealth healthaa bitbit“Millennial” “Millennial”

2121

I used I usedtotobebeinin therapy, therapy,but butitit didn’t didn’thelp helpatatallall If you’ve If you’ve seen seen oneone therapist, therapist, you’ve you’ve justjust seen seen oneone therapist. therapist.

Methods Methods andand mannerisms mannerisms vary vary hugely. hugely.

Finding Finding someone someone who who is right is right forfor youyou is less is less likelike picking picking a go-to a go-to morning morning coffee coffee vendor vendor than than discovering discovering your your favourite favourite pub. pub.

In the In the former former case, case, proximity proximity andand waiting waiting time time areare of chief of chief importance. importance.

TheThe latter latter is more is more about about “feeling” “feeling” than than anything anything else. else.

“I “I always always encourage encourage people people to to have have consultations consultations with with twotwo or or three three different different therapists, therapists, ” says ” says Dr Dr Ramsey.

Ramsey.

And And don’t don’t worry worry about about moving moving on on if it’s not if it’s not a a good good fit. fit.

“We’re “We’re professionals. professionals.

WeWe cancan handle handle it.” it.”

24 24

Fine, Fine,I admit I admitit.it.

I’m I’mjust justscared scared

23 23 I Ihave haveso so many manyother other things thingstoto deal with, deal with,my my mental mentalhealth health isn’t isn’taapriority priority Maybe Maybe notnot now, now, butbut if you if you don’t don’t looklook after after it, sooner it, sooner or later, or later, you’ll you’ll have have to deal to deal withwith it. Schedule it. Schedule in time in time today today andand youyou could could save save a lota lot of time of time in the in the long long run.run.

By By author author andand journalist journalist Joshua Joshua David David Stein Stein I get I get it. About it. About twotwo years years ago, ago, mymy lifelife started started falling falling apart apart at an at an alarming alarming clip. clip.

I was I was married married (spoiler (spoiler alert: alert: was) was) andand hadhad twotwo young young children. children.

I was I was at aatpoint a point in my in my career career where where things, things, I thought, I thought, should should be be getting getting easier. easier.

ButBut they they weren’t. weren’t.

AsAs mymy cohort cohort aged aged andand hadhad kids, kids, I had I had fewer fewer andand fewer fewer close close friends. friends.

MyMy marriage marriage waswas in in trouble. trouble.

I struggled I struggled with with intense, intense, body-clenching body-clenching rage rage andand existential existential squid-ink squid-ink darkness. darkness.

In the In the midst midst of what of what I guess I guess waswas a mental a mental breakdown, I breakdown, I tried tried to kill to kill myself. myself.

At At thatthat point, point, seeking seeking help help became became lifelife or or death. death.

TheThe evidence evidence thatthat I was I was struggling struggling with with mental mental illness illness waswas incontrovertible; incontrovertible; thatthat it it was affecting was affecting thethe people people I love I love waswas equally equally uncontestable. uncontestable.

So,So, I ended I ended upup in therapy, in therapy, talking talking to a nice to a nice lady lady named named Julia.

Julia.

What What a cliché, a cliché, I thought, I thought, looking looking at her at her ready-to-pluck ready-to-pluck tissues tissues andand well-hugged well-hugged crushed-velvet crushed-velvet pillow. pillow.

ButBut it felt it felt good good to talk to talk to someone to someone who who wasn’t wasn’t furious furious at me at me forfor a decade a decade of craziness, of craziness, who who could could seesee meme with with professional professional compunction. compunction.

After After a while, a while, Julia Julia suggested suggested thatthat I might I might have have something something called called borderline borderline personality personality disorder disorder (BPD), (BPD), with with symptoms symptoms including including suicidal suicidal ideations, ideations, rage, rage, impulsive impulsive behaviour behaviour andand black-and-white black-and-white thinking. thinking.

TheThe more more I understood I understood BPD, BPD, thethe more more I understood I understood what what triggered triggered what, what, andand why. why.

I’mI’m notnot saying saying thatthat I’mI’m notnot responsible responsible forfor thethe suffering suffering I caused.

I caused.

I am.

I am.

ButBut I didn’t I didn’t have have to beat to beat myself myself up up as much as much as Iashad.

I had.

Addressing Addressing mymy mental mental health wasn’t health wasn’t enough enough to save to save my marriage. my marriage.

ButBut it allowed it allowed meme to know to know myself. myself.

It’sIt’s likelike I hadn’t I hadn’t fully fully putput mymy weight weight on on thisthis Earth.

Earth.

I was I was holding holding a part a part of of myself myself apart, apart, suspended, suspended, likelike a terrified a terrified marionette. marionette.

Now, Now, I’mI’m here. here.

I’mI’m happy happy – and – and sadsad – in–ainway a way I couldn’t I couldn’t be be before. before.

And And I’mI’m more more comfortable comfortable admitting, admitting, “I’m“I’m scared. scared. ” ”

MEN’S MEN’S HEALTH HEALTH 81 81

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HEALTHY LIVING

THE ULTIMATE GUIDE

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MENTAL

HEALTH

&

DURING CORONAVIRUS

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BEYOND

WE’VE ALL HAD TO MAKE RELATIVELY SUDDEN AND BIG CHANGES TO OUR LIFESTYLES, INCLUDING OUR WORK. ADJUSTMENTS TO OUR ROUTINE, UNFAMILIARITY AND UNCERTAINTY CAN STIR UP A RANGE OF EMOTIONS, AND AFFECT OUR WELLBEING; IN THIS GUIDE STEPHEN BUCKLEY, HEAD OF INFORMATION AT MIND, SHARES HOW WE CAN SUPPORT OUR MENTAL HEALTH DURING THIS UNPRECEDENTED

TIME…

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here’s no ‘normal’ way to emotionally respond to a pandemic - there isn’t a rulebook for this situation, and the mental health impact on us all cannot be underestimated. It’s vital that we’re all taking steps to look after our own mental health at the moment, as well as keeping an eye out for loved ones.

While it can feel really difficult to cope, there are lots of simple things we can do to help keep us calm, and to make sure we are still looking after ourselves.

Keep in contact: Not being able to see colleagues or loved ones can be challenging, so find ways to connect.

If you’re going online more than usual or seeking peer support on the Internet, it’s important to look after your online wellbeing.

Mind’s online peer support community is a safe space for anyone aged eighteen and over with a mental health problem to share experiences and hear from others mind.org.uk/community

If you’re worried about loneliness Think about things you can do to connect with others. For example, putting extra pictures up of the people you care about might be a nice reminder of those people in your life.

Keep in touch digitally Make plans to video chat with people or groups you’d normally see in person.

If you’re worried that you might run out of stuff to talk about, make a plan with someone to watch a show or read a book separately so that you can discuss it when you contact each other.

Think of other ways to keep in contact with people while meeting in person is not possible.

For example, you could check your phone numbers are up-to-date, or that you have current email addresses for friends you’ve not seen for a while.

Connect with others in similar situations Speak with

Listen to a chatty radio station or podcast if your home feels too quiet.

Create a routine: Your regular routine may well be disrupted, so try to create a new plan, while sticking to your ordinary routine as much as possible.

Plan how you’ll spend your time. It might help to write this down on paper and put it on the wall.

Try to follow your ordinary routine if possible. Get up at the same time as normal, follow your usual morning routines, and go to bed at your usual time. If you have found your routine has been changed because of being furloughed, or you have more time on your hands than before, experiment with a new routine.

If you aren’t happy with your usual routine, this might be a chance to do things differently.

For example, you could go to bed earlier, spend more time cooking or do other things you don’t usually have time for.

EATING REGULARLY AND KEEPING YOUR BLOOD SUGAR STABLE CAN HELP YOUR MOOD AND ENERGY LEVELS

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someone you trust.

If you are feeling anxious about coronavirus or staying at home more than usual, you may find it helpful to talk about these worries with someone you trust, especially if they are in a similar situation.

MAN MAGAZINE SUMMER 2020

Think about how you’ll spend time by yourself at home. For example, plan activities to do on different days or habits you want to start or keep up.

HEALTHY LIVING

TRY TO CREATE A NEW PLAN, WHILE STICKING TO YOUR ORDINARY ROUTINE

If you live with other people, it may help to do the following:

Agree on a household

routine. Try to give everyone you live with a say in this agreement.

Try to respect each other’s

privacy and give each other space. For example, some people might want to discuss everything they’re doing while others won’t.

Eat and drink well: Evidence suggests that as well as affecting our physical health, what we eat may also affect the way we feel. While eating as well as you’d like can be challenging right now, especially if getting food from supermarkets in person or online is proving difficult, try not to beat yourself up about it.

You may find that supermarkets and online delivery services feel busier than usual at the moment.

If you’re feeling anxious about going to the supermarket or arranging an online delivery, it might help to try some selfcare tips for anxiety, such as breathing exercises.

Think about your diet. Your appetite might change if your routine changes, or if you’re less active than you usually are.

Eating regularly and keeping your blood sugar stable can help your mood and energy levels.

Find ways to work more comfortably from home: If you have a job which is possible to do from your home, you may be working from home a lot more than usual. You might find this situation difficult to get used to.

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Drink water regularly. Drinking enough water is important for your mental and physical health.

Changing your routine might affect when you drink or what fluids you drink. It could help to set an alarm or use an app to remind you.

If you are self-isolating, you can ask someone to drop off essential food items for you. If they do this, ask them to leave food at your doorstep, to avoid face-to-face contact with each other.

MAN MAGAZINE SUMMER 2020

Maintain a positive work/

life balance and encourage your team to do the same: It’s easy to work longer hours and take fewer breaks when working from home. Why not put a reminder in your diary when you plan to finish working? You

can also make sure you take at least a thirty-minute lunch break. If you can, try to get some fresh air and go for a short walk. It’s important you look after your own wellbeing so you can also be there to support your team.

Check in with team members regularly: Working from Home can be isolating; ensure you and your team have regular check-ins virtually. Find an online tool that works for your team whether it’s Microsoft Teams, a conference call facility like Skype or by phone. Make sure these regular check-ins are scheduled in advance with your team members: have some daily scheduled chat time with each of them and regular time in the diary as a team.

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IT’S IMPORTANT TO LOOK AFTER YOUR ONLINE WELLBEING sharing news stories or posting about their worries. You might decide to view particular groups or pages but not scroll through timelines or newsfeeds.

Take care with news and information: Feeling well-informed can help us cope with uncertainty.

But make sure that you’re turning to reliable sources of news that reflect facts, not rumours and speculation. If you’re finding the news difficult to cope with, think about taking a break or only checking at certain points of the day, for a limited time.

Use check-ins to cover both work and play: Checking in shouldn’t just cover work priorities but also wellbeing.

Sometimes you may want to make check-ins social in nature, whether that’s running an online quiz, scavenger hunt or some other challenge that brings the team together.

Establish new ways of working: Working remotely will require consideration as to how you will deliver work as a team - what collaborative working platforms will be used, how you will communicate and how you support each other through challenges. Some of it might be trial and error, so it is also important to think about how you will reflect on what’s working and what isn’t.

Take advantage of technology: Use Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Skype or other communication/ collaborative working platforms to connect with colleagues

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Encourage your team to use the support tools available: Whatever wellbeing support your organisation has available, make sure your team knows about it and how to access it. At Mind, we’re offering counselling sessions via Skype or phone and we will be trailing the physical activity classes that we offer online. You could also ask your team what tools they might find useful.

Find ways to spend your time: Use the free time to learn a new language, read some books, listen to some e-books or podcasts, or tackle the tasks you’ve been putting off. If you are feeling stressed out, crafts, writing, music, and meditation can all be good ways to manage your feelings, and to start relaxing. That said, sometimes to take care of our mental health less is more and doing nothing is the kindest thing to do for ourselves.

Re-think how you use social media: Social media could help you stay in touch with people, but might also make you feel anxious including if people are

Try to sit less – if you spend lots of time sitting down, try to get up and move around a bit every hour. If you’re worried you might forget, you could set an alarm to remind yourself.

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and work together. It can also be a good idea to use a range of technologies so you’re not always typing or looking at a screen – switch things up with a telephone call or video call so you can see someone face to face.

Keep active: Your physical and mental health are connected, so although we understand that this might feel hard to achieve right now, try to find a time each day to do some exercise. Exercising produces endorphins and reduces cortisol, the stress hormone, so will help calm you down.

We know from research done through our Get Set to Go programme, which we recently expanded as part of our partnership with the English Football League, that being regularly active can have a real impact on boosting your mood and improve your resilience to cope.

Figures from Sport England even suggest that keeping physically active can reduce the risk of depression by up to 30%.

There are many options for getting active at home, so find something that works for you. We know that staying active can be good for your mental health, but if you’re unable to leave the house for any reason it can feel like a challenge. There are, however, lots of ways to stay active while indoors. Try and choose something you enjoy and that fits into your daily life. You may need to try a few before you find something you like. You may also find that different things work for you at different times, depending on how you’re feeling.

HEALTHY LIVING

Play an active computer game – there are a few different gaming consoles you could try which involve actively moving your body while playing computer games.

Choose an online programme – there are lots of free, online physical activity programmes designed for you to try at home, many on the NHS website, including everything from chair-based exercises to yoga, and workouts that let you choose your own level.

Do active household chores – like DIY, hoovering or fixing up the garden.

Include exercise in your dayto-day routine – run up the stairs instead of walking, or do some gentle stretching while you’re watching TV.

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Connect with nature: Many of us may find it difficult to get outside as we feel low and unmotivated, are worried about being outside or near other people, or just aren’t used to it. However, there are lots of ways that we can overcome these barriers.

We can start by bringing the nature into our homes by simply sitting by an open window, taking in the sounds, smells, and views. Buying a plant or seeds to grow inside or in the garden can also help us become familiar with nature.

Start small with a short walk in a local green space, or just the streets around our homes.

Focussing on something that interests us can also help. If you like animals, look for squirrels, ducks or other animals on your walk. If you are interested in environmental conservation, try a litterpicking walk.

Do good to feel good: Giving back can be a really positive thing for your mental health, whether that’s volunteering for local organisations or fundraising for charities that are close to your heart. The pandemic has affected many charities significantly, reducing their ability to fundraise through events like marathons and other vital income streams like charity shops. Mind has seen a rise in demand for our services at a time when people are feeling the impact of the pandemic on their mental health in an

MAN MAGAZINE SUMMER 2020

unprecedented way. We’re asking people to support us any way they can, be it through their own inventive fundraising challenges or donations, so that we can continue to make sure no one has to face a mental health problem alone. See more on how you can support Mind at mind. org.uk/donate Be mindful of your coping mechanisms: We all have coping mechanisms that we turn to when things get tough ranging from helpful things like exercise or relaxation techniques, to ones that can impact your health if used in excess such as drinking more or taking recreational drugs. For some people, being in lockdown will mean they are resorting to coping mechanisms more than normal, but it’s important to be mindful of these changes. Drugs, in particular, all have some kind of effect on your mental health.

Drugs effect the way you see things, your mood and your behaviour. These effects may range from being pleasant or unpleasant, short-lived or longerlasting, or even continue once the drug has worn off. Whatever the case, if your drug or alcohol use is affecting your mental health, you could contact a drug organisation, your local NHS drug and alcohol service or make an appointment with your GP. Many organisations such as Alcoholics Anonymous are offering services remotely too. If you already have a key worker (a doctor, nurse or drug worker) you may also want to review your care plan with them if you feel it needs updating.

