How many times have you heard that an athlete slipped during competition? If you pay attention to most sports broadcasts, I’ll bet you hear about it at least once and it’s usually not good when they do.

That’s why athletes will do just about anything to get a good connection between their feet and the ground. 

Track spikes, football and soccer cleats, wrestling shoes, golf spikes. Nearly every sport has tried to optimize their footwear in order to maximize their grip on the ground and improve their performance.

But, what about that same traction on the *inside* of the shoe. You probably don’t think about it much, but every time your shoe hits the ground, your foot will slide inside your shoe. You might not notice until you have a big blister or just a bruise on your toes from all that impact, but it’s likely impacting your performance every step of the way.

Blumaka Konnect performance insoles limit that slippage by increasing the friction between your socks and the inside of your shoe. 

As a runner and a golfer, I start and end many weekends wearing the Konnect insoles. 

After doing a quick stretch to wake up, put on my Hoka Bondi 7s with the Konnect insole inside. (I recommend loosening your laces as much as possible in order to place your foot inside the shoe so your socks don’t bunch up on the insole… that’s how grippy they are).

Even though I usually don’t run very technical or hilly routes, I appreciate that I can easily take corners without that annoying banging of my feet against the inside of my shoes. And on challenging mountain routes, forget about it, I have to wear Konnect or risk blisters, bruises or worse on my feet.

That all being said, my favorite use for the high-performance Konnect insoles is on the golf course. Set aside the performance benefits for a minute, but when you walk 18 holes or more in a weekend, you typically want the most comfortable shoes imaginable. But fortunately, the Konnect insole is made from waste foam that’s the byproduct of high-performance footwear and provide instant responsiveness and gives you that extra bit of cushioning no matter what shoes you’re wearing. Plus, because you can remove and insert insoles, you can spruce up any pair of old shoes with a new set of insoles.

Finally, on the performance side. I can’t say for a fact that I hit the ball further while wearing Konnect, but I certainly feel like I do. And it makes sense. In golf, I’m trying to transfer as much energy from my swing into the golf ball as possible. And when my feet move, some of that energy is transferred to the side of my shoes, rather than into the ball. Additionally, given the large impact of small changes in the golf swing, it’s also comforting to know that my feet feel absolutely anchored in place. No worries that I may have shifted slightly throughout my swing, everything remains exactly in place like I want it to.

The Konnect insoles are now a critical part of any sport I do. Plus, even if I just want the responsiveness and cushioning without the “gription”, Blumaka also makes the Comfort insole that’s great for throwing inside a pair of your favorite sneakers or shoes for work.

I can’t recommend them highly enough. - JJ Jenkins