Tag: Soccer

Soccer Armor

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.

Storelli Official Website

Nike Gets Football With New Boot

Nike is a big player on the grid iron for the way football is played in America, but it also has a new boot for the pitch as well. The new Nike GS Football Boot – designed for what we in the States call soccer – promises to be the lightest and most innovative shoe yet. It is also quite green, and not just in color.

The shoe or boot as it is labeled is made from castor beans, which require little water to grow and thus have little environmental impact. This material also makes for a shoe that is 15 percent lighter than traditional thermoplastic polyurethane. Still not convinced it is green – consider that the polyester tongue and quarter are made form 95 percent recycled plastic bottles. Continue reading Nike Gets Football With New Boot

Goal Line Adopted by FIFA

The game may never be the same. This has been said in many sports over the years, but on Friday FIFA approved the use of goal-line technology at the Club World Cup, Confederations Cup 2013 and World Cup 2014. What does this mean for the average pick up game or youth soccer match? Nothing.

But for the pros it is a game changer. It actually comes about from the adoption of two different technologies that have been approved, and both will be used in different capacities going forward. The “Hawk-Eye” essentially uses high-speed cameras and triangulation to determine if the ball crossed the goal line. It has already been successfully used widely in international tennis and cricket tournaments. The other is the “GoalRef” technology that relies on a microchip that is placed inside the ball and uses magnetic waves to determine if the ball has crossed the goal-line. Continue reading Goal Line Adopted by FIFA

Weekend Reading List (5.19.2012): Zombie Run, Surf Oil, Soccer Goal, Bikers Without Helmets

Run Zombie Run

httpv://youtu.be/5uWD4i8u-KU

From YouTube: Run For Your Lives Zombie 5K (Official)
Run For Your Lives is a first-of-its-kind event, one part obstacle course, one part music festival, one part escaping the clutches of zombies – and all parts awesome. Continue reading Weekend Reading List (5.19.2012): Zombie Run, Surf Oil, Soccer Goal, Bikers Without Helmets

Nike Readies for Summer of Competition with New Gear

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

Nike on the Seitiro Hi-Vis Ball

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.

Nike Seitiro Premier League Hi-Vis at The Nike Store

Nike Soccer Shoe Laser Strike

httpv://youtu.be/cHLVsEO84oA

Nike just released its Nike T90 Laser IV soccer shoe. The “football” shoe is 20 percent lighter than the previous version. It features a streamlined silhouette that provides enhanced fit and lets wearers feel the ball. The forefoot area has a newly configured adaptive shield design that works with the foot’s natural motion to boost performance. Constructed from high performance synthetic leather, the upper provides a soft and close-to-the-foot fit. On the sole, a new stud design enhances speed and movement, without added weight or pressure.

To coincide with the launch, Nike Football created the T90 Strike Counter on Facebook. This app allows users to log their goals, and recreate the action in a 3D image. Report the spot on the pitch from where a goal was scored; where in the goal the ball went, and what part of the boot (shoe) was struck the ball. The data render a 3D image that can be shared with friends. Participants can also check out the 3D image and input from pro football players.

Nike T90 Laswer IV Football Shoe Official Website

Artificial Clouds to Beat the Heat

While no one wants it to rain on game day, too much sun can be a real pain – and actually a health hazard for those in the stands. There are indoor stadiums of course, but that’s not the same. And even retractable roofs don’t always shield everyone away from the glare of the sun’s rays.

This is no doubt a concern for the 2022 World Cup games that will be played in Qatar, where extreme summer heat is something that can’t be easily beat(en). The solution, according to The Daily Mail is a cloud. We’ve heard of the digital cloud – as in online hosting of digital data – but this is actually an artificial cloud. And least you fear that this is some of gaseous creation, it is actually lightweight carbon structures carrying a giant envelope of material containing helium gas. In other words, large balloon like objects. So maybe a retractable roof would be the better idea?

However, because of the region has so much sun, organizers are looking to power the artificial clouds via solar power, as well as the air conditioning in the stadium. Hopefully as this will let spectators beat the heat.

[Via The Daily Mail: Pie in the sky! Qatar invents artificial clouds to beat the heat at 2022 World Cup]

Nike Brings Adaptive Traction to New Football Shoe CR Mercurial Vapor SuperFly II

Imagine you’re on the soccer field, and go for the ball, but the cleats on your shoes are just a hair short for the muddy surface and you slip. The opposing team gets the ball and scores the winning point of the game. Get the a pair of Nike CR Mercural Vapor SuperFly IIs and you’ll have an extra 3mm on the adaptive studs depending on the ground conditions and pressure exerted by the player. The adaptive traction system can extend or retract by those 3 mm, possibly saving the field and maybe even the shoes from undue wear when not needed.

Blades are positioned directionally on the forefoot to maximize cutting and allow for quick changes in direction. Secondary toe traction provides added toe-off power to get you started on that sprint during a play. Continue reading Nike Brings Adaptive Traction to New Football Shoe CR Mercurial Vapor SuperFly II

Nike5 Collection Caters to Three Styles of ‘Futbol’

There’s a group that plays soccer in the North end of Central Park in New York City. They play until the grass wears bare, and there’s nothing left of the field except hard-packed dirt. We’ve wondered why they wear the field down to dirt, but it turns out they’re probably playing a variation of their favorite football, Sala. There’s three variations on football popular in Europe, Central America and North America. Those are cage, caneta and sala. Nike just introduced a collection of Nike5 shoes addressing each sport. Continue reading Nike5 Collection Caters to Three Styles of ‘Futbol’

Kick Off with the Nike Total 90 Tracer Ball

As football season starts here in America, it’s still worth thinking about the sport the rest of the world calls football, what we call Soccer in the U.S. Just in time for fall ‘futball’ Nike introduced its Total 90 Tracer ball. The new ball is designed for consistency, accuracy, touch and visual acuity. The ball has hand-sewn seams, improved bladder tension and the surface texture you expect to kick around the field. The surface texture is actually a micro-textured casing, which regulates airflow equally across the ball’s entire surface. The ball is then less prone to wobble, and takes a more direct, arrow-like flight. Continue reading Kick Off with the Nike Total 90 Tracer Ball

Study Explains Difference Between the Sexes in Terms of Soccer

Research shows men kick the soccer ball differently than women. The study, published this month in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, finds males activate certain hip and leg muscles more than females during the most common soccer kicks – the instep and side-foot kicks. While men activate more muscles, the data may explain why female players are twice as likely as male players to sustain anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury.

“By analyzing the detailed motion of a soccer kick in progress, our goal was to home in on some of the differences between the sexes and how they may relate to injury risk,” said orthopaedic surgeon Robert H. Brophy, MD, the study author and assistant professor of orthopedics at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Continue reading Study Explains Difference Between the Sexes in Terms of Soccer