Tennis Tips - Granat article

In one of his recent weekly columns for NorthJersey.com, "Who Will Win" co-author lists eleven tennis tips based on an interview with a tennis pro.  Here are some of those tips:

• Many players need to shorten their backswing. A compact swing can reduce errors.
• Players tend to not use their legs enough on their strokes. They play primarily with their arms. Macci suggests that players bend their knees as if they are about to sit in a chair and then push down and drive.
• Players can get too excited on a volley and they tend to take a too large of a backswing on their volley. Remain calm at the net and use a short compact motion.
• Weekend warriors abbreviate their follow through because they are afraid of hitting the ball out. They decelerate and stop the racket. Make a fluid full swing.
• Many players do not toss the ball high enough on their serve. Macci reminds players that the service motion is a lot like throwing a javelin. You want to hit up and out at the ball. You need a high toss to do this well.

Please read more here:
http://www.northjersey.com/community/family/reflections/215942991_Top_tennis_pro_reveals_11_common_mistakes_in_tennis.html?page=all

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Quant Fact Predictions now 35-20 (63.6%)

With our predictions for both the Stanley Cup Finals and NBA Finals correct, our quant fact predictions improve to 35-20, or 63.6%.  Our work shows the power of quantifying concepts related to sports psychology.  Sometimes our championship factors agree with the general consensus, but sometimes we pick against generally-accepted favorites.  As one of our readers said, "I'll take 65% all day long!"

The factors we focus on are more easily coached -- and can help improve results.  These include a focus on the fundamentals, minimizing errors, and methods to improve confidence.  

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and how pitchers can improve their results.  

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Who Will Win author quoted in NY Observer

The New York Observer had a fun article on home run trots, tracked by Tater Trot Tracker.  If you're interested in how long it takes for your favorite batters to round the bases on a home run, check it out.

Some tidbits:

• David Ortiz & Todd Helton are slow on their home run trots (around 30 seconds).
• Adam Rosales, Carlos Gomez, Yasiel Puiz and Angel Pagan are fast (around 17-19 seconds).

Granat was quoted in the article, saying that personality traits and how athletes play the game can be mirrored in their home run trots.  

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Read more here:

http://observer.com/2013/07/going-yard-breaking-down-all-of-2013s-long-balls-with-tater-trot-tracker/