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.

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]

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.

That was Aimee Mullins the athlete, running on early prototypes of now-commonplace carbon fiber legs. Since the 1996 Paralympics, she’s worked as a fashion model, a speaker, and an actress, while making her way into more sports and culture publications than we can count.

But what most bios may miss about Aimee, whom I had the pleasure to meet at TEDMED, is that she’s more than a jock or some sappy “never give up!!” Hallmark greeting card.

Standing between a slender 5′ 8″ to 6′ 1″—depending on her particular mood—Aimee is that girl you knew in high school who was too pretty and popular for you but never felt it necessary to point these facts out. (Maybe because she’s a not-so-closeted geek who rarely misses the opportunity to make reference to sci fi classics like 2001, Robocop and Terminator—especially when referencing herself.)

It’s our privilege to have Aimee guest editing this week, exploring where technology has and will take the human body. If she’s what it means to be “disabled,” then why are the “able-bodied” among us so jealous? [image by Howard Schatz]

It was just a few days ago that EA Sports’ NHL 10 predicted that the Pittsburg Penguins would win the Stanley Cup this season. Now it’s the NBA’s turn, with NBA Live 10 having predicted that, yes, the Cavs will finally do it and win it all. And then LeBron can finally leave Cleveland and go to the Nets!

So the number crunchers at EA Sports ran an entire season in the game, which ended with the Cleveland Cavaliers beating the Los Angeles Lakers in The Finals. LeBron James wins the regular season and Finals MVP, and then runs for president of Earth, and wins. Easily.

Given that I haven’t played an NBA game since NBA Jam (at the local Pizza Hut when I was something like 6-years-old), I cannot comment on how accurate all this prognosticating is. Is the game very “sim-y” or “arcade-y”? Don’t know! What I do know, however, is that LeBron James is probably the top athlete in the U.S. right now. Feel free to disagree, but you’re wrong (yes, we’re bringing emoticons back)

So what is the reason the mind has become so important in sports?  As a San Diego sports psychologist I have been priveleged to see first hand why this is so.  First off the stereotype of athletes being big and dumb is false.  Athletes are some of the brightest individuals around.  And the most successful ones use are successful because they know how to use the mind.

Funny thing a lot of athletes come in needing my anger management San Diego practice.  Most of the time this anger stems from their failures in sports.But what I can do is help them turn it around.The way to really help them is to show them how failure begins within the mind.By being able to use their mind more effectively, they can have great success.It has proven itself over time many times.

Once the athlete is truly able to understand the power their mind has they can achieve success.  Most of the time they can achieve tremendous success.It is similar to how things are in life generally.The mind is so important when it comes to taking action and getting results.I take notice of this not just with athletes but also see it in families.  The San Diego family therapist practice I run I have used some of the same principles to help families achieve success.  Success in overcoming whatever family struggles they may be having.  In life and sports a lot of times the key is in your mind.

Why is their mindset the most important thing?Because all athletes are already physically gifted.But the reason as to why some athletes attain success and most of then don’t is because of the mindset.We have seen time and again more physically gifted athletes being beaten by weaker athletes by being tougher mentally.  But we have also seen good athletes struggle then turn it around by hiring a sports psychologist San Diego.

Athletes are now realizing that it isn’t all about athletic ability.  They are realizing to take their game to the next level it has to come from their mind.  And that is why sports psychologists are taking a bigger role in athlete’s success.  Most sports psychologists are counselors or family therapist San Diego practicioners. 

With the realization that it takes the mind to succeed even teens are employing counselors to help them.  For the teens that want success in sports they now if all things are equal the ones with stronger minds win.That is the reason why they also seek counseling themselves.  I have seen a spike of this request in my teen therapy San Diego practice.

So if you are an athlete and are seeking success it might be closer than you think.  If you employ some of these mind strengthening practices it could help you achieve your goals. Especially in a competitive field like sports.It might just be the thing that would let you go past your adversaries.  When a lot is on the line you need every advantage you can get.This might be the opportunity you have been waiting for.