A new CourtGrip study by Optosource helps legitimize competitive edge

Court Grip is a sports technology product created by Mission Athletecare designed to increase traction on hardwood courts while improving an athlete’s speed, quickness and efficiency of movement by nearly 25 percent, according to a just released OptoSource study. An improved shoe to friction ratio is the name of the Sports Techie sneakers game and right now there is only one product in that niche market that gives you a competitive edge with improved lateral quickness and it’s Court Grip. This independent test was conducted by OptoSource, a recognized leader in sports performance tracking.

A summary of the findings was released in a short video format: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGNbKWRcAVw.

Mission Athletecare

“Ask any athlete, at any level of play, in any sport – milliseconds and millimeters matter.  If our Court Grip technology can improve a player’s speed, agility, quickness or balance by even a few percentage points, much less a 24% improvement in something as important as lateral quickness, that’s making a BIG difference.” said Mark French, the Inventor of Court Grip and President of MISSION’s Basketball Division.

CourtGrip

Co-developed and co-created with 2-Time NBA Champion and Miami Heat All-Star Dwyane Wade, Mission Athletecare launched Court Grip last season, with support from company partners Steve Nash, Dwight Howard and Brandon Jennings as well as the NBA and the NBA Trainers Association. Due to record-breaking adoption of the product, all major sports retailers are featuring Court Grip this basketball season. Each NBA team has Court Grip on their bench. CourtGrip now comes in a newly redesigned bottle for easier application.

OptoSource

“I noticed a few players were using Court Grip while working out this past June, and while you can definitely hear the product working (when players sneakers squeak on the floor), we wanted to use our proprietary tracking techniques and OptoJump technology to see if we can quantify the actual performance benefits of the product. Candidly, the results were surprising. I didn’t anticipate seeing an average of 24% improvement in lateral quickness – that far surpassed my expectations.” said OptoSource Founder Doug Fidellow.

OptoSouce utilized their state-of-the-art LED sensors to track and measure NBA, collegiate and high school basketball player’s speed, agility and quickness to determine their efficiency of motion. This proprietary systems tech tools are impressive and include split screens, unique graphics and telestration ability, plus much more.

Testing and Analysis

OptoSource’s studied 2 primary areas. First, there was extensive analysis and testing of basketball players at the high school and college level – with and without applying Court Grip. Second, OptoSource traveled to Wisconsin to test with Milwaukee Bucks star NBA point guard Brandon Jennings, and to analyze the difference in his performance with and without Court Grip.

Pro Agility Drill

The tested player’s performed the Pro Agility Drill on a UCLA basketball court, with and without CourtGrip on their soles. Personal trainers also tested their athletes. Balance, efficiency of movement, and contact time (foot on the ground) are all measured by using the OptoSource cam and Solution. After 3 months of testing over 24 subjects, the OptoSource study showed an average of 24% increase in quickness when going in and out of cuts for players at all levels when using Court Grip – and in some cases higher.

Stats

The statistical findings further indicated an ability to slide more safely with an improved contact time of 21 percent. Using Court Grip allows you to set or plant your feet and then elevate at about a 20% better rate than your non-wearing opponents. Over a hoops season, in a game or practice, enjoying improved and safer lateral movement as well as a higher friction ration is worth the product expense for most ballers.

Side-by-side analysis of Brandon Jennings’s signature move, the step back jump shot, with and without Court Grip, also revealed a significant decrease in average court contact time when using the product. “I used Court Grip all of last year, and I could feel the difference in my game, but actually seeing the data from the study, the visible improvements that Court Grip made to my form, stability and performance was really amazing,” said Milwaukee Bucks star, Brandon Jennings.

Mission Athletecare: NBA Trainers – Court Grip – http://youtu.be/0F5J8F0FoxQ.

According to several NBA trainers, the user adoption rate is increasing daily. Players have long complained about the lack of stickiness on an opposing team floors but by using Court Grip, that is no longer the case.

“Our players who use Court Grip experienced improved reaction time and ability to move in and out of their cuts quicker. It is the most beneficial product we have seen in the past few years” says Wally Blase, Head Athletic Trainer for the Atlanta Hawks.

Wally also shared that there has been a viral effect within the NBA in terms of new users, one player uses it and the others take notice, until as some point, non-users go ahead and try it and then become sold to its benefits, both mentally and physically.

