grittypretty.org

Can ping pong help me learn tennis? Will racquetball hurt my tennis game? Can badminton help me play better table tennis? These kinds of questions about the transference of skills between racket sports come up all the time. The author has some unique credentials to help answer these questions. We will examine some of the mechanical similarities and differences between racket sports to help answer some of these questions.

To best compare the mechanics of tennis, table tennis, or other racket sports requires a bit of basic kinesiology. If you are standing relaxed with your hands at your sides, palms facing forward, you are in what is called the “Anatomic Position”. If you angle your fingertips away from your thighs, the max being about 45 degrees, that movement is called “Wrist Abduction”. Reversing that small movement is called “Wrist ADDuction”. Kinesiology students remember the difference by visualizing that this body part is being “ADDed” toward the midline, or long axis of the body and like to capitalize the first three letters for clarity.

Wrist posture is one very important difference between table tennis, tennis, racquetball, squash, badminton, and even fencing. Picture a fencer with a sabre or foil in their hand thrusting toward the opponent. In order to make the foil tip reach as far as possible, the wrist must be fully adducted. The wrist posture for table tennis is nearly the same but used for another purpose, not just for extending the reach.

In table tennis, the wrist is adducted to allow it to express whip during forward motion at contact. The legs, torso, shoulder, and arm start the movement and transmit momentum in what is called a “Kinetic Chain”. That chain of movement snaps the table tennis racket like a bullwhip at the ball. This kinetic chain of momentum from the ground, up through the body, then culminating at contact is actually common to most, if not all, contact/collision sports such as football and baseball. In contrast to table tennis, the wrist in tennis is usually “ABDucted”.

With the brief exceptions of reaching defensively to get to a ball or reaching upward for a serve or smash, the wrist posture in tennis is more like holding a hammer, much more “ABDucted”. This posture does several things for a tennis player. First, it makes bearing the extra weight and length of a tennis racket easier by it being above the hand vertically.

Second, an “ABDucted” wrist is a stronger, more controllable wrist posture. It is more able to resist the high impact forces of a tennis ball and also more able to resist the high twisting forces of off center impacts. Obviously, these kinds of impact forces do not exist in table tennis and learning this posture requires a great deal of practice and discipline. Unfortunately, as the author has found, that same “ABDucted” wrist discipline painstakingly learned to play better tennis is difficult to set aside when one tries to play ping pong with its “ADDucted” wrist.

This is THE main complaint of table tennis coaches, when teaching those who have come from tennis, that they must constantly remind them to “drop” or “ADDuct” the wrist. The author’s own ping pong coaches just smile and point now! In the authors theoretical and practical opinion, It appears that among racket sports, tennis requires the most discipline in terms of wrist “ABDuction”. Tennis, and perhaps ping pong, may also require more discipline in its strokes in general. Again, some additional basic kinesiology is useful.

From the “Anatomic Position” described above, if you bend your wrists so that your palms face upward, you are FLEXING your wrists. When you return your hands to the position in which your fingers point toward the floor, you are EXTENDING your wrists. When you rotate your forearms so that your thumbs are next to your thighs and your palms face behind you, you are PRONATING your forearms. The opposite movement is called SUPINATION. Both PRONATION and SUPINATION are defined by the two bones in the forearm rotating around each other, movements which are distinct but often confused with flexing the wrist.

Because the target for badminton, squash, and racquetball is so large, acceleration of the racket and contact speed is usually top priority. To do that, both flexion and pronation is used in the forearm to obtain the highest velocity. The target in tennis and table tennis is smaller than the other sports and maximum racket velocity is less often desired. The notable exceptions are the tennis serve and smash, but even those strokes generate racket velocity by almost exclusively using PRONATION, not FLEXION of the wrist. Pronation is also the dominant forearm movement in throwing a fast baseball.

What does this tell us about transferring skills from one sport to another? Does this make one racket sport easier to learn if you are already familiar with another? These are obviously difficult and complex questions even for a biomechanical specialist in racket sports, but if we isolate just the differences discussed here, one path to the answers can be found.

When it comes to the wrist and forearm discipline described above, we can assume that it is more difficult to acquire discipline than to suspend it. For that reason it follows that it is easier to learn racquetball, badminton, and squash AFTER learning tennis or table tennis. Conversely, it is more difficult to acquire the forearm discipline required in tennis and table tennis, AFTER learning the other sports which emphasize laxity of both forearm motions described here.

Beyond its biomechanical logic, this principle is born out in the author’s personal experience in racket sports and over 30 years of coaching. His tournament experience in racquetball followed that of tennis and it always seemed easy to relax the discipline of tennis to “snap” at maximum velocity at a racquetball. Over these years many students struggled to learn the additional discipline of tennis after the other sports. In short, the author recommends learning tennis and/or table tennis BEFORE branching out into the other sports that are dominated by whipping arm swings.

Jonathan Bailin, Ph.D. received his doctorate in Biomechanics/Exercise Physiology while coaching tennis at the University of Southern California. He also taught racket sports to future coaches and broadcasters at USC and played in many handball, table tennis, racquetball, and college tennis events. Currently, Dr. Bailin operates a tennis coaching business in Marina del Rey, California, publishes research, consults for corporations in ergonomics, and enjoys recreational table tennis locally.

