If you are looking for a basketball for the 2012 season then you should check out the Rawling’s Line up before you purchase.
If you are looking for an indoor/outdoor basketball for home or physical educational use then the Rawling’s Edge Competition ball is for you. Is has a microfiber composite cover that uses Padded Zone Technology® for a soft touch. This is a great feeling high quality basketball that is perfect for everyday use.
Next in the line up is the Rawling’s Edge Basketball. The Edge has a top quality microfiber composite leather cover. This cover gives it the look of leather but the benefits and price of a composite. The cover is soft for an easy grip. This ball was designed for indoor use only so it is best used for basketball leagues or school basketball programs that have a gymnasium. The Edge is NCAA and NFHS approved so it can be used in college and high school games.
The most popular ball in the Rawling’s line up is the Franchise composite leather basketball. The Franchise features an ultra high-end microfiber cover for durability and great overall feel. It also has the polymeric infused Padded Zone Technology for a consistent feel and performance. It also comes with deep skived channels for maximum grip. This is a great indoor basketball. The cover is made of ultra high-end RX Pro Comp Microfiber giving it a leather like feel and durable exterior. It is the official ball of the NJCAA Men’s and NAIA championships. The Franchise meets both NCAA and NFHS specifications for game use. This is a great basketball for your college or high school basketball program.
Last but not least are the Rawling’s RSS and RWW. These are full-grain leather basketballs. They are for indoor use only but some die hards use them outside just because they want to. They have a wide channel design and meet both the NCAA and NFHS specifications for game use. Available in men’s and women’s these leather balls are high quality full grain leather basketballs.
So if you are looking for a new basketball for personal or school use do not overlook the Rawling’s basketball line up. Rawling’s has been in the game for years for a reason, they sell high quality products at the reasonable prices. For more information and pricing on Rawling’s basketballs and other basketball gear visit www.morleyatheltic.com.
HOW TO BUY A SWIMMING PACE CLOCK
While swimming involves some of the biggest equipment in the team sports industry, mainly the pool, there is still some smaller equipment that is needed to have swim meets and practice. One piece of equipment you will need is a pace clock. There are several models to choose from and this article will go over some of the options.
There are a few manufacturers of pace clocks and all of them have been in the swimming industry for many years. The Competitor Swimming and Maric Timing pace clocks tend to be the most popular although the new models offered by Finis certainly offer the latest technology. Sometimes I guess the models that are tried and true are hard to beat.
When deciding on a pace clock one of the first decisions you’ll need to make is how you are going to power the unit. Of course swimming being a water sport many people gravitate quickly to battery operated models to reduce any risk of electricity and water mixing. Plug in electric models can be more convenient however as replacing batteries in the middle of a swim meet or practice will not be an issue. I think this is the reason that plug in models are most popular.
The next decision to make is what size to purchase. Swimming pace clocks come in a few different sizes. The square models from Maric are available in 3 sizes. The largest is 30 inches, then a 20 inch model and finally a 15 inch model. The octagonal shape models by Competitor Swimming come in your choice of a 15 inch size or a 31 inch size. Obviously the larger the clock the easier it is to read so my suggestion is that you purchase the largest model your budget will allow. The smaller pace clocks are usually used for less competitive activities like water aerobics or personal training. Some smaller models are only available in battery powered designs.
While swimming pace clocks do not feature the most high tech of modern technologies different models do offer different features. The Competitor pace clocks feature a real Plexiglas® lens for durability and protection from splashing and weather. The minute and second hands are made of a new alloy to resist warping. The Maric pace clocks offer a built in stand, shatter resistant acrylic lens and a vented design that lets the heat out of the clock to keep the hands and face from going out of shape. Competitor pace clocks offer durable plastic cases designed for all weather use while Maric pace clocks use a rugged weather proof aluminum case that has been powder coated for durability.
As you can see both of these manufacturers have completely different designs. That being said both designs have functioned for years and become the most popular pace clocks for swimming. No matter which of these designs you go with you know you will have trouble free operation. You will find a complete line up of Competitor and Maric swimming pace clocks along with digital pace clocks and lap counters at www.morleyathletic.com. While you’re there shop our entire selection of swimming equipment, supplies and swim suits for competitive swimmers and find out why Morley Athletic has been “A Family Tradition Since 1931!”.
MAXIMUM PRESSURE FOR MAXIMUM PERFORMANCE AT ALL TIMES
Whether it’s a volleyball, football, basketball, playground ball, water polo ball, soccer ball, rugby ball, etc., etc., all inflatable balls feature a maximum pressure stamped right into the ball. This number can usually be found in close proximity to the inflation valve on the ball. A lot of individuals completely ignore this number until that fateful day when the ball they are inflating explodes in their hands, a scary and dangerous situation. Other see this number as a warning only. DO NOT INFLATE TO MORE THAN XXX POUNDS OF PRESSURE. At least they will not have to worry about the previously mentioned explosion. To those of us in the know however this number is more of a “sweet spot”, the pressure at which that particular ball will perform its best. In some cases you may find that a slightly different pressure performs better to you, your own custom “sweet spot”.
