I actually did not catch that these were developed specifically for skateboarding. Even so, and though I meant no offense, lots of "skate" companies have been spawned from skateboarding's recent popularity. I think I misinterpreted where is said "worn by athletes and skateboarders" and the fact that the URL ended with ".com/skateboarding" made me think there was probably something like a "/basketball" or "/basejumping."
Knowing that these are designed specifically for skateboarding is awesome. Thanks for the clarification about the water/foam mold as well. I'm sold, just gotta justify the expense with my wife and see if there's anything left over after the kid's Christmas shopping is done. I have ankle, knee, hip, and back problems just to name a few so like many of us I don't just like to have a decent insole, I need it. Hopefully by the time I can make the purchase the hybrid/fusion ones will be on the market.
They are technically "custom orthotics" which can benefit all people. The founder was a longtime skateboarder who tore his acl, completely lost his meniscus and cannot even skate without a custom orthotic.
If you have ankle, knee, hip and back problems, it's most likely all stemming from your arch. Think of your body as a machine. Your cartilage is like bushings. Too much weight is put on the arch, either from being overweight or constant and repetitive jumping/impact, next the achilles tendon/ankle goes crooked upon the impact which throws off the knee to one side which then goes to the lower back and so on. The arch is the first place where the breakdown begins. Custom orthotics stop the breakdown of the machine at the source.
Not only is it painful to have your joints not functioning properly, your "bushings" (cartilage) get blown out and wear away unevenly or twice as fast on one side then the other.
This is why most skateboarders are already walking around like old men by 30. We aim to change that.
On the other hand, there are some who have excessively high arches who do not need custom orthotics. About 1 out of 10 people are "supinators" who's arch is too high and does not flex at all and they are the ones who are prone to breaking the ankle. A custom orthotic will not correct anything here. Supinators tend to be pigeon toed. The best bet for these people is an impact reducing insole which is exactly what our kingfoam insole do. They absorb maximum impact which helps take the load off the ankle for the supinator.
At the end of the day,
our arches are not all created equally. This is why there are those few guys with perfect arches who can jump down insane things and continue on like nothing while most others would be in agony. Skill is a lot of course but on the other hand there is the function and ability of the body to handle the impact in the first place. Custom orthotics can help level the playing field.