Dr. Bailin published TableTennisMenace.com when he rediscovered his first childhood passion, ping pong. On this site he uses his expertise to better guide consumers to only the best products for them. He pre-select only the best and most popular ping pong tables, table tennis rackets, ping pong balls, and accessories from the most respected suppliers and gives expert advice on product combinations.

Because of the sport’s universal appeal, modest space requirements, and potential to fight inactivity, he truly feels that whether you call it “Ping Pong” or “Table Tennis”, anyone can “Be a Menace” at http://www.TableTennisMenace.com.

Bowls is a sport that is played and followed by millions throughout the world. It is a game of skill and precision rather than physical fitness and has therefore often been associated as a game for the older generation. However, many of the upcoming champions are becoming increasingly younger and the sport has spent recent years making its competitions quicker and more colourful to encourage followers.

Bowls can be played indoors or outdoors, and the rules are the same for both. Put simply, the aim of the game is to get your bowls as close as possible to a small white ball called the ‘jack’.

In the singles competition, one of the two opponents flips a coin and begins a segment of the competition by placing the mat and rolling the jack to the other end of the green to serve as a target. Once it has come to rest, the jack is aligned to the canter of the rink and the players take turns to roll their bowls from the mat towards the jack.

When all the bowls have been played, a competitor or team gets one point for each of their bowls that is closer to the jack than the opponent’s closest bowl.

After all the bowls have been played, the direction is reversed which signals the end of an end.

In group games, the team captain always plays last and has a key role in directing the team’s shots and tactics.

Although it sounds easy, the fact that the bowls are not completely round and do not therefore travel in a straight line, means there is a great level of skill and tactics involved to win a match.

The game of Bowls has a distinctive history, dating all the way back to the Egyptians. Based on artefacts found in tombs dating circa 5,000 B.C, it appears that the Egyptians used to enjoy playing a version of skittles using round stones.

Different versions of this form of game then spread throughout the world and can be seen in the many types of bowls games played today. In Italy the game Bocce developed, which is a precision sport closely related to bowls with a common ancestry from ancient games played in the Roman Empire. In France the famous game of Boules arose from Bowls. This is a game that is played using metal balls, often on unusual and challenging terrain such as sand. The aim of the game is to get your large, heavy balls as close as possible to the small, white ‘jack’.

The traditional game of bowls, also known as lawn bowls or lawn bowling, has particularly developed popularity throughout England, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and more recently, Denmark. The oldest recorded bowls green is in Southampton, England, which dates back to 1299.

There are also many famous bowling fans throughout English history. Perhaps one of the most infamous in bowls folklore is Sir Francis Drake who, according to legend, insisted on completing his game of bowls in Plymouth before setting sail to confront the Spanish Armada in 1588.

King Henry VIII and King James I were also said to be keen lawn bowlers and even introduced bowling legislation for their subjects!

In 1903, the English Bowling Association was officially founded and began to organise and direct clubs and competitions. Previously competitions had always taken place but for the first time an extensive league and organised contests sprang up.

Indoor variations of the bowls game also appeared, largely due to the problem of the English winter stopping outdoor play. Indoor Bowls is simply the indoor version of Lawn Bowls, which is played on strips of artificial green a similar length to Lawn Bowls rinks.

All versions of the sport have now grown enormously and there is a wealth of leagues, clubs, amateur and professional bowling leagues and competitions throughout the world.

World Bowls grew out of the Commonwealth Games when it was first held 70 years ago (then known as the Empire Games). It was originally intended that only athletics would form part of the games but bowlers successfully convinced the organisers to have bowling included and it has been played at the games ever since. Top stars from both indoor and outdoor formats now come together to play lawn bowls at the Commonwealth Games.

One of the largest bowling event organisers today, is the World Bowls Tour (WBT) – a limited company formed in September 1996 by the Professional Bowls Association, and the two major governing bodies for world flat green bowls, World Bowls Ltd and the World Indoor Bowls Council (WIBC).

The primary object of WBT is to set up a series of premier bowls events at which the top players in the world can play.

One of the most exciting competitions in the UK World Bowls Tour calendar is the World Indoor Bowls Championships that take place at Potters Leisure Resort in Hopton, Norfolk. The event has been hosted at Potters for the last eight years (since 1999) and 2007 will see the event take place there once again for the ninth year running.

As on other previous years, 2007 will see professional players come together from throughout the world, to take part in televised matches including singles, pairs and mixed pairs.

The World Indoor Bowls championships take place at Potters Leisure Resort (more details can be found at pottersholidays.com)

Peter Joyner who regularly writes for www.pottersholidays.com

Mario Uribe Escobar, the president of Colombia’s cousin and leader of the Colombia Democratica political party, announced the removal of two Congressional candidates, Rocío Arias and Eleonora Pineda, from his party on 2 February for their outward support of paramilitary organizations. His announcement comes on the tail of a purge of a limited number of political candidates known to be supportive of Colombia’s paramilitary organizations.

These two candidates belong to a long list of politicians that in private will admit to close contact with paramilitary chieftains. Arias and Pineda are considered the most public faces of a wide-reaching and deep-pocketed effort to increase paramilitary political control on the national level through the upcoming congressional elections to be held on Sunday, 12 March.

A much smaller, more organized, and influential group of former paramilitary war lords has emerged. As a group, they began to exercise power within the realms of politics on a municipal and state level years ago. Their efforts were first recorded in the 2002 congressional elections. In these elections, paramilitary-supported candidates won with over 90 per cent of the vote in many cases because there was no opposition candidate on the ticket and voters were scared to abstain.