TRY TO GET SOME FRESH AIR

Keep getting treatment: It’s important that people continue to get the support and medication they need. Most GPs are now offering services online or via telephone or text, so check with your GP to see if you can access this. In emergencies some GPs may also offer face-to-face meetings. You may also be able to order repeat prescriptions online, or arrange with your pharmacy to have them delivered or collected for you. The NHS website has more information on this.

Where to turn to for support

Self-care is really important – there are lots of things we can all do to try to stay well – physically and mentally. Taking steps to maintain wellbeing can help you cope with the challenges of staying indoors.

For more information, visit mind.org.uk/coronavirus.

There are thousands of online peer support groups you might consider joining. Mind’s online peer support community is a safe space for anyone aged 18 and over with a mental health problem to share experiences and hear from others mind. org.uk/community. If you’re worried about a mental health problem and need information and support, you can call Mind’s Infoline on 0300 123 3393 (9am6pm Monday to Friday).

Many therapists are working remotely and if you need to, you can find one using an accredited register such as the British Association for Counselling and Psycotherapy bacp.co.uk/.

The Samaritans are there for anyone in distress and can be contacted 24/7 on 116 123, or by emailing jo@samaritans.org

Stephen Buckley, Head of Information at Mind, mind.org.uk

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IT’S TO

SOMETIMES WE DON’T HAVE ANY REASONS OR AREN’T AWARE OF SOCALLED VALID REASONS FOR BEING DEPRESSED, OR SUICIDAL, OR MANIC OR EVEN ABUSIVE TO OTHERS…

T

he first step is to acknowledge that something isn’t quite right – Sometimes we are off kilter – and we try to braveface it all – why? Because that’s what blokes tend to do… But we can change that by talking to someone; anyone – a friend, family member, therapist – because until everything begins to fall into balance again we may just need a bit of support, whether this is through therapy, treatment, medication, a wellbeing or fitness programme or a GP – Asking is an important step forward to good mental health.

Can we Just Talk!

Here are some helpful places that you can reach out for support on various situations that may be causing dis-ease in your life: Samaritans: samaritans.org

National Health Service: nhs.uk British Association of Anger Management: angermanage.co.uk Drink Aware drinkaware.co.uk (helping those alcohol problems)

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Mental Health First Aid: mhfa.com.au

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Release & MIND Charity release.org.uk (helping those with drug addiction) MIND Charity mind.org.uk (helping those with depression) Anxiety UK anxietyuk.org.uk (helping those with anxiety) Fathers4Justice fathers-4-justice.org (helping fathers gain access to their children) Strongmen Charity strongmen.org.uk (helping men during bereavement) Work: Most companies have a designated first aider, and more are assigning mental health first aiders, counsellors, therapists, or psychologists that either visit on particular days or are employed. Remember all your meetings are confidential.

Banks: The qualified staff at your bank can help if you are dealing with debt or financial pressure.

HSBC customers https://bit.ly/2ALF0ZK Barclays customers https://bit.ly/2Mz7Yic RBS customers https://bit.ly/2AJ8446 Santander customers https://bit.ly/3h7d3wu Lloyds TSB customers https://bit.ly/2A8jcb1 Nationwide customers https://bit.ly/2UaPed1

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If you are not a customer of one of the banks mentioned above but would like some advice, please visit https://bit. ly/2UaPed1

Be Mindful:

MIND.org is a very helpful platform to seek advice on various areas of mental health, covering some of the circumstances that can lead to mental health conditions or disorders and offering links to organisations that can help you:

MAN MAGAZINE SUMMER 2020

Childhood abuse, trauma, or neglect Social isolation or loneliness Experiencing discrimination and stigma Social disadvantage, poverty or debt Bereavement (losing someone close to you) Severe or long-term stress Having a long-term physical health condition Unemployment or losing your job Homelessness or poor housing Being a long-term carer for someone Drug and alcohol misuse Domestic violence, bullying or other abuse as an adult Significant trauma as an adult, such as military combat, being involved in a serious incident in which you feared for your life, or being the victim of a violent crime Physical causes – for example, a head injury or a neurological condition such as epilepsy can have an impact on your behaviour and mood. (It’s important to rule out potential physical causes before seeking further treatment for a mental health problem).

Remember to always pay attention to your behaviours and feelings and don’t ignore yourself just because you think you don’t fall into the obvious categories!

PAY ATTENTION: Completed suicide is higher amongst males than females: If you are feeling the pressures of life then please talk to somebody.

If you recognise any of the following in yourself or in your loved-ones or work colleagues then please encourage them to talk to somebody about how they are feeling. Remember it is not your job to fix it, but to direct them to a place of support.

Non-verbal warning signs may include:

Social withdrawal A persistent drop in mood

Disinterest in maintaining personal hygiene or appearance Uncharacteristically reckless behaviour Poor diet changes, rapid weight changes Being distracted Anger Insomnia Alcohol or drug abuse Giving away sentimental or expensive possessions

Indirect verbal expressions may include:

Feelings of hopelessness or failing to see a future Believing they are a burden to others or saying they feel worthless or alone Talking about their death or wanting to die Reasons for suicidal feelings

The reasons that people take their own lives are often very complex. Factors influencing whether someone is likely to be suicidal include:

Risk factors include:

Previous suicide attempts History of substance abuse History of mental health conditions Legal or disciplinary problems Access to harmful means, such as medication or weapons Recent death or suicide of a family member or a close friend Ongoing exposure to bullying behaviour Physical illness or disability Financial pressure or being in debt

Allow your instincts to guide you – just check in on your self regularly, and on those around you!

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Photographer: @adamwowkstills Actor: @john_christopher__reed)

Gamble Aware begambleaware.org (helping those with gambling issues)

HEALTHY LIVING

GAMBLING IN LOCKDOWN

& BEYOND O

ur lives have changed in a dramatic way. Isolation has meant that many people have experienced increased levels of stress, anxiety and loneliness.

In times like these we inevitably look for ways to feel better or even just to fill the time. Gambling is one activity some might turn to. Right now, when many are facing financial uncertainty and higher levels of anxiety, gambling can be very destructive leading to financial ruin, depression and sometimes suicide.

anyone, however men are more likely than women to be classed as problem gamblers. Studies have also shown that people who were exposed to gambling at a young age, or have a family history of gambling, are more likely to develop a problem.

There are some clear signs and behaviours that can mean you or someone you know might be experiencing gambling harms...

These include:

Spending more money and

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GAMBLING CAN QUICKLY BECOME ALL-CONSUMING AND LEAVE LITTLE TO NO SPACE FOR ANYTHING ELSE IN YOUR LIFE Although a lot of people gamble to escape feelings of depression or other mental health problems, gambling can actually make these conditions worse.

The things you previously found pleasure in fail to have a positive influence and any negative feelings are often made worse. Thankfully, with the right support, these changes can be rebalanced and everyday life can feel good and normal again.

There are currently two million people experiencing some form of gambling harm in the UK, with 340,000 of those suffering severe harms. Gambling harm can affect

MAN MAGAZINE SUMMER 2020

time on gambling than you can afford

Gambling until all your money is gone

Finding it hard to manage or stop your gambling

Always thinking or talking about gambling

Lying about your gambling or hiding it from other people

Needing to gamble larger amounts of money or for a longer time to get the same buzz

Neglecting work, school, family, personal needs or household responsibilities

Feeling anxious, worried, guilty, depressed or irritable

Losing interest in activities or hobbies A lot of these signs revolve around losing out because of gambling. This is because gambling can quickly become all-consuming and leave little to no space for anything else in your life.

There are some simple tips to help keep your gambling in check:

1. Don’t think of gambling as a way to make money

2. Only gamble with money you can afford to lose

3. Set a money limit in advance

4. Set a time limit in advance 5. Never chase your losses 6. Don’t gamble when you’re depressed or upset

7. Balance gambling with other activities

8. Take frequent breaks 9. Don’t gamble if you’ve had a drink or taken drugs Sometimes these tips aren’t quite enough to stay on top of your gambling.

It is possible to get your life back from gambling, and to start enjoying life again.

The National Gambling Treatment Service, commissioned by GambleAware provides free, confidential and effective treatment.

Treatment that is tailored to your specific needs and circumstances. Treatment can involve anything from phone counselling sessions to residential rehab. At the heart of the NGTS is the National Gambling Helpline, operated 24/7. It provides a quick and easy way to find the right service for you. A free online chat service is also available. With one call or chat you can start to regain control of your gambling.

Call 0808 8020 133 begambleaware.org/ngts @BeGambleAware

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OMPETITIO

A GOLF BREAK AT THE LEGENDARY PRIZE INCLUDES: AN OVERNIGHT STAY FOR TWO WITH BREAKFAST, DINNER AND TWO ROUNDS OF GOLF, INCLUDING THE AWARD WINNING RYDER CUP COURSE - THE BRABAZON. The Belfry is synonymous with golf and has hosted the Ryder Cup four times – more than any other venue in the world. Our world class golf courses have produced some of the most dramatic moments in the history of the sport. They attract players from the UK and beyond looking to relive the Ryder Cup magic, improve their game, and to make use of the unrivalled state-of-the-art golfing facilities.

With three excellent golf courses, custom fitting and our very own golf shop, The Belfry is one of the most sought-after golf resorts in the UK – the perfect place for your next golf break.

HOW TO ENTER SIMPLY LIKE US ON FACEBOOK AND SHARE THE FACEBOOK COMPETITION POST WITH 5 OTHER FRIENDS.

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https://bit.ly/30ql4q8

FACEBOOK: MAN Magazine UK | TWITTER: @MAN_magUK | INSTAGRAM: man_maguk

TERMS & CONDITIONS: The prize includes an overnight stay in a twin room, full English breakfast, dinner from Chef’s table in Ryder Grill, 18 holes on The Brabazon and 18 holes on The Derby | Prize based on 2 adults and must be taken by April 2021 | The prize is subject to availability | Only one entry is permitted per person | This prize excludes drinks and any extras | Employees of The Belfry Hotel & Resort are excluded from all prize draws and competitions | The prize is non-transferable in the event of cancellation and cannot be exchanged for monetary value | The prize cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer or promotion | The winner is responsible for expenses and arrangements not specifically included in the prize | The Belfry standard terms and conditions apply.

MAN MAGAZINE SUMMER 2020

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STYLE

A STAR BARBER

AHMED ALSANAWI HAS CUT HAIR OF A-LISTERS INCLUDING MANCHESTER PREMIER LEAGUE AND FRENCH NATIONAL TEAM PLAYERS PAUL POGBA AND BENJAMIN MENDY, CHELSEA PREMIER LEAGUE AND ENGLAND NATIONAL TEAM PLAYER RUBEN LOFTUS-CHEEK, AND REAL MADRID AND BELGIUM NATIONAL TEAM PLAYER EDEN HAZARD, (TO NAME A FEW). WE CAUGHT UP WITH AHMEND FOR A CHAT...

2.

Travelling around the world to ensure players look and feel ‘Pitch Perfect’ ahead of their matches must be a far cry from the world of a 13-year-old boy who couldn’t speak much English when you moved from Iraq to England – Did you not know what the future held?

No, I definitely didn’t know what the future in England held but I did know one thing for certain, it was a massive opportunity for me and I wasn’t going to pass it up, I was going to make a success of myself!

Our key to success is having a winning mentality and a hardworking team behind us! We’ve put in endless hours of graft to get to where we are today.

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3.

Have you ever been nervous cutting players’ hair or dare we ask… ever messed up a player’s style?

No, never messed a player’s style up, and to be completely honest with you, I’m not nervous when I cut hair – regardless of who it’s for – I’ve perfected my craft, it’s just what I do!

I ENJOY CUTTING ALL OF MY CUSTOMERS’ HAIR

MAN MAGAZINE SUMMER 2020

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1.

In 2013, you set up A STAR BARBERS with your wife, and since have built an impressive premiere clientele list… other than your skills as a barber, what do you think the key to your success is?

STYLE

6.

4.

Going to the barbers is an important part of male grooming and many men build friendships with their barber, why do you think this is?

Any funny moments you can share?

One funny moment that sticks out for me is when we filmed one of the haircuts at Paul’s [Pogba] house, we decided to do some football clips in the garden for one part of the video and he nutmegged me so badly! There are loads more stories, but some can’t be mentioned!

Yeah I’ve definitely experienced this – I have personal friendships with all of my customers, some I’ve grown closer with than others, but I feel like coming to the barbers is not just a hair appointment, it’s a chance to talk about whatever’s on your mind. It’s a trust thing.

I’VE PERFECTED MY CRAFT

7.

Who’s hair do you enjoy cutting the most? And why?

I enjoy cutting all of my customers’ hair, but if I had to pick a favourite I’d pick either Eden or Paul, they’re both really funny guys and it’s non-stop joking around and banter when I’m with them, we’ve built good relationships up over the years!

My three top tips for keeping yourself looking sharp are:

Players confide in me too, knowing that what we chat about goes no further!

1.

Take your time: Don’t try and rush anything you’re trying to do with your hair or beard, because there are points of no return, so watch videos, try different techniques and find the easiest way for yourself.

When my clients ask for my advice on things, I’ll always be honest and tell them what I truly believe is the best thing to do, and vice versa… I’ve asked my customers for their opinions on things too!

2.

5.

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Why is it important to take care of your hair?

It’s important to take care of your hair because I think hair is the first thing people notice about you and can often make up people’s initial perceptions of you.

MAN MAGAZINE SUMMER 2020

Always keep your equipment clean and sterilised, the last thing you want to do is irritate your skin and make it uncomfortable for yourself.

3.

You’ll soon be back in your barber’s chair so any mistakes can be fixed, but for now, enjoy it, learn from your mistakes, and have fun! astarbarbers.com @ astarbarbers

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1.

TOP

20 GQ MAGAZINE

With a blend of seeds and butter extracted from murumuru, a Brazilian palm tree known for its nourishing benefits, this face scrub gently removes impurities and deeply unclogs pores. £11. Horace.co

2.

Rich in nourishing jojoba oil, shea butter and antioxidant vitamin E derivative, this balm from Chanel’s Boy De Chanel man-centric line will leave your lips in tip-top condition. £31.

Chanel.com

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8.

A blend of cool spicy cardamon, grapefruit tea, earthy and grassy vetiver bourbon and Madagascan vanilla, this fragrance is light, refreshing and will add a burst of warmth to the cold days that just won’t leave us. £122 for 100ml.

Jomalone.com

7.

Bulldog Skincare serves the grooming products you need without any of the fuss and with a sustainable conscience. This all-natural deodorant contains a prebiotic extracted from chicory root and uses 100 per cent natural fragrances with notes of black pepper, cedarwood and clove. £4.50.

Bulldogskincare.com

Fronted by Ed Skrein, Bad Boy is a contemporary fragrance that will add some flavour to your day. Combining top notes of black and green pepper, bergamont, heart notes of cedarwood and sage, and base notes of tonic bean and cocoa, it’s masculine intrigue, bottled up. £66.99.

