Sports imPULSE

Winter Workouts In the Sun - Part II

Can’t afford the trip to Tahoe? Already sick of springtime? Here’s the second of our three part series on technologies to help you live out your frosty-weather fantasies

Newron Trainon 4.47 Skates

Unless you’ve got a frozen pond in your back yard, the opportunity to ice skate outdoors is limited to your local Rockefeller Center in the dead of winter. But inline skates from Newron Sport Technology  make it feel like you’re on the ice while eliminating the “roller stride” associated with normal inline options. The Newron Trainon 4.47 ($379.99) have their front two and back two wheels connected through axes that allow them to pivot in tandem. They also boast a suspension system that makes cracks or pebbles on the sidewalk a bit less dangerous for beginning skaters. Testing conducted at the University of Quebec shows the skates better replicate the exact stride used in ice skating and offer a 10% faster start than other inline options. Three different modular brackets for connecting the tandem wheels offer variety for different skill sets. A replacement chassis ($179.99) that’ll lock on to your favorite ice hockey boot is also available, meaning there’s no need to break in a new pair for summer training.

Winter Workouts In The Sun

So, you wanna play in the snow, but you live in sunny, southern Florida where it’s warm and muggy outside. While we offer no sympathy for those plagued by the monotony of perfection, it’s fair to recognize that there are limits to environmental bliss—namely, the inability to easily access winter sports. Over the next few days we will highlight three technologies that can help you live out your frosty-weather fantasies.

Flowboard

From the top, this thing looks like the skateboard you’ve been riding since fourth grade. But flip the board over and you’ll immediately notice a crazy-looking excess of wheels.  Flowboards are built with seven wheels strung along each of two curved axles. The result is a 14-wheel ride that allows up to 45 degrees of carving—in other words, the rush of a snowboard ride, even when you’re hundreds of miles from powder.  Created nine years ago, Flowboard has picked up momentum recently with nearly $15 million in sales this year.  Boards range from 32 to 50 inch with prices starting at $79.99 and higher-end options reaching $199.99.  While hills like those in San Francisco, where the company started, offer the best opportunity for Heavenly-like rides, even on flat ground the Flowboard feels different and is a great conversation starter.

Windmill Pitching Linked To Bicep Injury

From time to time we like to highlight aspects of bio-mechanics and the related importance on the development of the athlete and impact on a sports organization.

US researchers think that the "windmill" pitching motion may explain the high incidence of anterior shoulder pain seen in female softball players.

Although the conventional belief has been that the underhand throwing motion of softball places little stress on the arm there is a growing body of evidence to say that is not the case.

A study was conducted involving seven women -- three collegiate and four professional pitchers -- who underwent motion analysis and surface electromyography to evaluate the muscle firing pattern of their biceps in the course of a windmill pitch. Electromyography detects electrical potential generated by muscle cells when they contract.

The study, published in the American Journal of Sports Medicine, found that even though the upper arm movement in both baseball and fast-pitch softball gives the ball about the same velocity, muscle force during the windmill pitch was much higher.

Moreover, the maximum force, or maximum contraction, occurred not when the arm was cocked, as in baseball's overhand pitching, but when the arm circled around from the 9 o'clock position, almost fully extended back, to the 6 o'clock position, perpendicular with the ground, completing its windmill motion to release the ball. Consequently, the biceps, not the elbow, takes the majority of the stress.

New Apparel Technology Protects Athletes From Injury

Is college basketball more physical than the pro game?  It certainly depends on who is playing and an argument can be made for both sides.  But one thing is certain both college and pro players wear HEXPAD® to protect themselves. 

 HEXPAD is at the center of an emerging new product category called protective apparel. HEXPAD® allows today’s players to drive the lane faster, bang in the paint harder and bounce right back to their feet after a hard foul.

McDavid Sports Medicine, based outside of Chicago, developed HEXPAD® almost five years ago and today most players playing at an elite level say it’s almost as important a piece of equipment as their basketball shoes.

HEXPAD® is a series of hexagonal shaped protective pads which are permanently bonded into the fabric of compression shirts and shorts. The tops, bottoms, elbow, shin and shooters sleeves are lightweight, breathable and conform to and move with the body for the ultimate in performance and range of motion.

Although HEXPAD® got it's start with basketball, athletes in other sports are beginning to see the benefits as well.

Technology That Helps Heal Injuries Faster

I've been reading about this new treatment of injury called ARPWave.  It's a recovery program that is claiming it can "fix" athletes in a third of the time it takes using typical physical therapy.  Part of fixing these athletes makes use of a machine that sends electrical currents into the muscles.

ARPwave stands for Accelerated Recovery Performance. The program claims to get to the root of an injury, help cure that injury 30 percent faster than any physical therapy, and get people back into the shape they once were.