Through these strong arm tactics, paramilitary organizations have begun to increase the number of politicians they control in the Colombian congress. This time around, they look set to further increase that power. If they succeed, they will work to ban extradition, eradicating their worst fear, while solidifying their positions of power across numerous Colombian departments. It is a reality that severely hinders democracy and sets Colombia and the region on a path to less stability into the foreseeable future.

Paramilitary politics

Colombia’s departments, stretching from Panama to Venezuela along the country’s northern coast, have long been held by paramilitary commanders who act both publicly and behind the scenes to control political candidates on the municipal, gubernatorial, and national levels. Their heavy handed political influence in coastal departments such as Cesar, Guajira, Atlantico, Magdalena, and Cordoba, is most evident, according to German Espejo, an analyst with the Bogota-based Security and Democracy Foundation.

Espejo agrees that the paramilitaries fund and support congressional elections. “In addition to financial support, it is possible that the paramilitaries use their influence to obstruct the campaigns of candidates that do not support them,” Espejo told ISN Security Watch.

Claudia Lopez, Colombian journalist and United Nations Development Program (UNDP) consultant, completed a study published in December 2005 that took a close look at the intersection between paramilitary control in Colombia’s northern departments and the indices of landslide victories of political candidates from those areas. Her conclusions revealed atypical electoral behaviors in the 2002 Congressional elections where areas that had experienced high levels of paramilitary-related massacres, and thus presumed under paramilitary control, had produced unopposed political candidates who were elected with over 90 per cent of votes.

The Colombian daily El Tiempo has reported that in the paramilitary-dominated department of Magdalena, mayoral candidates ran unopposed in 14 of the department’s 30 municipalities. The tendency for candidates to run without opposition, winning with inflated percentages of the vote, has been repeated in numerous Colombian departments. The trend, referred to as “paramilitarization”, has been documented in the Colombian press and noted on the floor of the Colombian congress.

Alvaro Sierra published a column in El Tiempo on 25 September 2004 in which he stated that Colombia was becoming aware of the fact that “a substantial portion of national territory, of the daily lives of millions of people, of politics, of the economy, and local-government budgets, and an unknown amount of power and influence at the level of central-government institutions like the congress, is in paramilitary hands”.

Colombian Senator Carlos Moreno de Caro, vice-chairman of the Senate’s Peace Committee, was highlighted in the Colombian press in March 2005 when he defended the a move to give paramilitaries lenient treatment in the disarmament negotiations, arguing “the thing is, half the country is theirs”.

Adam Isacson, director of programs with the Center for International Policy in Washington, DC, said Senator Moreno de Caro’s statement was an exaggeration but not a wild one.

“Salvatore Mancuso’s statement that the paramilitaries control over 30 per cent of the Colombian Congress was probably inflated,” Isacson said. “But after the upcoming elections, it’s possible to be closer to the truth,” he told ISN Security Watch.

Ineffective pre-election purge

Relatively few candidates will publicly admit to their alliances with the paramilitaries, yet many will admit such ties in private. This has created a “don’t ask, don’t tell” situation that has made it difficult for President Uribe to act on the opposition’s claims. Many fingers are pointed in public but little evidence substantiates claims.

Paramilitary control of politics is a reality that some can stomach and others cannot. In the lead up to the 12 March elections, many opposition candidates publicly demanded that President Uribe do something to purge the lists of political candidates, removing those individuals thought to be in close cooperation with paramilitary leaders.

A great purge of political candidates suspected of paramilitary ties was most likely on US ambassador William Wood’s mind when in December 2005 he publicly stated: “Corrupt electoral practices may occur in the elections of 2006, notably by paramilitaries.” Uribe told him to stop “meddling” in Colombian affairs.

Weeks later, at a meeting in Cordoba on 9 January, Uribe found himself audience to a very heated discussion between two senatorial candidates in the paramilitary-controlled department. Each claimed the other to have made political pacts with paramilitary leader Salvatore Mancuso. Days later, Uribe asked the Colombian attorney general to investigate the senators’ ties to the paramilitaries.

That same week, Gina Parody, a Bogota congresswoman, declined invitations to run as a candidate for one of the two largest pro-Uribe political parties, Partido de la U and Cambio Radical. She explained that her decision not to run with either party was based on the fact that both parties include candidates “with paramilitary links”.

She named Dieb Maloof and Habib Merheg, both running for re-election as candidates of the Partido de la U. Maloof is believed to be an associate of Jorge 40, leader of the Northern Bloc, one of the largest and most powerful paramilitary organizations. Merheg has been suspected of paramilitary ties since 2003. Both were elected to Congress in 2002 as members of the Colombia Viva party, a political organization thought to be close to the paramilitaries.

On 18 January, the tide of accusations and investigations came to a head. Both Partido de la U and Cambio Radical expelled a total of five candidates from their ranks. But these candidates were quickly absorbed by smaller, pro-Uribe political parties, much to the disappointment of opposition candidates who supported the purges. Even after the very public removal of Rocío Arias and Eleonora Pineda, both candidates were absorbed into smaller, pro-Uribe political organizations.

Power over extradition

What has US ambassador Wood – and many others in Colombia – worried is not just pre-election purging and increased paramilitarization. The 2006 Congressional elections may place in power enough pro-paramilitary politicians to make extradition unlawful.

