Speed is everything when the difference between safe and out is a fraction of a second. While conditioning can help you pick up the pace, drills won’t fix the inefficiencies in your foot strike or body position that slow you down and increase your risk of injury. With SQAIRZ baseball and softball footwear, you’ll improve your form to run harder and smarter. In fact, a 5-yard sprint study found that switching to SQAIRZ boosts speed across levels of play:
Professional: .2 seconds
Collegiate: .31 seconds
High School: .38 seconds
How SQAIRZ builds speed from the source
Each time your foot pushes against the ground, it creates kinetic energy that the ground returns to you, propelling you forwards, backwards, or upwards. “That’s why the surface area of the foot’s contact with the ground is so important,” says Chad Miller, co-founder of Slugger Science and the Louisville Slugger Hitting Science Center. “When I work with a player, I want to see as much surface area contact as possible, especially on the forefoot.”
SQAIRZ’s patented square toe box is the widest on the market, allowing your toes to spread into a natural position for a more solid connection with the ground. You’ll also enjoy performance-enhancing stability that’s equally critical to generating more energy when you run, jump, or pivot.
“When you sprint, your foot usually lands with a midfoot or toe strike,” explains Chuck Wolfe, Director of Human Motion Associates. “That has big implications for what’s going on with the shoe’s toe box. A wider toe box allows the foot to load better, which leads to more propulsion because you need to be able to get the foot down properly before you can explode off it. With greater stability, you're going to be able to create the necessary power.”
Reaching top speeds faster
Carving off milliseconds—or more—isn’t just about achieving a faster top running speed. It requires explosive movements, rapid acceleration, and a lightning-fast transition into an efficient running form. “When you’re running the second base and traveling only twelve steps in total, you can’t have several steps that are inefficient and slow,” Chad says. “For example, I recently worked with a young player who didn’t hit top speed until at least his sixth step. That was really dragging down his time.”
By switching to SQAIRZ, the player increased the surface area contact of his feet, which improved his overall stability and made it easier to quickly orient his hips towards his target destination. “Flipping those hips within just one step made him exponentially more efficient in his run,” Chad says. “Now he's reaching top speed by his second or third step. That means he’s moving at top speed for eight steps instead of six or even four. At this level, it makes a big difference.”
Swift and ultra-stable
A straight shot towards a base is one thing, but what about swift lateral moves and turns? “A biomechanical question I’m asked a lot is how SQAIRZ impacts a player’s running form when moving laterally,” Chad says. “Does the square toe box affect your ability to shift or turn left or right? Our research has found that SQAIRZ provides more control while running around turns, especially when combined with spikes.”
This control is enhanced by a high-tech heel stabilizer that connects to the arch for integrated arch support, as well as an EVA foam midsole with responsive cushioning, a secure ComfortFlex microfiber upper with a breathable textured tongue, and SQAIRZ’s proprietary Sta-Put lacing system to lock everything in place. “Stability is everything, whether you play baseball, basketball, football, or soccer,” Chad says, “and that’s why SQAIRZ is delivering these results.”
Are you ready to unlock your potential? Try our Vēlo Metal Spike, Vēlo Molded Cleat, and Vēlo Turf and experience the SQAIRZ advantage for yourself.