As a man, I have always felt something "girly" about the word hobbies. Maybe men reading this will agree, that it's not a very masculine concept. Any partners/wives reading this, I'm sure your husband will agree. Pictures of knitting needles, and cakes being baked are conjured up. But it's really not this way at all, I've found out. I'm going to be writing a list of hobbies that men can do without feeling less masculine. Hobbies like these can be relaxing, they can relieve stress, make you friends (manly friends), even expand your knowledge of things.

NOTE : No knowledge of baking or soap operas required.

First on the list, Fishing. Surely you must've guessed that this would turn up. Fishing is awesome. Sitting in nice weather, throw some bait out, and then sit, looking at the glistening waters. Observe nature, talk to friends - maybe get through a six pack in the cooler. Oh yeah, and pulling a fish out the waters is just something a little extra, which will probably boost your confidence. To get started fishing, I would talk to relatives about what they know, and probably pick up some magazines and books. Fishing stories can be very interesting. Equipment wise, rod reel and bait. Read up on these, they'll cost about $50 minimum - but you can hire them if you don't intend on becoming a serious fisher.

Now, Pool. Pool, Billiards, Snooker, whatever. These games are easy to play but can provide a great level of entertainment, take your mind off things, give you something to concentrate on or something you can claim to be good at. Getting started? You can read books, or get tutorials or something - I think diving straight in there works with Pool. It's just a matter of getting the hang of it.

Now for something that might just be manly enough for you. Target shooting. Probably the best way to sharpen your concentration, hand-eye coordination - and don't forget it's incredibly satisfying to pump a target full of holes - thus relieving stress. While in target shooting the idea is always similar - hit the bullseye - don't think there isn't variety. There is a wide range of rifles to choose from - pistols, rifles, air-guns, one shot cowboy style revolvers, even sub-machine guns in some US states. Gun rental and hiring of the range per hour will probably cost about $25.

Fantasy sports. From the comfort of your own computer - heck you could start now. Fantasy sports are games in which you pick a team for a sport, and then play against other people. You can create private leagues and play against your colleagues and friends. Winning usually is rewarded with stats of some sort - and then if you win a public league you get a prize. Sports can be soccer, Baseball, Football, Hockey - even Professional Wrestling.

Finally, do something that you'll feel really good about. Coaching kids, or mentoring. You can coach kids on anything that you're good at - it's not only sports. You can coach on any of the above and help kids to be good at things and get them out and active. You can also mentor children - to give them a higher chance of succeeding in life. If you try this, beware, you will feel very good about yourself.

So there are quite a few things you can do, and all of them include benefits aside from fun.

Try them out!