Fragrancedirect.co.uk

This is the first toothpaste of its kind and will regenerate enamel mineral, reversing the early enamel erosion process. Its unique NR-5 ingredients combine to form a fresh supply of enamel minerals which wrap and integrate onto teeth. £6.67. Boots.com

This unisex product will plump, prime and hydrate your lips, using 100 per cent natural ingredients such as olive oil and mushroom extract. £12.95.

Projectlip.com

GROOMING

3.

4.

9.

5.

The jewel in Hermès’ fragrant crown, the earthy and natural Terre D’Hermès has been given a subtle update.

German designer Tilman Bartl’s graphic and poetic aesthetic has been replicated on a new bottle, which echoes the richness and density of the soil. £73.95.

Debenhams.com

6.

Rich in linoleic (omega 6) and linolenic (omega 3) acids, alongside provitamin A, rosehip oil works to target the sign of photoageing, which is the result of exposure to ultraviolet tradition. £9. Cultbeauty.co.uk

MAN MAGAZINE SUMMER 2020

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STYLE

STYLE

10.

It isn’t just your face that needs exfoliating, your body is also in dire need of a good scrub. Not only will this improve the skin’s imperfections, it will also leave your skin feeling super soft. £15.

At John Bell & Croyden.

Johnbellcroyden.co.uk

17.

Providing a workable medium hold and a silky matte finish, American Crew’s Matte Clay is ideal for a wide range of hairstyles. £15.20.

Feelunique.com

18.

This spot treatment uses willow bark to naturally reduce redness and spot size, without leaving you feeling flaky. Plus, maritime pine and thyme work to reduce the potential for scarring while minimising redness. £15.

Renskincare.com

19.

You know what they say: hands are a giveaway of age.

Change that with this alba white truffle hand cream

by Molton Brown, which will give you long-lasting hydration and nourishment. £14.

Moltonbrown.co.uk

11.

With “MultiPrecision Blades” to cut efficiently even on short stubble and a five-directional contour flex for a comfortable shave, you can guarantee you’ll get the results you’re after with Philips’ Series 6000 shaver. £185. Philips.co.uk

12.

Charlotte Tilbury’s healthy glow does what it says on the tin.

Apply a thin layer all over the face and neck for a soft glow and undetectable coverage that lasts all day. £35 for 40ml.

Charlottetilbury.com

16.

Working in partnership with the internationally renowned recycling giant, TerraCycle, Gillette’s razors and packaging are now fully recyclable. £9. Tesco.com

13.

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Shoo away any nasty spots with this weightless, creamy concealer that gives you easy coverage for up to 24 hours. £29 for 2.5g.

Shiseido.co.uk

20.

So you’ve decided to grow your beard out? Well, that might be an easy task, but you will need to start taking care of it. This beard wash not only leaves it clean, but will also moisturise the skin underneath it. £26. Selfridges.com

14.

Formulated with hydrogen peroxide (less than 0.01 per cent), these will leave you with an Instagram-ready smile. £39.95.

Spotlightwhitening.com

MAN MAGAZINE SUMMER 2020

15.

Practically indestructible, this is built with a shockproof housing which means no matter what trials you put it through, it’ll survive. £64.99.

Wahl.co.uk

Angelo Mitakos and Zak Maoui @britishgq

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BOSS.COM

STYLE

A PUPPY MAY HAVE SERIOUS PULLING POWER BUT A DOG IN YOUR LIFE IS MORE THAN A STYLE ACCESSORY…

MAN’S

BEST

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FRIEND MAN MAGAZINE SUMMER 2020

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STYLE

LOOK 1

Jacket: Saba T-shirt: Calvin Klein Jeans: G-star Shoes: Caterpillar

Shirt: Connor T-shirt: Calvin Klein Jeans: Calvin Klein Shoes: Dr Martens Mr Chubbs collar: Rogue Royalty

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LOOK 3

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MAN MAGAZINE SUMMER 2020

STYLE

LOOK 2 Red vest: Echo United Jeans: Connor Shoes: Caterpillar Beanie: Actrol 24c gold chain: Modelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s own Mr Chubbs collar: Rogue Royalty

LOOK 4 sevenstarmedia.co.uk

Jacket: Saba T-shirt: Saba Jeans: G-star Shoes: Caterpillar

MAN MAGAZINE SUMMER 2020

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STYLE

LOOK 5

Hoodie: Connor Jeans: Connor Shoes: Caterpillar

LOOK 6 sevenstarmedia.co.uk

Jacket: G-star T-shirt: Calvin Klein Jeans: G-star Shoes- Dr Martens

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STYLE

BENEFITS OF OWNING

A DOG MENTALLY: We tend to be more aware and stimulated if we have a sense of responsibility and have to care for another living thing – it gives us a sense of purpose. We also are likely to educate ourselves by reading information about being a pet owner.

RESEARCH YOUR BREED. Emotionally: Research suggests that being a dog owner can stimulate serotonin and dopamine levels (feelgood chemicals), so can reduces stress, depression and feelings of loneliness.

SUPPORT EACH OTHER. Physically: We may not fancy exercising, but a dog needs a decent daily walk, allowing them to sniff and explore new surroundings – and to check out the opposite sex.

GET ACTIVE.

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Spiritually: Some say dogs have souls, and if that’s the case then a pet could be a soulmate. They enjoy the simple things in life and this reminds us to do the same.

woof!

LIVE IN THE MOMENT.

Photographer, Creative & Style Direction: @tinanikolovski Model & Wardrobe: @jimijoconnor @devojkamodels

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SHARPENING YOUR STYLE

SINCE 1772

BARBER-QUALITY BEARD SHAPING UNDERTAKEN BY YOU No two beards are the same, but what every man’s facial hair has in common is that it’s spectacularly unruly when left to its own devices. So with everyday shaving tools to hand, how do you achieve the kind of pristine shaped look at home that you’d pay for at your local barbers?

Find the right shape for you For a narrow face structure with defined cheekbones, a shorter beard will do the trick – whereas a wider-shaped face will look proportionate to a big beard.

When considering your hair – a long beard should sit underneath a short, neat haircut, whereas a more stubbly beard lets you get away with having a longer head of hair.

Trim it regularly A multi-purpose grooming tool like our Shave & Style Trimmer allows you to shave, trim and edge hair – equipping you for any and all styles. Start on a much higher setting than you need and gradually work your way down.

Watch your neck and cheek lines Decide how high you want your beard to sit on the sides of your face. Fully shave off any hairs to shape your beard, using a reliable razor like the Classic Double Edge Razor. Draw a U-shaped line under your chin from one ear to the other, that reaches its lowest point just above your Adam’s apple. As a rule, this should be as far down your neck as your beard reaches.

Get the sideburns right Try to get into the habit of tapering your sideburns using different lengths on your trimmer. Again, it’s best to start with a higher setting than you need and then work your way down to what looks right.

Keep your lips clear Whatever your chosen style of beard, it shouldn’t impede your mouth. Even with a heavy moustache it’s both important and perfectly possible to keep your upper lips clear of stray hairs. Use a precise pair of beard scissors to have a go at them individually.

Check out wilkinsonsword.co.uk for all of your grooming essentials to keep you looking sharp!

STYLE

1.

TOP

20 GQ MAGAZINE

One for when the weather takes a sunnier turn, this shirt comes in a relaxed fit and is crafted from breathable cotton poplin made in Italy by Albiate 1830, a mill specialising in super-lightweight yet totally premium fabrics. £130. couvertureandthegarbstore.com

2.

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9.

We Are The Weather is an entirely sustainable capsule from Stella McCartney that features poetic phrases by renowned author and environmentalist Jonathan Safran Foer. Named after his new book about the climate crisis, the collection cares for the planet and encourages everybody to live differently, and is made of 100 per cent sustainable, organic cotton. £890. Stellamccartney.com

5.

Designed with a boxy cut, this shirt would look great unbuttoned with a simple white vest underneath or done up with a smart chino short. £110. tombolocompany.com

Seiko has recently launched its limited-edition collaboration with Japanese animator Studio Ghibli, which has a cult following and is known for Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle and Porco Rosso.

Featuring a 5R65 calibre movement, stainlesssteel case, enamel dial and crocodile leather strap, it’s a pictureperfect design. £5,000.

Seikowatches.com

6.

With lockdown in place keeping us inside more than ever, there has never been a better time to invest in some slippers. £90. Ugg.com

8.

Go a size up in this patchwork crop shirt from Zara.

The oversized fit and collar is great for tucking in and layering. £89.99.

Zara.com

7.

Not only does this hit the nail on the tie-dye trend head, but it also does the job for you when your boss asks you to do another laborious task for him. £185. Ariesarise.com

MAN MAGAZINE SUMMER 2020

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4.

With this bucket hat’s adjustable chin strap, you needn’t worry about it flying away. £30. Fila.co.uk

Revisit iconic early-2000s style with these chunky sole Skecher trainers. £65. Skechers.com

S T Y L ING

This pink shirt from Sandro has been designed using a lightweight viscose that gives the fabric a floaty look and feel – ideal for hot summer days. £155.

Sandro-paris.com

3.

10.

STYLE

11.

Go up a size in this patchwork shirt for an oversized, baggy fit. If you’re feeling daring, pair with a vintage band T-shirt underneath and washed, straight-cut denim jeans. £25.99. Bershka.com

17.

Want to cover your bad hair day? Look no further than this Burberry bucket hat. Not only will it hide your locks, but it will also protect your skin from harmful sunrays. £240.

Matchesfashion.com

18.

Archie is Grenson’s classic Derby brogue with a signature oversized punching. This time round, the Derbys have been made with a chunky wingcap in a mix of three different tones of bookbinder calf. And while you might think these look like a heavy-duty shoe, think again. Sure, they’re chunky, but the uppers sit on a lightweight commando sole, another signature for Grenson. £415. Grenson.com

12.

Made from a loopbackcotton, which has more breathability than your standard fabric, this YMC rugby shirt isn’t made for playing in, but is perfect for warmer climes. £175.

Matchesfashion.com

19.

Channeling the spirit of 1970s psychedelia, this monogrammed rucksack is one way to carry your groceries home. £1,670.

Gucci.com

13.

Put your best foot forward in these coloured Benetton trainers, finished with the brand’s iconic emblem. £79.95.

Gb.benetton.com

16.

14.

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Telling the time can be a mundane task, so you might as well add some fun to it. This watch takes the iconic Gucci monogram and gives it a colourful update. With an ETA quartz movement, this Swissmade 38mm timepiece is water resistant up to 50 metres. £710.

Gucci.com

Oversized and perhaps the best piece of logotastic goodness we’ve seen in a while, this jumper will make sure you stand out in every Zoom video call. £1,240. Louisvuitton.com

20.

You might wear your heart on your sleeve, but you can also wear your smile there too. Japanese brand Kapital has been taking inspiration from American vintage wear and coupling it with the history of traditional Japanese craftsmanship since 1995, and this trucker is one of the best out there. £550.

Couvertureandthegarbstore. com

15.

Ever since we saw Harry Styles in a Lanvin cardie, we’ve wanted one for ourselves.

And the one we want most is this knit, which features the “Little Nemo – Fireworks” pattern from the Parisbased brand’s Spring/Summer 2020 collection. £940. Lanvin.com

MAN MAGAZINE SUMMER 2020

Angelo Mitakos and Zak Maoui @britishgq

95

100 Years

of beard and haircutting innovation in the palm of your hand.

Since 1919

Shop the Wahl grooming range.

Available at Argos

CELEBRATIONS

20 TOP

TIPS

FOR THE

BEST EVER

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QUIZ

BRITISH TV AND RADIO PRESENTER GAVIN INSKIP HOSTS WARM-UP FOR SOME OF THE BIGGEST TELEVISION SHOWS IN THE COUNTRY, CONTRIBUTES TO ENTERTAINMENT PROGRAMMES AND DOES CONTINUITY LINKS FOR TV CHANNELS. HE’S ALSO THE VOICE OF THE COCO POPS MONKEY! – IT’S TRUE! GAVIN WRITES AND HOSTS THE BEST QUIZZES EVER (SO THE RUMOURS SAY) AT EXCLUSIVE VENUES IN THE UK AND ACROSS THE WORLD SUCH AS SOHO HOUSE, THE NED, GROUCHO CLUB; WITH CORPORATE CLIENTS; AT HIGH-END PRIVATE PARTIES AND EVEN IN CELEBRITIES’ LIVING ROOMS. TURN OVER FOR HIS TOP TWENTY TIPS SO YOU CAN HOST YOUR OWN VIRTUAL QUIZ IN 2020…

MAN MAGAZINE SUMMER 2020

Photographer: Nicholas Dawkes

VIRTUAL

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CELEBRATIONS

2.

We’ve all been to quizzes where the questions are too hard.

Remember the point of being a Quiz Master is not about proving how clever YOU are, it’s about making your audience feel clever. Don’t use hosting as an excuse to try and look smart.

3.

During lockdown, forty-five minutes to one hour quizzes seem the best duration. Based on this, you’re looking at five rounds of 10 questions per round – see, all in the planning!

4.

Reading is great for a few rounds such us General Knowledge, Current Affairs (everyone loves these two) but don’t just read out questions, get creative: For example, if your name is Ian – a round where all answers begin with I, A, or N or a list round like ‘name the Top five of…’ largest countries in the world, most successful recording artists, largest animals in the world and so on. A wipeout round works too – where you get zero for the whole round with a wrong answer. That’s just a few examples to keep it varied (and not boring)!

5.

Use media if you’re confident, for example music and video rounds are great; songs, movie themes, TV commercial music, mystery voices. Once again it adds variety.

6.

Keep the scores fair. For instance, if you have a music round where there are ten songs and you get a point for the artist and a point for the title – that means that the round is worth twenty points – But then your General Knowledge round is ten points; it’s not fair to people who are better at music! What I would do in this scenario is make your General Knowledge round double points, therefore everything is even.

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7.

Don’t get into half points, it’s messy. Personally, I prefer the option I’ve laid out in the tip above (double points) maybe it’s an OCD thing, but I just don’t like half points!

8.

Do a ‘bumper round’ where you could earn more points than another round because it has more questions. If you use the joker system in your quiz, don’t allow people to use it in this round because it’s unfair and means anyone could get a whole load more points by strategically using their joker here. If you don’t know what the ‘Joker’ system is, it allows a team to double their points by ‘playing the joker’ for a nominated round, usually by waving a piece of paper displaying an enlarged photo of the joker from a pack of cards. Personally, as this reminds me of pub quizzes I don’t like using it.

9.

If you’re doing a Current Affairs round then keep an eye out on the news on TV, on the radio, on your phone… Remember it’s not always the obvious stories you want, it’s some of the interesting ones at the end of the bulletin. What I do is screenshot things I see on my phone to remind me. And it’s always worth checking what’s trending on Twitter and screenshotting them too. That way you can just flick through your photos when writing the questions.

12.

Specialist rounds are great to add variety. You’ve got your obvious ones such as Sports, Movies, Science etc. But then there are also things such as Disney, Harry Potter, Friends – these are always popular.

13.

