Innovation of Sport

Task 1

Identify the technological developments for optimising sports performance over the last ten years.

1994 – The predator boot.

Designed to create more power, swerve and accuracy on the ball when kicking. The boots had small rubber fins, bumps which gripped the ball when kicked forcing it to gain a certain motion.

1995 – Titanium Pigment introduced in Tennis.

Titanium pigment is introduced do use for the lines on courts instead of chalk.

1996 – Super-bikes.

Bikes in motor-sport changes when the first lightweight materials were introduced to make the bikes with increasing speed and movement etc…

1997 – Shark-suits.

Neoprene suits are introduced into Olympic swimming, it is a full body suit which increases the dynamics of the swimmer and makes him/her more streamlined.

1998 – World cup football.

A new ball is provided by adidas for the world cup, officially named ‘the world cup ball’ its outer is made from a spongy layer which is then covered over by a form of thin leather. The ball has larger and less panels so that more movement can be generated on the ball.

2000 – Nike Vapours.

These are a form of football boot, introduced in 2000 by Nike. The boot offers a weight of 96 grams and is made from synthetic uppers. The boot is meant to maximise performance by increasing the quality of your first touch and making you run faster.

2003 – Playing jerseys.

Different playing shirts were introduced to the game adding benefits for both the game itself and the player wearing it, the first appearance was in the rugby six nations where England and France wore the new Nike Dry-Fit shirt.

Here I have decided to talk about differences between the Nike Vapour and the Adidas Predator football boots.

          Nike Vapour                                       Adidas Predator

VS. 

We find here that the two boots are extremely different and have quite contrasting purposes. With the vapour being there to improve speed and touch of the ball the predator is made improve accuracy, swerve and power on the ball.

Vapours

The vapours offer an extremely light touch and are made very basic and quite plain. They come in various colours and have very thin uppers. When being worn they are designed to give a comfortable fit and provide you with a light feel, almost as though there is nothing on your foot. Obviously they are very lightweight and at an official weight of 96 grams they are specifically designed to increase your speed and provide you with more of a feel on the ball.

Positives

  • Lightweight
  • Comfortable
  • Increase speed
  • Increase touch
  • Fit to the contours of your foot
  • Looks like something 1000 years from future yet somehow stylish.

Negatives

  • Injuries – The boot is very thin and doesn’t hold much protection making it easier to gain injuries. However, up to now there has been no professional known player to get injured which has caused criticism of the boot itself or Nike in that matter.
  • Quality – The boots are known to fall apart quite easily as they provide no strengthened structure and are very basic.

Predators

The predators are quite a sturdy boot that offers a lot of comfort. They are made with a special surface on the front of the boot around the area that makes contact with the ball. these are fins/bumps positioned in different ways that grip the ball upon contact. Through doing this it creates spin on the ball which makes the ball move through the air. They also have a counter weight in the front part of the boot which helps to generate more power in ball as you follow through with your kick. On top of this the boot also has elements of protection around the ankle etc.

Positives

  • Swerve
  • Accuracy
  • Power
  • Comfort
  • Protection
  • Looks are very stylish.

Negatives

  • Quality – The Adidas predator is known for falling apart at the base/sole. For some reason the boot is prone to coming away from the sole just leaving the uppers.
  • Injury – Obviously the biggest setback is injury, although it is rare the predator boot actually brought about speculation on the strength and protection that the boot provides to the player. This happened just before the 1998 world cup when David Beckham broke the metatarsals in his foot. Being a world famous player this brought people to believe and question the quality of the modern day boot. With Adidas suffering a slight setback in the popularity of their boot they finally came through to carry on selling the predator.
Join now!

The main question being asked is more or less ‘Protection or performance’. All modern day boots have the same aim, to look good, and to have certain aims which improve your performance. The bots are concentrated on o hard now that they have lots of specific designs which improve or enhance certain aspects of your performance, whilst this is going on the protection of people’s feet and ankles is forgotten. And yet there is another point to the subject, people like George Best, Pele and Maradonna never had boots such as those sold today, certainly not Adidas or Nike! ...

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