Videotape How-To’s Find Place in Market

Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Ben Crenshaw are still looking for a No. 1, Minnesota Fats is holding steady at No. 12 and Mickey Mantle is No. 18.

That’s the latest in the wide world of sports--video, that is.

Billboard magazine has been keeping track of the recreational sports video hits--and misses--since last January. The results, based on figures supplied by 100 retailers throughout the United States, indicate that golfers are spending as much time watching instructional videos as their children are staring at MTV.

The sports covered in a recent top 20 list included golf, with eight videos, baseball (3), basketball (2) and tennis, racquetball, billiards, bass fishing, martial arts, boxing and whitetail deer hunting with one entry each.

The quality of instructional sports videotapes, which is often as varied as the subject matter, has improved over the years as companies have become conscious of consumer demand.

“The better-known companies like CBS-Fox are now able to put in a substantial amount of money for production,” said Jim McCullough, home entertainment editor for Billboard. “The tapes are well done and very watchable. They also have the sales and distribution clout to get them into the stores.”

Currently, however, the big companies are still trying to catch up to Bob Mann, a professional golf instructor whose “Automatic Golf” tape has dominated the No. 1 position on the Billboard charts and has sold more than 500,000 copies, according to McCullough.

“People say to me, ‘Hey, you’ve outsold Jack Nicklaus, 6-1,’ ” Mann said. “But he’s not a professional golf instructor. If I want to watch Nicklaus, I can turn on the boob tube and watch him.”

Part of the reason for the success of “Automatic Golf” is its availability and price. Mann’s Valencia-based Video Reel company markets 85% of its tapes to chain stores such as K mart and J.C. Penney. “Automatic Golf” sells for $14.95. By comparison, Arnold Palmer’s instructional video is priced at $39.95.

A survey of Valley-area professional golf and tennis instructors revealed that most favor the use of the tapes in some capacity. Opinions vary about the best way to incorporate video material into a learning situation.

“Anything that draws the attention of the players and encourages them to practice is good,” said Ken Cherry, 45, golf pro at the Porter Valley Country Club in Northridge. “I advocate their use to most of my pupils.

“I like when they follow the basics. That’s when every golfer can learn something.”

Others, however, are more cautious in their endorsement of the medium.

“It’s a good training device to get people interested in the game, but it’s not a good training device for beginners,” said Gary Kakiki, 24, the pro at the Encino-Balboa Golf Course in Encino. “I think it’s much more useful for people who are advanced.

“I would like to see tapes that are marked beginner, intermediate and advanced. Everything should be separated so you can concentrate on one thing at a time.”

Bill Rombeau, director and tennis pro at the Racquet Centre in Studio City, said videos are good for supplementing lessons with an instructor.

“They’re good for use between lessons and for getting people motivated,” Rombeau said. “But most of your progress will be made with a pro who is going to tailor his technique to your style.

“I’d like to see a tape of great moments or shots by as many of the great champions as possible. Show how different players responded at key moments. There have been films, but they generally deal with just one year at Wimbledon or something. I’d like to see clips from key matches that show players reacting to pressure.”

Robin Romeo, a professional bowler from Van Nuys, is an advocate of the tapes and said she might put together an instructional bowling tape for women.

“If you can get a tape that you can understand and holds your attention, I think it’s worth anybody’s while,” said Romeo, who also teaches at Canoga Park Bowl. “If I do a tape, it will include the basics like the footwork and arm swing. The last thing you want to do is come out with something that is going to confuse people.”

The future appears bright for people eager to see more sports videos. McCullough predicts that the industry could grow 30% to 40% in the next few years.

“People are getting a lot more information off of videotape,” McCullough said. “They’ll be like books and sell for years and years.”