An animation of a science beaker with a bubbling green liquid appears on screen with a title that reads "Sports Lab."

Now Nykeem appears on screen walking along a road. Nykeem is in his thirties, has shaved black hair, is clean-shaven, and wears a blue collared shirt.

Nykeem says HEY EVERYONE,
WELCOME TO SPORTS LAB,
WHERE SPORTS GETS
TO KNOW SCIENCE
AND WE GET TO HAVE FUN.

(Theme music plays)

The opening sequence begins.

Two light blue doors with a title that reads "Sports Lab" open where thousands of sports equipment encircles a classroom skeleton. The animated balls fly throughout the white room stopping at scenes of people playing different sports.

First Nykeem kicking a soccer ball, then a boy on a skateboard, then a tennis ball, then a hockey goalie, and lastly of a group of kids and Nykeem who break on a tennis court and say SPORTS LAB!

All the sports equipment turns into different colours and funnel into a science beaker with green liquid with a label that reads "Sports Lab."

(music plays)

Nykeem walks up to a house and says MY NAME'S NYKEEM,
AND TODAY, A GAME OF SPEED,
OF EXCITEMENT, OF THRILLS
AND SPILLS...

Nykeem walks into the house and goes down to the basement and says ...ALL IN THE COMFORT
OF YOUR OWN BASEMENT.
I'M TALKING ABOUT...
TABLE TENNIS.
(FANFARE)

In the white room, the science beaker with green liquid bursts with colours and balls and a title emerges that reads "Table Tennis."

Nykeem walks in between 4 blue tables and a caption reads "Geng Table Tennis Academy, Ottawa, Ontario."

Nykeem says WE'RE AT THE GENG
TABLE TENNIS ACADEMY,
THE ULTIMATE IN BASEMENT
TABLE TENNIS.
TABLE TENNIS TAKES THE FAST PACE
AND EXCITEMENT OF TENNIS
AND SHRINKS EVERYTHING DOWN.
THAT MAKES REACTION TIMES
A FRACTION OF A SECOND
AND THE ACTION
EXHILARATING -
JUST ASK ONE OF OUR
SPORTS SCIENTISTS.

Now Dr. Heather appears on screen with a caption that reads "Dr. Heather, Sports Scientist." She has straight, dark brown hair, and wears a red shirt. She stands at a white desk with books and science supplies around her.

Dr. Heather says WELL PUT, NYKEEM.
A TABLE TENNIS BALL
IS VERY LIGHT,
SO AIR SLOWS IT DOWN.
BUT THE PROS CAN
STILL HIT THE BALL
NEARLY 200 KILOMETRES PER HOUR.
THAT'S WHY
SOME PLAYERS PLAY
SEVERAL FEET AWAY
FROM THE TABLE.
THE DISTANCE GIVES THEM
MORE TIME TO REACT.
TO KEEP UP WITH
THIS LITTLE GUY,
YOU'LL NEED TO LEARN TO
REACT WITHOUT THINKING.
SO DON'T TOUCH THAT DIAL.

Back in the academy, Nykeem says SPORTS LAB IS SETTING THE TABLE.
WOO!

Anda and Antong appear on screen and a caption reads "Anda and Antong." Anda has long, straight black hair in a ponytail and Antong has short, straight black hair. They are both wearing red.

Anda says I'M ANDA,
AND I'M 12 YEARS OLD.

Antong says I'M ANTONG,
AND I'M 8 YEARS OLD.

Anda says AND WE'RE BROTHER
AND SISTER.

Clips of Anda and Antong playing table tennis appear on screen.

Anda says WE STARTED PLAYING
TABLE TENNIS
BECAUSE OUR DAD
INTRODUCED IT TO US.

Antong says GO DAD!
GO DAD!

Their dad plays with Anda and he says WATCH CAREFULLY...

Antong WHAT ABOUT OUR MOM?
SHE'S THE ONE WHO
BOUGHT THE TABLE,
AND SHE'S BETTER
THAN DAD.

Now Nykeem walks over to Antong and Anda at the academy.

Nykeem says HEY, ANTONG.

Antong says HI.

Nykeem says HEY, ANDA.

Anda says HI.
WELCOME TO
SPORTS LAB.

Antong says COOL.

Nykeem says WE'RE HERE AT THE GENG
TABLE TENNIS ACADEMY.
HOW LONG HAVE YOU
BEEN PLAYING HERE?

Antong says ABOUT ONE AND
A HALF YEARS.

Nykeem says SO DO YOU GUYS LIKE TO CALL IT
TABLE TENNIS OR PING PONG?