A law that bans extradition represents a de facto victory for Colombia’s paramilitary organizations. The US has made nine extradition requests for paramilitary leaders. All are immune to extradition while under the protection of the disarmament process, but currently have no definitive guarantee that they will not be extradited.

Banning extradition is the focus of every paramilitary leader’s political power play.

If the Colombian government were left without the negotiating leverage of extradition, the matter of ultimate justice for human rights atrocities, drug trafficking, and other criminal acts would be left in the sole jurisdiction of the Colombian justice system, one not known to have much success with Colombian criminals in the past. It is a system that would certainly be manipulated again in the future and one paramilitary leaders are willing to take on.

Paramilitary influence in Colombia’s congress ultimately goes beyond extradition. It places Colombian organized crime one step closer to the ultimate tool to protect itself – control over the legislative process.

With control over the legislative process, legally protected paramilitary leaders will contribute to massacres and escalated conflict with the leftist Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). Their positions as regional warlords will be solidified.

Increases in drug and gun trafficking are ensured. Exploitation of Colombia’s rural poor in the name of making the landed elite class more wealthy and powerful will grow.

Such a reality concentrates wealth in power in the hands of a few, exploiting the rest. It would consolidate many more years of insecurity for both Colombia and the region. And it promises a future where security – Uribe’s number one goal – in Colombia becomes a mirage. Paramilitary “king makers” will rule from regional outposts contributing to a de facto “Balkanization” of the country and a weakening of state sovereignty and democracy. If the paramilitaries come to control the legislative process in the Colombian Congress, a country ruled by warlords is a reality that may come to pass, and there is little the Colombian government, or any other government, can do to prevent it.

Sam Logan (http://www.samuellogan.com) is an investigative journalist who has covered business, security, energy, politics, economics, organized crime, terrorism, and black markets in Latin America since July 1999. He has reported from Caracas, Santiago, Sao Paulo, and Buenos Aires. He currently reports from Rio de Janeiro.

Do you watch too much Television? Are you concerned about the effect Television watching may be having on your family? Here are some suggestions that may help you keep your Television watching under control.

1 FIND OUT HOW MUCH YOU WATCH

It is wise to analyze your Television watching habits to see if changes should be made. Keep a diary for a week or so, writing down how much time you spend on Television watching. You may also want to list the programs that you watched, what you learned, and how much you enjoyed these programs. The main thing, though, is to calculate how much time you spend on Television watching. You may be surprised at what you find. Just knowing how much your life is devoted to Television watching may move you to make charges.

2. REDUCE YOUR TELEVISION WATCHING TIME

Try to do without Television watching for one day a week, a whole week, or a month. Instead you may want to set limits on the time spend on Television viewing each day. If you cut Television watching by half hour each day, you will have an extra 15 hours every month. Use that time, in meaningful activities, such as; pursuing spiritual interest, reading a good book, or spending time with family and friends. Studies have shown that people who do little Television watching enjoy it more than people who watch a lot of it.

3. REDUCE CHILDREN’S TELEVISION WATCHING TIME.

One way to reduce Television watching is to move the Television out of the bedroom. Children who have Television in their room spend nearly one and half hour on Television watching than children who do not. Further, when a Television is in a youngster’s room, parents do not know what the child is viewing. Parents and couples will find out that they will have more time for each other if they move the television out of their bedroom too. Some, by choice, have decided not to have a television in the home at all.

4. REDUCE WHAT YOU WATCH

There are, of course, many good programs to see. Rather than surfing through the channels or watching whatever comes on, check the listings in advance to select, the programs you want to watch. Turn the television on when the program you have chosen begins and turn the television off when it is over. Or instead of watching a program when it is aired, you may wish to record it for later viewing. That will make it possible to watch at a more convenient time and to fast-forward through commercials.

5 BE SELECTIVE

You will probably agree with me that many television characters are just like “Lovers of themselves, Lovers of money, self-assuming, haughty, unthankful, disobedient to parents, disloyal, having no natural affection, fierce, without self-control, puffed up with pride.

Being selective involves self-control. Have you ever watched the first few minutes of a drama or movie and, though you realized it was unacceptable, watched the entire film just to find out what would happen next? Many have however, if you have the will power to turn off the television so you can do something else, you will probably find that you don’t really care about what happened.

Television Watching is an exposé on the time an average person spends in front of the TV, addictive nature of too much Television watching,effects on the children etc. Family Matters provides interesting topics on family issues and parenting.

Childrens furniture is something that can be a fun purchase or a stressful purchase. There are several things to consider before you make the final selection. Examples are durability, budget, space, décor, age and preference. Durability is one of those things that you can’t afford to skimp on. Not only do you want furniture that is going to last a while, but you also want to make sure that the furniture is safe.

When looking at childrens furniture it is ideal to always have a budget in mind. Only you know what you can afford. Even if you are low on funds, that doesn’t mean that you can’t find quality childrens furniture. Comparison shopping locally or online will reveal a wide range of options regardless of the price range you are aiming for.

Then you need to factor just how much space you have. Are you looking for only a bed or a complete bedroom set? Childrens furniture, just like any other type of furniture, can be very deceiving in terms of size, whether on the store room floor or online pictures. Be sure you realize how much space you have available and continue to watch out for measurements while you’re shopping for childrens furniture.

