Every product in sports promises an edge. The only honest response is a protocol: control what you can, change one thing, and write down what happens.
The protocol
- Baseline week: three sessions, same surface, same shoes. Log standing vertical, 10-yard and 40-yard times, and a late-session fatigue score.
- Change one variable: try the Springsoles untrimmed and fit them according to each shoe's liner type.
- Test weeks 2 and 3 under identical conditions — same warm-up, same time of day.
- Compare best-of-three, never averages.
What counts as a result
At these distances, a tenth is real and a hundredth is noise. An inch of vertical repeated across sessions is real; one lucky attempt is not. Individual results vary — which is exactly why you test on yourself.
Log every attempt in Athlete Tools. Three weeks from now you will have data instead of an opinion.
Put it beneath your feet
Springbak® Springsoles — 3/32nds of an inch. Try untrimmed; trim the toe or forefoot only if needed.
Shop SpringsolesQuick answers
Frequently asked questions
- How long does the Springbak® Challenge take?
- About ten minutes. You run the core twist test and a short jump or sprint measure barefoot or in your normal shoe, install Springsoles, then repeat the same measures back to back.
- Do I need equipment to take the Challenge?
- No. A partner, a wall or tape mark, and a flat surface are enough. A tape measure or phone slow-motion video makes the before-and-after easier to record.
- What should I feel the first time I wear Springsoles?
- Most athletes describe a firmer, quieter contact — less collapse through the arch and a faster push off the ground. There is no break-in period.
Keep reading
Related reading
Track & Field · Mechanics
Touchdown and Takeoff: The Two Hardest Contacts in Track
A hurdle touchdown lands and re-accelerates in the same instant. A jump takeoff converts a full approach in one plant. Both are decided by what happens under the foot.
7 min read
Track & Field · Speed
The Block Start Is a Force Problem
Reaction time is a rounding error. What separates starts is how much force you can put into the block and the first four contacts — and what the track gives back.
6 min read
Track & Field · Mechanics
Insoles for Track Spikes: Why Yours Does Not Come Out
The footbed in a sprint spike is a pad sewn into the shoe. Here is how to add a responsive layer without wrecking pin angle, heel height or plate feel.
7 min read
Track & Field · Recovery
Recovery Is a Training Variable
You do not adapt to training. You adapt to training you recovered from. A practical framework for sprinters and multi-event athletes.
6 min read
- 1.Touchdown and Takeoff: The Two Hardest Contacts in Track· Track & Field
- 2.The Block Start Is a Force Problem· Track & Field
- 3.Insoles for Track Spikes: Why Yours Does Not Come Out· Track & Field
- 4.Recovery Is a Training Variable· Track & Field