ATLANTA–Less than 24 hours after winning Super Bowl XXXIV Most Valuable Player honors, Kurt Warner was introduced at the annual MVP news conference by NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue. Like most league observers who have been amazed by Warner’s football pilgrimage, Tagliabue summed things up when he said “I’ll remember last night for the rest of my life.” After all, it was only five years ago that an undrafted Warner was cut by the Green Bay Packers and bagging groceries at an Iowa Hy-Vee. That was followed by three years with the Iowa Barnstormers in the Arena Football League and a season with the Amsterdam Admirals in Europe. Now here Warner stood, not only as Super Bowl MVP and the owner of the game’s record for passing yards (414), but also as the NFL’s regular-season MVP after throwing 41 touchdowns during the year. “You may think of this as a Hollywood story,” the 28-year-old Warner told the media. “But it’s just my life.”

The Rams came out firing in Super Bowl XXXIV against the Tennessee Titans. Led by Warner’s right arm, the Rams reached the Red Zone on each of their first six possessions. Yet, all that time up-and-down the field resulted in just 16 points; three Jeff Wilkins field goals in the first half and a nine-yard touchdown reception by Torry Holt midway through the third quarter.

Meanwhile, the St. Louis defense was also enjoying success in shutting down Steve McNair and the Titans offense. The first-half yardage totals said it all; Rams 294 (277 passing), Titans 89. “I knew that I had to have a good game for us to win the Super Bowl–no question about that,” Warner said to reporters. “But if you are a quarterback and you don’t feel like you can make the plays and don’t feel like you have got to make plays every week, then you are in the wrong business and the wrong position.”

Following Holt’s score, McNair engineered a 12-play, 66-yard drive that took seven minutes off the clock. Eddie George’s one-yard run with 14 seconds to play in the third quarter cut the Rams lead to 16-6 (the two-point conversion failed). McNair duplicated his magic on Tennessee’s next drive; throwing and running the Titans into Rams territory. Then, a 21-yard pass to Jackie Harris put the ball on the St. Louis 3-yard line. George broke the plane again, capping a 13-play, 79-yard drive that chewed up another seven minutes. Rams 16, Titans 13. Tennessee’s defense held and an Al Del Greco field goal tied the game with just 2:12 to play. The comeback was the largest in Super Bowl history.

But Warner wasn’t done. On the next play from scrimmage, he connected with Isaac Bruce for a 73-yard touchdown. The game was tied for all of 18 seconds. The call came from Rams offensive coordinator Mike Martz who would be taking over for coach Dick Vermeil after the season. “It’s what we call ‘Twins right, Ace right, 999 Halfback Balloon,’” said Martz after the game. “We had five seconds left before the two-minute warning. We wanted to take a shot to Isaac over there, and we hadn’t gotten it done during the game, for whatever reason.”

With 1:54 remaining in Super Bowl XXXIV, McNair and the Titans got one more chance and went to work. A 27-yard quarterback scramble, a penalty, and a 16-yard pass helped move the ball all the way to the Rams 10-yard line with six seconds to play. Tennessee then called its final time out to design a play. The decision? A slant to WR Kevin Dyson who made the catch inside the 5-yard line and angled for the end zone. But Rams linebacker Mike Jones wrapped up Dyson and pulled him down, his outstretched arms landing less than a yard from the end zone.

“When I saw that ball go in the air, I said ‘It’s a touchdown,’” Vermeil told reporters. “I was ready to call coach Martz and tell him to get the script ready for overtime.” Bruce added “This one is for Jerome Bettis, Troy Drayton, and even Darryl Henley. This is for all of them. And this is for Los Angeles and St. Louis. We did it for both cities.”