If you do decide to include a specialist round don’t be TOO specialist. For instance, you may be a massive fan of the eighties’ soap ‘Sons & Daughters’ and if you were in a quiz you would LOVE a round like this and smash it – The harsh truth is the majority of people wouldn’t. So put your ego to the side, think mainstream (and remember tip two). You’d be better turning it into say a TV Soaps Round.

14.

Still on specialist rounds, say you chose a ‘Doctor Who’ round – make the questions more general knowledge based. For example, ‘Matt Smith was the 11th doctor but who did he play in Seasons 1 and 2 of The Crown’. If you’ve never seen an episode of Doctor Who you should make it so you can still answer questions. I do this with Sports rounds; personally Sports is not my strongest round if I’m playing a quiz, and no one wants a round of stats and figures, so I put in things such as Olympic games locations, sponsors of football

10.

Remember everything could be a question, so just keep your eyes and ears open. For instance, during lockdown loads of Tik Tok videos end up in various Whatsapp groups. I kept some of these and turned them into a ‘What Happens Next’ round.

It’s another way to keep it varied and entertaining.

11.

Pitching the difficulty level.

If you’re writing a round of ten questions you want two to be easy, two to be tough and then the other six anything in-between that bounces around different topic areas.

Remember everyone has a subject they know about – whether sport, science, TV, movies etc. Having the two easy questions makes people feel like they’ve achieved something. If you get an average score of six per round, you’re setting the difficulty right.

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1.

I know this sounds boring but make sure you plan! If you know you’re hosting the family quiz on Sunday night, don’t write it … on Sunday night. Do it the day before. You may have seen the episode of Gavin and Stacey when Smithy hosts the pub quiz drunk and makes it up as he goes along! The writing of the quiz is the bit that takes far longer than actually hosting it.

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CELEBRATIONS

leagues, interesting facts such as why India was banned from the World Cup in 1950 (look it up). In specialist rounds, think general.

15.

The best written questions are where you put a clue in the question; so you could get the answer by either knowing it or by taking an educated guess. A better way to ask a question like ‘Who won Best Actor at the Oscars in 2015?’ is ‘Which actor won the Best Actor Oscar in 2015 for his role in the true-life story as a professor?’ You still need to know the film and if you know that, you can see the actor in your head and you still need to name it.

16.

19.

17.

20.

Think of the order of the questions. Let me explain.

I went to my Godson’s school quiz at Christmas. It was bloody awful; we couldn’t wait for it to end!

One of the questions was ‘How many metres of wrapping paper do we get through every Christmas?’ Who’s going to know the answer to that?! Although it’s not a bad question, just written the wrong way around. It should have been ‘We get through X metres of what every Christmas?’

Every quiz should be littered with a few of those ‘Wow, that’s a bloody good quiz question’. The type of question you want to remember the next day to tell (or ask) everyone at work. We all know a couple like ‘Which company in the world makes the most tyres?’ … It’s Lego by the way!

18.

So where do you find these killer questions? You could keep a note on your phone.

There’s nothing wrong with getting them from Game Shows on TV, a quiz online, a quiz you’ve been to or your own mind. I like to make a note of all these questions and use them every so often.

When it comes to announcing the answers, I don’t like doing Round One, followed by Round One answers, then Round Two. Instead, I like to stagger it – I do Round One, Round Two, then Round One answers, Round Three, and then Round Two answers. It keeps the interest up, gives a bit of anticipation and if you’ve just read out ten questions, you don’t want to read them straightaway again with the answers – it’s dull – for everyone!

The most important thing as the host is to have a laugh, so make jokes, and poke fun at people. Remember the whole point of a quiz is not to provide an IQ test, it’s to be entertaining.

Good luck. Let me know how it goes and if you think of any interesting questions or rounds – let me know!

www.gavquiz.com Twitter: @gavininskip @gavquiz Instagram: @gavininskip @gavquiz Facebook: facebook.com/TheGavinInskip

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REMEMBER EVERYONE HAS A SUBJECT THEY KNOW ABOUT

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CELEBRATIONS

IF WE CUT DOWN ON THE DRINKING WE CAN REDUCE OUR BIOLOGICAL AGE

LIFE ISN’T ALL OR NOTHING! AND THE DRINKING CULTURE HAS CHANGED A FAIR BIT OVER THE PAST DECADE WITH MORE OF US DRINKING AT HOME OR ON HOLIDAY, LESS IN THE CLUBS AND PUBS… SO INSTEAD OF ROLLING OUT ONTO THE PAVEMENT WITH OUR MATES LOOKING FOR A CAB, WE DON’T EVEN HAVE TO ROLL OFF THE SOFA: WHILST THIS SEEMS EASY – IT IS ACTUALLY A LITTLE TOO EASY – WE HAVE GOTTA STRIKE THAT BALANCE OF BOOZING LEVELS FOR VARIOUS REASONS …

RESEARCH SHOWS THAT SMALL AMOUNTS OF SOME TYPES OF ALCOHOL CAN HAVE BENEFITS, AND YES WE ENJOY THE SOCIALISING, BUT RESEARCH ALSO SUGGESTS THAT IF WE CUT DOWN ON THE DRINKING WE CAN REDUCE OUR BIOLOGICAL AGE BY IMPROVING HEALTH LEVELS… AND THAT IS JUST AS APPEALING AS A PINT!

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WITH THE

BOOZE

So how do we pace alcohol consumption, whilst still enjoying its benefits?

Wine: Try half a glass of a good quality red wine with a healthy early evening meal – Limit yourself to up to a bottle a week as opposed to a bottle a night.

Spirits: Leave the spirit stones in the freezer and return to the ice-cubes. Having your spirits on the icy rocks waters the beverage down.

Ales, Beers & Lager: Parties and pub visits encourage peer pressure! Even us adults buckle to the odd egging on of downing a drink, or getting another

Cocktails: Have a couple of your faves and then opt for the mocktail version, or if you prefer alternate the virgin version with the loaded drink.

Other sparkling drinks: Champagne, Prosecco, and other sparking drinks can get sickly after a while anyway – so have one or two to celebrate then switch to a sparkling water, lime and soda or even go for a wine spritzer (in a tall glass!).

3 Rules of Thumb 1. Avoid binge drinking (more than eight units in a single session).

2. Keep minimum alcohol at home – so it isn’t a go-to every Friday night.

3. Reduce associated feelings

with a particular drink i.e. ‘I feel relaxed if I have a glass of red wine with each meal’ or ‘I only have a good time out if I drink beer’.

3 Good Booze Habits 1. Choose a soft drink if you

are the designated driver – Don’t even have one unit!

2. Drink slowly and savour

the taste instead of aiming to get smashed.

3. Eat something before you

drink or enjoy a beverage with a meal.

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CRUISE

round in, or trying a new type of ale. Obviously join in the banter and have fun – but know your limits, and enjoy the experience.

Switching to half pints can help you slow your roll.

CELEBRATIONS

HIGH PROTEIN, LOW FAT RECIPES from musclefood.com WHETHER YOU’RE A FITNESS PRO OR ARE JUST TRYING TO EAT HEALTHIER, FOLLOWING A BALANCED DIET IS VITAL TO YOUR SUCCESS.

A

healthy diet isn’t just about eating lots of chicken, rice and green veg. Instead mix it up with lean meats, fresh seasonal vegetables, and herbs and spices to create some classic summer dishes.

Online healthy food retailer musclefood.com shows you how, with these effortless recipes.

CHINESE PORK STIR FRY AND COCONUT RICE SERVES 2 NUTRITIONALS (per serving): 409 CALORIES | 28.9g PROTEIN 41.8 CARBOHYDRATES | 14g FAT

INGREDIENTS: 250g Tilda Coconut Basmati Rice 200g musclefood pork loin steaks 150ml water 130g green peppers 80g mushrooms 40g fresh lime juice 30g spring onions 16g Flava-It Chinese Marinade Thumb sized piece of fresh ginger 1 pork stock cube Handful of fresh coriander leaves 1 large clove of garlic

METHOD: Always wash fruit, herbs and vegetables before use.

1. Peel and chop the ginger and garlic. Halve and de-seed the pepper then cut into 2cm chunks. Chop the mushrooms in half. Set aside.

2. Slice pork into thin strips and coat in the Chinese marinade.

3. Dissolve stock cube in 150ml of hot water.

Vegetable or chicken cubes will also work if you don’t have a pork stock cube available.

4. In a pan, heat 2 tsp of oil over a medium heat.

5. Add pork slices and fry for 2 minutes, now add the garlic and ginger stirring occasionally. sevenstarmedia.co.uk

6. Add the peppers and mushrooms, and cook for 3 minutes.

7. Add stock mix and cook for a further 2 minutes.

8. Heat rice and serve with the squeeze of lime and some fresh chopped coriander.

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HEALTHY TURKEY CURRY

SERVES 4 NUTRITIONALS (per serving): 389 CALORIES | 19.08g PROTEIN 14 CARBOHYDRATES | 22g FAT

INGREDIENTS: 500g musclefood premium diced turkey breasts 1 onion, chopped 1 red bell pepper, diced 2tsp extra virgin olive oil 1 clove garlic, finely chopped 1-inch piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped 2 jalapeno peppers, de-seeded and finely chopped 1tbsp madras curry powder 1tsp dried coriander 60ml light coconut milk 1 ripe banana Handful of frozen peas 1 ½ tbsp lime juice Salt and pepper to season 200g basmati rice

METHOD: 1. Heat the olive oil in a large, deep saucepan.

2. Add the diced turkey breast and cook through, then remove from the pan and set to one side.

3. Add the chopped onions and peppers and cook for 5 minutes or until soft.

4. In a small bowl mix the finely chopped garlic, ginger and jalapenos then add the mix to the cooking onions and peppers.

5. Also add the curry powder and coriander and cook, whilst constantly stirring, for 2 minutes.

6. Add to a saucepan coconut milk, 200ml of

water and banana, cover and bring to a simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

7. Place a pan of boiling water on the hob and

8. Add the turkey, peas and lime juice and simmer for a further 5 minutes until the turkey is heated through.

9. Season with some salt and pepper and serve on rice.

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cook basmati rice for 10 minutes until fluffy, then drain and rinse with boiling water.

CELEBRATIONS

SERVES 2 NUTRITIONALS (per serving): 491 CALORIES | 48.7g PROTEIN 65.4 CARBOHYDRATES | 4.3g FAT

INGREDIENTS: 300g new potatoes 240g musclefood turkey mince 2 wholemeal bread rolls 1 standard tomato 50g lettuce 45g Eatlean Cheese 16g Flava-It Piri Piri Marinade

PIRI PIRI TURKEY CHEESE BURGERS

METHOD: 1. Pre-heat oven to 180°C. 2. Cut new potatoes in to quarters, season with salt and pepper and a little oil. Place on a baking tray and roast in the oven for 40 minutes.

3. Wash and slice the tomato and pick lettuce leaves and wash.

4. Combine the turkey mince and the piri piri seasoning. Form two burger patties, place on a plate and put in the fridge for 30 minutes.

5. Heat a frying pan on medium. Add 2 tsp of olive oil and fry the burgers 3 minutes on each side.

6. Place burgers on a baking tray, top with sliced cheese and bake for 6 minutes.

7. Meanwhile cut the buns in half and toast in sevenstarmedia.co.uk

the toaster or the oven.

8. Make up the burgers with the salad and patties in between the buns and serve with wedges.

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CELEBRATIONS

FAJITA STYLE BEEF & RICE

SERVES 2 NUTRITIONALS (per serving): 494 CALORIES | 52g PROTEIN 42.7 CARBOHYDRATES | 12.9g FAT

INGREDIENTS: 1 x 200g musclefood Beef Stir Fry Strips 100g basmati rice 50g mushrooms, raw 40g peppers, raw 40g red kidney beans, drained 15g onion 1 tbsp Mexican seasoning 5g fresh coriander, chopped 1 lime 1 tsp olive oil

METHOD: 1. Mix the beef stir fry strips with half of the oil and the Mexican seasoning. Put to one side.

2. Slice the onions, peppers and mushrooms.

3. Heat a wok or frying pan, add the remainder of the oil and vegetables and cook for 3 minutes until they are slightly coloured and beginning to soften.

4. Add the beef and kidney beans and cook for a further 5 minutes, or to your preference.

5. Heat the basmati rice as per the instructions.

6. Chop the fresh coriander and slice the lime in half.

7. Plate up the beef, vegetables and rice and serve with the chopped coriander and a squeeze of lime over the beef mix.

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CELEBRATIONS

SERVES 2 NUTRITIONALS (per serving): 353 CALORIES | 44.8g PROTEIN 25.9 CARBOHYDRATES | 8g FAT

INGREDIENTS: 150g new potatoes 2 x 125g raw tuna steak 1 large egg 50g tomatoes 50g green beans Olive oil

METHOD:

GRILLED TUNA NIĂ&#x2021;OISE

1. Place the new potatoes in a large pan of cold water and bring to the boil.

2. Add the egg to the boiling water and cook for 5 minutes.

3. Remove the egg from the pan and place in cold water.

4. In a separate pan, bring water to the boil and cook the green beans for 4 minutes, then drain and refresh in cold water.

5. Heat a griddle pan or frying pan, lightly oil and season both sides of the tuna.

6. Once the pan is hot add the tuna and cook to your preference (2 minutes each side gives you medium rare).

7. Cut the tomatoes into quarters.

8. Drain and peel the egg and cut it into quarters.

9. Drain the green beans and new potatoes and cut the potatoes into quarters.

10. Plate up the salad, season and dress lightly in olive oil, then serve with the tuna.

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AT E

FIC

U

LL

TI

BUILDING REG

Y

TUF

R

NT

A

RA

ODUCT W

F

2 5 - Y EA R

PR

ONS COMP ATI LI UL

T AN

F

TUF FS

FIRE CE

R

DIY

HOW TO LAY A PATIO IT’S EASY TO LAY YOUR OWN PATIO SO NO NEED TO CALL THE PROS IN WHEN YOU CAN DO IT YOURSELF WITH THESE STEPS FROM WICKES… Planning & Preparation Paving slabs come in a wide range of colours and sizes and can be laid in a variety of patterns. There is something to suit every budget so be sure to take a look at the range and plan a design you are going to enjoy for years to come.

Once you know the dimensions of the slab you’ve chosen to use, make a detailed plan so you can minimise the need to cut tiles.

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Having planned your patio, it’s a good idea to lay the slabs out into position so you can do one final check of measurements, and ensure you are laying a pattern you’re happy with. Make a note or take a photograph of your preferred layout.

If your patio is directly next to your house, then you’ll need to lay it so that it is 150mm below the damp proof course.

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To encourage rainwater run-off, your patio should have a fall that runs away from the house or outbuildings. A 1:60 (16mm per metre) fall is generally recommended.

If your patio will adjoin your lawn, for ease of mowing, it should sit 10mm below ground level.

It’s a good idea to have some help when lifting slabs, for both safety and speed of completion.

Do it right If you are using slabs that come from different pallets, it’s a good idea to mix them up; this will help to disguise any slight variation in colour.

If you are removing turf, it’s best to save some in case you want to fill in any gaps between your lawn and the new patio.

Wait for dry weather before applying kiln dried sand.

Staying Safe Wear suitable footwear and gloves when handling slabs, sand, gravel or cement, and when digging.

