There is an old saying that “An Army survives on its feet.” If that remains true, today’s Army might be taking its cue from a good amount of NFL players and a Connecticut based group of innovators that is not just keeping them on their feet but is helping them move better, faster and stronger, just like solid troops would.
The company is called VKTRY GEAR, and today announced that a record number of NFL players will be wearing their carbon fiber insoles, a 300% increase from last season. The list includes some of the brightest young players in the game, like Jets first rounder Quinnen Williams and the Giants Evan Engram along with the Browns Nick Chubb, the Bills RB Devin Singletary, and the 49ers “Deebo” Samuel, among many others. It looks like 29 NFL teams, including Big Blue and Gang Green, will have VKTRY on their feet when we get to the regular season in September.
Why…and how does the company cut through the clutter in a crowded field to get athletes on board without paying them?
“Many of these athletes first discovered VKTRY Insoles in training for the NFL Combine. They quickly felt the energy return and saw immediate results in their Combine numbers,” said VKTRY CEO Steve Wasik in a release issued Tuesday. “While players love the +9.3% greater explosiveness, NFL coaches and sports medicine staff really appreciate the improved injury protection which was recently proven by one of the top athletic research facilities in the world.”
The secret is that the insoles are made from 100% aerospace-grade carbon fiber and are customized to different levels of flexibility to optimize performance, protection and comfort.
The company, based in Milford, Connecticut started production just three years ago, has gotten support beyond the athlete, in the form of respected members of the NFL Medical Committee to back up their bigger, stronger faster claims. “After an extensive six-month research study by the (Korey Stringer Institute at the University of Connecticut), it is clear that VKTRY Insoles improve lower body biomechanics, stability of the ankle and knee during running, and shock absorption during landing,” added Dr. Douglas Casa, PhD, Professor of Kinesiology, CEO of KSI, and member of the NFL Medical Committee. “These improvements can help safeguard athletes by providing injury protection.”
While, rightfully so, much attention has been placed on the improvement of safety from the shoulders and up in football, the reality is that much of the power, as well as the difference in such a game of inches, comes from the edge gotten from the knees on down. If that’s the case, them victories in football can be tied more and more to a disruptive Connecticut company, who has VKTRY in its name.