Archive for March, 2008
March 23rd, 2008 -- Posted in Story |
Here’s a doozy. I could literally give you dozens of reasons why people hit more unforced errors that they should, but that wouldn’t do you much good. I will give you the number one reason, however: Poor balance. I’ve written extensively about this subject in the past, but I would like to ‘connect the dots’ for you, as it were, and explain how poor balance causes a subtle chain of events to occur that, explained individually, don’t add up to much; but when linked together, explains how a tennis player can go from being in perfect position to hitting that unforced error in less than one second.
Look at it like this: If a ship is off course by 1 degree, it no big deal if the Captain catches it right away; but by the time that ship gets 100 miles out to sea, the ship is way off course. It’s the same way with unforced errors in you tennis game. To understand why you hit so many unforced errors in a tennis match, you need to reverse engineer the situation from the ideal, and find out where the weak link is in you ‘chain’, so to speak.
Ideally, at the moment we hit a ‘perfect’ tennis shot, several things have happened; the last of which is the stroke. Before we can swing that perfect stroke, however, we must be in the right place at the right time on the tennis court. We must be ‘in position’. In order to be in the proper position the hit the tennis ball, you must be balanced. If you are not balanced, your swing will not be efficient. If your swing is not efficient, you lose the two most important aspects of the shot itself: power and accuracy. Since power and accuracy are what we are striving for (to varying degrees) on just about every shot, it would behoove us to face the fact that we need to be balanced every time. It is the ideal. It is what we strive for in order to get our desired result: an accurate, powerful shot.
So now that I’ve answered the question and shown you the main cause of unforced errors, I will let you in on a little secret: balance is merely the ‘tipping point’, or ‘point of no return’ when it comes to the root causes of unforced errors. Looking backwards, if balance is the ‘tipping point’, then there must be aspects of on-court movement that cause poor balance in the first place. There are several, among them lack of coordination, lack of speed and agility, lack of physical conditioning, impatience, lack of training…the list goes on.
However, there are plenty of ways to quickly improve your balance on the tennis court without going through hours of repetitious drills. The first way is to recognize where your center of gravity is while ’static’, or not moving. Vertically, it’s right around your belly button. When you are moving, however, your center of gravity is constantly shifting to different points in your body. Knowing this allows us to make a change in how we move in order to keep our center of gravity as close to our belly button as possible. A good way to do this is to move with your knees in a slightly bent position, which lowers the center of gravity and allows your leg muscles (largest muscles in your body) to do the work they were meant to do, as opposed to your lower back.
A second way to improve your balance on the court is to think of your head, torso, and legs as one unit, and not a bunch of seperate body parts that just so happen to be linked together. You can ‘feel’ this by doing the following the next time you’re on the court:
• As you warm up, try to keep your head above and ‘in-line’ with your hips, as opposed to leaning your head forward every time you move to the tennis ball.
• Keep a slight knee bend and stay on the ‘balls of your feet’ while preparing to move to the ball.
• If the ball you are about to hit is a low one, bend at the knees and not the waist. This will keep your head more in line with your torso, keeping your more balanced, and as a bonus will not only strengthen your legs, but will also help to prevent the lower back injuries so common in tennis.
In conclusion, remember that while there are a number of causes of unforced errors, balance is a huge key to preventing them. Work on your balance regularly, and you’ll see your percentage of unforced errors fall through the floor!
To Your Massive Tennis Success,
Coach Kyril
Kyril Popoff is a former NCAA Div1 All-Conference Tennis Player, Instructor, Coach and Author.
His books include THE TEN LAWS OF TENNIS SUCCESS and FOCUS & WIN: WHY YOUR TENNIS GAME ISN’T WHERE YOU WANT IT TO BE, & WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT!
You can sign up for Coach Kyril’s Tennis Lessons, Tips & Tricks newsletter at: http://www.coachkyriltennis.com
March 19th, 2008 -- Posted in Story |
Which event are you going to attend?
Don’t panic! You may think that this question has nothing to do with how to buy Wimbledon Tickets Online. But I am just asking you this because most of the times when you are not sure about the event you are going to attend, the ticket sellers mostly confuse you giving the choices.