If using a wacker plate, you should wear ear defenders and steel toe-capped boots.

When using a mortar mix, or Slablayer, wear a dust mask, safety goggles and protective gloves and be sure to follow manufacturer’s instructions.

Wet and dry cement can cause irritation and burns, so handle carefully, covering skin and immediately washing off any cement that accidentally makes contact.

Always wear protective gloves, safety goggles, and a dust mask when mixing concrete.

If you’re using heavy paving slabs or lifting any other heavy items, ask someone to help.

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DIY

Step 1 - Before starting to lay a patio, you should use a CAT tool to make sure there are no hidden cables or pipes where you intend to excavate.

Step 2 - Using pegs, string, or a builders line, mark out the position of the patio.

Step 3 - Check each corner is perfectly square with a set square, adjusting as necessary.

Step 4 - Mark the edge of the patio with a spade or lawn edger, all the way around, before removing the pegs and string.

Step 5 - When you dig out, you’ll need to allow for 100mm of MOT Type 1 or hardcore, 25mm of Slablayer, plus the thickness of your chosen paving slab. Don’t forget to include the necessary fall in your calculations, and to maintain it throughout the build.

Step 6 - Add half of the MOT Type 1 or hardcore, to create a 50mm layer, and rake it so it’s roughly level.

Step 7 - Compact the area with either a tamper or a wacker plate to form a very stable base. Add the remaining MOT Type 1 or hardcore, to create an overall depth of 100mm and, once again, compact.

Step 8 - Now add the Slablayer, raking it out to a depth of 25mm.

Step 9 - Following the manufacturer’s instructions, use a watering can with a fine rose, or a spray gun, to apply water, then rake again to level the surface.

Step 10 - Starting in the corner at the highest point of the patio, dampen the underside of the first slab and lay it.

Step 11 - Gently tamp down on the surface of the slab with a rubber mallet to bed it in. The first slab is used as the guide for all the others to follow, so make sure it’s absolutely level and square.

Step 12 - Continue to lay slabs, not forgetting to leave space for your required joint width.

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STEP BY STEP

DIY

STEP BY STEP Step 13 - Use offcuts of wood as spacers to maintain a consistent gap between slabs.

Step 14 - Regularly check the levels, including the fall youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve allowed, as you go along.

Step 15 - Slablayer needs to dry slowly over a few days, so cover the patio with plastic sheeting if rain is forecast.

AFTERCARE

Step 16 - Fill in the joints with either Slablayer or dry mortar mix (4 parts sand to 1 part cement).

Mix with enough water to create a damp, but not wet consistency and apply to the joints with a trowel.

Patios are hard wearing and easy to maintain but regular brushing and washing will stop the buildup of algae and will keep your patio looking in top condition.

Step 17 - Brush any excess Slablayer or mortar from the face of the paving slabs, before it can set and stain the surface.

The joints are key to your patioâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s stability, so look after them by filling in any gaps that appear over time and removing any breakthrough weeds.

For more do-it-yourself how-to guides visit: https://www.wickes. co.uk/how-to-guides

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TECH

20 APPS

GR8

4 MEN

MindYoga: With the latest advances in technology, mindfulness training becomes much easier – which is good news as various life situations can impede mental health, including isolation, relationship issues and job worries.

Recent studies have shown that meditative yoga practices not only reduce stress and increase calmness, but also improve inhibition and working memory. In this way, a good yoga practice can not only help you relax as you stretch and work your muscles out. If your mind is overwhelmed during this exceptional time and you find it difficult to focus, yoga sequences will help you calm the nerves down, clear your thoughts and to concentrate.

While being calm and maintaining focus simultaneously is the goal of a solid yoga practice, it is also a great challenge. Finding and maintaining the so-called mindful ‘flow state’ can be tricky.

Even if you have an idea, how can you really be sure that you are doing it right, especially if you are a beginner? How can you ensure that it is not your brain playing tricks with your imagination and you are really in the perfect state of mind while training? Finally, how can we effectively improve the level of focus and relaxation while practising?

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1.

TECH

10.

Bumble: Worth a try for single guys… This dating app lets the females take the reins and message guys they like, it also has filter features that can be changed.

11.

Chappy: This app for men (wanting to connect with other men) has a slide feature with opposite choices of date types and all the inbetweens.

You Can Measure Mindfulness During Your Practices With the latest advances in technology, mindfulness training becomes much easier. MindYoga

by MyndPlay is the first yoga app that utilises the power of neurofeedback technology and benefits of yoga, measuring mindfulness during yoga practices to help you develop mind, body and soul, and find your life balance.

Put a headset on, select from a variety of poses, and choose the difficulty level that you would like to train at. Then follow the guidance and perform a selected yoga pose and stay relaxed and focused for the perfect mindfulness score. See the report on your meditation and focus during each exercise right after you finish one.

Unlock the number of poses by improving your mindfulness level.

Turns out that measuring and training mindfulness in yoga can be that easy.

MindYoga is currently available for PC, iOS and Android for just £2.99 Watch the video here: https://youtu.be/5a1eL6LdiVA For more information visit https://store.myndplay.com/

2.

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Signal: This encrypted

messenger means that you can stay in the loop with your mates all over the world and keep up-to-date with old friendship groups on a private platform.

3.

OFX: A money transfer app

that allows you to send large amounts overseas to a broad list of

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12. countries. It has a variety of tools, including a live-rate currency converter that lets you lock in the best rate.

4.

PayPal: This platform has been around for a while and has proved to be a great business and personal app with various tools including payment methods and invoice function.

5.

Adidas Running: There are plenty of running apps available, but this free one from Adidas has some awesome features including challenges and goals, metrics and customised voice coaching.

6.

Spotify: If you’ve not heard of

Spotify it’s likely you’ve been in a cave somewhere – it offers loads of tunes categorised and easy to find. If you stay on the free version of the app then expect loud and annoying adverts every half an hour.

7.

eBookers: This travel app is ideal

for those who want their whole booking information in one place. It has features that include flight status, itineraries, discounts and deals.

8.

Distiller: Know your booze with this app that provides information on spirits including whiskey, agave and rum, so you can learn about them before you buy them.

9.

SAS Survival: Read about,

learn from and test yourself on your own survival skills. So whether you are a grown-up boy scout or the next Bear Grylls this is a good download.

Coinbase: Thinking of

investing in cyber cash? Manage your crypto currency using this app with secure storage and insurance protection.

13.

Open Camera: Amateur phone photographers can enjoy professional features with this app.

14.

Airbnb: This app offers four

simple steps – search, book, travel, explore – boasting thousands of rent-ready pads, intuitive filters, and a beautiful design.

15.

Elevate: Train your brain with over thirty-five games designed to boost productivity, earning potential, and self-confidence in areas of maths, reading, writing, speaking and listening.

16.

Sudoku.com – Brain Games: If you don’t use it,

you’ll lose it! So do a Sudoku each day to keep your brain flexed.

17.

ESPN: If you don’t already have this – then get it! And get the latest sports news in the palm of your hand.

18.

ZenMate: A security and privacy app for your home that is fast and protects a number of devices using VPN (virtual private network) to keep your online identity anonymous.

19.

GiftPlanner: This free app allows the user to plan for all main gift buying events and has features such as lists, budgets and bookmarking for gifts you choose online.

20.

Waze: This traffic app gives you the best route, in real time and even help from other drivers.

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TRAVEL

GET ACTIVE IN THE

LAKE

THE LAKE DISTRICT, CUMBRIA, IS THE ULTIMATE PLACE FOR A UK ADVENTURE. BOASTING TWO UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITES; IT’S IDEAL FOR EXPLORING, CHALLENGING YOURSELF AND GETTING SOME SPACE AWAY FROM IT ALL – IF IT’S SAFE AND LEGAL FOR YOU TO TRAVEL THEN PLAN YOUR TRIP NOW, IF NOT, CUMBRIA IS DEFINITELY ONE FOR THE TRAVEL BUCKET LIST…

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DISTRICT

TRAVEL

north of England, this rebuilt craft takes you around the lake whilst giving you a sense of the history of the area.

If you feel like taking matters into your own hands, you can hire your own boat from Coniston Boating Centre.

Alternatively, you can explore Coniston Water by canoe or kayak with River Deep Mountain High or learn to sail with an experienced instructor.

GET YOUR PULSE RACING

EXPLORE ON FOOT Coniston is the ultimate walking destination with its many available routes, there is something to suit everyone, whether you’re a beginner or looking for an intrepid hiking adventure.

The Old Man of Coniston is an ideal place to start, with various paths to take depending on experience, and the stunning views from the summit make it well worth the effort. Overlooking the village and Coniston Water, the mountain gets its name from the shape resembling a man at the top and, at 803 metres, it’s the highest of the Coniston fells.

If you fancy a flatter walk, head to the Coppermines Valley and learn more about the area’s world-famous copper mining history. Located above Coniston, the valley is dotted with the remains of the mines and quarries that used to be the village’s focus. Levers Water sits at the head of the valley with Simon’s Nick below, the supposed home of the ghostly miner Simon Puchberger. You may also notice that many locals have Germanic surnames due to many of the miners originating from Germany during the 16th century.

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SAIL AWAY Another way to explore the area is the Coniston Launch, either by staying onboard and touring around the entire lake or as a tool to explore the area more widely by hopping on and off throughout the day. The lake itself, combined with Windermere, became ‘that great lake in the North’ in Ransome’s Swallows and Amazons, the home of Wildcat Island. Special cruises are also on offer where you can discover the places that inspired these stories or learn about Sir Malcolm and Donald Campbells’ speed record attempts, followed up with a visit to the Ruskin Museum for a glimpse of some memorabilia (if this is up your street the nearby Lakeland Motor Museum and Windermere Jetty Museum of Boats, Steam and Stories are a petrol- or steam head’s paradise).

If you’d rather a more historical experience, be sure to check out The National Trust’s Steam Yacht Gondola’s Victorian-style sailing adventure. The oldest of its type in the

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Grizedale Forest, on the eastern side of Coniston Water, hosts a range of outdoor activities to suit all abilities. There are easier cycling trails available for those who are less experienced, or various mountain biking routes for adrenaline junkies, so whatever your level you can find something to suit. If biking’s not for you, Go Ape have tree top adventure courses on offer, or why not stay a bit closer to the ground and whizz around the forest on Segways. Visit the sculptures on display on a chilled-out walk in the woods, or try spotting one of the indigenous Red Deer, as the last remaining herd in England resides here.

Path to Adventure also offer a wide range of exciting activities, including activity days, adventure breaks and holidays. Ghyll scrambling, rock climbing, abseiling, bushcraft, hill walking, problem solving, expeditions or long-distance walks are all available with a highly qualified instructor – what more could you ask for?

WITH SO MUCH TO CHOOSE FROM YOU MIGHT HAVE TROUBLE DECIDING WHERE EXACTLY TO VISIT; WHY NOT USE THE PICTURESQUE AND CENTRAL VILLAGE OF CONISTON AS YOUR BASE?

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Whatever you decide to do, make sure you #BeAdventureSmart by asking yourself three simple questions before getting out there: Do I have the right gear?

Do I know what the weather will be like?

Am I confident I have the knowledge and skills for the day?

WHERE TO STAY With more than 90 different holiday properties available across Coniston and the South Lakes area, Coppermines Cottages is a great port of call for many looking for idyllic self-catering accommodation to suit a variety of needs and desires. From those with hot tubs or bike storage, to cottages perfect for small or larger groups, even dogs are welcome at many properties. Coppermines have a cottage to suit all tastes and budgets, check out their full range of options for your next relaxing break in the Lake District.

Not in the market for a self-catering holiday? No problem! Just check out https://bit.ly/3d6k9yC for plenty of inspiration for accommodation, meals out and activities â&#x20AC;&#x201C; enough to keep the entire family occupied on your next holiday.

For information on travelling to and around the Lake District go to visitlakedistrict.com/explore/travel

USEFUL LINKS FROM CUMBRIA

TOURISM

Coniston Launch https://bit.ly/2Xr0F1e Ruskin Museum https://bit.ly/36umj8Y Lakeland Motor Museum https://bit.ly/36y4vtA Windermere Jetty https://bit.ly/3goRgzY Steam Yacht Gondola https://bit.ly/3dh52mp Coniston Boating Centre https://bit.ly/36xc2J3 River Deep Mountain High https://bit.ly/3ejZbfT Grizedale Forest https://bit.ly/2M1tCvy Go Ape Grizedale https://bit.ly/36un3Li

Coniston Coppermines Cottages https://bit.ly/2TFY0Ql Adventure Smart UK www.adventuresmart.uk/

Jonny Winter, Cumbria Tourism

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Path to Adventure https://bit.ly/36vc0RS

TOP SPORTS

MOTORING IT IS PRETTY FAIR TO SAY THAT THESE BEAUTIES ARE NOT FAMILY CARS, AND SOME MAY CONSIDER PURCHASING A TOP SPORTS CAR A SURE-FIRE SIGN OF A MID-LIFE CRISIS… BUT THERE’S NO HARM IN DREAMING ABOUT BIG BOY TOYS IS THERE?! AND WHEN IT COMES TO DREAM CARS – THESE THREE CERTAINLY HAVE WHEEL APPEAL…

CARS 2020 2nd PLACE FUTURISTIC

Speeding in at second place is the sleek Croatian electric hypercar; the Rimac C_Two is high performing and innovative, not to mention aesthetically stunning. Unlike other electric vehicles, the Rimac_C_Two doesn’t drop off in acceleration with higher speeds.

2nd

“…where serenity meets speed.”

Approx £1.5 million rimac-automobili.com

3rd

3rd PLACE AUTHENTIC At third place, and Whatcar?’s Car of the Year 2020, is the Mazda Miata – not many style improvements to this lightweight and agile model – but if it isn’t broken, no need to fix it! As a fourth generation car it’s certainly proving the test of time.

“…drives like it’s part of you-”

From £23,800 | mazda.co.uk

1st PLACE CLASSIC First place has to go to the car with a long history in this category; the Porsche 911. We are talking a vehicle that has pretty much remained unchanged for over half a century. With its timeless design and heritage, the 911 Carrera is speedy, classic and a leader.

“… shaped the DNA of all Porsche models.”

sevenstarmedia.co.uk

From £82,795.00 | porsche.com

1st MAN MAGAZINE SUMMER 2020

119

MPARISON

r than the Kamiq, fidgeting over imperfect asphalt, even gh it lollops around far more undulating road surfaces. As ult, the Puma gets the silver l for comfort, even though it he firmest suspension here. s because it quickly recovers mposure after negotiating a p, whereas the Captur wobbles nd for a second or two after. e Puma is also the best ugh corners, with plenty of balanced evenly front to rear, much body lean and a real ng of agility. Impresively, rmer ST-Line models handle more sharply with little ct on ride comfort. e Kamiq leans a little more the Puma but has plenty p and good balance, so it les tidily. While the Puma’s ng gives you a slightly better of connection to the front the Kamiq’s is far better than aptur’s, which is overly light ague. The Captur also has ast front-end grip and the lean, discouraging you from g to drive it quickly.

COMPARISON FORD PUMA

3

BEST DRIVING POSITION

INFOTAINMENT

Although the 8.0in touchscreen’s graphics look a bit crude, this is actually a pretty good system.