For décor, once again you have tons of options. If you are shopping for a girls room you can always go for the traditional pink, yellow and purple furnishings. Character designs such as Barbie and Disney characters are always a big hit in girls room décor. Or you can also decorate with flowers or furry animals.

And while speaking of décor, a pre-teen may not appreciate a Barbie styled room, while a 5 year old would love it. Keep the age in consideration, not only because of the décor, but also for the furniture’s functionality. Is the child young enough for a toddler bed or bunk bed? The age is going to be a huge deciding factor of what type of children’s furniture you purchase.

Finally, preference. If your child is old enough, they may have their own preference in style. Maybe they prefer modern or shabby chic bedroom furniture. While you as the parent have the final word in what bedroom furniture will be purchased, it’s also a good idea to let the child have input in what type of style they prefer.

Tim Orick enjoys the outdoors and wants everyone to experience the same. From an early age he has been fascinated with solar energy, wind power and hydro power. Recycling, water conservation and environmental awareness has recently gained attention on a global scale and if we all do our part, there are enough resources for many generations. I invite you to visit http://www.bestchildrensfurniture.com for additional tips when buying children’s furniture and kids tables

Learning tennis can start at various ages. Some pick it up at a tender age of 3 – 4 years old. Others do not have the opportunity until later in life. Nevertheless, learning tennis is important for all ages, especially for kids for the following reasons and arguments:

• Tennis is a form of exercise

No matter how you see it, tennis will always give you some cardio work out which makes it a form of exercise. Tennis involves running, sprinting at times, stretching for the ball, power and grace. It not only requires physical agility but mental prowess as well. I thoroughly enjoy tennis as it gives me a good work out;

• Tennis stimulates the mind

For most people, tennis is merely a physical sport. Nothing more. But, if you look closely, you will realize that tennis requires more mental toughness and mental alertness than one would think it requires. For the competitive player, it is easily more than 80% mental than physical. Choosing the correct shot at the appropriate time is more important than just whacking the ball hard. This requires the mind to be nimble and agile to quickly discern the appropriate shot to make in order to win the point.

• Tennis improves your social network and self esteem.

We are all human beings. We require to be amongst people. Tennis will give you that opportunity to mingle and interact with people in a fun and engaging environment. It will help you to form or enter an already established social group. It helps to build you up as a person too. Not all of us are champion tennis players. That said, being able to hit a tennis ball well at times certainly gives me a sense of satisfaction and raises my self-belief a little more. It allows you to make more friends and feel that you belong.

• Tennis improves your mental toughness

Tennis, unknown to most players, requires one to really focus and execute an action within a split second. For competition players, tennis helps to improve their self worth and esteem. One has to be able to lose graciously, pick one self up and move on in life to the next match. Losing helps to humble oneself. It teaches one how to lose and yet be happy about it. One has to realize that here is more than life than just winning.

• Tennis is good for young kids

If you have the ability, let your kids try tennis at a young age. It will help to build them up physically and mentally. Tennis will open doors for these kids ie they may be able to get scholarships to various universities. It will help to toughen them up mentally. Of course, the physical aspects of tennis training will also make one stronger and fitter.

• You could learn tennis and be a coach

Tennis can be a means for making a living for some. Ideally, a competitive player, once retired or being injured could decide to take some coaching courses and become a tennis coach. Coaching can be rewarding financially but more importantly it can also be beneficial emotionally as you see your charges grow up to be men or women of stature in society. For some, tennis could give you an extra bit of income while you are studying in university.

• Tennis can be a business

Apart from being a coach, there are many business aspects relating to tennis. One can open up a sports shop selling tennis gear and equipment. You can sell tennis rackets, tennis shoes, tennis bags and many other items related to tennis. You could start and run a tennis club with membership fees. It can be quite lucrative and fun at the same time. Organising tennis tours to various tournaments globally can be another venture to look into.

Ultimately, if you ask any tennis enthusiasts what he thinks of tennis. You will get the answer that tennis has become a part of his life because of all or some of the reasons above. So, what are you waiting for? Sign up for your first tennis lesson and you will not look back again!. Happy Playing and Learning!

As an avid tennis player, I had my fair share of experiences in trying to find out which are the best ways to learn tennis in Singapore.

I hope this article will provide some guidance for all would-be tennis players! If you find this article useful and would really wish to learn tennis, please visit: http://www.singaporetennislesson.com

Happy Learning & Playing!
http://www.1sports.asia
Premier Sports Marketing Asia

Congratulations!

By deciding to investigate the benefits of television advertising, you are taking the first step to more sales and faster profits. More businesses owners than ever are turning to television as a powerful tool to grow their profits. And it’s not the traditional “deep pockets” crowd either. Small and medium sized businesses are flocking to television advertising like never before. Some are coming away battered and bruised. But many are smiling ear to ear because they have unlocked the secrets to television advertising success – on a print or radio budget.

The Golden Rule?

Don’t let the tail wag the dog. You need to take control of your journey into television advertising so that it pays off.

Does that mean you have to be an expert?

No. But you do need to know how the industry and the medium work in order to end up with a cost-effective television advertising campaign.

Which is exactly why we prepared “An Insider Guide To Crossing Over To TV Advertising… On A Print Or Radio Budget..And Making Plenty Of Profit!”

It’s your GPS to an affordable and profitable TV Advertising experience.

