Sports Product Review

If you’re looking for the perfect gift for the baseball player, baseball mom or baseball dad in your life, (hint: Fathers Day is just around the corner), why not consider something unique and personal that they’ll treasure forever. A gift from Silver Diamond Jewelry (www.silverdiamondusa.com) is a great choice.

Hand-crafted necklaces, pins, key chains and tie tacks (pictured), made from sterling silver can be customized with your player’s number, creating a unique and attractive memento. Men and women both will appreciate the styles available, the quality is tremendous, and Silver Diamond’s prices are more than reasonable. Sister company Silver Ice Jewelry produces the same great items, but for those who chase the puck instead of the horsehide.

When looking for that perfect present, it’s nice when you’re able to hit a home run. In a world of ordinary, a gift from Silver Diamond Jewelry is out of the park.

Source: Silver Diamond Jewelry

We reviewed American Wave International sliding shorts a while back, and, a year later, the information and the product still hold up.

American Wave International (www.americanwave.com), has taken this science to the ball field, having designed a line of compression shirts and shorts made of polypropylene (or lycra) and neoprene, which has recently been researched and proven to be the best fabric in regards to muscle performance. The material is smooth and light, yet holds the muscle in place for optimal protection and performance, while offering the added advantage of keeping them warm in cold weather.

My softball-playing daughter recently tried AWI’s sliding shorts. And while she might not have noticed the durable and comfortable seven needle flat stitch and breathable perforated neoprene sliding pad, after years of wearing her brothers’ hand-me-downs she felt pretty awesome in top-of-the-line sliding shorts that made them jealous. She’s only 10, and most of the girls at this level prefer to tiptoe into bases, rather than get down. But my youngster has no problem going in hard, partly because she can feel confident sliding into bases without worrying about abrasions. Using science to blend comfort, performance and protection is what AWI is all about.

Source: American Wave

Since our original review of CoachDeck (A Perfect Practice is in the Cards – January 11, 2007), much has happened with this nifty little product. Most notably, once only for baseball, CoachDeck (www.coachdeck.com), now has a soccer version with drills created by former professional coach and player, Guy Newman. CoachDeck is building an online “Extras” page with a vision of ultimately be the one-stop online resource for all volunteer coaches. This page will offer additional drills, tips, practice plans, documents and advice as well as a wealth of special offers and discounts from merchants. Hundreds of youth sports leagues in soccer, baseball and softball have chosen to make CoachDeck part of their league’s training curriculum and soon CoachDeck will offer their product for other sports such as football, basketball, and hockey as well.

Every year, millions of people volunteer to step up and coach their son or daughter’s recreational sports teams, (often because no one else was willing), but frequently they’re scared to death. They imagine they’ll show up at the first practice all the other parents will be standing off to the side criticizing what a terrible job they’re doing. CoachDeck gives these folks a shot in the arm of confidence because now they know when they’re on the field everything they’ll be doing is legitimate and fundamentally sound.

CoachDeck is portable and the drills are succinct and fun to use. It is the ideal solution for the inexperienced rookie coach who needs a game plan, the veteran who’d like some new ideas or even the backyard parent. Having a CoachDeck is like having a professional coach help out at every practice.

Source: CoachDeck

Swing the hips. That’s what I’m always telling my Little Leaguers who have a tendency to try to hit the ball by swinging their arms with their rear ends extended out. The 8board from Grail Sports, (www.grailsports.com), is a neat little training device to help get your hips into your swing in all kinds of sports, including baseball, golf, tennis and even volleyball.

The 8board is a figure-8 swivel board. Simply place one foot on each pad and rotate the hips to create momentum. Your body will create a natural “coil” away from the ball, and then a strong rotation back to it. The biggest muscles in the body are in the lower half and the pros know that the secret to generating a strong swing is by generating a powerful trunk rotation.

If you could do a better job creating lower-half torque in your sport, hop on an 8board and bring your hips along for the ride.

Source: Grail Sports

Ever wonder why cyclists wear those funny, tight pants? Apparently, a scientific study exists proving that shorts made from highly elastic fabrics could reduce muscle fatigue and thus improve athletic performance. Clearly this would present a great benefit on long bike ride.

Well, American Wave International (www.americanwave.com), has taken this science to the ball field, having designed a line of compression shirts and shorts made of polypropylene (or lycra) and neoprene, which has recently been researched and proven to be the best fabric in regards to muscle performance. The material is smooth and light, yet holds the muscle in place for optimal protection and performance, while offering the added advantage of keeping them warm in cold weather.

My softball-playing daughter recently tried AWI’s sliding shorts. And while she might not have noticed the durable and comfortable seven needle flat stitch and breathable perforated neoprene sliding pad, after years of wearing her brothers’ hand-me-downs she felt pretty awesome in top-of-the-line sliding shorts that made them jealous. The sliders look great and, according to my daughter, feel even better. But best of all is the protection they provide so that she can feel confident sliding into bases without worrying about abrasions. Using science to blend comfort, performance and protection is what AWI is all about.

Source: American Wave