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Somax Videos Surpass 3.7 Million Views

Somax sports analysis videos on YouTube have surpassed 3.7 million views and have more than 5,000 subscribers. The videos analyze the efficiency of present and past elite athletes, including golfers, runners, tennis and baseball players and thoroughbreds. Many young athletes have expressed their gratitude for our videos as they now finally understand what their coach was trying to explain to them. One of the videos shows how a baseball team was able to raise its batting average 61 points in one season after purchasing and using seven of our Power Hip Trainers.

Somax Golfer Quadruples Tour Earnings

When LPGA tour pro Miriam Nagl signed up for her Somax program in 2004, she was hoping to improve her flexibility for golf. That she did in spades. Her adductor ranges increase 600% and she doubled her trunk rotation, arm flexion and breathing ranges.

What she did expect was the increase in her bank account.

In 2004, Miriam earned $38,000 on tour. In 2005, her earnings increased to $152,000. In addition, she won the Euro Q school tournament with a 72-71-71-71, an impressive score for someone who had problems with consistency in 2004.

Somax Granted Patents in 2003, 2004

As part of its effort to help athletes improve their efficiency, Somax has invented and developed two unique sports training aids that were granted US patents in 2003 and 2004.

The first invention to be granted a patent is the Somax Batting Tee, first batting tee where the ball never leaves the tee, allowing an athlete unlimited amounts of practice time hitting a ball without having to retrieve it. The Somax Batting Tee can be used indoors during the winter months, and it can also be used as a controller for computer and internet-based batting competitions and games. The patent number is 6,656,063.

The second is our Power Hip Trainer, the first exercise machine to increase the strength and speed of hip rotation while providing an excellent aerobic workout. As you are aware from reading our website, hip rotation is the heart of almost every sport. Until now, there has not been any way to increase the strength and speed of this critical element of sports motion. The Power Hip Trainer is a boon to golfers (who have added as much as 50 yards to their drive), boxers, martial artists, tennis, soccer, racquetball, football, basketball and baseball players, as well as discus, shot and javelin throwers. The Somax Power Hip Trainer comes with a ninety-minute videotape containing 26 drills for right and left handers. The patent number is 6,786,855.

Somax Golfer Wins Euro Q School in 2004

After completing just the first half of her Somax golf program, touring pro Miriam Nagl was the epitome of consistency over the four days of the Robe di Kappa Ladies European Tour qualifying school tournament, scoring a stunning 72-71-71-71 victory at Riva dei Tessali GC in southern Italy. 

Nagl decided to try the Somax program of motion analysis and Microfiber Reduction after losing flexibility from a weight-lifting program she started in 2001 in an attempt to add distance to her drives.  While lifting weights did add 15 yards to her drives, like fellow weight-lifting pros Tiger Woods and David Duval, she found that her game subsequently went in the tank. No amount of instruction could get her game back on track.

'Since starting with Somax, I can take a much bigger turn in my backswing and through swing", says Nagl. 'Everything just seems to go more easily...more "oily". The combination of Microfiber Reduction and the motion analysis really has helped me to improve my game. My driving accuracy has improved. I also notice a big difference in my breathing ranges. I am able to get much better results in my golf practice. For example I have worked many years in trying to keep my head still while I am putting and never really succeeded. After visiting Somax my head is completely still and I started sinking more putts.' 

Stress Reduction

After two years of research, Somax has developed a new method of reducing stress that bypasses the mind altogether. Based on a system of acu-pressure points, the method can be taught over the phone or in person in one two-hour session. Once the system is learned, it can be applied by the individual to reduce the stress of any situation or condition. For more information, please see Stress Reduction.

Somax Offers Money-Back Guarantee on Aadvanced Swim Camps

After reviewing the results of over 700 swimmers who have participated in our Aadvanced Swim Camps during the past 15 years (43 Gold Medals, 11 World Records, 3-18% time improvement in age-group and senior swimmers), Somax offers the first money-back guarantee in the swim camp industry. Swimmers who do not improve their times within a year of their Aadvanced Swim Camp will get a complete refund of their camp fees. Details are available on Aadvanced Swim Camps.

Somax Moves to A Larger Facility

After 12 years in Corte Madera, Somax moved to larger quarters in August 2002. The new facility includes a pool for underwater videotaping. The new facility is located in Tiburon, CA, just 10 minutes north of San Francisco, in beautiful Marin County. The complete address and new contact numbers can be found at the bottom of each page on this site.

Somax Swimmers Earn More Gold, Set New Records

Somax swimmers continued their winning ways in the pool at Sydney 2000, earning five Gold Medals and helping set three new World Records. This brings the Somax total to 43 Gold Medals and 11 World Records set in international competition.