Sat-nav plus Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone mirroring are standard, while the screen is mounted high, so you don’t have to look too far away from the road when you’re operating it. It’s responsive to inputs and has big icons that are easy to hit on the move. Physical shortcut buttons are handy, too.

Tall for their age 2

1

As a member of the small SUV club, the new Renault Captur’s first job is to try to gain the upper hand over high-riding rivals from Ford and Skoda 1 This is a great gearbox, but we’d prefer the lever to be mounted a little higher for swift changes

Photography: John Bradshaw 2 You can control a lot 3 Titanium doesn’t get from the steering wheel, digital instruments, but but there are too many the analogue ones with small buttons an info screen are clear

RENAULT CAPTUR

INFOTAINMENT

2

ND THE WHEEL g position, visibility, quality

Although you get a 9.3in screen on top-spec Capturs, Iconic trim makes do with a relatively small, 7.0in one.The graphics aren’t particularly sharp and it can be sluggish to respond to commands. Sat-nav, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are all standard, but there are no physical shortcut buttons, so jumping between functions is tricky on the move, not helped by some small icons.

amiq feels rather vertically 3 enged from behind the wheel, the seat placing you barely 1 igher off the ground than be in a regular hatchback. into the Puma and you nly sit higher, even with the n its lowest position, but it’s aptur that feels the loftiest. of our contenders have 2 Dials look like they’re 3 Audio controls are 1 Gearknob is too ng wheels that adjust up and from the 1990s and hidden behind the bulky, plus it feels a as well as in and out, plus the central information wheel, so you have to bit cheap, with its faux ht-adjustable driver’s seats. screen is rather small operate them by feel leather and metal trim ugh the Puma and Kamiq with adjustable lumbar ort, this isn’t available at all SKODA KAMIQ INFOTAINMENT e Captur. All said, the Puma the Kamiq for the best Standard 8.0in touchscreen is ng position, with the Captur a the best of the bunch when it nt third. comes to usability, with big, clear e Kamiq’s huge windows icons, clear graphics and logical THE CONTENDERS t by far the best visibility. menus. Android Auto Apple WITH being at the THEand PROBLEM r in standard rear parking top of your game is that there’s CarPlay are standard – handy, NEW ors and brightNEW LED headlights someone trying to topple because sat-nav always isn’t, unless 2 3 ched by the Captur) and it’s the Ford Puma. Despite you upgrade to ayou.

9.2inTake screen r winner here. The Puma our overall Car of the Year (£1230, combinedwinning with a digital aptur suffer from windows gong in January, there’s already instrument panel).

Physical narrow towards the rear of a brand new Renault Captur shortcut and volume buttons ar and a much smaller rear gunning for it. would be better than the touchn. At least both have rear The original Captur was a smash sensitive ones, though.

1 ng sensors as standard, while hit, thanks to funky looks, a clever BEST ree have the option of front interior and keen pricing, and Ford Puma Renault Captur Skoda Kamiq SYSTEM version ors and a reversing camera. 125 mHEV Titanium this second-generation 1.0 Ecoboost TCe 100 Iconic 1.0 TSI 115 SE erms of quality, the Kamiq promises all of those attributes s out on top, with lotsList price £20,845 but with a bit more polish. We’ve List price £19,095 List price £19,935 uishy plastics and a few got our hands on an entry-level Target Price £19,916 Price Price £17,421 2 Our test car£18,548 had 3 Metal-effectTarget trims lift 1 Leather on handbrake, Target ctive trims. Its interior is by Puma TCe 100 in mid-rung Iconic trim, The top-spec is our Car Based the on optional the Clio, the second-what could Roomy, and good 9.2in havecomfortable been gearknob and steering eans flashy, butofit’s solidly which costs well under £20,000. the Year; can the entry-level generation Captur value, the Kamiq is a strong touchscreen andhas fullyclever a drab interior.Ambient wheel feels the highest and very grown-up.

Because of the Captur’s bargain model impress us just as much? rear seats keen price. lightingcontender digitaland dialsafitted is available in mid-range guise. quality here by far e Captur looks far glitzier price, we’ve lined up a Puma in

il 2020 54 whatcar.com April 2020

whatcar.com

Ford Puma vs Renault Captur vs Skoda Ka

Boots’ suitcase-carrying capacities are measured with a 560x350x230mm Antler suitcase, with the rear seatbacks in place and up to the parcel shelf

FORD PUMA

955mm

925mm 1315mm

1345mm 655mm

385-765mm

715-1500mm 990-1000mm

935mm 1345mm 570-695mm

715-1520mm

410-790mm

1020mm

entry-level Titanium trim with 985mm the least powerful engine in the line-up: a 123bhp 1.0-litre petrol.

With an asking price of just over £20,000, is it worth the extra?

Our final contender is the Skoda Kamiq, which has impressed us in match-ups against the Volkswagen T-Cross and Kia Stonic. For the first time, it’s appearing here in 1.0 TSI 115 SE form, which could be the sweet spot of the range.

BIGGEST BOOT

is well off the pace here. Whereas the Kamiq and Puma can cover 0-60mph and 30-70mph in about 1370mmthe Captur takes a full two 9.5sec, seconds longer.

735mm That’s not good on a short motorway slip road with a car full of people. The Captur also has flat spots in its power delivery, where acceleration seems to tail off, only to increase again as engine revs rise further.

Special mention should go to the Puma’s mild hybrid technology.

It can’t drive 570-840mm the car on electricity DRIVING 730-1510mm alone, but a small electric motor Performance, ride, attached to the engine boosts handling, refinement low-rev urgency and improves fuel 995mm economy. That means the Puma Although it doesn’t have much pulls from as little as 1000rpm – less power on paper, the Captur

1075mm

initially, especially with our t car’s optional BEST orange interior HANDLING (£350). Everything that’s oran and the top of the dashboard squishy, but you’ll find plent hard plastics and a particular floppy gearlever surround. It the cheapest interior here.

The Puma has just as many scratchy plastics as the Captu but Ford has been more cunn with their deployment. Only top of the dashboard is soft-t but the expanse of padded cl on the doors is perfectly plac for your arm to rest on and lo better than black plastic.

While the Puma is only adequate for rear seat space, its boot is the most practical in the class by far.

The large compartment under the boot floor firm allows youtotothe Slightly edge stack ridetwo is totally acceptable, given the agile, enjoyable handling SPACE AND PRACTICALITY bags of golf clubs upright RENAULT CAPTUR Front space, rear space, seating flexibility, boot Boot 401-1161 litres Suitcases 8

The Captur feels the tightest front. That’s because it has th least head and leg room and high-mounted gearlever bise the interior. Even so, a six-foo will fit fine. The Puma has a l more head room and matche Kamiq for maximum front le room, but the Skoda has by f most head room and feels air 935mm Move to the rear seats and the Kamiq is in a class of its own. It has enough leg and h 1365mm room to shame some SUVs in 1050mm theoffclass above and it’s the be Captur’s sluggish 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbocharged engine is way the pace for accommodating three rea SKODA KAMIQ passengers. Our only slight g BEST that it has a tall, thin hump in A low roof is the Captur’s biggest RIDE climbing floor that can make problem, leading to a particularly and out awkward. claustrophobic rear seat area.

The Captur offers a little m Six cases isn’t a bad score rear leg room than the Puma at all for boot space, but it’s even so, the Puma is the mor overshadowed in this company comfortable of the two for th in the back, because even tho Boot 422-1275 litres the Captur has more head ro Suitcases 6 on paper, the sides of the car in to meet the roof, so you’re likely to bump the side of you head. That’s especially true if try to squeeze three in the re Add in the Captur’s larger cen floor hump and the Puma sq ahead in this area.

It isn’t as much fun as the Puma, but the Kamiq handles tidily and is very comfortable All three get regular 60/40 990mm than the Kamiq folding 500rpm earlier up again smartly, too, but rear the seatbacks, althou thewake Captur’s bench also slide and nearly 1000rpm sooner than Captur takes ages to up and fore the Captur, so you have adequate is frustratingly easy toand stall.aft as one piece. Han this done from the bo acceleration from lower engine Overall, the Puma iscan the be quietest 1385mm rearwind seat area. The Kamiq speeds. Changing gears is a joy in at 70mph, with thethe least 1075mm the only one without a stand the Puma, too, while the Kamiq’s and road noise. You’ll notice more height-adjustable gearshift is also slick, but the gustiness in the Kamiq, along with boot floor, it’sbut onlythe £155 as an optio Captur’s is long and a bit vague. some slight engineleast noise, Kamiq does have Captur suffers most What from the wind The Captur’s can’t Although the Capturengine has a bigger huge boot, which can swall noise and there’s aabit of whine match the Kamiq’s and Puma’s boot on paper, we were able from the gearbox.seven carry-on suitcases to th refinement, tofor cram an extra caseeither. into theThe only Captur’s six. The Kamiq also As for ride quality, the Kamiq downside to thetwo-level Puma’sboot engine Kamiq.

No standard handyof hooks is the most comfortable our and cubbies to s is that it sounds boomy floor is disappointing, becausewhen it’s shopping and smaller object of roads.

Its askeda to pull low revs in contenders on all types there’s high loadhard lip tofrom negotiate rolling around your boo suspension is soft from without being a high gear, something the Kamiq it’s the Puma that c wallowy, and only However, particularly avoids.

Around Boot 400-1395 litres town, the Puma’s out oncan top,beswallowing eight felt automatic Suitcases 7 stop-start system works vicious ruts and bumps thanks to Captur something Ford ca through your backside.

The almost imperceptibly, thanks to the This sizeable >> somehow manages toMegaBox. feel >> the hybrid tech. The Kamiq fires whatcar.com

April whatcar.com 2020 55 April 2

MPARISON COMPARISON

FORD PUMA FORD PUMA INFOTAINMENT INFOTAINMENT r than the Kamiq, firmerfidgeting than the Kamiq, fidgeting BEST BEST over imperfect more asphalt, over imperfect even asphalt, even the 8.0inAlthough touchscreen’s the 8.0in touchscreen’s DRIVING Although DRIVING gh it lollops around thoughfar it lollops more around far more graphics look a bit graphics crude, this lookisa bit crude, this is POSITION POSITION 3 3 undulating road oversurfaces. undulating As road surfaces. As actually a pretty good actually system. a pretty good system. ult, the Pumaagets result, thethe silver Puma gets the silver Sat-nav plus Apple Sat-nav CarPlay plus Apple CarPlay l for comfort,medal even though for comfort, it even though it and Android Autoand smartphone Android Auto smartphone he firmest suspension has the firmest here. suspension here. mirroring are standard, mirroring while are standard, while s because it quickly That’s because recoversit quickly recovers the screen is mounted the screen high, so is mounted high, so mposure after itsnegotiating composureaafter negotiating a you don’t have toyou lookdon’t too far have to look too far p, whereas the bump, Captur whereas wobbles the Captur wobbles away from the road away when from you’re the road when you’re 2 2 nd for a second around or twofor after. a second or two after. operating it. It’s responsive operatingtoit. It’s responsive to e Puma is also the Thebest Puma is also the best inputs and has big inputs iconsand thathas arebig icons that are ugh corners, with through plenty corners, of with plenty of easy to hit on theeasy toPhysical hit on the move. Physical move. balanced evenly gripfront balanced to rear, evenly front to rear, shortcut buttons shortcut buttons are handy, too. are handy, too. much body lean notand much a real body lean and a real 1 1 ng of agility. Impresively, feeling of agility. Impresively, rmer ST-Linethe models firmer handle ST-Line models handle more sharplyeven withmore littlesharply with little ct on ride comfort. impact on ride comfort. e Kamiq leans aThe little Kamiq moreleans a 1little cangearbox, control a lot2 You can 3 Titanium get3 Titanium doesn’t get control adoesn’t lot This more is a great gearbox, 1 This is2aYou great the Puma butthan has the plenty Puma but has thethe steering instruments, from thedigital steering wheel, but digital instruments, but butplenty we’d prefer the lever but we’dfrom prefer lever wheel, p and good balance, of grip and so itgood balance, it but there are too many but therethe areanalogue too manyones with the analogue ones with to be so mounted a littleto be mounted a little les tidily. While handles the Puma’s tidily. While higher the Puma’s small an info screen are clear small buttons an info screen are clear for swift changes higher for swiftbuttons changes ng gives yousteering a slightly gives better you a slightly better of connection sense to the of connection front to the front the Kamiq’styres, is far better the Kamiq’s than is far better than CAPTUR RENAULT CAPTUR INFOTAINMENT INFOTAINMENT aptur’s, which the is Captur’s, overly light which isRENAULT overly light ague. The Captur and vague. also has The Captur also has Although you getAlthough a 9.3in screen you get a 9.3in screen ast front-endthe grip least andfront-end the grip and the on top-spec Capturs, Iconic Capturs, Iconic on top-spec lean, discouraging most lean, you discouraging from you from trim makes do with a relatively trim makes do with a relatively g to drive it quickly. trying to drive it quickly. small, 7.0in one.The graphics small, 7.0in one.The graphics

ND THE WHEEL BEHIND THE WHEEL g position, visibility, Driving position, visibility, quality build quality

2

2

aren’t particularlyaren’t sharpparticularly and sharp and it can be sluggishitto respond can be sluggish to respond to commands. Sat-nav, Apple Sat-nav, Apple to commands.

CarPlay and Android Autoand are Android Auto are CarPlay all standard, but there are no but there are no all standard, physical shortcut physical buttons, so shortcut buttons, so jumping betweenjumping functions is between functions is tricky on the move, not on helped tricky the move, not helped by some small icons. by some small icons.

amiq feels rather The Kamiq vertically feels rather vertically 3 3 enged from behind challenged the wheel, from behind the wheel, the seat placing withyou thebarely seat placing you barely 1 1 igher off theany ground higher than off the ground than be in a regular you’d hatchback. be in a regular hatchback. into the Puma Jump andinto youthe Puma and you nly sit higher, certainly even with sit higher, the even with the n its lowest position, seat in itsbut lowest it’s position, but it’s aptur that feels thethe Captur that feels the loftiest. loftiest.

All of our contenders of our contenders have have is too 1 Gearknob 2 Dials look like they’re 3 Audio 2 Dials look likecontrols they’re are 3 Audio controls are 1 Gearknob is too ng wheels that adjustwheels up andthat adjust steering upitand from the 1990s and from thehidden 1990sbehind and the hidden behind the bulky, plus feels a bulky, plus it feels a as well as indown and out, plusas in and as well out, plus thewith central information wheel, so you have towheel, so you have to the central information bit cheap, with its faux bit cheap, its faux ht-adjustableheight-adjustable driver’s seats. driver’s screen is rather rather them small by feel operate them by feel leatherseats. and metal trim leather and metal trim smallscreen isoperate ugh the Puma and Kamiq Although the Puma and Kamiq with adjustable lumbar come with adjustable lumbar ort, this isn’tsupport, availablethis at all isn’t available at all SKODA KAMIQ SKODA KAMIQ INFOTAINMENT INFOTAINMENT e Captur. All said, PumaAll said, in thethe Captur. the Puma the Kamiq for thethe bestKamiq for the best edges Standard 8.0in touchscreen is touchscreen is Standard 8.0in ng position, with theposition, Captur a with the Captur a driving the best of the bunch when the best of itthe bunch when it nt third. distant third. comes to usability,comes with big, clear to usability, with big, clear e Kamiq’s hugeThe windows Kamiq’s huge windows icons, clear graphics and logical icons, clear graphics and logical t by far the best givevisibility. it by far the best visibility. menus. Android Auto andAndroid Apple Auto and Apple menus. r in standardFactor rear parking in standard rear parking CarPlay are standard – handy, CarPlay are standard – handy, ors and brightsensors LED headlights and bright LED headlights because sat-nav because isn’t, unless sat-nav isn’t, unless 2 2 3 3 upgrade to ayou ched by the Captur) andbyit’s (matched the Captur) and it’s you 9.2in screen to a 9.2in screen upgrade r winner here.

