Tennis Hall of Famer Gigi Fernandez, who won 69 doubles titles and was a singles semi-finalist at Wimbledon in 1994, has begun a company named Baby Goes Pro, a DVD series that provides children and parents technically correct, fun and instructional ways to learn the basics of sports, in particular baseball, basketball, golf, soccer and tennis. It encourages kids to play and inspires them to move, with the mission of the company to help kids lead active, healthy lifestyles. It is hoped that starting them young will set them on the right path.
The first DVD, Discover Sports, stars Emkei the monkey, a 3D character who, along with pro athletes, shows the basics for each sport in a fun way.
“It was important to me that every shot in our series be technically correct,” said Fernandez. “If your three-year-old has been watching Baby Goes Pro, the first time he or she sees a tennis racquet they will know how to pick it up and swing it. The same goes for gripping a golf club or shooting a basket.
“When I was playing professionally, if I wanted to learn how to improve my technique, I would watch videos of people better than me to learn from them. I am a very visual learner so I thought, why not use the same principal to start teaching kids how to play sports early on?”
Baby Goes Pro has already been a big success. It sold out on Amazon and was featured on the cover of the New York Times, and the TV commercial has been featured on major networks. Even First Lady Michelle Obama, who has been behind the Let’s Move! initiative to reduce childhood obesity, has also touted it.
Topics: 3d Character, Amazon, Baseball Basketball, Childhood Obesity, Children And Parents, First Lady, Gigi Fernandez, Gripping A Golf Club, Hall Of Famer, Healthy Lifestyles, Major Networks, Michelle Obama, New York Times, Semi Finalist, Sports Stars, Tennis Hall Of Famer, Tennis Racquet, Tv Commercial, Wimbledon, Wimbledon In 1994