Wimbledon remains one of the very few major UK sporting events for which you can still buy premium tickets on the day of play. Approximately 500 tickets daily for each of the Center (except for the last 4 days), No.1 and No.2 Courts are reserved for sale at the turnstiles.
Roughly 6000 Ground Admission tickets are available each day for entry to the Grounds, including the No.2 Court standing enclosure and unreserved seating and standing on Courts 3-19. This number may vary depending on the number of people already in the grounds, the number of courts in play and the weather.
In order to buy the tickets online, you will get so many options but there are a few things to be considered first. The number one thing is that while purchasing the tickets, make sure that you make your purchase before the play date. Since, most of the sellers increase the price till then and you will end up paying more.
What are the Sources of Buying Tickets Online?
To buy Wimbledon Tickets online, you can use British Tennis Members Ballot, Tennis Federations, Affiliate Organizations or Debentures. But to get a genuine ticket (Since, the tickets are non transferable and most of the sellers sell the tickets of people not attending the play), in time, I have used Barry’s Tickets and they are genuine people. The last time I purchased a debentures ticket through their site and it reached in time to me. So, I can just recommend you what actually worked for me. Just go to their site here and select the seat. You will then further be taken for payment process. Just complete steps prompted and you are done!
Are you sure that the tickets would reach you in time while you are ordering them online? Make it sure by visiting here… ==> http://www.squidoo.com/wimbledon-tickets
March 9th, 2008 -- Posted in Story |
The jewelry we wear speaks volumes about our personality. Unlike clothing that you may wear for one season and forget about, jewelry is a choice that requires a bit more of a commitment. Because jewelry lasts longer than the latest clothing fad, we tend to choose styles that represent our innermost personality.
There are essentially two camps of jewelry fans – those who prefer silver jewelry and those who prefer gold. Some may appreciate and wear both, but just about everyone has a preference to one over the other. If you’re the type who likes intricate silver necklaces, sterling silver rings, and designer inspired jewelry in brilliant silver, your choice reveals quite a bit about your personality.
You’re Not the Type to Follow the Crowd
Gold jewelry is most often represented in commercials and given the most prominent real estate in the jewelry stores. However, there is a huge following of people who prefer the pleasing look of silver to gold. This group isn’t influenced by what the masses think is the most elegant precious metal. They follow their own heart, their own passions, and have their own unique style.
Your More Interested In Natural Beauty Than Glam
Having lots of gold bling is great if you’re going for the glam look, but gorgeous sterling silver rings, richly intricate silver necklaces, and ornate silver earnings have an air of classic beauty. Beautiful, strong women have adorned their bodies in silver in every culture and society from Native American tribes to today’s classic Hollywood celebrities.
You Have a Solid Foundation of Self Confidence
Sure you could refinance your home to buy a giant diamond solitaire set in 24-karat gold. But you’re not the type to spend your kids college fund on a diamond when you could have silver cz jewelry that looks just as elegant. You don’t feel the need to brag about the karats on your hand, and feel just as beautiful in stunning silver cz jewelry that looks as wonderful as it’s price tag.
You’re On Target With Today’s Trends
Silver is the new gold in Hollywood today. Celebrities like Oprah, Angelina Jolie, J.Lo, and Victoria Beckham are sporting silver these days. And even if you don’t have a celebrity bank account, you can afford stunning designer inspired jewelry modeled in today’s hottest trends. Just because Katherine Mcphee’s silver earrings are studded with diamonds doesn’t mean that you can’t have silver cz jewelry that looks just as fabulous.
Ben Affleck showed that he had style and class when he presented J. Lo with a sliver colored engagement ring topped with an amazing 6-karat pink diamond. But even the budget conscious silver lover can steal the look when it’s from a collection of fine silver cz jewelry.
Whether your style is classic sterling silver rings or high fashion silver cz jewelry, silver is a choice that tells the world that you are stylish, independent, self confident, and appreciative of natural beauty.
Author is a freelance copywriter. For more information on Silver CZ Jewelry, visit http://www.OverstockSilver.com/.