Now is the best time in history for small business owners to use television advertising to explode their sales! Airtime and commercial and television production rates are the most affordable they’ve ever been! Specialty channels let you laser target your ideal sales prospect.

Television adds a level of credibility to you and your business like no other medium can do.

There’s a reason you’re seeing video pop up just about everywhere as more and more business owners come to the realization that the more senses you can appeal to, the more likely it is that you can gain a foothold in the most crowded place anywhere – your prospect’s mind.

Need any proof? Just look at the absolute astounding success of You Tube. People are attracted to watching video.

Isn’t it time you jumped on board and gave it a try?

The 5 secrets revealed below will help you leverage the power of television advertising in your business.

Secret #1 Have A Clear Unique Selling Message

This applies to all your marketing but is especially true when it comes to TV advertising.

You need to provide your prospects with a compelling reason to want to learn more about your product or service.

And, if you’re using a 30 or 60 second commercial to achieve this objective, you need to make sure your message is equipped to get your prospect to take the next step in your sales process.

That’s why you must have a very clear message.

What is the main benefit, promise or solution you want your prospect to walk away with?

Or, put another way, what is your unique selling proposition (USP)?

It’s important to have one otherwise you will have trouble differentiating your offer from those of your competitors.

Not sure how to boil it down to a simple clear message?

You can start by asking and answering the following questions:

• Why do people buy from you? Why do people NOT buy from you? Really give this some thought and make a list.
• What benefits do clients gain from doing business with you? People buy to gain benefits. What does your product or services DO for them
• What emotional appeal does your product or service have? Does it provide a sense of relief? Make your clients feel a sense of pride? Television provides the perfect forum for hitting your prospect’s emotional hot buttons.
• What problem do you solve or what need do you fulfill?

Another way to gather ideas for your USP is to survey your current clients.

Ask them WHY they bought from you. Find out what problem you solved for them why did they pick you over the competition? You may be surprised by the answers. People buy for different reasons.

In developing your USP, what you want to do is figure out the most common reason people decided to buy your product or service and then use that insight to create a powerful selling message that makes you stand out.

Don’t forget to check out your competitors. Many times what is obvious to you and your competitors, isn’t obvious to your potential clients. And you can use that differentiate yourself from the rest of the pack. Here’s an example… Years ago, Folgers coffee decided they needed to increase sales. Competition was everywhere. So what did they do? They started promoting the fact that Folger’s was mountain grown and stamped “Mountain Grown” on their coffee cans. Sales exploded. After all, coffee grown on a mountain simply had to be special. Right? What the average coffee drinker was unaware of is that fact that MOST coffee is mountain grown. Folger’s simply used this little known fact to make itself stand out. The more finely tuned your USP is, the more effective your television campaign will be – and all of your marketing for that matter.

Secret #2 Know Your Ideal Client

Your ability to generate sales leads from your television ad campaign will be greatly enhanced if you have a clear understanding of who your best prospects are and why they buy from you.

Otherwise it’s virtually impossible to create an effective television commercial.

This vital knowledge allows you to create a script that speaks to the specific needs of the people most likely to buy your offering and present your unique selling proposition in a compelling way.

Your message resonates and creates a natural attraction. But let’s say you’re not exactly sure who your ideal client is? Or why they buy? How do you go about finding out?

Well, a quick effective way to do it is to take a look at your current clients. Especially those you really enjoy working with. What do they have in common? Do they share a number of similar characteristics? You may already have a target market and just don’t realize it.

Here are just a few “target market” criteria you can use to define your niche.

• Age – try to narrow the age group range of your best prospects
• Gender – who makes the decision to purchase your products or services? Who might influence it? This is important to know so you can make the right appeal.
• Marital status (single, married, divorced)
• Household Income. Do your best to estimate the income of your target customer.
• Occupation – are your best prospects white collar construction, sales people, entrepreneurs, retired • Geographical region. (ex: Toronto, warm climate, people who live near water)
• Lifestyle (professional, conservative, risk-takers)
• Company size (self-employed professionals, Fortune 500, companies with $10 Million + in sales)
• Industry specific (a marketing consultant who focuses on solo-professionals)
• Leisure Time Activities – what do your customers do to relax and have fun? Hobbies? Pastimes? Once you complete your research – combining the information you have about your existing clients along with additional characteristics – you will be able to build your ideal target customer profile. This will give you will have a clearer understanding of the language and tone you should use in your script and what type of information your target market will be looking for.

And it will help pinpoint the type of audience your television commercial should be presented to in order to produce maximum sales results.

Secret #3 Be Involved In the Process

Many small and medium sized companies that shy away from television advertising quickly latch on to the “perceived” high cost (more about this in Secret #5) as a reason they have been reluctant to give it a try.

But there’s often another factor lurking in the background that keeps many businesses from enjoying the success a professionally created television commercial can create.

Simply put: for some, making the leap to the world of television advertising can be intimidating.

In print, you write your ad and the publication runs it. In radio, you record your commercial and the station plays it.

With television, there are a lot pieces that need to be pulled together to produce a successful advertising campaign and for those who haven’t been through the process before, it can be a real leap of faith.

You need to be a kind of project manager for your television advertising experience. Do you need to be an expert? No. But you do need a sense of what the process involves so you can add to the experience where applicable.

