This weekend’s NYT Magazine has a fascinating first-person account of how an ordinary, forgetful guy became a world-class memory athlete in just one year. Find out how imagining the Incredible Hulk riding a stationary bike with a pair of hoop earrings helped him set the U.S. record for speed memorization of a deck of cards over at NYT. [NYT] More »

Gizmodo

How do you know when you’re a great athlete? Oh, I don’t know, maybe when the top-tier manager of the opposing team calls you a PlayStation! Like, you’re so good it’s almost as if someone goes into Konami’s Pro Evolution Soccer or EA Sports’ FIFA, creates a player, than gives said player 12 out of 10 in all the key stats: speed, attack, technical skill, etc. Leo Messi is like a PlayStation.

This is in reference to Messi’s performance last night against Arsenal, where he scored four goal—known as a poker in the sports press—of PlayStation-like skill. It was as if God himself was controlling the Argentine with a DualShock 3, and having him dance around Arsenal’s unfortunate defenders and march straight toward the goal.

Calling him a PlayStation, as Arsenal’s manager, Arsène Wenger did (skip to 0m30s in that video), is even a misnomer: I, for one, can’t play Pro Evo that well. Can the game even be played that well? Look at these “best of” compilations. None of these are as good as Messi was yesterday.

We’re witnessing greatness, friends, and I’m fairly shocked that we haven’t seen a major, non-sports American publication so much as profile him yet.

By Andrew Liszewski

I couldn’t perform a triple salchow to save my life, or even ice skate for that matter, but I just know the judges would be so impressed if I were to step out on the ice wearing this illuminated figure skating costume, they would have no choice but to award me a medal of some sort. Even if it was just the medal for costume awesomeness I just made up.

Of course I don’t know how figure skater Isabella Moro, pictured here at the Crystalline Figure Skating Competition 2010 in Santa Rosa, California did, but I do know her costume, created by ShowOfLight, was probably the most original on the ice that day. At times the light-up panel on the front featured animated sequences reflecting the lyrics in the song she was skating to, and at other times it simply showed random animations which reacted to the sounds and movements of her routine.

Unfortunately the application of this technology seems to have just missed the recent Olympic games, but here’s to hoping that every athlete at the 2014 Sochi games has to wear a light-up costume of some sort. In fact I’m sure their corporate sponsors have a few ideas on what to display.

[ Show Of Light - Light Animated Figure Skating ] VIA [ talk2myShirt ]

Oh-kaaay. So Reebok has developed something called ZigTech – basically a zig-zag type foam for running shoes that’s supposed to ease the load on your leg muscles. And one of the first snippets from the press release is, “ZigTech allows your key leg muscles to do less, so you can do more. Simply put, it’s like an energy drink for your feet.”

And the title of the press release is “Reebok Debuts ZigTech – An Energy Drink for Your Feet…” The shoes will be available for $100 on March 11th and “The launch will be supported by a major marketing campaign including TV, print and online advertising.”

I’m curious to see if Reebok sticks with the “energy drink for your feet” angle for this upcoming marketing blitz since it’s so bat-shit crazy it might work.

As for the actual technology:

“Everything about Reebok’s ZigTech footwear is designed to conserve and return energy to the athlete for a soft and springy ride. The one-of-a-kind ZigTech bottom unit features an innovative, lightweight foam that is engineered into a dramatic, geometric, zig-zag shape. This unique zig-shaped sole absorbs the impact of heel strike and sends a wave of energy along the length of the shoe to help propel the athlete forward with each step.”

There are apparently “hundreds” of athletes who train in the ZigTech shoes, including Peyton Manning, Chad Ochocinco, Santonio Holmes, David Ortiz, Allen Iverson, and more.

Full press release:

Reebok Debuts ZigTech – An Energy Drink for Your Feet…

CANTON, Mass.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–What would you do if you had more energy? Run faster? Train longer? On March 11^th, Reebok allows athletes to find out with the highly anticipated launch of ZigTech, the brand’s most technically advanced running and training shoe. ZigTech allows your key leg muscles to do less, so you can do more. Simply put, it’s like an energy drink for your feet.

Everything about Reebok’s ZigTech footwear is designed to conserve and return energy to the athlete for a soft and springy ride. The one-of-a-kind ZigTech bottom unit features an innovative, lightweight foam that is engineered into a dramatic, geometric, zig-zag shape. This unique zig-shaped sole absorbs the impact of heel strike and sends a wave of energy along the length of the shoe to help propel the athlete forward with each step.

