Most of us have heard that Nike has been making team jerseys out of 7 recycled water bottles, but this is the first time we are getting a behind-the-scenes look at the actual production process. Whoever created this technology has truly done something to help our environment, as I can see this lightweight fabric replacing cotton or wool, in many instances.

Last week, I experienced Nike’s new SPARQ Sensory Performance innovations in action. I have no doubt in my mind that this new approach to vision training in conjunction with all other aspects of physical training will give an edge to the athletes who utilize these advancements. What’s most interesting is that vision training can be used by athletes of all levels to increase focus, reaction times & anticipation in any sport. I could rattle off a list of athletes off the top of my head that could use vision training immediately: Ahem… Josh Hamilton… Ahem…

SPARQ Sensory Performance is a system of technologies, products and programs designed to assess, analyze and improve an athlete’s visual and sensory performance. It’s another step in Nike’s nearly 40-year legacy of delivering game-changing innovations to help athletes perform at their peak.

“Sensory training is at the cornerstone of how we can build better athletes,” said Paul Winsper, SPARQ Performance Director. “With SSP we’re able to integrate both sensory and physical training together. This performance philosophy has resonated with some of the top athletes, teams and clubs throughout the world.”

Nike SPARQ Sensory Stations

As the first step in improving an athlete’s performance, the SSP “assess” phase uses the Nike SPARQ Sensory Station, an interactive touch screen device, to evaluate athletes on 10 sport-relevant visual and sensory performance skills. The personalized station then translates that raw data into next steps for the athlete, which can guide a training program. The resulting SPARQ Sensory Performance profile compares an athlete’s results to others in their sport, position and skill level to provide a roadmap for improvement.

I underwent these tests and compared my results to all other professional soccer defenders in Nike’s database and I’ll post my results as soon as I get over my embarrassment at my scores. Welp, it seems that countless hours spent pushing pixels isn’t great for my vision or health.

Once the assessment and analysis are complete, Nike SSP provides two key tools designed to help an athlete improve: The Nike SPARQ Sensory Training Station and Nike SPARQ Vapor Strobe Eyewear. Athletes at any skill level can integrate both into their training programs to hone their sensory skills.

Nike SPARQ Vapor Strobe Eyewear

Following visual testing to evaluate different aspects of the athlete’s visual skills, a crucial tool to improve key areas is the Nike SPARQ Vapor Strobe Eyewear. By blocking or disrupting vision using a strobe or flicker effect that can be varied in speed, an athlete can develop quicker reaction times and motor skills. The strobe effect improves reaction time by switching between clear and blocked vision, which trains the brain to anticipate what‘s coming when the eyes are blocked. Features include an adjustable head strap for a secure fit and liquid-crystal lens technology with variable speeds for different levels of training.

“After years of tireless testing, we’ve discovered an innovative way to help increase athletic performance,” said Dr. Alan Reichow, Global Research Director of Nike SPARQ Sensory Performance and Vision. “The SSP ecosystem of testing and products allows our team to serve the athlete with a clear and actionable plan that helps them see sport better.”

The system is already proving effective. Two recent studies* showed that training with the Nike SPARQ Vapor Strobes improved:
1) The ability to pick up subtle motion cues
2) Visual information processing
3) Timing of motion

When looking at the list of athletes that participate in SPARQ Sensory Performance training, I’m not surprised that they’re at the top of their game. Kevin Durant, Larry Fitzgerald, Greg Jennings, Misty May-Treanor, A.J. Pierzynski all get an edge.

“I catch balls for a living. What I do is eye-hand coordination, so any way that I can improve my eye-hand coordination is going to be pivotal throughout my career. The Nike SPARQ Vapor Strobes are a total game changer, a training game changer. You take vision for granted, you take catching the ball for granted but the Vapor Strobes force you to focus on the fundamentals.” -Greg Jennings

Nike SPARQ Sensory Training Stations use software-based training modules to improve multiple sensory performance skills. The stations can be used regularly as an integrated part of training programs for athletes at all levels. Top collegiate and professional programs have purchased the Nike strobe eyewear and stations, with a full global rollout now in action.

The Nike SPARQ Vapor Strobe Eyewear is $300 USD and available Internationally at NikeStore.com. Both the Nike SPARQ Sensory Station and Nike SPARQ Sensory Training Station are available through the Nike SPARQ Sensory Training Help Desk (1-855-870-6778 or NSSTsupport@nike.com).