Antong says PING PONG!

Anda says PING PONG.

Nykeem says WHY?

Antong says IT JUST...
DESCRIBES
THE GAME MORE.

Anda says AND IT'S ALSO
FUN TO SAY.

Nykeem says YEAH, I LIKE SAYING
"PING PONG."
"PING PONG."
YEAH, IT'S FUN.
YOU GUYS KNOW YOUR WAY
AROUND THESE TABLES,
BUT HOW MUCH TO YOU KNOW ABOUT
THE STORY OF TABLE TENNIS?

Antong says HONESTLY, NOT VERY MUCH,
BUT WE'D LIKE TO LEARN.

Nykeem says THAT'S THE SPIRIT.
DON'T MIND THE RACQUET -
HERE COMES THE STORY
OF TABLE TENNIS.

Both Anda and Antong say OR PING PONG.
(FANFARE)

Back in the lab, a book opens and a title flies out that reads "History of Table Tennis."

Nykeem says TABLE TENNIS WAS
FIRST PLAYED IN ENGLAND
IN THE 19TH CENTURY.
IT WAS ORIGINALLY AN AFTER-
DINNER GAME FOR THE WEALTHY.
PADDLES MADE FROM WOODEN BOXES
AND A CORK FOR A BALL...
PRETTY CREATIVE.
THE NAME "PING PONG" COMES FROM
THE SOUND THAT WAS MADE
WHEN EARLY PADDLES
HIT THE BALL.
ANOTHER EARLY NAME FOR
THE SPORT WAS "WIFF-WAFF."
BUT IT'S NOT AS CATCHY.
TABLE TENNIS STARTED TO
BECOME EXTREMELY POPULAR
IN THE EARLY 20TH CENTURY,
WHICH LED TO THE INVENTION
OF THE CELLULOID BALL
AND THE RUBBER-COVERED
RACQUET -
TWO INVENTIONS THAT
STOOD THE TEST OF TIME.
PING PONG!

Back in the academy, Nykeem says OKAY GUYS, I DON'T' HEAR
ANY "PINGS" OR "PONGS."
YOU GUYS READY
TO PLAY?

They both say YEAH!

Nykeem says LET'S GO.

The coach wears a blue jacket and says OKAY, LET'S GO, GUYS...

Anton, Anda, and Nykeem play ping pong with the coach.

The coach says THAT'S GOOD.
DON'T HIT ME.
GOOD JOB.
NICE JOB.
GO AHEAD, SMASH.
(LAUGH) THAT'S A GOOD SMASH.
WATCH THE SPEED.

After the tournament, Nykeem says YOU GUYS ARE
A TOTAL DYNAMIC DUO.
WHAT ELSE WOULD YOU
LIKE TO LEARN?

Anda says WE'D LIKE TO BE MORE
CONSISTENT DURING THE GAMES.

Antong says YEAH, STEADIER.

Nykeem says AWESOME.
LIKE I ALWAYS SAY -
WHERE THERE'S LEARNING,
THERE'S A SCIENTIST.
COME ON IN, DOC.

Nykeem looks at his watch and Dr. Heather appears on screen.

Dr. Heather says HEY, GUYS.
THAT SOUNDS LIKE IT
MIGHT INVOLVE REPETITION.
REPETITION IS WHEN AN ACTION
HAPPENS MULTIPLE TIMES,
LIKE WHEN YOU PRACTICE
SINGING A SONG OVER AND OVER.
I'LL NEED MORE DATA,
SO I'M SENDING SOMEONE
WHO CAN REALLY RETURN IT.
THANKS. OVER AND OUT.
LET'S GO.
(FANFARE)

Back in the lab, the science beaker with green liquid appears on screen with a label that reads "Pop Quiz." The bottle swirls and flies over to the blackboard with a question.

Nykeem says POP QUIZ TIME.
WHY DO TABLE TENNIS RACQUETS
HAVE RUBBER ON THEM?
A) TO HELP CONTROL THE BALL...
B) SO THE BALLS WON'T BREAK...
OR C) TO PROTECT THE PADDLE?

A skeleton in a red cap says THE ANSWER IS A!

Nykeem says THE RUBBER MAKES IT
EASIER TO GRIP THE BALL,
WHICH MEANS PLAYERS
HAVE MORE CONTROL.
THAT ALLOWS THEM
TO DO FANCIER MOVES,
LIKE SPIN SHOTS.

Back in the lab, out of the science beaker launches white foam that turns into a slate that reads "Meet the Pro."