The Puma a clear winner here. The Puma (£1230, combined(£1230, with a combined digital with a digital aptur sufferand from windows Captur suffer from windows instrument panel).

Physical panel). Physical instrument narrow towards rear of thatthe narrow towards the rear of shortcut and volume buttons shortcut and volume buttons ar and a much smaller rear the car and a much smaller rear would be better than thebe touchwould better than the touchn. At least both haveAt rear screen. least both have rear sensitive ones, though. sensitive ones, though.

1 1 ng sensors asparking standard, whileas standard, while sensors BEST BEST ree have the option frontthe option of front all threeofhave SYSTEM SYSTEM ors and a reversing camera. sensors and a reversing camera. erms of quality, Kamiq Inthe terms of quality, the Kamiq s out on top,comes with lots out on top, with lots uishy plasticsofand a few plastics and squishy a few on handbrake, 2 Our test car had 2 Our test 3 Metal-effect trims lift car had 3 Metal-effect trims lift 1 Leather 1 Leather on handbrake, ctive trims. Its interior is

by Its interior attractive trims. by steeringgearknobtheand optional 9.2in the optional what9.2in could have beenwhat could have been gearknobisand steering eans flashy, but it’s solidly no means flashy, but wheel it’s solidly touchscreen and fullytouchscreen a drab interior.Ambient and fully a drab interior.Ambient feels the highest wheel feels the highest and very grown-up. built and very grown-up. digital lighting is available lighting is available fitted quality here by far quality here bydials far fitted digital dials e Captur looks far Theglitzier Captur looks far glitzier

il 2020 56 whatcar.com April 2020

whatcar.com

Ford Puma vs Ford Renault Puma Captur vs Renault vs Skoda Captur Kamiq vs Skoda Ka

initially, especiallyinitially, with ourespecially test with our t BIGGESTorange car’s optional car’sinterior optional pack orange interior BOOT (£350). Everything (£350). that’s orange Everything that’s oran and the top of the and dashboard the topare of the dashboard squishy, but you’llsquishy, find plenty but of you’ll find plent hard plastics and ahard particularly plastics and a particular floppy gearlever surround. floppy gearlever It feels surround. It the cheapest interior the here. cheapest interior here.

The Puma has justThe as many Pumahard, has just as many scratchy plastics asscratchy the Captur, plastics as the Captu 1075mmbut Ford has been but more Ford cunning has been more cunn with their deployment. with their Onlydeployment. the Only top of the dashboard topisofsoft-touch, the dashboard is soft-t but the expanse ofbut padded the expanse cloth of padded cl on the doors is perfectly on the placed doors is perfectly plac for your arm to rest foron your andarm looks to rest on and lo better than black plastic. better than black plastic.

925mm

Boots’ suitcase-carrying capacities are measured with a 560x350x230mm Antler suitcase, with the rear seatbacks in place and up to the parcel shelf

Boots’ suitcase-carrying capacities are measured with a 560x350x230mm Antler suitcase, with the rear seatbacks in place and up to the parcel shelf

BIGGEST BOOT

955mm

925mm 1315mm

1315mm 655mm

715-1500mm 990-1000mm

385-765mm 715-1500mm 990-1000mm

955mm

1345mm 655mm

1345mm 1075mm

While the Puma is only While adequate the Puma is only adequate for rear seat space, itsforboot rearisseat the space, its boot is the most practical in the class most practical by far. in the class by far.

The large compartment Theunder largethe compartment under the boot floor allows you boot to stack floortwo allows you to stack two bags of golf clubs upright bags of golf clubs upright 385-765mm Boot 401-1161 litres Boot 401-1161 litres Suitcases 8 Suitcases 8

SPACE AND PRACTICALITY SPACE AND PRACTICALITY Front space, rear space, Front space, rear space, seating flexibility, boot seating flexibility, boot

The Captur feels the The tightest Capturup feels the tightest front. That’s because front. it has That’s the because it has th least head and leg least roomhead and and a leg room and high-mounted gearlever high-mounted bisectinggearlever bise the interior. Even so, theainterior. six-footer Even so, a six-foo will fit fine. The Puma will fit hasfine. a little The Puma has a l more head room and more matches head room the and matche Kamiq for maximum Kamiq front forleg maximum front le room, but the Skoda room, has but by far thethe Skoda has by f most head room and most feels head airiest. room and feels air 935mm 935mm Move to the rear seats Move and to the rear seats and 935mm 935mm the Kamiq is in a class the Kamiq of its is in a class of its 1345mm 1345mm own. It has enoughown. leg and It has head enough leg and h 1365mm 1365mm room to shame some room SUVs to shame in some SUVs in 570-695mm 570-695mm 1050mm the class above and 1050mm the it’sclass the best above and it’s the be for accommodating forthree accommodating rear three rea passengers. Our only passengers. slight gripe Ourisonly slight g that it has a tall, thin thathump it hasin a tall, the thin hump in A low roof is the Captur’s A lowbiggest roof is the Captur’s biggest floor that can make floor climbing that can in make climbing problem, leading to a problem, particularly leading to a particularly and out awkward. and out awkward. claustrophobic rear seat area. claustrophobic rear seat area.

The Captur offers aThe little Captur moreoffers a little m Six cases isn’t a bad score Six cases isn’t a bad score rear leg room thanrear theleg Puma, but room than the Puma at all for boot space, but it’sfor boot space, but it’s at all even so, the Pumaeven is theso, more the Puma is the mor overshadowed in this overshadowed company in this company 410-790mm 410-790mm 715-1520mm 715-1520mm comfortable of thecomfortable of the two for th two for those in even the back, because even tho in the back, because though Boot 422-1275 litres Boot 422-1275 litres thehead Captur has more head ro the Captur has more room Suitcases 6 Suitcases 6 1020mm 1020mm sides of the car on paper, the sideson ofpaper, the carthe curve inso toyou’re meet the roof, so you’re in to meet the roof, more toyour bump the side of you likely to bump thelikely side of head.true That’s especially true if head. That’s especially if you tryintothe squeeze try to squeeze three rear. three in the re in the Captur’s larger cen Add in the Captur’sAdd larger central floor hump and the Puma sq floor hump and the Puma squeaks ahead in this area.ahead in this area.

All60/40 three get regular 60/40 All three get regular split990mm 990mm folding rear seatbacks, althou folding rear seatbacks, although 985mm 985mm Captur’s the Captur’s benchthe also slides bench also slide and aft as one piece. Han fore and aft as onefore piece.

Handily, 1370mm 1370mm this the can boot be done this can be done from or from the bo 1385mm 1385mm seatisarea. The Kamiq the rear seat area. the Therear Kamiq 735mm 735mm 1075mm 1075mm the aonly one without a stand the only one without standard height-adjustable height-adjustable boot floor, but at boot floor, only £155 as an optio least it’s only £155 least as anit’s option.

What theisKamiq does have What the Kamiq does have Although the Captur has a bigger Although the Captur has a bigger huge boot, which can swall a huge boot, whicha can swallow boot on paper, we were able boot on paper, we were able seven carry-on seven carry-on suitcases to the suitcases to th to cram an extra casetointo thean extra case into the cram Captur’s six.

The Kamiq also Captur’s six. The Kamiq also has Kamiq. No standard two-level boot Kamiq. No standard two-level boot handy hooks and cubbies to s handy hooks and cubbies to stop floor is disappointing,floor because is disappointing, because shopping and smaller object shopping and smaller objects there’s a high load lipthere’s to negotiate a high load lip to negotiate 570-840mm 570-840mm 730-1510mm 730-1510mm from rolling from rolling around your boot.around your boo However, the Puma that c However, it’s the Puma that it’s comes Boot 400-1395 litres Boot 400-1395 litres out on top,cases swallowing eight out on top, swallowing eight Suitcases 7 Suitcases 7 995mm 995mm thanks something Ford ca thanks to something Fordtocalls MegaBox. the MegaBox. Thisthe sizeable >> This sizeable >> whatcar.com

April whatcar.com 2020 57 April 2

MPARISON COMPARISON

Ford Puma vs Renault Captur vs Skoda Kamiq

Value £

FORD PUMA WHATfidgeting THEY WILL COST INFOTAINMENT cubby under the boot floor is big r than the Kamiq, BEST over imperfect asphalt, even to hold two carry-on cases. touchscreen’s All prices correct at time of testing DRIVING Although the 8.0inenough gh it lollops around far more POSITION graphics look a bit crude, this is 3 undulating road surfaces. As actually a pretty good system.

BUYING AND OWNING ult, the Puma gets the silver Sat-nav plus Apple CarPlay Costs, equipment, reliability, l for comfort, even though it and Android Autosafety smartphone and security he firmest suspension here. mirroring are standard, while s because it quickly recovers the screen is mounted high, so out a PCP finance If you’re taking mposure after negotiating a is your cheapest you don’t have todeal, lookthe tooCaptur far p, whereas the Captur wobbles option. down £2500 and, away from the road whenPut you’re Ford Puma Renault Captur Skoda Kamiq nd for a second or two after. thanks in to part to a £1000 deposit operating Priciest on PCP finance – 2 Costliest to run privately but Cheapest for private buyersit.toIt’s responsive e Puma is also the best contribution from Renault at the inputs and icons that are but best on fuel and BIK tax cheapest on PCP finance buy (with discount) and runhas big ugh corners, with plenty of ofPhysical writing, you’ll pay £218 easy to hit on thetime move.

PRICES balanced evenly front to rear, per handy, month too. over three years with shortcut buttons are much body lean a 10,000-mile annual cap. Skoda Listand pricea real £20,845 1 £19,095 £19,935 ng of agility. Impresively, offers a £2000 contribution, but Target Price £19,916 £18,548 £17,421 rmer ST-Line models handle you’ll still pay £242 per month. more sharplyCompany with little Ford has no special deals on the car tax £186, £193, £200 £188, £195, £201 £190, £197, £203 (per month, until April 2021, 2022, 2023) ct on ride comfort. in-demand Puma, so it’s the (per month) 1 This is a great e Kamiq leansContract a little hire more priciest, at £274 per month. £231gearbox, 2 You can control a£198 £197 lot 3 Titanium doesn’t get the Puma but has plenty If you’re buying outright, from the steering wheel, digital instruments, but but we’d prefer the lever RESALE VALUE p and good balance, so it BY YEAR you’ll find hefty discounts on ■ Ford Puma ■ Renault but there are too many the analogue onesCaptur with ■ Skoda Kamiq to be mounted a little les tidily. While the Puma’s the Kamiq, allowing it to undercut small buttons an info screen are clear higher for swift changes ng gives you a20,000 slightly better the Puma and Captur. Look at all £11,048 of connection to the front your running costs over three £10,167 the Kamiq’s is far better than years and the Kamiq works out 15,000 £9548 RENAULT CAPTUR INFOTAINMENT aptur’s, which is overly light cheapest, with the Puma costing ague. The Captur also has extrascreen £1600 and the Captur Although you getan a 9.3in ast front-end 10,000 grip and the slightly more again. on top-spec Capturs, Iconic lean, discouraging you from For company car drivers in the trim makes do with a relatively g to drive it quickly.

40% tax bracket, just £4 separates small, 7.0in one.The graphics 5000 monthly aren’t sharp and benefit-in-kind cost 0 year 1 year 2 years 3 yearsparticularlythe three. As for real-world it can be sluggishoftoall respond ND THE WHEEL 2 THREE-YEAR COST economy, the Puma managed to(Test commands.

Apple g position, visibility, ■ Depreciation ■ Insurance ■ Servicing ■ Road tax ■ Fuel MPG) Sat-nav, 43.5mpg CarPlay and Android Autoduring are our test, the quality Ford Puma £8868 £1437 £818 £290 £4693 Kamiq 41.6mpg and the Captur a all standard, but there are no 39.0mpg. physical shortcut disappointing buttons, so amiq feels rather vertically 3 Total When it comes to equipment, enged from behind the wheel, jumping between functions is £16,106 the Kamiq is adequate rather the seat placing you barely tricky on the move, not helped 1 than generous. It’s the only car igher off the ground than by some small icons. £9001 £1101 £753 £290 £5235 Captur here without climate control and be in a regular Renault hatchback. sat-nav, for example. The Captur into the Puma and you Total is the most stingily equipped and nly sit higher, even with the £16,380 there aren’t a great deal of options n its lowest position, but it’s you can add. That leaves the Puma aptur that feels the loftiest.

Skoda £813 £4907 are with the most generous roster of our contenders haveKamiq 2 Dials look£290 like they’re 3 Audio controls 1 Gearknob is too £7254 £1251 of kit, which includes a heated ng wheels that adjust up and from the 1990s and hidden behind the bulky, plus it feels a Total windscreen, massaging front seats as well as in and out, plus the central information wheel, so you have to bit cheap, with its faux £14,515 and wireless phone charging. ht-adjustable driver’s seats. screen is rather small operate them by feel leather and metal trim All get automatic emergency ugh the Puma and Kamiq braking and lane-keeping with adjustable 0 lumbar 2500 5000 7500 10,000 12,500 15,000 17,500 assistance to stop you from ort, this isn’t available at all INFOTAINMENT straying over white lines. Each PCP the FINANCE e Captur. All said, Puma COSTSSKODA KAMIQ received five the Kamiq for the best Standard 8.0in touchscreen is stars in Euro NCAP Three-year term, £2500 customer deposit, 10,000 miles per year safetywhen tests,italthough the Puma ng position, with the Captur a the best of the bunch as good at protecting nt third. comes to usability,isn’t withquite big, clear Car Ford Puma Renault Captur Skoda Kamiq adults in logical an impact. The Puma and e Kamiq’s huge windows icons, clear graphics and Monthly cost £274 £218 £242 Kamiq three-year/60,000t by far the best visibility. menus. Android Auto andget Apple deposit contribution na £1000 £2000 mile–warranties, the Captur five r in standardManufacturer rear parking CarPlay are standard handy, final payment £9256 £9603 £9084 miles. ors and brightOptional LED headlights because sat-nav years/100,000 isn’t, unless 2 3 All three cars are too new to be ched by the Captur) and it’sAPR you upgrade to a 9.2in screen Representative 1.9% 4.9% 5.9% in our latest reliability r winner here. The Puma (£1230, combinedfeatured with a digital Excess mileage charge 7.2p per mile 8p per mile 3p per mile survey, but Skoda as a brand came aptur suffer from windows instrument panel).