The decision of whether to use a lifting belt during exercise should be guided by the following information:

As mentioned in an earlier article on lower back pain, the deep stabilizing muscles of the lumbo-pelvic region (core) are suspected as having a “drum forming” effect – that is the muscles contract simultaneously in a reflex (no conscious thought required in people without back pain) action to help stabilize the low back and allow forces to be transferred from the lower body to the upper body and vice versa. This action also has the effect of compressing the abdominal contents – composed primarily of water and very little gas; thus the name of this phenomenon is the “fluid ball” effect. Water as a liquid is essentially incompressible, so you can see how the presence of an internal pressurized fluid “ball” will lend stability to the pelvis and spine and actually help generate torque in the lift. For example, as you descend into a heavy squat, the muscles of the core and diaphragm begin to contract and generate tension on the fluid ball. As you squat deeper and your knees and hips flex more and more, the pelvis starts to tip forward and the large erector spinea muscles begin to lose their strength advantage due to a decreased muscle length. It is logical then to assume that the fluid ball acts as a “block” to prevent excessive spinal flexion and possible compressive damage to the intervertebral ligaments and discs.

Lifting belts have been demonstrated to have a similar effect of passively increasing intra-abdominal pressure simply by the mechanics of their operation. However, when a lifting belt is used on a consistent basis, it is proposed that the inner stabilizing muscles and deep abdominals are relieved of much of their duty and fail to get stimulated sufficiently. Therefore, even though you may be performing a very functional movement like a squat, you are receiving a source of external stabilization likened to that provided by machine exercise. The risk of using a lifting belt for all lifts is that the core muscles are not trained sufficiently and in the correct motor sequence, so if you attempt a heavy lift without a lifting belt, there may be an increased chance of injuring your back. The best advice then is if you are going to use a lifting belt, use it only when you attempt maximal (1RM) lifts and only when the spine is directly targeted like in a squat. Perform submaximal lifts without a belt to ensure sufficient training of the deep stabilizers of the spine. (It should be kept in mind however that some world class Olympic-style weightlifters never use weightlifting belts).

So if your goal is to wear a lifting belt on the field or track or even while performing regular everyday tasks, then use a belt for all your lifts. If however you want “true” functional strength and power, train your own “internal weight lifting belt” and discard the “fake” one.

David Petersen is a Personal Trainer/Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and the owner and founder of B.O.S.S. Fitness Inc. based in Oldsmar, Florida. More articles and information can be found at http://www.bossfitness.com

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Snowboarding is one of the most popular snow sports and like any other physical activity, it is susceptible to injury. However if the right precautions are taken and the correct protective gear is worn, the body can be protected from any severe injury. Here are a few snowboarding safety tips dealing with common injuries, how to treat those injuries and what can be done to prevent them.

Common Snowboarding Injuries

Snowboarding injuries occur mostly in the upper extremities of the body and the ankle, the most common being sprains followed by fractures and contusions. Upper body injuries are common as snowboarders usually fall forwards or backwards. With a forward fall, snowboarders will protect themselves by stretching their arms outwards to stop themselves from falling. This leads to sprained wrists, wrist fractures, elbow, shoulder and head injuries. If a snowboarder falls backwards mild head as well as coccygeal injuries can occur such as bruising to the tailbone. When they fall snowboarders are advised to try and keep their arms tucked in and to roll with the fall therefore distributing the impact of the fall over a larger portion of their body. It is better to rather have body bruises than a fractured wrist!

Lower body injuries are rare and occur mostly in the ankle and knee area. This is due to the feet being strapped into the board and both feet pointing in the same direction, which localizes knee movement and prevents twisting. However, as the level of snowboarding expertise increases so does the risk of knee injury due to the frequency of aerial maneuvers and the use of hard boots. Aerial maneuvers also present more abdominal, chest, spine and head injuries. Ankle injuries are very common such as sprained and fractured ankles, also known as snowboarder’s ankle. Contusions are common on the head, face, chest, abdomen and pelvis, lacerations on the head and face and dislocations in the upper extremities. Severe head and spinal injuries have occurred when snowboarders have lost control of their board at high speed.

It is important to note that a fracture of the lateral process of the talus (LPT) can masquerade as an ankle sprain and is frequently undetected on plain x – rays.
Misdiagnosis of this fracture may lead to severe degeneration of the joint, disability and pain.

How to Tell if Your Injury is Serious

There are various symptoms that suggest what type of injury you have and what should be done to heal it. Swelling is a definite sign of an injury and shouldn’t be ignored.
It usually occurs around a joint and causes pain and reduced range of motion. Tenderness will be found if you press the injured body part with your finger. Weakness in the injured area can occur as well as numbing and tingling, which are often related to nerve compression and should never be ignored as they may be signaling a serious injury.

