How cold weather changes the game for football players

How cold weather changes the game for football players

Check out this great article on how cold weather affects an athlete’s body and performance.

Exercising in the cold also means exercising under much more physiologically stressful conditions. These stressful conditions affect our bodies in various ways. At a cellular level, the cold affects not only our bodies but also our equipment. In the same way a cold muscle is more inclined to strain or tear, a bat is also more susceptible to cracking and breaking. Machinery, metals, composites, wood are all designed to be used in warmer temperatures for optimum performance just like our bodies.

If it’s important to keep ourselves warm in order to prevent injury, shouldn’t we do the same for the equipment?  We think so.

Key Points from article:

  • In general, colder muscles are less efficient muscles. Reactions in the body happen slower in the cold, and muscle contraction is a series of chemical reactions, according to Dr. Jonathan Finnoff, medical director of Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine.
  • “Your muscles themselves become stiffer so they’re not as pliable and they can’t move as rapidly,” Finnoff said. “If you’re not delivering blood flow and nutrients to the area as quickly, then your muscles don’t have as much energy to do their work.”
  • Colder, stiffer muscles that aren’t working as efficiently are also more likely to tear, making strains more common in the cooler weather, according to Finnoff.
  • Experts from ESPN’s “Sport Science” have tested the effects of low temperatures on an athlete’s performance. According to the video, there are various effects of low temperatures on an athlete’s performance.
  • While athletes’ bodies are able to acclimatize to the heat, they cannot do the same as effectively with cold weather. Heat acclimatization is a practice in which athletes are gradually exposed to regular heat challenges in training over a period of 10 days. This practice allows athletes to perform better when forced to play in extreme heat. 
  • Cold acclimatization has not proven as effective for preparing athlete’s bodies for playing in cold weather. Most importantly, athletes should not let their muscles get cold. 
  • “Athletes should bear in mind that the halftime period, or any break, is an opportunity for the muscles to cool down,” Carter said. “Trying to keep active during these periods of downtime is going to be beneficial to keep the muscle temperature elevated before they go back on the field to play.” 
  • Some teams go as far as to have exercise bikes on the sidelines for athletes who are not on the field. Other teams invest in warming technologies such as heated benches or “hot pants,” which are pants with built-in heating elements.

from article on https://www.accuweather.com

5 Years of Batwarmer Power!

5 Years of Batwarmer Power!

From Facebook:

I bought a pyroflite bat warmer when my daughter was in the 7-8th grade because of all the fall tournaments in Oklahoma and Arkansas and her crazy bat speed/ power . She turns 18 today and graduates HS in may and we still are using the original case and heating pad ! You have no idea how much it increases the pop of the bat in those low temperatures below 60 degrees not to mention taking the sting away and decreasing bat damage . She’s never broken a bat in the winter time using it and their aren’t to many kids in the country that swing it like she does . I highly recommend such a small investment for such big reasons . I’m just waiting on hers to ware out so I can get a new one , still holds its heat for 4-5 hours ! Sub 40’s in this cage and seems like 80-90’s to the bat with the warmer ! A+ in my book all day.

Check out the video Dennis posted on Facebook


Winter Batting Practice begins

Winter Batting Practice begins

It’s the start of the traveling baseball winter training up the icy midwest and our friend Jaxon (U13) gave his new bat warmer a spin for his first winter batting practice up in the twin cities of Minnesota. Jaxon’s dad shot some photos & videos during the evening.

“About an hour before practice, we heated up the warming pack in the mic for like 5,6 minutes. I packed it into the bag. It was warm but not too hot. Then I zipped in my bat, packed my gear and we headed out to pick up some new batting gloves. I scored a sweet blue pair at Dick’s, tested some other gear and then we went to practice. When I took out my bat at BP, it was nice and warm. First swings were awesome. No stinging hands – just smooth contact. The other guys are already wondering where I got it. Thanks Brian! – Jaxon G, Woodbury MN

Royals bats were hot even on a cold night

Royals bats were hot even on a cold night

image courtesy of CNN

Not even temps dipping down into the 40’s could stop a hot Kansas City lineup on Wednesday night.

Johnny Cueto bounced back from a tough outing against the Blue Jays and pitched a gem on a chilly Missouri night. The Royals’ rally in the 5th inning was a perfect display of what makes the hottest lineup in the MLB so great. Their aggressive approach at the plate with a laser focus on making contact have the team up 2-0 in the World Series against the Mets whose young and insanely talented rotation just can’t seem to strike out the KC hitters when it matters. Timely rallies and solid starting pitching have the Royals in control as the series heads back to New York.

While these pros have the advantage of heated dugouts, the best batting glove technology and new bats whenever needed, cold weather games and practices can be brutal for the every day ball player. At Pyroflite, we want to provide youth and adults with the option of a warm bat on these cold days. When temps drop, your bats get cold, your hands start buzzing with every swing and being aggressive at the plate gets really difficult. No one wants to worry about pain while they’re having fun. The batwarmer keeps a bat at recommended temperatures which not only helps get rid of that pesky bat sting but it protects your bat from damage.

For a bat as hot as the Kansas City Royals, check out our microwaveable bat warming sleeve and heat up your next batting practice or at bat!