To help you understand the elements that provide the foundation for a successful TV advertising campaign, here is a checklist:

• Budget – Many small and medium sized businesses don’t realize that the money they are currently investing in radio or print ad campaigns could be used to create an effective television advertising campaign – provided you know the secret (we reveal it in Secret#5) to avoiding one of the major hidden costs TV advertising. Production costs and airtime will be the two main components of your budget.
• Script - The script is your ad in words. This is your core selling message. The script dictates who says what, the tone and expressions used, what is seen on screen, who moves when and where. A script will be necessary for your commercial.
• Talent – This includes on-camera talent and voiceover talent. The more well-known and in-demand the talent, the more you pay. For many advertisers, local and regional talent will produce a professional result.
• Production Elements – You need to decide what kind of graphics, audio, or music you want – along with any other special effects..
• Length – Typically, TV commercial spots run 30 seconds. You can also run in 15-second and 60-second increments. An “infomercial” often runs 30 – 60 minutes and costs more to produce and to run.

At the end of the process, your TV commercial should answer one very important question for the viewer:

‘What’s in it for me?’

The way to answer that question so that both you and your prospect end up with a positive outcome is to make sure your commercial is focused on how the viewer can benefit from your product or service.

No one can sell your offering better than you.

You must use every bit of selling information you can to gain favorable attention immediately with the viewer! Otherwise the viewer will click away and your investment will be wasted.

And last, but definitely not least…

Tell the viewer what you want him/her to do next!

It’s incredible how many new TV advertisers (and some longtime veterans) fail to ask the viewer to take the next step in their selling process make this mistake. Do you want them to visit your web site? Pick up a phone and call? Come into your store? You need to lead them to where you want them to go next. Now, let’s move on to one of the costliest mistakes television advertisers make along with tips on how you can avoid it.

Secret #4 Be “Marketing Ready” For Your Prospect

Most businesses today use advertising and marketing as a way of initiating a relationship with a prospect. The same is true of television advertising.

After all, a 30 second spot on TV isn’t going to answer every question.

If your commercial has done its job, the next step is to invite your prospect to learn more about you can benefit him/her.

This could involve an invitation to visit your web site, pick up a phone and call you or drop by your location.

It’s critical to make sure that whatever you ask your prospect to do that you’re equipped to keep your prospect moving toward a sale.

This is where many TV advertisers drop the ball and end up wasting their valuable marketing dollars..

Let’s use a visit to your web site as an example. We’ll assume your prospect has watched your commercial and is shown your web site URL on the screen as it finishes.

Your commercial piqued his curiosity and made him want to know more about you and your offering.

Congratulations. You’re past the first hurdle – getting the prospect to take the next step in your selling process.

But that’s all you’ve accomplished at this point.

Now you’re moving on to the all-important “conversion” part of the sales process. Tons of visitors to your site won’t feed your family, pay your mortgage or let you lie around on the beach in Cabo San Lucas.

For that, you need to convert your prospects initial interest into a sale.

And a web site that doesn’t clearly pick up where your television commercial left off by immediately reminding your visitor ‘what’s in it for him’ and presenting your sales story in a compelling way is going to bring a selling opportunity to a grinding halt.

What’s the point of tempting a bunch of hungry prospects only to have them arrive and you’ve nothing to feed them?

Same thing holds true if you want them to call you. Every member of your team who has public contact must be ready to keep the momentum going.

The job of your TV commercial is to attract the fish. The rest of the job – hooking the prospect (in an ethical way, of course) and getting him into the boat and converting him into a lifelong profitable client is the job of your marketing.

You need to make sure your marketing message is consistent throughout ALL your marketing. Otherwise you won’t get the ROI you should.

Secret #5 Don’t Let Tail Wag The Dog

Television advertising can be rewarding, but you need an experienced hand guiding you past the pitfalls so you can produce a profitable result. So far, we’ve armed you with the knowledge you need to make sure your television advertising efforts position you for a successful outcome. Now it’s time to introduce the key thread that ties it all together. Making sure you partner with an industry professional who knows the ropes. The first place many small and medium size businesses turn for assistance is an advertising agency. A very expensive mistake.

Here’s why: Many ad agencies focus on “institutional” type or branding type messaging. They are image builders. While having a professional image is important, most of the businesses flocking to TV advertising these days need sales. You’re probably the same. You want viewers to watch your commercial and take the next step in your selling process. Maybe a visit to your web site or a phone call. For that, you need direct response television advertising. And many advertising agencies simply aren’t equipped for that. Nor do they know how to “convert” an interested prospect into a profitable lifetime client.

But here’s the dirty little secret they hope you won’t find out about: Many don’t have in-house resources to write your script. Or television production facilities so they can shoot your commercial. Or an editing booth where they can edit your footage. Here’s what that means to you… If the ad agencies don’t have the resources themselves, they have to go outside, cobble together a team of industry professionals who can and pay them. Guess who gets stuck with all the middleman mark-ups? But this ‘don’t worry, the client will pay for it’ old school mentality doesn’t stop there. Once your commercial is ready to air, you need a TV program to run it on. For looking in a book and phoning up to schedule your spots, the ad agency will charge you 15% of your media budget. Is that how you want to spend your valuable media dollars? Having someone round up a bunch of people who can and charge you for doing it? Thought so. Here’s an alternative… Creative Bube Tube is a full-service, one source expert at producing direct response television advertising and corporate videos. We work with small and medium size business to help them generate profitable sales. Many of our clients are newbies. But we’ve opened the eyes of more than a few savvy veterans along the way.

