by Colin Powers

Twin brothers Ryan (at left) and Adam (at right) Goldston are soon to release a revolutionary new basketball shoe designed to immediately increase leaping ability and performance. Their product is neither a gimmick nor a training shoe but a completely new way of considering the role of footwear in athletics. Check out some more pics and the huge interest they are already generating with our friends at Counter Kicks. We caught up with them over the weekend to discuss their vision and the product that just may change the game as we know it.

SLAM: We have seen a few products come into the game from time to time promising an increase in vertical and explosiveness. What makes your shoe different?
Athletic Propulsion Labs: The Athletic Propulsion Labs™ product is unlike any basketball shoe ever introduced. From the very beginning, the goal was to engineer the product to provide an instant increase in vertical leap to anyone playing basketball. There have been many training programs introduced in the past that were designed to help increase your vertical leap over a period of months. The APL shoes feature a breakthrough forefoot technology called “Load ‘N Launch™” that provides an instant increase in vertical leap the very first time you jump in the shoes. These are not training shoes; they are playing shoes.

SLAM: Describe the “Load ‘N Launch™” technology that serves as the groundbreaking development in your product?
APL: After spending the better part of almost two years conceptualizing and developing the patent-pending “Load ‘N Launch™” technology, we at Athletic Propulsion Labs™ finally turned the dream into reality. The Load ‘N Launch™ device is a very sophisticated piece of engineering located in the forefoot of the shoe just in front of the flex zone and the ball of the foot. The device features unique compression properties that provide an instant rebound effect that is transferred up through the foot to enhance vertical leap, or what we call vertical propulsion. This is not a gimmick. What the “Load ‘N Launch™” technology does is it works in concert with the rest of the shoe so that there is uniformity in the compression or the pressure that the athlete exerts down onto the device itself and through the midsole of the shoe, which is the “load” cycle. After all the compression elements are fully flexed, there is an explosive “launch” cycle that results when all of that compression is released. The result is an instant increase in vertical leap. The Load ‘N Launch™ technology has been extensively tested in a leading West Coast university biomechanical lab using the highly sophisticated Kistler Force Plates in conjunction with a Vertec unit. The results are clear and show that at a statistically significant level the Athletic Propulsion Labs™ shoes provide an instant increase in vertical leap to someone from the very first time they use the product.

SLAM: Is there any training program you would recommend to complement the benefits of the shoe?
APL: The incredible thing about APL basketball shoes is that no training program is required. You merely purchase the shoes, put them on and, from the minute you start playing in them, you will notice the engagement of the Load ‘N Launch™ device and the resulting increase in your vertical leap. Another major benefit of the product is the fact that you can get off the floor much more quickly whether rebounding, jump shooting, shot blocking, etc. We live in a world of “instant gratification” and while dedicated athletes are sometimes willing to spend many months in the gym doing squats, leg presses, calf raises and numerous other exercises in order to gain a fractional increase in their vertical leap, most people want something that is going to work right away. Up until now that was just not possible with the athletic footwear products that consumers could buy. The dream of every basketball player is to be able to jump higher and that is what the Athletic Propulsion Labs™ product provides…an instant increase in vertical leap.

SLAM: How long before results start to show?
APL: Because of the technology, the increase in your vertical leap happens INSTANTLY when you wear the APL Concept 1 basketball shoes. These are basketball playing shoes, not training shoes. This is not a training regimen and that’s what makes them so unique in the marketplace.