Announcement from American Trail Running Association member BOA® Technology.
BOA® Technology is excited to share the publication of a peer-reviewed white paper by Footwear Science validating improvements in athletic performance in footwear developed with the BOA Fit System. BOA’s partnership with the University of Denver began in 2018 to measure the biomechanical impact of its fit solutions and the recent publication of this study is the first of a multi-year effort as BOA continues to scientifically prove its many performance benefits.
The study shows that athletes wearing shoes equipped with the BOA Fit System saw a 3-9% improvement in agility and speed when compared to standard shoe laces. “Most footwear research in the past decade has focused on midsole and outsole properties, and very little research has aimed to understand how the fit of the shoe upper affects performance – until now,” says Daniel Feeney, BOA’s manager of biomechanics research and Performance Fit Lab. The study also revealed the BOA Fit System led to improved connectivity to the midsole, allowing for a reduction in the energy required to perform a movement – a positive result across a broad range of sports.
“Generally, we find changing equipment has almost no effect on an athlete’s performance, but when studying footwear with varying BOA Fit System configurations and traditional laces, the improvements were apparent and the evidence was clear,” says Bradley Davidson, PhD, Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Denver. “The agility, speed, and efficiency gains for the high-level athletes that participated in the study were compelling, between 3-9%. I’ve seen this amount of performance improvement in studies that implemented a targeted multi-week training program, but we saw this simply by changing shoes.”
The highest performing configuration within the study was the BOA Fit System tri-panel configuration, resulting in improved strength, speed, and power transfer across five key movements. The study was conducted in DU’s Human Dynamics Laboratory, included 31 Division 1 and club sport athletes, and repeated movements multiple times with four different upper configurations, three of which were designed by the BOA team, in the adidas Adizero Ubersonic 3.0 shoe.
“BOA’s mission is to transform fit and performance for athletes, inspiring and enabling them to get dialed in to perform at their peak” says Shawn Neville, CEO at BOA Technology. “The foundation of our mission is rooted in delivering scientifically proven, meaningful benefits of our system, led internally by our state-of-the art Performance Fit Lab team along with key partners including the University of Denver. This is the first in a series of externally validated, rigorous studies that will inform and challenge our future innovation, working with our world class brand partners. I am extremely pleased with the findings of the study and appreciate the excellent work of our BOA biomechanics team and the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Denver.”
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The current Saucony Switchback 2 and La Sportiva VK trail running shoes integrate the high performing BOA tri-panel configuration, as will the new La Sportiva Cyklon set to release this spring. Future developments with top running brands are also set to leverage these findings in forthcoming product.
BOA has an additional agility and speed study currently under peer-review expected to publish later this year. Validation studies are also underway to evaluate performance benefits in the categories of health and endurance that centers on improved athlete efficiency in race, road, and trail running, and of power and precision as it applies to golf. These studies are ongoing and expected to be published throughout 2021 and 2022.
A summary of the agility and speed white paper can be accessed at BOAFit.com.
About BOA Technology:
BOA® Technology Inc., creators of the revolutionary, award-winning, patented BOA Fit System, is celebrating 20 years of innovation. BOA partners with market-leading brands to make the best gear even better, delivering fit solutions purpose-built for performance in products across snow sports, cycling, hiking/trekking, golf, running, court sports, workwear, medical bracing, and prosthetics. The system consists of three integral parts: a micro-adjustable dial, super-strong lightweight laces, and low friction lace guides. Each unique configuration is engineered for fast, effortless, precision fit, and is backed by The BOA Guarantee. BOA Technology Inc. is headquartered in Denver, Colorado with offices in Austria, Hong Kong, China, South Korea, and Japan. For more information, visit BOAFit.com.