Jimmy appears on screen with a caption that reads "Jimmy." Jimmy has short dark hair and wears a black collared shirt.

Jimmy says MY NAME'S JIMMY, AND I'VE
BEEN PLAYING TABLE TENNIS
FOR AS LONG AS
I CAN REMEMBER.

Clips of Jimmy playing table tennis appear on screen.

Jimmy says I LOVE TABLE TENNIS BECAUSE
I JUST LOVE THE THRILL OF IT.
AND WHEN I WIN A GAME,
I JUST FEEL GREAT.
IT MAKES ME FEEL
REALLY HAPPY.

Nykeem, Anda, and Antong walk up to Jimmy who is playing table tennis.

Nykeem says HEY, JIMMY.
WELCOME TO SPORTS LAB.

Jimmy says HEY, NYKEEM.
NICE TO BE HERE.

Nykeem says OKAY, THIS IS
ANDA AND ANTONG.
YOU HAVE ANY
QUESTIONS FOR JIMMY?

Antong says YEAH - WHO'S YOUR FAVOURITE
PING PONG PLAYER OF ALL TIME?

Jimmy says MY FAVOURITE PLAYER
HAS TO BE MY MOTHER.
SHE'S TAUGHT ME
EVERYTHING I KNOW.

Nykeem says AW, THAT IS SO
SWEET, JIMMY.
ALRIGHT GUYS, WHY DON'T YOU
TELL JIMMY WHAT WE NEED?

Anda says CAN YOU TEACH US HOW
TO BE MORE CONSISTENT?

Jimmy says THAT COMES WITH LOTS
AND LOTS OF PRACTICE.
YOU HAVE TO HAVE
A SET OF DRILLS
THAT YOU JUST PLAY
OVER AND OVER AGAIN.

Antong says CAN YOU SHOW US SOME OF
YOUR FAVOURITE DRILLS?

Jimmy says YEAH, SURE.
YOU GUYS ARE GOING TO HAVE
TO TAKE A FEW STEPS BACK.

Jimmy talks to his coach with the blue jacket and begins to play.

Jimmy says 'KAY.
HERE WE GO,
COACH.

Nykeem says WOW.
WOW, THAT IS SO FAST.
I CAN'T EVEN SEE THE BALL.
ALRIGHT, WHAT'S UP IN THE LAB?

Nykeem looks at his watch and Dr. Heather says OKAY, GUYS.
THANK GOODNESS WE CAN
SLOW THIS FOOTAGE DOWN,
BECAUSE THIS SPORT
MOVES FAST.
REACTION TIMES IN
PROFESSIONAL TABLE TENNIS
CAN BE LESS THAN
0.11 OF A SECOND -
THAT'S THREE TIME FASTER
THAN THE BLINK OF AN EYE.
LET'S ALL BLINK TOGETHER...
THAT WAS PRETTY FAST,
RIGHT?
BUT HAVE NO FEAR.
THE ANSWER LIES
IN MUSCLE MEMORY.
NOW, MUSCLES DON'T
HAVE ACTUAL MEMORY,
SO DON'T COUNT ON THEM
TO PICK UP MILK
OR LET YOUR DOG OUT.
BUT IF YOU REPEAT
A MOTOR MOVEMENT
OVER AND OVER AGAIN,
YOUR BRAIN WILL
LEARN TO DO IT
WITHOUT AS MUCH
ATTENTION
SO YOU'RE ABLE
TO REACT QUICKLY
AND CONCENTRATE
ON YOUR AIM.
THE FIRST STAGE OF
DEVELOPING MUSCLE MEMORY
IS CALLED
"MEMORY ENCODING."
THAT'S WHEN YOU FIRST
TRY THE MOVEMENT.
THE MOVEMENT
WILL BE STIFF,
AND IT WILL TAKE
A LOT OF BRAIN POWER.
SO MAKE SURE YOU
CONCENTRATE.
AND REMEMBER,
YOUR BRAIN WILL LEARN WHATEVER
MOVEMENT YOU TEACH IT -
INCLUDING BAD HABITS.
SO BE SURE TO USE
THE RIGHT TECHNIQUE.
BE A GOOD TEACHER,
AND YOUR GAME WILL
GET STRAIGHT A'S.
AND THAT'S WHY
PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT...
(REPEATING "MAKES PERFECT."
WITH VOICE SPEEDING UP)

Back at the academy, Nykeem says OKAY, GUYS.
WOW.
SO THE MORE YOU PRACTICE,
THE QUICKER YOU'LL REACT.
WHAT ARE WE WAITING FOR?
ANTONG, YOU'RE UP.