How to Treat Any Sprain

If you have sprained your wrist, ankle or knee RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation, Exercise) is the safest and easiest way for anyone to heal an injury. It is important to follow these steps, as swelling can cause pain and loss of motion which will limit the use of the muscle, resulting in the weakening, shortening and delayed healing of the injured limb. After following RICE it is advisable to visit a physician for a proper diagnosis of the injury.

Rest

You should rest the sprained limb for 24 – 48 hours post injury.

Ice

Ice should be used to reduce swelling and pain, and should not be applied for
more than 10 to 15 minutes at a time.
If you do not have ice on hand, you can use anything frozen such as a bag of frozen peas.
Never apply heat to an injury as this will increase swelling!

Compression

There are various options for compression:

Elasticated tubular bandage (Tubigrip) which can be strapped either single or doubled over. This should not be worn too tight as it may lead to thrombosis.

Crepe bandage

Elastoplast strapping

Elevation

Elevate the sprained limb horizontally to decrease swelling and discomfort.

Exercise

As soon as symptoms allow gently exercise the injured limb.

Prevention and Protection

Snowboarding injuries can be prevented by following a number of safety precautions.
A fitness programme is essential to train the body for the maneuverability needed for snowboarding. Taking a few snowboarding lessons and having a good instructor helps to minimize the number of injuries that occur, teaches you how to snowboard effectively and what gear must be worn for your safety. The most important of injury prevention is wearing the right protective equipment. There are different types of gear that are specifically designed to protect certain areas of the body.

Helmets

Helmets are very important in preventing head injury as it is common for snowboarders to fall and injure their heads. There are different types of helmets from lightweight to heavyweight, with venting or no venting, with or without ear flaps, as well as different styles. It is important to choose a helmet that fits you snuggly, is comfortable and not too heavy.

Boots

There are three kinds of snowboarding boots that differ in the support they give to the ankle and foot. Soft boots are used by most snowboarders and offer sufficient stability and flexibility. Hard boots are usually worn by racers and provide ample ankle support.
Hybrid boots have the support of hard boots with the comfort and maneuverability of soft boots. It is important to choose the right footwear for the particular snowboarding activity that you will undertake, i.e. beginner, racer, etc. as each of these boots place the body under different injury risks. Soft boots present twice the risk of ankle injury compared to hard boots due to their moderate ankle support, however hard boots present twice the risk of knee injury than soft boots because they offer less movement. Hiking boots must never be used as they can lead to serious injury. It is important to note that boots and bindings must be bought together as the choice of boots depends on what type of bindings you want to use such as step in bindings or strap bindings.

Wrist and Elbow guards

Wrist guards help support the wrist and are available in different styles for over and inside the glove as well as integrated into the glove. Wrist guards used for inline skating and skateboarding can also be used for snowboarding. Elbow guards help to protect the elbows from bruising and fractures.

Knee and tailbone pads

Knee pads help to protect the knees from bruising, and should be worn if you have weak knee caps. Tailbone pads help to protect the tailbone and should be worn with beginners, as they frequently fall backwards.

Padded jackets and pants

Padded jackets and pants help to prevent other parts of the body from bruising.

Goggles

Goggles help to keep the snow and wind out of your eyes. They also protect the eyes from the harmful rays of the sun which are also reflected by the snow.
If you are wearing a helmet and goggles make sure that the goggles fit comfortably with the helmet.

Follow these snowboard safety tips and you will have the ultimate pain free snowboarding experience!

Copyright © Jeremy Hier

PERMISSIONS TO REPUBLISH: This article may be republished in its entirety free of charge, electronically or in print, provided it appears with the included copyright and author’s resource box with live website link.

Jeremy Hier is the Business Manager and Webmaster of How to snowboard

Sylvia Kontogeorgis is a work from home freelance journalist for riding snowboard guide and an avid snowboarding fan, who enjoys researching all aspects of snowboard safety from injuries to prevention, as well as other topics such as snowboard goggles

To learn more about choosing the best snowboard equipment for you go to snowboarding boots