Somax Professional Soccer Player

Somax worked with Preki, midfielder for the Kansas City Wizards during the 2000 season. Preki, 36, started working with Somax after his coach told him in late 1999 that he would be playing from the bench in 2000 because of his 'fitness'. Microfiber Reduction doubled Preki's flexibility and improved his speed so much that his coach played him full time in nearly every game. During the 2000 season, Preki became the first player in Major League Soccer to reach 50 goals and 50 assists. The Wizards went on to win the national championship in 2000. When asked by a broadcaster at half-time about the game plan of the team, player Chris Klein said it was to "get the ball to Preki."

Somax Swimmers Win Nine More Gold Medals

Elite swimmers Somax trained in 1995 won nine Gold Medals at the World Championships in January 1998 at Perth in free, fly and back. This brings the Somax total to 23 Gold Medals (5 at Seoul; 9 at Atlanta (see below) and 9 at Perth).

Somax Invited to Address FINA Conference in Sweden

Somax director Bob Prichard addressed the FINA XII World Congress on Swimming Medicine at Gothenburg, Sweden, just prior to the World Short Course Swimming Championships in April of 1997. The Congress was attended by scientists and researchers from every corner of the globe.

Mr. Prichard gave his presentation to a standing-room only crowd, and was graciously allowed twice the normal presentation time. He presented findings from the study in Colorado Springs in 1995 that showed that elite swimmers trained with Somax drills and training aids doubled the peak force they applied to the water in just five days (see below). The research confirmed Mr. Prichard's hypothesis that the power in freestyle (and back) comes from the rotation of the hips, and not from the muscles of the arms. Several prominent swimming scientists expressed interest in replicating the research in their countries.

Numerous national team coaches had appointments with Mr. Prichard immediately following the Congress to discuss plans to have Somax train their elite swimmers in preparation for the 2000 Olympics in Sydney.

River Photo Reception Photo

Gothenburg is a typically attractive European city, with friendly and helpful inhabitants. The photo on the right shows Congress participants at a reception hosted by the town mayor.

Band Photo Dancing Girls Photo

At the end of the Congress, entertainment was provided by a marching band of medical students and a chorus line of nurses which delighted in fracturing all musical conventions.

Ross Sanders Photo Sergei Komologorov

Somax director Bob Prichard (l.) with Dr. Ross Sanders and Prof. Sergei Komolgorov. Sanders is widely respected for his refinement and development of the model used to measure hand force output of swimmers. Komolgorov is the first scientist to measure active drag (the resistance generated by technique) in swimmers. According to Touretski, the average swimmer on the Soviet National Team generated about 18kg of drag, while Alexander Popov generated only 6kg.

Yuan Jiawei Don Talbot

Somax director Bob Prichard with YUAN Jiawei, General Secretary of Swimming Association of the People's Republic of China (left). YUAN and Prichard spent several hours discussing China's interest in Somax training for their national team. The photo on the right shows Mr. Prichard with Don Talbot, legendary national team coach for Australia, who was instrumental in inviting Mr. Prichard to address the International Coaches Conference in Australia in October 1996.

Gennadi Touretski & Michael Klim Photo Swimming Pool Photo

Somax director Bob Prichard with old friend Gennadi Touretski (coach of Alexander Popov) and his swimmer Michael Klim (World Record holder at 100m fly). Prichard met Touretski in 1991 when he was national team coach for the Soviet Union. Touretski is now coaching national team swimmers (including Klim) at the Australian Institute of Sport.

The pool used at the World Short Course Championships was fabricated of steel and set on top of a hockey rink in the center of Gothenburg. A temporary deck was built around the pool, and when the Championships were over, the pool was removed and sold. Is this the wave of the future? Will we see swim meets in Madison Square Garden, or in the Cow Palace?

Somax Invited to Australia

Somax director Bob Prichard was invited to address the International Coaches Conference in October 1996 at the Australian Institute for Sport. Mr. Prichard gave a two-hour presentation to a packed room of coaches from Europe, India, Malaysia, Africa, Latin America and China. He discussed the research project at Colorado Springs that showed that elite swimmers trained by Somax doubled their peak hand force output in just five days (see below). The project confirmed Mr. Prichard's theory that the power in swimming comes from the rotation of the hips.

Somax Swimmers Win Nine Gold Medals

Elite swimmers we trained in 1995 won nine Gold Medals at Atlanta. Studies conducted on some of these swimmers at Colorado Springs showed they doubled the peak force they applied to the water after completing our five-day program.

The female sprinter doubled the peak force (heavy red line) on her insweep by advancing the timing of her hip rotation by 2/30ths of a second, as well as doubling her outsweep peak by increasing her hip acceleration (thin, blue line). The female sprinter won four Gold Medals and the male sprinter won two Gold Medals

Stanford Wins NCAA's by 80 Points

Stanford Women's Swimming won the NCAA's by 80 points in 1996 after training with the Somax system of drills and POWERBELTS. The prior year they won by 19 points. Assistant coach Ross Gerry was very impressed with our system of analysis that showed his best swimmers rotated their hips earlier in their stroke. "We always knew they were faster--now we know why."

Clients

From time to time we will publish new profiles, testimonial letters, photos and videos of our many clients .