“Traditional energy return is focused only on the vertical impact of the heel strike,” said Reebok’s Head of Advanced Innovation, Bill McInnis. “In contrast, ZigTech is designed to transfer energy horizontally along the zigs so the athlete gets that energy back in the forefoot.”

The lightweight, flexible bottom unit, minimalist upper, and whisper-quiet ground contact also contribute to making ZigTech a new standard in running and training footwear. In fact, by wearing Reebok’s ZigTech footwear, training longer just got easier. The technology causes up to 20% less wear and tear on key leg muscles, especially the shins and hamstrings.

“Shin splints are extremely common for pro athletes like me,” said NFL superstar Peyton Manning. “Wearing ZigTechs give players a bounce, an energy that lets us train longer with less strain on key leg muscles, like shins. This ultimately enables athletes to stay healthier during the season.”

Reebok’s ZigTech footwear collection is available for men and women in an array of bold, bright colors that will truly stand out in the gym. Edgy, trend setting athletes like football phenom Chad Ochocinco are big fans of the aggressive design. “I had my ZigTechs in the locker room and all my teammates were trying to check them out,” said Ochocinco. “ZigTechs stand apart from any training shoe out there. They are bold and confident, perfect for an athlete like me.”

Manning and Ochocinco are joined by last year’s Super Bowl MVP, Santonio Holmes, 2008 Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning, World Series star pitcher Andy Pettitte, Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum, Stanley Cup winner Sidney Crosby, NHL All-Star Alexander Ovechkin, boxing great “Sugar” Shane Mosley, basketball icon Allen Iverson, home run king David Ortiz, soccer standouts Thierry Henry and Ryan Giggs, and hundreds more athletes who run and train in Reebok’s ZigTech footwear.

ZigTech debuts at major retailers including Dick’s Sporting Goods, Foot Locker, Finish Line and on Reebok.com on March 11, 2010 for a suggested price of $100. The launch will be supported by a major marketing campaign including TV, print and online advertising. To learn more, visit Reebok.com/zigtech.

EA Sports has been one of the last holdouts to stand by its sponsorship of Tiger Woods, the Tiger Woods PGA Tour series being one of the company’s more popular franchises. However, a recent survey seems to indicate that EA may be hedging its Tiger-themed bets a bit. One of the survey questions, in particular, is pretty straightforward: “Has the controversy made you more or less likely to buy a Tiger Woods related video game in the future?”

Assuming Woods’ “indefinite leave of absence” from golf is still going on by the time the next PGA Tour game is supposed to come out (June-ish), my theory is that instead of searching for a new cover athlete, EA will simply name the game PGA Tour 11 and make the box art some famous hole on a golf course or something. That’s all well and good for the console versions but let’s not forget that the computer version has gone all-online, all the time and is still named Tiger Woods PGA Tour Online.

If that changes, we’ll know that trouble’s afoot between Tiger and EA.

[via Kotaku]

How physically gifted athletes are is one of the things that always occur in our minds.They are very athletically gifted and that is true.  But one thing that gets underestimated is the power of the mind.Many people don’t realize how the mind can powerfully contribute to success.But looking at the professional sports you can observe this is true.You have examples of great athletes who end up losing in sports.  It wasn’t because of their physical gifts.It was the weakness of their mind most of the time.So in this article we will look at how you can utilize the power of the mind to succeed in sports.

First of all this advice is coming from years of experience as a San Diego sports psychologist.From many years of dealing with athletes I have seen that the ones who can get their minds together are the ones who excel.  That is very important in competitive sports.  Because those that are prepared can surpass those of equal athletic ability with greater mind power.

Next what do they need to do to tap into this mind power? To help you tap into your mind power there are a lot of courses you can buy.But if you really want to excel the best bet is to get a counselor to help you.  In my San Diego family therapist practice I have seen how working with a counselor helps the athlete really apply what they have learned.

Finally in sports anger is one of the hardest emotions to conquer.And in sports anger could be one thing that makes you not perform well when you are in competition. Because of that in my anger management counseling services I have incorporated help in this area.This helped many athletes to improve as well.

So there you have the secret to success in sports.Master your mind and you will be successful in sports.