* Duke University Study: Appelbaum LG, Schroeder JE, Cain MS and Mitroff SR (2011) Improved visual cognition through stroboscopic training. Front. Psychology 2:276. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2011.00276

* Southern Utah University Study: Smith, T.Q. (2011) Sensory Training: Nike Strobe (Master’s thesis). Southern Utah University, Cedar City, UT.

This little video just got me real excited about the new FIFA game. The free demo is out on Playstation Network already, but I’m just going to wait for the real thing. FIFA 12 drops on September 27th… Pre-order the game, then add me on PSN. My handle is: tentenlarry. Seeya on the pitch!

The only video game I’ll ever put any effort into purchasing on the day it comes out is FIFA on PS3. This year’s version looks so nice! Check out the video at 0:27 with the scissor-leg takedown! Unreal…

Like many sports fans, I’m totally guilty of being biased against watching the Women’s World Cup. Well all that changed today. After casually tuning in to Sunday’s USA vs. Brazil quarterfinals match, I spent the afternoon on the edge of my couch experiencing nervousness, rage, national pride, and exhilaration. This match was one of the most epic triumphs I’ve ever witnessed in any sport. With that being said, I decided to put together a list of reasons to watch the remainder of the Women’s World Cup. Hopefully you’ll agree with me, and tune in as the United States women take on France in the semifinals.

1) Soccer is Soccer: The rules are the same whether you’re watching Men’s or Women’s soccer. Women can slide tackle, elbow, shoulder check, foul, and score amazing headers on pinpoint crosses. It’s not like watching the WNBA where the 3-point line is closer and there’s no above the rim action.

2) USA! USA! USA!: Our Women’s National team is freaking good! They’re representing our country (which I love) and they have a chance to take it all. I love watching our Men’s National Team, but they’re so difficult to watch sometimes. They’re often playing from behind and goals are so rare with our Men’s team. If Women’s soccer wasn’t a big deal, do you really think Nike would name a building on their campus after Mia Hamm?!? Think about that for a second…

3) The Stage is Huge: I had such an amazing summer in 2010 watching the Men’s World Cup. Yes, the WWC isn’t as monumental of an event, but it’s all we have right now. Take it or leave it. I love soccer, and I want to see USA kick ass. There’s a lot of that going on right now. Tune in! I’ve got more reasons to wear my USA jersey and I’m not complaining about that.

4) Check the Tweets: I have a lot of friends in the sports media industry and I was surprised to see them live-tweeting the match today! Every hard foul, free kick, goal, and time-wasting flop was analyzed, critiqued, and spun into humor and joy on my timeline. I’m used to seeing these dudes live-tweeting the NBA Finals and the NFL. I never would’ve expected to see them going ham over Women’s World Cup, but that’s the state of soccer in our country. People are finally embracing the sport! Get with the program.

5) Hope Solo: She’s a bomb-ass goalkeeper and she’s hot. #MarryMe She makes impossible saves people! There’s a short list of plays in sports that get me jacked up: An outfielder throwing out a runner at home plate, a linebacker pummeling a quarterback, a blocked punt, an ankle-breaking crossover, a buzzer beater, and a goalie stuffing a shot on goal. Hope Solo does the latter all the damn time.

I picked up FIFA 11 by EA Sports for Playstation 3 on Tuesday and have been enjoying the new game immensely. There are numerous game play upgrades included in this year’s version of the game but I don’t want to bore anyone with those mundane details. If you’re really curious about in-game changes, head over to EA Sports’ website or any other blog out there. For me, the major difference between FIFA 10 & FIFA 11 is the Creation Centre that allows users to create their own players and teams. I immediately jumped at the opportunity to create a football club for PROCESS, consisting of video game representations of our crew of friends.

I’m still ironing out a few kinks to our squad, which is already available for download to your game system. I’ll do an in-depth review of the Creation Centre in the coming days, but for now I wanted to show off this hilarious goal celebration video clip featuring PROCESS F.C. midfielder, Ross Martin. Enjoy!

Oh snap! FIFA 11 is on it’s way. The North American release date is set for September 30th. Birthday Jams! Between this game and NBA Elite 11, I think my PS3 will be getting quite the workout this fall. Video available after the jump:

More evidence of the madness from the other day…

Even though Ghana knocked Team USA out of the World Cup on Saturday, it didn’t prevent us from having a great time. I’m proud of how the team represented themselves and everyone stateside on the world’s stage. As always, it’s smashing to hang out with the Esperanza and Whynatte crews.

Its part of the job description.