Baseball players pitch from a static position, and often catch and throw from dynamic ones. They need to be able to throw the baseball farther and faster, using the momentum they get from the traction they have with the ground. Steady foot placement is everything. We know that cleats provide traction with spikes that grip into the red dirt of the diamond and the grass in the outfield, but the traction needed on the inside of the shoe is often overlooked.  

Drew Lowe, of Oklahoma’s Oral Roberts Baseball team made that connection with a reference to his Blumaka Konnect insoles. He decided to put the insoles to the test both during practices and during games and this is what he reported:

"When playing baseball, a plant or cut can be made at any time. As an athlete, you underestimate how important your feet truly are. However, I wanted to take the next step in my performance, and this fall I began wearing Blumaka Konnect insoles. Both on the field and while training. While pitching your plant foot is what creates momentum for the rest of your body to continue towards home plate. Who knew that an insole could help so much, with a hard plant in the ground there was no sliding of my foot within the shoe, which allowed me to use ground force more effectively and create an increase in my velocity. Pitchers are expected to throw a baseball as hard as they can, if their foot placement is off by the slightest bit this can make a direct impact on the result.

While wearing the insoles you feel a true connection where my feet are. In any kind of athletics, this is a vital role towards success. With Blumaka and their no-slip insoles, I have never been more comfortable while on the mound both with the way they feel and the way my performance has been able to increase." - Drew Lowe

Lowe describes the need for pitchers, in particular, to have to throw the ball “as hard as they can,” and noted that if a pitcher’s foot placement or “plant foot” is compromised even a little bit, it can affect the result of a pitch. 

Lowe goes on to say that while wearing the Konnect insoles, he feels truly connected to and confident in his foot placement. As a result, he says that he has “never been more comfortable while on the mound both with the way they feel and the way my performance has been able to increase.”

“Drew is not alone in his assessment of the Blumaka Konnect insoles. His experience is similar to Giants’ players Mike Yastrzemski, Tommy La Stella, and Evan Longoria, who were recently interviewed by Zach Buchanan of the Athletic. Read about their experience here.”

It is true, we take enormous pride in the fact that our insoles and shoes are helping to upcycle what would be waste, making a sizable reduction in landfill waste and pollution, all while using less water in production. We also take pride in knowing that our insoles are comfortable, supportive, and critically functional.  

To give Blumaka's Konnect insoles a try, check out https://blumaka.com/collections/insoles/products/konnect-insole. 

Written by: Jordan Leavitt