Don’t think that ball pressure is that important to your game? Have you ever bounced an under inflated basketball? Ever tried to get a spiral out of a football that needed some more air? Try spiking an under inflated volleyball. Ever kick a soccer ball and wonder why it didn’t travel in the correct direction. Under inflation could have been the problem. Inflation pressure is important not only to the longevity of the product but also its performance.
A lot of research money has gone into making sure that the bladder and valve on your ball will hold air correctly. Huge amounts of money have gone into developing new bladder technologies, that’s how important air retention is when it comes to inflatable sports balls. The sports balls of today don’t require nearly as much re-inflation as they used to which is good news. Another big stride taken against under inflated sports balls is the ability to purchase some very small hand pumps to keep your sports balls inflated to the proper level even on the fields.
Many products are available and they can all get the job done. The pocket pump, pocket pistol, double action hand pump, the 10”ball inflator. There are dozens of styles to choose from. There is one problem with most designs however. They can inflate the ball but they don’t tell you the current pressure. You need a separate inflation gauge for that. That is until now.
The new Pocket Pump With Gauge offers the handy size and easy to use design of the pocket pump with a built in pressure gauge so that you know when you have inflated the ball to its “sweet spot”. You can pick up your Pocket Pump With Gauge at www.morleyathletic.com where you will find all of the supplies and equipment you need to run a successful sports program.
How To Save A Ton Of Money On Footballs
Has it been rainy in your area lately? Seems like half the country has been getting hammered with wet weather this season. This is bad news for farmers, bikers and football players alike. No one over the age of 5 likes to play in the rain but sometimes we have to. Obvious problems will arise when dealing with the forces of water. One such problem is a football that has absorbed a bunch of water.
Water causes immediate as well as long term damage to leather footballs. In the long term footballs will simply become damaged from prolonged exposure to water. It doesn’t matter if you’re using genuine leather, composite leather or synthetic leather. Most footballs made with any of these materials will be useless after being wet for an extended period of time. In the short term water will soak into the cover and padding of the football which makes the ball heavier and unusable.
Last time I checked good footballs were not that cheap. (You can find some unbelievable prices on them at www.morleyathletic.com though). So what can you do? Who will save the day… well the footballs at least. Enter our hero of the rainy day, Dri-Ball.
The Dri-Ball kit includes 2 packages of the Dri-Ball powder, a shaker bag and instructions. Pour some of the powder into the shaker bag, add damp footballs (or baseballs, softball, tennis balls) and shake. Water is absorbed and the balls will not be damaged. You will find a great product review video of the Dri-Ball kit on YouTube here Dri-Ball Video.
Priced at under $60 a kit with the potential to save you hundreds or even thousands of dollars Dri-Ball is a real value. Every team should have Dri-Ball ready during rainy games so you can dry the footballs as needed. Buy yourself a few Dri-Ball kits now, you’ll find them at www.MorleyAthletic.com along with great pricing on all of your other football needs.
LOUISVILLE’S 2012 ULTIMATE SR. LEAGUE BASEBALL BAT
If you have a 14 to 16 year old boy or girl playing senior league baseball in 2012 then I would suggest getting the Louisville SL12ZXL Z-1000 baseball bat. In sports the best way to win is to look for any edge that you can find and put it to use. Some people will even do illegal things but lucky for you in 2012 you don’t have to. The Louisville Sr. League Z-1000’s technology may seem like it is illegal but it is not.
The Z-1000 SL12ZXL which uses a LS-2X composite with S1iD barrel technology is the top dog of the season and for good reason. The LS-2X composite barrel technology is new for 2012. It features new thinner high-strength and lightweight graphite fibers which reduce the wall thickness, creating better performance while maintaining durability. The thinner fibers allow for the use of more layers in the barrel for added strength, but with an overall wall that is thinner.
It also features the S1iD barrel technology which stands for the Swing 1 inner Disc (S1iD). This technology allows the barrel to flex to its maximum allowable performance level from swing 1. It makes the bat “game ready” from the time you take it out of the box. The two inner discs are positioned inside the barrel at the sweet spot to stop the barrel from flexing past the performance limit, giving players maximum allowable performance. Precise positioning of iD within the barrel also allows Louisville to bring up the performance around the sweet spot- which means you get a larger performing sweet spot, not just a better feeling.
The additional specs on this bat are a 2 3/4” barrel and it is a negative 12 Sr. League baseball bat. It has the typical Louisville synthetic grip on the 31/32” tapered handle. It has the Louisville Slugger end cap which has been the standard for years.
So if you are looking for an edge to help get your kid into the Sr. League World Series I would suggest getting the Louisville Z-1000 SL12ZXL Sr. League baseball bat. For more information on this bat and other Louisville bats go to www.morleyathletic.com.