Sports imPULSE

Surf The Winter Months With Quicksilver's Cypher PS+ Heated Vest

Want to extend the surf season by a few more weeks or even months?  It looks like Quicksilver has found the answer without electrocuting the surfer. 

The new Quiksilver Cypher PS+ Heated Vest system is the first ever battery powered heat vest that can be worn and operated under any wetsuit. I wonder if this might make sense for some of those cold open water swims.  Anyway, this new surfing technology utilizes Far-infrared heat technology and delivers hours of heat (129 deg on high setting and 116 deg on low setting) to your vital organs to maintain your core temperature and extend your experience. The Quiksilver Cypher PS+ Heated Vest system comes with a rechargeable battery that will last 2 hours on "High" and a car charger and wall charger with adaptors for different countries.

This heated vest doesn't have to be limited to just extending your surfing time in cold water, how about taking a surf trip to colder climated or, and I'm just saying, could be useful when you are in the lift line or chair lift when snowboarding.  Let us know if you have any other interesting use ideas.

Speedo Developing New LZR Racer Triathlon Suit

 Progressive Sports Technologies, a Loughborough University spinout company, is working with Speedo to develop a world-class triathlon suit.   Inspired by the record breaking LZR Racer swim suit worn by athletes including Michael Phelps and Rebecca Adlington to take 94% of the swimming gold medals in Beijing, the new triathlon suit is designed to be the lightest, fastest and most comfortable suit on the market.

Progressive tested a selection of elite triathletes running and cycling in the LZR racer Tri-Pro suit in a controlled climate chamber.   With a constant temperature of 90° and 70% humidity, the suit’s quick dry, moisture wicking properties were pushed to the limit.  Infrared skin temperature measurements were captured, along with the athlete’s perception of comfort, fit and function. 

Progressive works with many of the world’s leading sports brands on cutting edge research.  Current projects include bringing to market wearable fabric that boosts athletic performance by training breathing muscles.  They have also developed a their own line of licensed fitness equipment, including an abdominal muscle training device (Ab-pump).

Having participated in several triathlons, I'll take any advantage I can get and look forward to trying out the new suit.

Speed Vest: Share Your Speed, Share The Road

The SPEED-VEST is a bicycle safety device and advocacy tool which displays the wearer’s current speed on their back in easy-to-read lighted numerals. There are some clear benefits to the Speedvest including attracting attention and letting motorists know that "on occasion" you may be going a little faster that the speed limit.  The LCD's on the back illuminate your speed, very much like those lovely radar signs, letting everyone know exactly how fast your are traveling.

The system consists of a wheel speed sensor, a wearable numeric display and a small computer that does the thinking. The computer is an Arduino: an open-source embedded computing platform powered by an Amtel microcontroller. It runs for 6 hours on a 9 volt battery.

There could be some pretty interesting add-on applications once this hits mainstream.  Imagine the bike path lit up with everyone's speed.  Oh I can hear the chatter now....

The Beckham Of Field Hockey

Bending it like that guy, special shoes, and one very hot training chamber are all part of the making of a modern player.

Dutch defender Taeke Taekema is known for his ability to curve shots off of set plays. He even has his own piece of equipment to help amplify his talents. Bend it like Beckham? How about twist it like Taekema.

The legend of Taekema was cemented following the European Championship in 2007 where he scored 16 goals in the tournament (apparently that’s good). Taekema’s skills are centered on his ability with penalty corners. Similar to a soccer free kick, a special shot known as the “drag flick” has revolutionized the game in just the past 15 years. And like pulling a wrist shot in ice hockey, the player drags the stick along the permanently wet ground (more about that in a future post) allowing him to either lift the ball or sling it along the ground. In a quasi jai-alai move, the ball rolls up the stick and then back down again adding more speed.

Beckham could bend before his Adidas Predator shoe and Taekema doesn’t need his Adidas TT-10 stick to flick—but apparently it doesn’t hurt. The TT-10 is a carbon fiber stick designed with a more extreme curve and lower blade profile than traditional sticks making it ideal for flicks. With the advent of flicks, the governing bodies have even begun to limit the amount of curvature allowed in the equipment

We'll continue this series in future posts and learn more about the game of Field Hockey.

What You Didn't Know About Table Tennis - Ping Pong Balls

Clocked close to 70 mph, these little celluloid suckers can move. The seemingly simple ping pong ball is subject to quite a bit of poking and prodding before it’s sanctioned for tournament usage (more than 60 approved currently). The basic specs are that balls should be 40 mm in diameter and weigh 2.7 grams. The diameter was increased earlier this decade from 38 mm to 40 mm to slow the game down for audiences (complaints of neck spasms we assume). Only white and orange balls are allowed and construction must be completed with a single seam.

Prior to testing, balls are kept in a room at 23 degrees Celsius and 50 percent relative humidity for at least three days. Bounce is tested by mechanically releasing a ball from 305 mm onto a steel plate and measuring the rebound using a digital camera (240 mm – 260 mm acceptable). Balls are rolled down a 100 mm long incline at 14 degrees to quantify the ‘veer’. The hardness of the ball is measured using a Zwick tester that pushes a 20 mm pin into the ball. Why so meticulous? Well, as any college kid with a ping pong table and pile of red Solo cups can tell you: not all balls are created equal.

What You Didn't Know About Table Tennis - Robot Trainers

Forrest Gump, eat your heart out. While Gump famously practiced against himself, elite players today have a more imposing, less predictable, training partner: robots. The Paddle Palace 980-e can fire balls to 11 different locations at up to 111 mph at a frequency as high as 95 balls per minute. How’s that for practice makes perfect? The two wheel design allows spin and speed to be controlled separately. Players can design sequences of up to 50 shots and save the patterns for future sessions or let the machine fire at random. The robot can be yours for the bargain price of $1,399. But, hey, that includes free shipping, 10 free balls and a 30 day money back guarantee.

