Pulse Jam

Wooden Surfboards, back to the future

Clarks Foam has stopped production of the surfboard blanks, many surfers are now asking were will boards come from. Well, we are back to the future, wooden boards. Hess Surf Boards are cranking out wooden boards and they are just as good and will last longer than foam filled (I would be happy to try them out, hint, hint).  The timeless art of making boards and the quality that goes into making a wooden board are very similar, once you get the pieces of different wood together.  Next step is shaping the the boards and then bring on the waves.  Technology can make many things better but the classic wooden board will make time stand still.  Add the fact that these are GREEN and environmentally friendly - everybody wins.

For more info on making surfboards, check out How To Make A Surfboard

It's the middle of summer, the weather is nice and I think I see some big waves, time for some "technical due diligence"...

Sports Technology for Runners

As many runners are in the heat (pun intended) of training for various late summer and fall events, I thought I would showcase a few sports technology items that could potentially benefit runners.

Gadgets, kit, gear – are a runner’s close traveling companions. If the science and technology keeps its promises of improving running performance, a runner often commits for life. Disappointment in a gadget or high tech kit when running will surely lead to a divorce that other runners will want to hear about. Here’s an introduction to four sports technology items that might be interesting to serious runners:

Sports Drinks

Drinks such as Gatorade, Powerade and Lucozade Sport re-hydrate many runners’ bodies when racing and in training. Consuming a sports drink during an intense training session and on long runs will provide sugars which a runner’s body will use to create energy and for electrolytes refueling. When training hard or racing, electrolytes should be replenished to maintain potassium and sodium balances in a runner’s body.  This I have learned the hard way.

Since the 1970s, some running coaches have been recommending to long distance runners a home-made sports drink. Mindful of the science of running and sports nutrition, an old recipe for a sports drink is

1. Freshly pour one liter of water into a bottle
2. Add four tablespoons of sugar and shake
3. Add one-third of a teaspoon of salt and shake
4. Chill the sports drink for at least an hour
5. Shake the bottle before drinking or pouring into a running water bottle

Running Monitors

For runners who do not have an iPod Nano, Nike+ has released the SportBand. A wrist cuff, the SportBand allows a runner to see distance, pace, time and calories burned on their run. A small chip placed in a runner’s trainer – New Balance or Saucony works as well as Nike+ trainers which have a space for the chip – to interface with the SportBand. Added value is offered by the USB detachable face of the cuff which can download speed and distance data to a Mac or PC.  All this data can build into a runner's personal training log or better yet, use some of the upcoming sports intelligence offerings from Pulse Media Group for trends, analysis, and  even set up virtual competitions.   Stay tuned, it's coming.

Sports Intelligence - Athlete's Needs

As many of you know there are a great number of athlete training facilities, camps, and combines.  Even sporting goods manufactures are entering the game, for example, Nike Sparq.  However, current athlete training programs have the following shortcomings:

• Limited or no ability to link data sets and actually understand what influences performances
• Little or no ability to track or analyze performance variables individually or collectively

Understanding how to leverage business intelligence principles, or in our case, sports intelligence, through data mining athlete's training programs and performance results is essential for improvement.  Performance metrics can now be linked to training plans and strategic goals.

Although data mining has been widely and successfully used in the domain of business operations, data mining within sports is just in its infancy.

Sports Intelligence

We've been researching and are now at work on sports intelligence solutions for athletes and their respective coaches, teams and organizations.  We've been working with a number of athletes, coaches, trainers, and scouts to ensure our next generation platform is a home run (pun intended).  We look forward to your thoughts, comments and suggestions.

Now a little bit about sports intelligence.  Sports Intelligence is essential to an athlete's and team's improvement.  Like Business Intelligence for companies, it enables athletes, trainers, and coaches to identify specific areas for improvement or injury prevention, thereby extending the respective athletic career.  By measuring fundamentals, athletes and coaches can now use each sports or training related key performance indicator to demonstrate how the performance of a player compares to "industry" standards, peers or historical averages.  Key features that directly benefit the athlete, team or organization include:

• Easy to calculate
• Easy to communicate
• Based on strong performance criteria

The application of Business Intelligence principles has yet to blossom to its full potential in the sports world.  Sports organizations are just now beginning to unearth the information and knowledge hidden in their data.  Athletes are now seeking that competitive edge by exploring data mining concepts as part of their training and  preparation.  By developing Sports Intelligence tools, we will be providing athletes, teams and organizations with easy to use functionality to enable them to get to their next level.

Cool Down and Fire Up

Cooling affects performance

Since the early 1980's there have been numerous studies that indicate that cooling the body prior or during exercising in heat can improve the ability to sustain intensive workloads over long periods of time.

Cooler skin contributes to a number of physiological advantages.

1. Less cardiac output is directed toward the skin
2. A lower core body temperature means that it takes longer to rise to reach critical levels, and
3. Conservation of fluid (which normally would have been lost through dehydration), thus delaying the onset of dehydration and  performance limits as a direct result of this.

Artic Heat developed a breakthrough using a special viscose gel that can be molded to the body.

Arctic Heat Cooling Vests work by the special crystals absorbing and retaining the temperature of the water that it has been placed in.

By retaining the temperature longer than other products, the Arctic Heat Cooling Vest can provide a significant advantage to the athlete working out under potential heat stress.

Cooling of the body can be achieved pre, during and post exercise. The chief benefits of using cooling vests include:

• Drop in skin temperature
• Drop in core body temperature
• Improvement in perceived comfort level

Designed to be eye-catching and effective, Arctic Heat Cooling Vests can provide the athlete with a significant competitive advantage and the outside worker with an effective aid against heat stress.

To the many aspiring runners training for the fall marathons during this summer, this might be helpful for those long weekend runs.  I might even try it for speed work.