Physical Other £10 final purchase & £10 facility fee na £10 final purchase fee and volume ninth out of 31, Ford 14th and narrow towards thefees rear of shortcut buttons Renault lowly 30th. >> ar and a much smaller rear would be better than the atouchn. At least both have rear sensitive ones, though.

1 ng sensors asEQUIPMENT standard, while BEST ree have the option of front Alloy Cruise Climate DAB/ Infotainment Apple LED Adjustable Parking Rear-view Keyless Metallic ✓ Standard ✗ Not available wheel control/ control Bluetooth/ screen size CarPlay/ headlights lumbar sensors camera SYSTEM start/entry paint ors and a reversing camera. size adaptive sat-nav Android Auto support front/rear erms of quality, the Kamiq s out on top, Ford with Puma lots £900*/ ✓ £900* 17in £800 ✓/£900* ✓ ✓/✓/ ✓ 8.0in ✓ ✓/£600** £500 ✓/ ✓ uishy plasticsRenault and a few 2 Our✓test car✓ had 3 Metal-effect trims lift ✓ 1 Leather17in on handbrake, £400^ /✗ / ✓/ ✓ /✓ £400^/ ✓ 7.0in £560 Captur ✓ ✗ ✓ ✓/ ✓ ctive trims. Its interior is by the optional 9.2in what could have been gearknob and steering /£450 / ✓/ ✗ /✓ £300 £460 17in 8.0in £595 £590 £360/ ✓ Skoda Kamiq ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ eans flashy, but it’s solidly touchscreen and fully a drab interior.Ambient wheel feels the highest and very grown-up. fitted tailgate lighting is available quality here by far *Part of Driver Assistance Pack ^Front sensors and rear camera **Includesdigital electric dials gesture-controlled e Captur looks far glitzier

il 2020 58 whatcar.com April 2020

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MPARISON COMPARISON

FORD PUMA STATS,fidgeting SPECS AND RATINGS r than the Kamiq, BEST over imperfect asphalt, Ford Pumaeven Renault Captur DRIVING gh it lollops around far more 1.0 Ecoboost 125 mHEV Titanium TCe 100 Iconic POSITION 3 undulating road surfaces. As Width 1930mm Width 2000mm ult, the Puma gets the silver 2040mm 2060mm l for comfort, even though it 1550mm 1576mm he firmest suspension here.

770mm 775mm s because it quickly recovers mposure after negotiating a p, whereas the Captur wobbles 2 nd for a second or two after. 2558mm 2639mm e Puma is also the best 4186mm 4227mm ugh corners, with plenty of ECONOMY & EMISSIONS balanced evenly front to rear, much body lean and a realCombined OFFICIAL OFFICIAL 51.4mpg Combined 47.9mpg 1 ng of agility. Impresively, MPG MPG Low speed 42.2mpg Low speed 39.8mpg rmer ST-Line(WLTP) models handle (WLTP) Medium speed 57.6mpg Medium speed 52.3mpg more sharply with little High speed 60.1mpg High speed 55.4mpg ct on ride comfort.

Test MPG 43.5mpg Test MPG 39.0mpg e Kamiq leans a little more lot cost per 3 Titanium 1 This is a great Fuel cost per 12,000 miles gearbox, £1564 2 You can control a Fuel 12,000doesn’t miles get £1745 the Puma but has plenty from the steering wheel, digital instruments, but but we’d prefer the lever p and good balance, so itTank 42 litres but there are too many Tank 45 litres the analogue ones with to be mounted a little les tidily. While the Puma’s CO2 emissions (WLTP) 125g/km small buttons CO2 emissions (WLTP) 136g/km an info screen are clear higher for swift changes ng gives you a slightly better SAFETY of connection to the front the Kamiq’s Euro is farNCAP better than rating (2019) Euro NCAP rating (2019) RENAULT CAPTUR aptur’s, which is overly light All protection 94% 84% 77% 74% 96% 83% 75% 74% All protection ague. The Captur also has ast front-end grip and the POWERTRAIN lean, discouraging you from g to drive it quickly.

Engine 3cyl, 999cc, turbo, petrol Engine 3cyl, 999cc, turbo, petrol

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Peak power 123bhp @ 6000rpm ND THE WHEELPeak torque 125Ib ft @ 1400-4500rpm g position, visibility, Gearbox 6-spd manual quality PERFORMANCE

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Peak power

2 Peak torque Gearbox

99bhp @ 5000rpm 118Ib ft @ 2750rpm 5-spd manual

amiq feels rather vertically 3 enged from behind the wheel, Top Top the seat placing0-60mph you barely speed 1 0-60mph speed igher off the ground than 9.5sec 119mph 11.5sec 107mph be in a regular hatchback. into the Puma and you nly sit higher, even with the Acceleration Acceleration n its lowest position, it’s the gears 9.2sec 30-70mphbut through 30-70mph through the gears 11.0sec aptur that feels the loftiest.

30-50mph 3rd 4.4sec 4th 6.0sec 5th 8.0sec 6th 11.3sec 30-50mph 3rd 5.4sec 4th 8.1sec 5th 15.3sec of our contenders have 50-70mph 3rd 5.7sec 4th17.1sec 5th 10.0sec 50-70mph 6.8sec 4th3 9.5sec 5th 15.3sec 2 Dials look like3rd they’re Audio controls are Gearknob is too 6th 14.2sec ng wheels that adjust up and from the 1990s and hidden behind the bulky, plus it feels Braking 30-0mph 11.8m 70-0mph 63.6ma Braking 30-0mph 9.5m 70-0mph 50.6m as well as in and out, plus the central information wheel, so you have to bit cheap, with its faux ht-adjustable Noise driver’s seats.

At 30mph 64.2dB At 70mph 67.2dB At 30mph 62.2dB At 70mph screenNoise is rather small operate them by68.2dB feel leather and metal trim ugh the Puma and Kamiq CARS PICTURED with adjustable lumbar Puma 1.0 Ecoboost Renault Captur TCe 100 Iconic with Desert Orange paint and black roof ort, this isn’t Ford available at all 125 mHEV Titanium with Grey Matter paint (£750), Driver Assistance Pack (£900), Comfort Pack (£300) and rear privacy glass (£660), orange interior pack (£350), space-saver spare wheel (£200), SKODA KAMIQ e Captur. All said, (£250)the Puma wireless phone charger (£155) and diamond cut 17in wheels (£100) the Kamiq for the best OURthe RATINGS ng position, with Captur a Driving Driving nt third.

Performance Performance e Kamiq’s huge windows Ridevisibility.

Ride t by far the best Handling r in standardHandling rear parking Refinement Refinement ors and bright LED headlights Behind the wheel Behind the wheel 2 3 ched by the Captur) and it’s Driving position Driving position r winner here.

The Puma Visibility Visibility aptur suffer Infotainment from windows Infotainment narrow towards the rear of Quality Quality ar and a muchSpace smaller andrear practicality Space and practicality Front space Front space n. At least both have rear 1 space while Rear space ng sensors asRear standard, Seatingof flexibility Seating flexibility ree have the option front Boot Boot ors and a reversing camera.

Buying and owning Buying and owning erms of quality, the Kamiq Costs Costs s out on top, Equipment with lots Equipment uishy plasticsReliability and a few 2 OurReliability test car had 3 Metal-effect trims lift 1 Leather on handbrake, ctive trims. ItsSafety interior by and is security Safety and the optional 9.2insecurity what could have been gearknob and steering eans flashy, but it’s solidly touchscreen and fully a drab interior.Ambient wheel feels the highest and very grown-up.

Overall rating digital dials fitted lighting is available quality here by far e Captur looks far glitzier

il 2020 60 whatcar.com April 2020

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INFOTAINMENT Although the 8.0in touchscreen’s Skoda Kamiq graphics look bit crude, this is 1.0 TSI 115aSE actually a pretty good system.

Width 1995mm Sat-nav plus Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone 1995mm mirroring are standard, while the screen is mounted high, so you don’t have to look too far away from the road when you’re operating it. It’s responsive to 2651mm inputs and has big icons that are 4241mm easy to hit on the move. Physical shortcut buttons are handy, too.

OFFICIAL Combined MPG Low speed (WLTP) Medium speed High speed

2050mm 700mm

48.7mpg 39.3mpg 51.0mpg 56.9mpg

Test MPG Fuel cost per 12,000 miles

41.6mpg £1636

Tank CO2 emissions (WLTP)

50 litres 131g/km

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Euro NCAP rating (2019) INFOTAINMENT All protection 96% 85% 80% 76% Although you get a 9.3in screen on top-spec Capturs, Iconic trim makes do with a relatively small,Engine 7.0in one.The 3cyl, graphics 999cc, turbo, petrol aren’tPeak particularly sharp and power 113bhp @ 5000-5500rpm it canPeak be torque sluggish to148Ib respond ft @ 2000-3500rpm to commands.

Sat-nav, Apple Gearbox 6-spd manual CarPlay and Android Auto are all standard, but there are no Weather conditions Damp physical shortcut buttons, so jumping between functions is Top tricky on the move, not speed helped 0-60mph by some9.4sec small icons. 100mph Acceleration 30-70mph through the gears 9.3sec 30-50mph 3rd 4.9sec 4th 7.1sec 5th 10.9sec 6th 19.1sec 50-70mph 3rd 6.0sec 4th 7.2sec 5th 9.6sec 6th 13.5sec Braking 30-0mph 8.5m 70-0mph 46.4m Noise

At 30mph 62.1dB At 70mph 68.2dB

Skoda Kamiq 1.0 TSI 115 SE with Race Blue metallic paint (£595),

Amundsen sat-nav and Virtual Cockpit (£1230) and silver haptic decorative INFOTAINMENT insert (£50)

Standard 8.0in touchscreen is the best of the bunch when it Driving comes to usability, with big, clear icons,Performance clear graphics and logical Ride menus.

Android Auto and Apple Handling CarPlay are standard – handy, Refinement because sat-nav isn’t, unless Behind the wheel you upgrade to a 9.2in screen Driving position (£1230, combined with a digital Visibility instrument panel). Physical Infotainment shortcut and volume buttons Quality Space and practicality would be better than the touchFrontones, spacethough. sensitive Rear space Seating flexibility Boot Buying and owning Costs Equipment Reliability Safety and security

BEST SYSTEM

Ford Puma vs Ford Renault Captur vs Skoda Kamiq Puma vs Renault Captur vs Skoda Ka

initially, especially with our t

SAYS

BIGGEST car’s optional orange interior Ford Puma BOOT (£350). Everything that’s oran

1

and the top of the dashboard

Boots’ suitcase-carrying capacities are measured with a 560x350x230mm Antler suitcase, with the rear seatbacks in place and up to the parcel shelf

Although Renault has 955mm 925mm more experience with small SUVs than Ford and 1345mm Skoda, the Captur finishes 1315mm a distant third in this test.

1075mm 655mm There’s no doubt it’s better than its predecessor, and While the Puma is only adequate the sliding rear bench for rear seat space, its boot is the could be rather handy, most practical in the class by far. but the anaemic engine, The large compartment under the boot floor allows you to stack two limited interior space and bags of golf clubs upright 385-765mm mediocre driving manners 715-1500mm count against it.

Boot 401-1161 litres Suitcases 8 With that decision made, 990-1000mm Buy this car at whatcar.com/new-car-deals it’s time to pick a winner.

After totting up the scores, we face a quandary: the Puma and Kamiq are on exactly the same total.

There’s no doubt the Kamiq is a sensible choice, 935mm impressing with its tidy 935mm handling, comfortable 1345mm ride and spacious, 1365mm well-assembled interior.

570-695mm 1050mm However, we suspect that those seeking a small SUV A low roof is the Captur’s biggest won’t have rear seat space problem, leading to a particularly as a major consideration. claustrophobic rear seat area.

More appealing will be a Six cases isn’t a bad score at all for boot space, but it’s cleverly thought out and overshadowed in this company 410-790mm huge boot, decent levels715-1520mm Save £2514 on this car at whatcar.com/new-car-deals of standard equipment Boot 422-1275 litres Suitcases 6 and great fuel economy – 1020mm all things the Puma nails.

When you consider that it’s also the most enjoyable car here to drive no matter where you are, the Puma squeaks the victory.

2

3

985mm Go to whatcar.com for all the latest comparison tests and keep up to date with the latest from What Car? on our social media channels

990mm

1370mm

1385mm 735mm

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whatcar_official

730-1510mm

570-840mm

1075mm

Although the Captur has a bigger boot on paper, we were able to cram an extra case into the Kamiq. No standard two-level boot floor is disappointing, because whatcar.com/new-car-deals there’s a high load lip to negotiate Boot 400-1395 litres

Suitcases 7 995mm See how other small SUVs compare in our buyer’s

squishy, For Strong andbut you’ll find plent plastics and a particular frugalhard engine; floppycleverly gearlever surround. It cavernous, theout cheapest thought boot; interior here.

The most fun to Puma drive; has just as many scratchy plastics as the Captu well equipped

but Ford has been more cunn

with their deployment. Only Against Rear seats top of the dashboard is soft-t merely adequate; buttothe expanse of padded cl priciest buy on on the doors is perfectly plac PCP finance

for your arm to rest on and lo

better than black plastic.

Recommended options SPACE AND PRACTICALITY Metallic paint Front space, rear space, (£500) seating flexibility, boot

The Captur feels the tightest front. That’s because it has th least head and leg room and high-mounted gearlever bise Skoda Kamiq the interior. Even so, a six-foo will fit fine. The Puma has a l more head room and matche For Comfortable Kamiq for maximum front le ride; tidy handling; room, butlots the Skoda has by f quality interior; most room and feels air of rear seathead space; Move to the rear seats and cheapest to run the Kamiq is in a class of its own.

It has enough leg and h Against Two-level to shame some SUVs in boot room floor costs extra;the theclass leastabove SUV- and it’s the be three rea like tofor sit accommodating in; sat-nav passengers. a pricey option Our only slight g that it has a tall, thin hump in floor that can make climbing Recommended and out awkward. options Captur offers a little m MetallicThe paint rear leg room than the Puma (£595), heighteven so, the Puma is the mor adjustable boot comfortable of the two for th floor (£155), keyless in the back, because even tho start (£245) the Captur has more head ro on paper, the sides of the car in to meet the roof, so you’re Renault Captur likely to bump the side of you head. That’s especially true if try to squeeze three in the re For Affordable Add ingood the Captur’s larger cen PCP costs; floor hump Euro NCAP crash and the Puma sq ahead flexible in this area. test scores; All three get regular 60/40 rear seats folding rear seatbacks, althou theWeak Captur’s bench also slide Against fore and ride aft as one piece. Han engine; so-so this can be done from the bo and handling; rear seat area. The Kamiq smallthe touchscreen; the only one without a stand cheapest-feeling height-adjustable boot floor, interior least it’s only £155 as an optio What the Kamiq does have Recommended a huge boot, which can swall options seven carry-on suitcases to th Metallic paint Captur’s six. The Kamiq also (£560) handy hooks and cubbies to s shopping and smaller object from rolling around your boo However, it’s the Puma that c on top, swallowing eight guide onout p97 thanks to something Ford ca the MegaBox. This sizeable >> whatcar.com

April whatcar.com 2020 61 April 2

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