Tennis Tutorial

Tennis players from the entire world all have a few things in common. They all want to improve their game, and this article will help a few of those people with their serve. All the information for a good basic serve to a great slice serve technique will be explained in this tennis tutorial.

Things to think about when performing a basic serve:

• Start in your service stance on the right side of the court and make sure your holding your racket with the Continental grip.
• Have your weight distributed equally on both feet and turn your hitting shoulder against the service box you want to serve in.
• Toss the ball slightly in front of you when your tossing arm is fully stretched and your racket arm elbow is bent and is bringing the racket up.
• Hit the ball with your racket arm fully stretched and your weight pushed forward, well over your front foot.
• Let you racket swing down on the left side of your body and your right foot come down for a balanced follow through.

For a more advanced player a topspin serve is more appropriate, although there are a few more things to think about:

• Instead of just hitting the ball straight on, brush it by twisting you grip and making a more swing-like motion on the serve.
• Snap the wrist sideways so the racket face hits the ball a glancing blow from below.

If youre interested in performing a slice serve, this tennis tutorial offers some tips on how to perform it:

• Take the usual Continental grip and toss the ball a little to the right of your front shoulder.
• Put your weight on your bent front knee and turn your hitting shoulder away.
• Hit the ball with a topspin/sidespin combination around the side of the ball with your racket.
• Snap your wrist forward, hitting the ball on the right center side sending your racket almost head-on.
• Follow through with your racket past your left side like on a basic serve.

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Symbian Mobile Phones

A phone using the Symbian operating system is able to integrate several software applications at once, such as word processors, internet browser and email. The first phone on the Symbian OS was the Nokia 9210. It was launched in 2000 and was a fairly ordinary-looking handset with the old style black-on-green screen and simple keypad...at first glance.

Opening it up revealed a full QWERTY keyboard and colour screen, almost like a mini laptop. It could be used to send emails, browse the internet and it featured a word processor, spreadsheet, presentation viewer and file/contents manager. All this from a fairly basic-looking handset.

Since the 9210 the Symbian OS has appeared on several new handsets, with more and more software being developed to make use of them. A regular feature on the Symbian OS is the ability to send and receive emails as well as access instant messaging, full internet access and even hook the handset up to your TV.

Nokia seems to have cornered the market in Britain when it comes to Symbian phones, with handsets in all shapes and sizes from clamshells to sliders to PDA's. There's even a handset which looks like a small camcorder; the Nokia N93i is capable of video capture of DVD quality, as well as mobile TV software to turn it into a portable television.

But Nokia are by no means the only manufacturer to jump on the Symbian bandwagon. Ericsson, LG, Samsung and Motorola all have handsets carrying this technology too. The Motorola Z8 also carries yet another new feature; a 'kick-slider'. This means that when the phone slides up, it forms a curve which fits the shape of your face letter than a standard handset would. Not exactly a feat of modern technology, but sometimes the simplest things are the best.

While Symbian phones are the top end of the technology spectrum at the moment, they're still reasonably priced. Some are even available on a pay as you go tariff, for those who don't want to be tied to a monthly package. Look on the internet and mobile phone retailers for the best deals.

Look for pay monthly or pay as you go mobile phones on the Symbian OS. Compare tariffs and deals on mobile phones before you buy. You can often find the best deals on mobile phones if you buy online.

J Tillotson is a UK author specialising in technology and communications.