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WHY EVERYONE IS TALKING ABOUT PICKLEBALL, THE HOTTEST NEW SPORT IN TOWN

Like tennis but hate the idea of chasing after lost balls? Or keen on taking up badminton, but you’re after something a little more energetic? If these are the kind of sporting questions that keep you up at night, then the fast-growing sport of pickleball could provide the perfect solution. A low impact sport that’s easy on the joints makes it an ideal pastime for newbies into racket games, or those looking for something a little different to pique their fitness interest.

Get ready and scratch that itch at Dubai Sports World this summer, where pickleball has made its grand entrance for the first time as one of the many sports on offer during the three-month-long festival of fitness. Whether you are a complete beginner, a practiced pro, or even want to improve your cardio level, all are welcome to experience the muchtalked-about new sport through classes provided by ‘Sportsify World Pickleball Academy’ at Dubai Sports World.

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While a game of football, rugby, cricket, or hockey may be out of reach for some, pairing up with a friend or colleague to take on a pickleball duo is a great way to bond and develop new relationships - while seeking out that inner ‘mentality monster’ on the sports field.

The stress-busting attributes of sport are well documented, with team sports in particular, proven support for mental wellness.

Played on a court similar in size to a badminton court (6 metres by 13 metres), but with a net the same height as tennis - pickleball is played as a singles or doubles game with racquets sized slightly smaller than those used in a game of tennis.

It is the racquet’s holes and size that make the perforated ball travel slower, making for longer rallies and more adventurous shot making in even the most novice of players.

Games are contested with underarm serves, and are won by the team that reaches 11 points first, with a clear two-point margin from their opponent. A 2-metre zone from the net called ‘The Kitchen’ must be cleared by the server, and players are prohibited from making volleys from this area during play.

The game originated in the US in the 1960s and has grown in popularity in recent years due to its accessibility and playability, a key reason why it was added to the 2023 list of sports for Dubai Sports World.

Pickleball has a number of health benefits of note and can help to improve your balance, coordination, and overall hand-eye coordination:

- Improves cardiovascular health. Pickleball is a great way to get your heart rate up and improve your cardiovascular health. A study by the University of North Carolina found that pickleball players had a 12 per cent increase in cardiorespiratory fitness after playing three times per week for six months.

- Strengthens muscles and bones. The constant movement and quick changes of direction help to build muscle and improve bone density.

- Improves balance and coordination. The need to quickly react to the ball and move your body in different ways helps to improve these important skills.

- Reduces stress and anxiety. The physical activity helps to release endorphins, which have moodboosting effects. Additionally, the social interaction involved in playing pickleball can help to reduce feelings of isolation and loneliness.

- Improves mental health. A study by the University of Utah found that pickleball players had a 30 per cent decrease in depression symptoms after playing three times per week for six months.

Not only is the sport a great gateway into racquet sports, it can also offer an opportunity for players of other sports like tennis and squash to ease themselves back into the game post injury.

But make no mistake, while pickleball can be a perfect sport for some gentle exercise, it can also ignite the competitive fire within to get the heart pumping with a hotly contested match. Even, or perhaps especially, between friends.

Players can take to the court at Dubai Sports World this summer, where indoor pickleball courts can be booked via the Dubai Sports World App until September 10. Courts are available for hire from 8am until midnight from Monday to Sunday for AED 150 per hour.

The 2023 edition of DSW is bigger than ever before, with 40 courts and pitches available for hire across 300,000 square feet of airconditioned, easy access facilities at DWTC.

In addition to pickleball, there is a dedicated gym area, complete with Matrix cardio and strength training equipment, and an enclosed private fitness studio with a capacity for 40 people.

Dubai Sports World is the UAE’s biggest and most varied indoor sporting venue offering everyone the opportunity to focus on their wellbeing, all summer long.

Dubai Sports World takes place daily at Za'abeel Halls 2-6 from 8am to 12 midnight. Dedicated parking is accessible from Al Mustaqbal Street and visitors can also park at Za’abeel parking and the Exhibition Street parking.

To secure your spot on the courts, make your reservations now at www. dubaisportsworld.ae or by using the free Dubai Sports World smartphone app available on App Store and Google Play.

Visitors can also enjoy gym packages with full flexibility from pay-as-yougo to full seasonal membership.

INFOBLOX LEADS THE INDUSTRY TO UNITE NETWORKING AND SECURITY TEAMS TO BETTER PROTECT AGAINST CYBER ATTACKS

Infoblox Inc. the company that delivers a simplified, cloud- enabled networking and security platform for improved performance and protection, makes several announcements today, as the company takes a strong position on why networking and security teams must join forces in the fight against cybercrime.

New critical security features and a refreshed brand identity reflect the company’s strategy, confidence and business focus, empowering customers to detect and respond to critical threats to help their businesses thrive.

“Infoblox is the only company that can provide real-time visibility and control over who and what connects across networks and multi-cloud environments to help customers build safer, more resilient environments,” said Scott Harrell, CEO and President, Infoblox.

“By bringing NetOps and SecOps teams together with shared visibility, data context, automation and control, they can prevent malware communications and pinpoint the source of threats, taking the performance and protection to new heights,” he added.

Businesses today are increasingly adopting hybrid and multi-cloud environments to stay competitive, creating additional complexity and expanding attack surfaces.

Not surprising, 60% of organizations have suffered at least one data breach in the last 12 months with an average $2M loss per event due to these breaches, according to Infoblox’s 2023 Global State of Cybersecurity report. In addition, 81% of respondents identified email/phishing as a top attack vector according to Infoblox’s findings.

Infoblox’s new Lookalike Domain Monitoring capability identifies sites attempting to impersonate company brands that are increasingly used to deceive partners and customers with phishing, malvertising and similar attacks.

This comes just after introducing Infoblox’s new emerging threat intelligence feeds that provide indicators of malicious intent to stop attacks before they happen. With these enhancements, Infoblox delivers a better and safer customer experience.

Infoblox analyzes over 70 billion DNS queries a day. In a new lookalike domain report, to be released at RSAC 2023, Infoblox demonstrates that while the use of lookalike domains by malicious actors continues to persist, the techniques have substantially advanced in 2022, targeting every sector, playing a key role in complex cyberattacks such as those used to bypass multi-factor authentication (MFA) measures.

"As a best-of-breed DNS layer security solution provider, Infoblox continues to pioneer advancements in the use of DNS as a source of unique threat intelligence and as a powerful enforcement point,” said Harrell.

“We are the first and only DNS Security vendor to protect against the use of lookalike domains by attackers. These attacks are increasing in sophistication and prevalence, making specialized solutions not just nice to have, but necessary to secure enterprises and their users," he added.

In a world that never stops, Infoblox is focused on helping customers build more responsive networks to keep up with the pace of digital transformation, detect hidden threats and stop attacks earlier, powering security services with contextrich network intelligence.

“We are seeing this industry revolution of uniting networking and security teams take shape with some of our Fortune 100 customers across automotive, consulting, finance, IT and telecommunications industries,” said Brad Rinklin, Chief Marketing Officer, Infoblox.

“Now is the time for organizations to invest in a trusted security partner to help create visibility within their network to better mitigate and detect threats earlier in the threat lifecycle. Our customers are quickly learning that real-time threat protection and improved network performance can only happen when networking and security unite,” he added.

Infoblox’s cloud-first, consultative approach provides customers with specific solutions and actions to help them build more resilient networks and stop critical threats sooner, based on their unique business needs. For more information visit infoblox.com.

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