January 2006 Monthly Archive

The ABCs of Tennis

A former elementary school teacher and new Tennis Service Rep says it all starts in the schools. (Click here to read more...)

A Winning Team

Fighting Illini Coach Dancer brings experience and enthusiasm to his position. (Click here to read more...)

Use the Internet to Improve Your Business Skills

Is tennis your life? It's certainly your work if you're reading Racquet Sports Industry. You likely attend industry conferences, and even play tennis for fun on the weekends and on vacation. It's a great gig, but "all tennis, all... (Click here to read more...)

USRSA Members' Choice Awards 2006

Our exclusive rankings, based on responses by USRSA members, will help you pick the right strings for your shop. (Click here to read more...)

The inch that changed tennis forever

The modern game of tennis is played at a furious pace compared with the old days when everyone used wood racquets. Just watch old film from the 1950s and you will see that the game is vastly different. Ken... (Click here to read more...)

Finding the Right Treatment

Emergency medical devices, such as defibrillators, are reassuring to clubs and their members. (Click here to read more...)

Finding the Right Insurance for Your Business

It's a simple concept: Businesses need insurance. So many things can happen on or to your property or with your products that you need to be protected against losses and lawsuits. For those who can't afford or don't want... (Click here to read more...)

How to Reward Your Service Stars

It was the last day of the season at an outdoor club in the Northeast. The staff was gathered in the clubhouse to hear the general manager's closing remarks before heading off to their winter jobs. He highlighted the... (Click here to read more...)

An Investment That Counts

If you haven't heard about it before, then when you turn to page 7 of this issue, you should be pleasantly surprised. The latest annual Tennis Participation Study shows an increase — by 1.1 million — in the number... (Click here to read more...)

Delivering a Quality Experience

For pro Jorge Andrew in South Carolina, it's all about getting people involved — and coming back for more. (Click here to read more...)

To Drum up Business, Take Your Show on the Road

Whether you're managing a private club or public facility, one essential piece of information to identify is the value of your customers. Sounds simple but few have this number at their fingertips. Here are some tips to ballpark this... (Click here to read more...)

How 'Likeability' Can Affect Your Bottom Line

Whether you are a tennis teaching pro, general manager, owner of a retail store, or an employee who interfaces with customers, being "likeable" is a key factor in the success of your business. In terms of customer satisfaction, employee... (Click here to read more...)

Playtest: Klip Lightning 16

Lightning is one of Klip's "Pro Doubles" (hybrid) strings, combining its Legend natural gut with its Excellerator nylon. Klip's Legend natural gut is 100 percent Australian top grade gut. Excellerator is a high-end multifilament, with 30 percent more fiber... (Click here to read more...)

Industry News

Information to help you run your business. (Click here to read more...)

How to Fix Your Game

At the 2006 CTDW, you'll find people, seminars and ideas that can help your business — and help the game grow. (Click here to read more...)

Head of the Class

RSI and the ASBA bring you the best in tennis court construction. (Click here to read more...)

Breaking the Chain

New and creative alternatives to tennis court fencing are challenging the old chain-link enclosures. (Click here to read more...)

Taking Cover

The latest warm-ups offer coordinating style and function and are great for more than just tennis. (Click here to read more...)

360-degree rotation

Q: Why do some stringing machines have the tension head so high that it's in the way, so you can't rotate the racquet 360 degrees?... (Click here to read more...)

Swingweight

Q: I'm confused about swingweight. Let's say I have two different racquets, one of which weighs 320 grams and has a swingweight of 300, and one that weighs 300 grams and has a swingweight of 320. Which is going to... (Click here to read more...)

Power pads

Q: I have a question about the dampeners that are used at the throat of racquets. Not the regular dampener on the stringbed, but material that is placed between the frame and string at the holes. What is the purpose... (Click here to read more...)

Tracking stringbed stiffness

I find that serious tennis players are beginning to realize the importance of a racquet's stringbed stiffness. As Crawford Lindsey noted in the February 2005 RSI, there are two problems with establishing a universal stringbed standard: The cost of an... (Click here to read more...)

Help your starting knot

The knot at the start of the cross strings, when two-piece stringing, can sometimes get pulled into the grommet when you tension the first cross string. This especially happens if you're using a 17- or 18-gauge string. Before you apply... (Click here to read more...)