DWade

“Court slippage has been a problem for me throughout my career. The first time I tested Court Grip, I instantly felt the improved balance and quickness, and I knew it was going to be a huge hit with players. It is a real game-changer for basketball. I am not surprised with the results from this study at all – the product works, and the data speaks for itself” said Dwyane Wade.

Sportsbiz

Mission’s Court Grip is one of three products in the Mission basketball line that also includes Power Grip, which instantly dries hands and the EnduraCool Instant cooling towel, an innovative technology that drops the towel fabric 30 degrees below the average body temperature when wet. All products are available at sporting goods retailers nationwide including Foot Locker, Sports Authority, Dicks Sporting Goods, Finish Line, Modell’s Sporting Goods, Hibbett Sports, Sports Chalet, Big 5 and online at Amazon and missionathletecare.com.

“It’s clear and present with the OptoSource findings, we’re maniacally focused on delivering innovative and disruptive technologies that make a difference for athletes – and our Court Grip product epitomizes that focus for our company.  We’re very excited with the OptoSource results, and we’re looking forward to announcing additional data in the months ahead related to our new game-changing technologies.” said Josh Shaw, Founder and CEO of Mission.

A more in-depth look at the data from OptoSource’s three months of testing can be found here: http://optosource.us/mission-court-grip-study.

About Mission Athletecare™:

Mission Athletecare™ is the first and only line of Athlete-Engineered™ products designed to enhance performance in training and competition. Launched in 2009, Mission Athletecare™ has quickly become a driving force of innovation in the sports industry uniquely focused on products that help athletes prepare, perform and rehab from competition.

Mission was co-founded by a premier group of world-class athletes including 13-time Grand Slam Tennis Champion Serena Williams, 7-time MLB All-Star David Wright and Gold Medal Soccer Champion Mia Hamm among others, all of whom wanted to be part of the solution to the void of Athletecare™ products available to athletes in the marketplace.

Mission and its elite athlete partners know that people who lead an athletic lifestyle have different needs – before, during and after their training or competition. To meet these dynamic needs, the Mission Lab Team is led by world-renowned doctors, scientists and athletes – who collaboratively engineer the Mission products to meet the highest demands of performance. From a sunscreen that is clinically proven to not sting your eyes to a proprietary Anti-Friction Cream that lasts up to five times longer than the competition, Mission is focused on true product innovations that are unmatched in the marketplace – and give athletes the edge they need.

The company also has a dual mission. While delivering world-class product innovations, Mission also makes an impact off the field of play through Athletes On A Mission™, which promotes the health & safety of youth athletes and recognizes and rewards high school athletes that give back to their communities. Mission Athletecare™ is setting a new standard in “high-performance” on all levels. 

For more information, please visit www.missionathletecare.com, on Facebook at Facebook/MissionBasketball or follow us @CourtGrip on Twitter.

About OptoSource:

OptoSource is an innovative sports science integration company that provides the ability to better track and access data associated with managing athletes.  Founded in 2010, OptoSource is dedicated to enabling athletes to achieve their goals and manage or enhance their optimal efficiency.  OptoSource delivers a suite of biomechanical assessment technology products and services based upon the best in class performance and training tools for athletes and everyone working to improve their fitness level. OptoSource’s 4Pillars™ technology provides applications for measuring physical performance in real-time in order to see how the body moves through space and time.  For more information, please visit www.optosource.us or contact us at [email protected]

Sports Techie, Is Court Grip a gimmick? Does this innovative tech really help you improve your basketball speed, quickness and efficiency of movement? I am a believer in sports technology so my opinion is, yes it does. This new study by OptoSource is a large step in the right direction of proving the naysayers wrong. If your confidence is helped while experiencing less shoe slippage, or the need to use spit or your sock to clean the bottom of your shoes in order to help with your traction as it’s been done for decades, why not try it out yourself and let me know the results on our Sports Techie blog comment section below or via a personal note.

Jennings patented step back jump shot is a go to move that can break a defenders ankles so to speak when executed properly. Balancing your body is a universal sport need, so is stability and safety. Your inertial load, explosion time, and the ability to get in and out of breaks can all be improved by nearly 25% with Court Grip, according to OptoSource. By combining the increase in contact time your shoes have on the floor with the resulting increase in traction, any level of basketball player can get to the rim, or set and elevate better, just like the Pro’s are now doing by using Court Grip by Mission Athletecare.

I will see ya when I see ya, THE Sports Techie

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