From BikeRadar: Bikes outselling cars in Italy for first time since WWII
Italians bought more new bikes than cars in 2011 for the first time since the Second World War, according to reports in the country. Continue reading Weekend Reading List (10.6.2012): Bikes Outsell Cars in Italy, NFL Commiss Talks Tech, Snowshoe Tips
While the Nerf football was not the first Nerf ball, since 1972 it has the brand’s most popular ball. It has been used in pickup games ever since. Now 40 years the Nerf Firevision could allow night games where lights aren’t required. The new ball, which is also available in a basketball version, light up.
And so that the game playing doesn’t attract too much attention these Nerf balls can only be seen by those wearing Firevision glasses. No charging required.
From The Weather Channel: Extreme Weather Connected to Helmet Safety
Concussions.
For most sports fans, the first image associated with that jarring word is a football player lying motionless on a field. It’s a harsh reality that the violent sport has an epidemic they need to conquer, for the safety of its players.
Recent research suggests there’s a correlation between extreme weather and the likelihood of head injuries.
Continue reading Weekend Reading List (9.22.2012): Helmets and Weather, Running Time Trial, Fatbook
As summer draws to a close it means football season is around the corner and this year many players will be donning a very new helmet. For the 2012 season Riddell introduced its new 360, the latest in a long line of next generation football helmets.
The 360 might not be technically “the helmet of the future,” but it could be the starting point at where the future will begin. The helmet has been tested against 1.4 million impacts but yet it isn’t actually guaranteed to prevent concussions – at least not yet. The new 360 tries to reduce the amount of movement the helmet has on the wearer’s head, and to accomplish this Riddell has installed an “occipital lock” that can keep the helmet firm and stable on the wearer’s head. Video and additional image of the inside of the helmet after the jump
We’ve been hearing about ClimaCool technology a lot, and probably own a few garments with the fabric. Since it plays a big role in Olympic uniforms, adidas provided some information on how its constructed, tested, and the benefits of the wicking fabric. Continue reading Adidas ClimaCool Fabric Plays in the Olympics
While you can’t use your arms in soccer (what the rest of the world calls football), it just means your legs not only do a lot of the work but also in harm’s way. The shins can only take so much – especially if the opponents, or is it the opposition is wearing cleats. That’s enough to call in some protection.
The Storelli BodyShield LegGuard is more than just shinguards. It is like up-armored soccer socks that feature high-performance XRD polyurethane foam that includes an antimicrobial treatment to boot. These LegGuard will offer protection to the ankle and leg and further fight infection.
Adidas is supplying its Adidas Tango 12 ball as the official match ball for the 2012 UEFA European Football Championship. For those of us on this side of the pond, that’s the Euro Cup soccer tournament. Continue reading Adidas Has a Ball for Euro Cup
Last year Virginia Tech – Wake Forest School of Biomedical Engineering and Sciences began testing adult football helmets. The school just released its 2012 ratings, and added two helmets with five-out-of-five stars, joining last year’s pick.
Testing the helmets is a National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded project. The test uses the STAR Evaluation System, which is an acronym for the Summation of Tests for the Analysis of Risk. It involves performing 120 impacts on each helmet model at multiple locations and impact energies to evaluate the degree of head protection.
The Riddell Revolution Speed earned five stars last year. This year the Rawlings Quantum Plus and Riddell 360 also earned five stars. The Rawlings implus and Rawlings Quantum each earned four stars, which still falls in the recommended category for Virginia Tech. Continue reading Virginia Tech Releases 2012 Football Helmet Ratings
The good old sports helmet has been around a while, and the first recorded use of a dedicated fitness helmet was probably designed for football – although British officers did use their pith or sun helmets to play polo in the 19th century. Today helmets are often called “brain buckets” as they do product the gray matter and much more.
And in the past couple of years a lot has been made of the importance of designing a better helmet, with MIPS AB being among those on the forefront of changing the way helmets should (rather than do) protect the head. As GearJunkie noted last week:
MIPS stands for “multi-directional impact protection system,” and the company touts its technology as mimicking one of the body’s natural defenses against trauma. The brain is surrounded by a “low-friction cushion of cerebrospinal fluid,” MIPS literature notes, adding that its technology imitates the brain’s way of protecting itself by giving the helmet its own “low-friction layer” between the outer shell and the liner. This layer, which is a plastic insert, absorbs energy created in a fall and better protects the brain, MIPS claims. Continue reading It’s Called a Brain Bucket For a Reason
Now that the winter that never really happened starts to get closer to spring, Nike is announcing several new styles and updates on shoes, uniforms and other products. The spring is about to get into gear. Continue reading Nike Readies for Summer of Competition with New Gear
One trend we saw very much this year was how technology is being used to reduce injuries. We’ve seen new improvements in helmets and sensors for football, baseball and hockey. We’ve seen helmets being used in skiing and snowboarding, as well as cycling of course. Continue reading Technology Reducing Sports Related Injury
With football you can only be protected if the equipment is doing its job, and for this reason Riddell, the official helmet of the National Football League, is calling for an in-season time out to make sure that coaches, players and parents are properly inspecting the equipment including helmets and shoulder pads.
“Between regular practices and games, a player’s equipment experiences hours of use,” said Dan Arment, president of Riddell. “Inspecting equipment throughout the season helps ensure it’s prepared to perform its job – protecting players on the field.”
Riddell’s five-point, checklist is designed to keep proper fit and protection top of mind for all young football players and includes: Inspecting the helmet shell for cracks and dents; checking hardware and internal helmet padding; ensuring proper helmet fit; accessing the chin strap; and making sure shoulder pads fit properly as well. Video after the jump
While American’s expect a football to be shaped like… well, a football, the rest of the world knows football as the game played with the round ball. It might not seem like there is much that can be done to the football/soccer ball, but actually Nike begs to differ and its new ball could be the biggest game changer since the introduction of the now legendary white footballs, which were introduced in 1951 to help spectators see the ball during night matches.
Introducing the Nike Seitrio Hi-Vis ball, which builds on the legacy of excellence in the T90 football range that has served as the official match ball in the world’s leading leagues including Barclay’s English Premier League, Italy’s Serie A and Spain’s La Liga. Continuing to bring new innovations to football, the Hi-Vis ball features Nike RaDaR technology, which means Rapid Decision and Response.
Nike has tested the ball in the lab and on the field and the result is the Nike RaDaR technology, which makes it easier for players to see the ball better and capitalize on split second scoring and passing opportunities. In the game of football, precision sight is of utmost importance, and the Nike Seitiro is engineered to stand out on pitch even when conditions are not ideal. The yellow and purple color combination flaunts additional fluorescence and brighteners, making it even more visible in low light conditions than previous generations of Hi-Vis balls.
The Nike Seitiro features patented hi-vis casing, performance graphic, and unique five-layer construction, along with aerodynamic stability. The new ball saw its official debut on the pitch this past weekend. Chances are we’ll be seeing a lot more of it.