Do you have any idea how many people have come through the Dime HQ over the years touting their latest revolutionary basketball technology? Hundreds. Literally. Some (actual) samples of the nonsense we’ve heard:
“These shoes will make you jump higher!”
“These kicks make it scientifically impossible to roll your ankles!”
“This cloth fires electrons back into your muscles to make you faster and increase your vertical leap!”
Out of those hundreds, do you know how many had any kind of proof? Zero. Stammering and blank stares.
We have known that the products from our friends at Mission Athletecare actually work for a while now, especially Court Grip. And that’s because we use it all the time when we play ball, and so do lots of the people we run with.
Late yesterday though, Mission announced some interesting news – they released findings from an independent study with OptoSource, a leading sports performance technology company, that tested the impact of Court Grip on Brandon Jenning‘s signature step back jumper. A three-month analysis from Optosource showed a 24% average improvement on basketball players’ quickness and improved balance and stability when using Court Grip to increase traction on hardwood courts.
OptoSource’s independent study was divided into tw key areas. First, there was extensive analysis and testing of basketball players at the high school and college level – with and without Court Grip. Second, OptoSource traveled to Wisconsin to test with Jennings, and to analyze the difference in his performance with and without Court Grip.
After three 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). It also showed quantifiable improvements in balance and stability on change of direction movements on players who used the traction enhancing technology.
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. You can see that video with Jennings here:
As with most studies, you can always find your own holes and interpretations, but you have to give Mission credit for having the confidence in their product to put it to a scientific test.
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