Here are four pillars we’ve built our business model on:

• One Source – Every aspect of your television advertising is handled in-house by our team. This means you avoid the unnecessary added cost mark ups, delays and finger-pointing caused by too many fingers in the pie.
• Expertise – We are television advertising experts. Period. It’s all we do. And we know how to sell. To you, that means campaigns that not only look professional, they send you a steady stream of qualified prospects.
• Cost Efficient – Because we know our craft, we understand how and where to use your budget efficiently – without having to grease the palm of a number of disconnected middlemen. That way, every dollar you invest is working to increase your sales. The media relationships we have built through the years provide you with red carpet access to your target market – for a fraction of the cost you would pay otherwise – with no hidden fees.
• Process – The key to effective affordable television advertising is sales driven creative, efficient production, proper planning and organization. That requires precise communication. Everything we do is in-house. We don’t outsource your creative to a production company that has no marketing background. Then send the footage after filming to a post-production house. Then hire a media buyer who has likely never even seen any of the creative. Then sit back and watch the confusion, as your budget gets chewed up in a sea of disorganization and chaos. Everyone on our team intimately is involved in your project – from beginning to end.

Creative Bube Tube makes television advertising effective and efficient – for both newbies and long-time television advertisers who are tired of wasting valuable marketing dollars propping up old-school practices. If you’ve been thinking about trying television advertising but have been holding off because you were concerned it was very expensive, we’d behappy to show you not only how you can afford it, but also how you can use it to skyrocket your sales results. Please call us today at 1-855 BUBE TUBE or visit our web site at http://www.creativebubetube.com and learn more about how we can help you generate a stream of profitable lifetime clients.

2011 Creative Bube Tube

About The Author: As the President of Creative Bube Tube, Jenny Munford has been directly involved in hundreds of television advertising campaigns and corporate video productions. She created Creative Bube Tube in response to a need she saw for someone in the industry to make television advertising affordable and effective for small and medium sized businesses who felt they were tied to print and radio to market their products and services. By creating a one-source shop that can handle all of a client’s needs, Jenny is able to provide clients with cost efficiency by eliminating one of the biggest costs of TV advertising – middleman markups. To learn more about how Creative Bube Tube can help you sell more of your product or service, please visit http://www.creativebubetube.com or call us at 1-855 BUBE TUBE.

This article goes into the basics of tennis for beginners. What are the first things you have to do when starting to play tennis? At what age should you begin? And what’s the best tennis racquet to begin with?

To start, one of the best ways of learning to play tennis is to use your body’s natural abilities. If you do this the right way, you will build up thousands of natural muscle connections. It will ensure that you can keep on developing and never run into a dead end along the way.

First Steps to Take

Three things are crucial to me when it comes to tennis for beginners:

Step 1 – In case you have never had previous tennis coaching, then find yourself a tennis coach who can teach you the fundamentals. Only when you have learned the basics of tennis, you can move on to more advanced stuff.

Step 2 – This is about really delving into tennis through reading, watching tennis games, and practicing tennis as much as you possibly can. My favorite motto is “sleep, drink, eat tennis”.

Step 3 – Now it’s time to learn specific baseline tactics and other tennis drills for beginners. The goal should be to develop as quickly as you possibly can. Your focus should be to win – playing tennis is not the same as hitting balls!

When to Start?

What is the best age to start playing tennis? The answer to this question really depends on your goals. If you really want to become part of the top 100 tennis players in the world, then you should start as young as possible. Remember that a famous tennis player like Andre Agassi picked up a tennis racquet before he could even walk. Boris Becker won Wimbledon at the age of 17, and Rafael Nadal was winning professional tournaments at age 16. One exception is Vince Spadea, but even he started playing tennis at the grand old age of 14.

The reason for this, is that young children can effortlessly develop their coordination just like young children can learn any language without effort.

However, don’t let these sobering facts stop you from starting to play tennis. Even if you don’t become a top 100 tennis player, tennis is still an excellent way to develop mental strength and fitness. And don’t forget that for talented amateurs, Europe has leagues that pay you to represent their club. Also, many tennis players who don’t make it to the top, still get good paying jobs as tennis coaches.

Your First Tennis Racquet

When you buy your first tennis racquet, it doesn’t have to be a professional racquet. But unless you are particularly light or young, it should be an adult racquet. If you weigh under 80 pounds, you should go for a junior racquet, meaning any racquet under 27 inches.

Particularly, you should try to avoid the following:

Racquets with a head size under 100 square inches. Racquets with a larger head size make it easier to hit the ball and such racquets also give the player more power as they have a larger sweet spot.

“Head light racquets” that have their weight based in the handle, as they are particularly meant for advanced players and not for beginners.

Racquets that start to weigh in at under 280 pounds. Very light racquets are meant for players who are very light themselves. However, once you start off with a very light racquet, it is typically hard to change to a proper one later. So it’s better never to start with a light racquet in the first place.

Aluminium racquets for beginners are the cheapest and can already be bought for $30 to $70. As you advance, you can switch to a graphite racquet which are available in the $80 to $330 price range.

Max Gregor is the editor of How-2-Tennis.com, a complete information resource for beginning and advanced tennis players. Find more about tennis terminology at his site.