Antong starts to play and Nykeem says WOO!
NICE ONE.

Jimmy says WOW...
KEEP GOING.
ALRIGHT, ANDA,
GAME ON!

Anda starts to play and Jimmy says THAT'S IT.
WOO!
NICE.

Nykeem says THAT IS AWESOME.

Jimmy says HEY NYKEEM,
WHERE ARE YOU GOING?
WHERE ARE YOU GOING?
IT'S YOUR TURN TO PLAY.

Nykeem says OH...
UH, CAN I USE YOUR RACQUET?

Nykeem starts to play and misses almost every one.

Jimmy says OKAY, CONCENTRATE
ON THE BALL - OKAY.
JUST FOCUS DIRECTLY
ON THE BALL.
GO, GO, GO!

Nykeem says IT'S HARD!
(FANFARE)

Back in the lab, the green liquid in the science beaker spills and then dries up to reveal a title that reads "Fun Fact."

Nykeem appears on screen and says DURING A TABLE TENNIS GAME,
YOU NEED TO KEEP
YOUR EYES PEELED.
BUT IT IS ALSO IMPORTANT
TO KEEP YOUR EARS OPEN.
STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THAT
THE BRAIN CAN PROCESS SOUND
THREE TENTHS OF A SECOND
FASTER THAN IMAGES.
THAT MEANS YOU HEAR THE SOUND
OF A BALL HITTING A RACQUET...
BEFORE YOU SEE
WHICH SHOT IS COMING AT YOU.
BECAUSE A TABLE TENNIS BALL
IS SO SMOOTH,
IT CAN BE TOUGH TO TELL IF IT'S
SPINNING JUST BY LOOKING AT IT.
WHEN YOUR OPPONENT
IS USING SPIN,
LEND YOUR RACQUET AN EAR.
SHOTS WITH THAT MUCH SPIN
WILL SOUND LOUDER AND FLATTER
BECAUSE THEY'RE HITTING
THE RACQUET DIRECTLY.
SHOTS WITH SPIN
WILL SOUND SOFTER
SINCE THE RACQUET IS BRUSHING
UP AGAINST THE BALL.
SO LISTEN UP
AND HAVE FUN.

Back at the academy, Nykeem talks to Anda and Antong.

Nykeem says GUYS, I HAD A BALL
LEARNING ALL ABOUT PRACTICE
AND HOW MUSCLE MEMORY WORKS.
YOU GUYS READY TO
PRACTICE SOME MORE?

They both say YEAH!

Nykeem says LET'S GO.

They start to play table tennis.

Nykeem says OOH!
OH!
WHOA!
THIS WILL
EVEN THE ODDS.
WOO! I SCORED.
LET'S GO. BRING IT ON.

Back in the lab, colours and balls fly out of the science beaker and a slate reads "Pro Tip."

Jimmy appears on screen and says EVERYONE KNOWS YOU CAN'T
HIT A BALL WITHOUT A PADDLE,
BUT FIRST YOU NEED TO LEARN
HOW TO HOLD IT PROPERLY.
HERE'S HOW YOU HOLD
THE RACQUET PROPERLY.
FIRST, THE THUMB HAS TO BE
ON THE FRONT OF THE RUBBER
AND THE INDEX FINGER HAS TO
BE ON THE BACK OF THE RUBBER.
WHEN YOUR FINGER'S THERE,
YOU CAN FEEL THE BALL
THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE RACQUET,
AND THEN YOU CAN SEND THE BALL
WHEREVER YOU WANT.
MY NAME'S JIMMY,
AND THAT'S MY PRO TIP.

Back at the academy, Nykeem says LET'S SEE IT, GUYS.
IT WAS GREAT DAY IN THE LAB.
WE PING-ED, WE PONG-ED, AND WE
FOUND OUT THE MORE WE PRACTICE,
THE MORE OUR MUSCLES WILL
FLEX OUR TABLE TENNIS SKILLS.
WE ALSO DISCOVERED THAT WHEN YOU
PLAY SPORTS WITH YOUR FAMILY,
YOU'RE ALWAYS PART OF A TEAM.
I'M ROLLING OUT,
BUT ONLY FOR NOW,
BECAUSE IN THE SPORTS LAB,
WE'RE ALWAYS ON THE RUN
TO FIND MORE FUN.
SPORTS LAB!

The credits roll scenes of kids playing sports appear on screen.

Written and directed by, Johnny Mitchell.
Host, Nykeem Provo.
Editor, David Mitchell.

Produced in association with TVO Kids for riverbank pictures, copyright 1919216 Ontario Inc.