Under Armour released a short documentary Friday showing the training strategy of NBA star Stephen Curry and other elite athletes as they prepare for upcoming big events.
The Baltimore-based brand offered a preview of the film, “Margin of Victory,” in April, part of a campaign promoting its new Rush performance apparel line.
[ Watch the video ]
The film follows Curry, a three-time NBA champion, as he competes in the Finals for the fifth straight year; soccer player Kelley O’Hara as she trains for the World Cup in June, and Anthony Joshua, heavyweight champion of the world, leading up to his first U.S. title fight this week. It looks at the ways athletes at the top of their game find an edge over their competitors, with some help, of course, from Under Armour.
The sports brand is promoting UA Rush, a line of men’s and women’s fitted T-shirts, long-sleeved shirts, leggings, tights and sports bras, developed with technology company Celliant. Under Armour says it’s using a blend of natural minerals in fibers that are knit into fabrics, which in turn absorb body heat and convert it into infrared energy during workouts. The garments’ “responsive textiles” are “scientifically designed to enhance performance when worn at the time of sweat,” Under Armour says.
“World Cup comes every four years,” O’Hara, who is recovering from an ankle injury, says in the film. “You train your whole life for June 7 through July 7. This time around I’m in a much different place than I have been in years past. … I want to be able to execute. I’m not there yet.”
Dr. Michael Gervais, a high-performance psychologist, talks about the thin margins between world-class athletes.
“It takes intense effort and meaningful awareness to discover the keys to separation," he says.
The film was produced by advertising firm Droga5 and directed by Gotham Chopra.
The Evening Sun
“I fought so hard to get to this level,” Joshua says. “I can’t lose. A loss will stay on your record for life.”
Curry is shown working out with biomechanical researchers and sports scientists at the Under Armour Center for Human Performance in Portland, Ore.
“I try everything. If there’s science behind it, I give it a try,” Curry says.
Paul Winsper, an Under Armour human performance scientist, says the sports brand has learned it needs to do more than build “material that wicks sweat away.”
“Our research led us to this bioceramic material that takes that heat, it absorbs it, and it pushes it back into the body,” he says. “We potentially have a technology that can increase this peripheral blood flow.”
Joshua tells viewers he feels confident.
“I’ve done my apprenticeship, and now I’m ready to make a masterpiece,” he says.