MLBAM Averaged 350,000 Live, Paid Video Streams Per First-Round Game

As baseball gears up for round two of the 2009 playoffs—the Philadelphia Phillies and Los Angeles Dodgers take the field tonight—we have the first peek at some stats you won’t see in box scores. Major League Baseball Advanced Media served an average of 350,000 live streams during each game in the first round of the 2009 baseball playoffs through its Postseason.TV subscription. The video split: 314,000 streams via PCs on MLB.com and 36,000 to iPhone/iTouch devices via the MLB At Bat app.

With other multi-round events like March Madness or the more recent U.S. Open, live streaming is usually at its highest in the early rounds. Baseball might be a different story, though, particularly if the series are really tight—not sweeps like three of the four division match-ups—and especially if the New York Yankees make it past the Los Angeles Angels. There’s no way to tell how high the usage might be if AT&T’s 3G service had better, more consistent coverage.  I'm just saying....

What You Didn't Know About Table Tennis - Speed Glue

For the most part on this blog we highlight and cover technologies behind some of the major sports, but there are a number of sports where people actually get Olympic medals and lucrative endorsement deals and so we will search out some lesser known sports and introduce the science behind these sports.  First up is Table Tennis (a.k.a. Ping Pong).  Over the next couple of days, we will learn about a performance enhancer that has been used for 30 years, a training method built for Forrest Gump and all (perhaps even more than) you'll ever need to know about Ping Pong balls.

Speed Glue

A notorious performance enhancer used just hours before competition to get that extra zip on the ball. Sounds nasty. But, this glue isn’t sniffed, injected or swallowed; it’s the stuff that holds paddles together. Think, Elmer’s on 'roids. For 30 years, any player worth his pong would sit down before his match and crack open a bottle.

Legend has it that a Yugoslavian player in the 70’s came across speed glue by accident. He arrived for a tournament and forgot his traditional glue. Pro paddles consist of wooden blades followed by an inner sponge material which is attached to an outer rubber. Unlike the paddles in your garage, pro players glue the sponge/rubber to the paddle themselves. With a bike shop nearby, the pong player bought some adhesive normally used to plug a hole in a tire. By the time he got through P-I-N-G in his first match, it was clear that something had changed.

The mystery of speed glue comes down to its effect on the inner sponge material. When applied between the wood and the sponge, the glue expands and softens the sponge putting the outer rubber in tension. The result is a longer contact on the paddle, providing more spin and more speed (though less control). The effect only lasts a few hours forcing players to perform the ritual just before battle. But how safe is it?

Ends up that speed glue truly is some nasty stuff. The glues contain known toxic substances referred to as Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) that are rumored to cause everything from minor irritations to cancer (hexane, octane, ciclohexane, etc.). The prolonged exposure during the gluing process, over decades of playing, could be placing players at risk. As a result the ITTF banned speed glue from junior competition last year and did the same at the pro level right afther the Beijing Olympics. And, the ITTF is serious about enforcement.

So, like any true competitor, they're developing alternative methods (different rubbers, sponges, glues). It really is a science and we look forward to the new technological results.

Bullet Proof Athletic Shoes - Only In Philly

The latest game-changing tactic in the Philadelphia Eagles and 76ers playbook is military-grade technology to protect the players' feet.

They have literally stepped up their game with Unequal® Ultra-Lite Insoles, which according to a Villanova University study block up to 80 percent of harmful impact to reduce the injury and fatigue that players experience.

The insoles are also the first product in the sporting goods industry to use the bullet-stopping power of DuPont's Kevlar as a shock suppressant.   Football has a major impact on the human foot, especially when you factor in turf fields and the increased speed of play.  It makes sense then to use shock blocking material to reduce stress and minimize injury. 

According to Sports Podiatry magazine, there is now a paradigm shift for shoe insoles from traditional cushioning towards shock suppression technology. Soon to be implemented by major athletic shoe manufacturers, this insole evolution will result in less vibrations traveling up the lower extremity, eliminating fatigue occurring within muscles that lead to injury.

I'm looking forward to the other potential uses of Kevlar within the sporting goods industry

Why Are Reebok's EasyTone Sneakers For Ladies Only?

Who doesn’t want firm buttocks and rock hard thighs? That’s the question men everywhere should be asking Reebok after they became the first major shoe manufacturer to bring out their own leg-toning walking shoe, marketed, just like similar shoes before it, only to the ladies. You know the footwear in question--the shoes with the lopsided soles, which force wearers to work a bit harder to walk, toning all the while.

While men should thank Reebok for helping to further tone the gams of the fairer sex, shouldn't we demand equal access in pursuit of a tighter tush?

The EasyTone ($100), which launched worldwide a few months ago, has two pods with air pockets centered on the heel and forefoot. The pods are designed to look and behave like the balance balls at gyms (used by both men and women) across the country that intentionally keep the wearer off-balance. The instability requires an increase in muscle activity. As the (female) wearer shifts weight from the heel to the toe, the pods transfer air back and forth. Reebok leveraged its internal expertise with air transfer from their decades of Pump designs in developing the shoe.

The idea of intentional instability isn’t new to the footwear industry, but with Reebok, the technology is finding its way into the mainstream for the first time.

So, if Reebok won't offer any details on when a guys' shoe will come out, we'll just pause to appreciate the fruits of EasyTone's labor while sitting on a park bench and enjoying the view.