About the size of a VCR, the ARP machine has various cords and switches protruding from it. The cords, which have round patches at the ends, are placed strategically on certain “hot spots.”  They will send electric shockwaves that cause at athlete's muscles to pulsate. It simulates a workout the athlete might get in a normal workout, just without putting the strain on the body inself.

The goal of the ARPwave program is to allow athletes to recover from injury, and at the same time, get back to their old “in-shape” self. The program does that by putting the muscle under the same stress athletes face doing a normal workout. But because they can’t work out due to their injury,the ARP machine does it for them, putting the muscles in high-risk situations, so the body can respond to the stress. Another goal is to make sure an athlete doesn’t lose muscle while recovering from an injury.  Once injured, it’s a constant uphill battle for top athletes to get back to the top of their game.

The folks at ARPwave might just provide the answer to these concerns. And it’s not just the concerns of top athletes. Alhough the NFL, NHL and MLB have incorporated ARPwave, the program is designed to heal anyone with an injury.

But will it help my golf slice.....

Sports Fans On Facebook May Violate NCAA Recruiting Rules

from the you gotta be kidding department

We've seen way too many situations where technology advancements has shown how ridiculous certain rules and regulations are. The latest involves the NCAA flipping out about students at certain colleges setting up Facebook groups pleading with high-profile high school athletes bto attend their respective universities. According to the NCAA such "recruiting" violates its rules that forbid trying to influence student athletes over which college to attend. Because of this, the NCAA has pushed the universities to reign in students, to the point that NC State sent one of its students a cease-and-desist, threatening "further action" if he didn't take down a Facebook group trying to attract a student athlete. The folks who sent the cease-and-desist admit that it's ridiculous, but they had to do so due to the NCAA pressure. They're hoping that the NCAA will back down on this:

"I think nationally the NCAA needs to address further Facebook and how these groups play a part in recruiting. Is it realistic for us to be able to monitor them? What harm is a group like this causing? But as the legislation stands right now, this is the position we have to take."

Of course, this is the same NCAA that has tried to limit reporters from live-blogging sporting events (though, it's done little to enforce those rules), so it would come as no surprise if it chose to continue down this path.

The Athletic Gene - Do Your Kids Have It?

Football, soccer, track, basketball - the list goes on and on. Parents and kids have so many choices these days as to what sport or sports to pick.  Boulder-based Atlas Sports Genetics launched a new product a few wees ago to test for a so-called athletic gene.

The test is called the sports genes test and the specific gene tested is called ACTN3.  Within that gene there is a relationship between a particular protein and the contractions ability of the muscle at a high velocity.  Really.

The company develops and manufactures sports performance equipment used to test athletic ability among top high school and college athletes.

The at-home kit sells for $150. Atlas Genetics will mail it to you, and after swabbing your child's mouth, the sample is sent off to Australia to be analyzed. The results take about two weeks to come back.

The results help parents or athletes determine if they are better at sports that require power and speed or endurance.

To find out more about the kit, visit http://atlasgene.com/.

Baseball At Your Fingertips

MLB.com has come out with two new iPhone applications that let you enjoy the game wherever you are.  At Bat 2009 is now the fastest, most detailed way to follow baseball on your iPhone and iPod touch by providing exclusive pitch type, location, and speed data.  You can listen live to every regular season and Postseason game including all home and select visiting team feeds and no blackout restrictions.  You can also watch the best plays of the game moments after they happen. The app will detect your connection speed to deliver the optimal quality video.  $9.99 available at iTunes

At Bat Lite is a quick way keep up with all the day's scores and see how your favorite team is doing.  Real-time game updates, league standings and the entire season schedule are available in this FREE version of MLB.com At Bat.  Free version available here

Update - Sportaktive 50% Off Coupon

After our mention of Sportaktive yesterday, the folks there have been kind enough to offer all of our readers a 50% off coupon.  When placing an order online, just use the coupon code ENDURANCE and you will receive 50% off.

Thanks Sportaktive!

Sportaktive - Could It Be Better Than Gatorade?

We all know that Gatorade is the 800 pound gorilla when it comes to sports drinks and their new G campaign will certainly increase their profile.  It looks like Vitamin Water is carving out a unique niche for themselves in enhanced water with less sugar.  And, now here comes Sportaktive, a US-based company with roots in Scandinavia.  They've been developing their product and refining the formula since 1997 and are now ready for a major international push.

What the difference in electrolytes?  Electrolytes in fluid give a better chance for your body to obtain its peak performance, receiving maximum hydration and sustained muscle activity than plain water and sugar based drinks.  Some of the benefits include:

- Restore electrolytes and fluid faster.
- Reduce muscle cramps.
- Enhance with antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals.
- Combats mental fatigue.
- Only 10 calories per 32 fl. oz.

Let us know what you think, is it the G, Vitamin Water or the new Sportaktive?