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Styles: Sports / Action Photography
Freeze the action 
Use a fast shutter speed if you want to freeze the action. For example a footballer jumping to head the ball will look great if you can freeze them mid-flight.
The best way to achieve this is to use the shutter priority mode (often indicated by a 'S' or 'Tv' on the mode dial.
Photo by Colin
Capture the Action – Don’t Freeze It
"Hold on a second ... didn't you just say to use a fast shutter speed to freeze the action?" you're thinking!! Well yes, but we also said don't try and apply all the guidelines in every picture and here's an example were you are going to have to pick one or the other. Which technique you use depends on the image. For some fast sports, you want to capture the movement and the sense of speed. For this a slower shutter speed is required (around 1/8 - 1/30s) – however to prevent excessive blur of the subject, pan the camera to follow the motion of the moving subject. This will blur the background which lends to the overall sensation of speed.
Photo by Phil
Expressions on the face 
Although it is always tempting to capture the whole event, it is sometimes more rewarding to capture peoples reactions. The picture below shows a couple of girls on a fairground ride. You don’t need to see the whole ride in the picture – the expressions on the faces show more of what is happening.
Photo by Phil
You really need a DSLR
If you have a compact camera, you are really going to have your work cut out for you. Two features of any camera that really help with action and sports photography are having a fast autofocus, and having a fast continuous shooting rate. All DSLRs will focus much faster and more accurately than a compact camera. They can also capture images much more quickly. Canon's entry-level DSLR camera can capture 3 frames per second whereas a typical compact works at about 1-1½ frames per second.
DSLRs also give you the option of buying fast (large aperture) long focal length lenses with sophisticated image stabilisation. This allows you to get really close to the action and still get fast shutter speeds.
Switch off the Autofocus
An alternative to struggling with the autofocus on your camera is to switch it off and manually pre-focus. This was often the method used in the times before autofocus was invented. Select a place where you know your main subject will be at some point in the future (e.g. the finish line of a race), lock the focus there and as your subject approaches this place start firing shots in continuous shooting mode. This should enable you to get at least one good shot. Of course, a camera with a rapid continuous shooting speed helps here (e.g. Canon’s EOS 40D can shoot 6.5 frames per second).
Monopods
Tripods are not suitable for action photography, however a monopod will provide you with a significant amount of support yet retain the ability to point the camera very rapidly.
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Photographs
This is a site about photography so I'm sure you are expecting to see plenty of pictures.
For now, why not take a peek at the flickr galleries belonging to the two authors of this site.
Colin's Flickr Page
Phil's Flickr Page
"I like to get emotion in a photo. I like it when people laugh at a picture - or react with tears. A sports image works when people don't have to read the caption."
- Bernard Brault
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