The backbone of any baseball player is without a doubt their ability to execute at a high level of athletic performance. A great athlete has the ability to maintain that full athletic performance for 9 innings every night over the course of a season. If you are overheated, fatigue sets in and your ability to focus and perform at a high level is severely impaired. That is why athletes across the country are doing everything they can to stay cool on the field.
Professional teams like the Texas Rangers, Cleveland Indians and many youth programs have adopted technology called CoreControl, a revolutionary glove that addresses the endless problems associated with the body's overheating. This innovative glove, developed by Stanford University scientists Craig Heller and Dennis Grahn, increases an athlete's physical endurance and performance by reducing their overall body temperature within minutes.
"As the temperatures get into the 90's and over the 100 degree mark, cooling your body, especially for pitchers, is imperative," said Bruce Read, President of TSS who manufactures CoreControl, "Think of a pitcher throwing in the 7th, 8th and 9th inning in the heat. Using the CoreControl in-between innings brings his core blood temperature back to a healthy number and when he takes the mound again, he's as refreshed as he was before the game started – and he'll be able to be refreshed and have more energy."
The CoreControl Cooling Glove, using only ice and a vacuum, physically extracts excess body heat through only one hand and returns the body temperature to normal range within minutes.
So what does this mean for athletes? It now means endless possibilities; performances that are faster, longer, and better than ever before. CoreControl is gaining the attention of thousands nationwide, and it's no wonder. Outside Magazine's Berne Broudy describes the glove as giving a "steroid-like boost" to overall athletic performance – and it's perfectly legal!
"The glove is used by the San Francisco 49ers, Golden State Warriors, Olympic volleyball players, military and more," said Read, "But we have found that baseball teams that are using the technology are having that ah-ha moment and are looking at the potential for extra innings for their pitching staff and not having to go to the bullpen so quickly."
But how does this ice-infused vacuum actually work to eliminate overheating? Dr. Craig Heller and Dr. Dennis Grahn are the creators of the technology and have spent years perfecting it in their labs at Stanford University. The two doctors performed extensive research on the human body's arteriovenous anastomoses (AVAs), which are specialized blood vessels that actually dissipate heat. These blood vessels are predominantly found in the hands and feet, and CoreControl takes full advantage of them. The Cooling Glove's vacuum provides a slight suction that surfaces the AVAs of the palm while cold water running through the glove lowers these blood vessels' temperature. As an athlete's body begins to heat up, CoreControl utilizes AVAs to safely manipulate body temperature back to normal range.
"We built a silly device, took it over to the recovery room and, lo and behold, it worked beyond our wildest imaginations," Heller explained.
Whether it's performance or rehab, the positive effects of the glove have been felt across the baseball world-not just in professional baseball, but in college and youth ball as well.
"We are hearing from trainers and coaches across the country on a daily basis, all of whom say that the CoreControl is a game-changer in baseball," Read added, "To have the technology that will allow their guys to stay on the field longer equates to wins and wins equate to job security-it's a win-win for everyone."