DOMINICAN REPUBLIC BASEBALL TURNS TO STRIVE AT TOKYO OLYMPIC GAMES
JULY 27, 2021 | STRIVE, the only platform proven to optimize muscle performance for elite athletes and teams, today announced that the Dominican Republic’s national baseball team has been using the STRIVE platform during training for the Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan.
STRIVE has enabled the team’s training staff to monitor players’ muscle performance in all active settings in the lead-up to the 2021 Olympic Games: practice, conditioning and in-game. As a result, the team will be better equipped to understand their players’ muscle performance and fatigue, empowering them to compete and win at the highest level.
“Our national team has a talented roster filled with a wide variety of player types, ranging from established veterans with long and successful Major League Baseball track records to young prospects who will shape the future of the game,” said Manuel Garcia, Pitching Coach for the Dominican Republic National Team. “The STRIVE platform gives us technology to add value to the players’ understanding of their body. It’s important that the players know how their muscles act and react. This will be fuel for them, to understand what parts of their body can be used more or when to pull back. We believe that STRIVE gives us an extra edge that will go a long way in helping us compete against some of the best players and nations in the world.”
“We believe that STRIVE gives us an extra edge that will go a long way in helping us compete against some of the best players and nations in the world.”
Some notable players on the team include:
- José Bautista, a six-time MLB All Star and two-time Hank Aaron Award (given to each league’s best hitter) with 344 career home runs;
- Melky Cabrera, a 15-year MLB veteran and MLB All Star MVP with 1,962 career hits in the majors;
- Emilio Bonifácio, a 12-year MLB veteran with 166 career stolen bases;
- Julio Rodríguez, an outfielder in the Mariners’ system ranked as the 6th best MLB prospect by Baseball America in its 2021 Top 100 Prospects list
“STRIVE is a great tool for athletes who want to better understand exactly what their body is doing and how muscles are performing. I believe that STRIVE can help me and other veterans extend our playing careers,” said outfielder Emilio Bonifácio. “I was nervous about how the sensors would feel, but I couldn’t even notice them once they were on. It’s hard to believe how much STRIVE can measure without interfering at all with motion or performance.”
STRIVE’s world-leading electromyography (EMG) technology enables the Dominican national team to monitor the muscle activation of its players’ hamstrings, glutes, and quadriceps. Through proprietary algorithms and sensors that seamlessly integrate into their players’ favorite compression clothing, the STRIVE data platform delivers accurate and actionable data to help the Dominican Republic’s players to compete at peak performance.
“The STRIVE platform made an immediate impact once our players could see the data around how changes in muscle activation optimize performance,” continued Garcia. “On the pitching staff, we’ve seen younger pitchers who thought that arm strength was all that mattered add real velocity when they activate their glutes during the delivery. Even veteran pitchers who understand the importance of using their lower body have been able to make adjustments that can help improve performance and extend their careers.”
“Elite athletes and teams across the globe rely on STRIVE’s muscle data to optimize performance, analyze injury risks and compete,” said Nikola Mrvaljevic, CEO and founder of STRIVE. “The Olympic Games are the single biggest gathering of world-class athletes, and we are proud to have earned the trust of the Dominican National Team during a time when all eyes will be on them.”
The Dominican Republic’s first Olympic game takes place July 27 against Japan at the Azuma Stadium in Fukushima.
SEPTEMBER 1, 2021 | STRIVE, the only platform proven to optimize muscle performance for elite athletes and teams, today announced a strategic partnership with Fairly Group, the premier insurance broker and risk management company with hundreds of clients across all major professional sports leagues. Through the partnership, STRIVE is now available to players and teams as a benefit. Numerous players are already using STRIVE to help their return to play from injuries suffered during games.
AUGUST 10, 2021 | STRIVE CEO and Cofounder Nikola Mrvaljevic sat down with the Driving Force Podcast to discuss STRIVE’s place in human performance. From playing professional basketball in Montenegro, to leading his team at STRIVE, Mrvaljevic discusses it all.
