Total Performance
The Science of
Playing Better & Playing Longer
Six Utility Patented Technologies
Scientifically Validated
Delivered by the
Insolia® Integrated Motion System™
What Is Total Performance?
Total Game Performance
Enhanced metabolic efficiency
Means sustained high-level play through the full 90 minutes of a soccer game.
Improved linear acceleration from proper forefoot mechanics.
Faster directional changes from reduced rotational resistance.
Total Career Performance
Protective forward weight shift during deceleration
Reduces biomechanical risk factors associated with
non-contactACL injuries
Achilles injuries
Lateral ankle sprains
Turf toe
The Insolia Cleat Delivers Both through the Same Biomechanical Mechanism
By restoring natural foot mechanics that conventional outsole designs restrict:
The IMS Cleat Reduces Energy Expenditure, and
Moves the Athlete into a Protective Position.
Total Game Performance and
Total Career Performance
Are Not Separate Goals.
They are Two Outcomes of the Same Solution!
Total Game Performance
— The Evidence
Improved Metabolic Efficiency
Reduced VO₂/kg by 10%
9% lower heart rate
3.6% fewer steps per distance.
These efficiencies compound over 90 minutes.
Athletes using conventional boots spend measurably more energy with every step.
Independently tested and reported University of Wales, Cardiff
Current Boot Engineering Borrows the Carbon-Plate Stiffness Paradigm From Track Shoes:
Stiffer Outsoles Produce Better Sprint Metrics Over Short Distances.
But Soccer Is Not a Sprint
It Is 90 Minutes of Intermittent High-Intensity Effort.
The IMS Cleat Is Designed for the Demands of a Full Match,
Where Metabolic Efficiency and Sustained Output Determine the Outcome.
23% Less Rotational Torque
Faster directional changes with reduced knee stress.
The Insolia Radial Stud Array enables quicker turning without sacrificing straight-line traction.
Tested at MIT
Mechanism of Non-Contact ACL Injury
Barry P. Boden, MD, Frances T. Sheehan, PhD
The Solution
Forward Weight Shift During Kicking and Deceleration
The IMS Cleat shifts the athlete's center of pressure forward in the planted foot while kicking.
It also shifts weight forward by 5.5%* during the high-risk deceleration phase — a biomechanical position identified as protective.
*Statistically significant (p \< 0.05) · MIT testing, 14 subjects
Planted Foot While Kicking Data
Individual Result
Research identifies forward weight distribution as the safe position
The at-risk position occurs when weight shifts rearward
Insolia IMS elements work together to enhance forward weight shift
Deceleration Data
Linear Traction Maintained
No sacrifice in straight-line speed or acceleration.
The IMS Cleat matches conventional designs in linear traction while fundamentally improving rotational mechanics.
Tested at MIT
Total Career Performance
— The Evidence
When Footwear Restricts Natural Foot Biomechanics,
the Cost Is Paid in Two Currencies:
Energy and Injury Risk.
The Same Mechanical Restrictions That Waste Energy
Also Place Joints in Vulnerable Positions During
Kicking and Deceleration.
The Problem
70% of ACL injuries occur without direct contact — typically during rapid deceleration or single-leg landing, when the athlete's weight shifts to the back of the foot.
Female athletes face 2–3× higher ACL injury rates than males.
Why This Discovery Came From
Outside the Industry
The athletic footwear industry designs from the surface up — measuring shoe-to-turf interactions like rotational torque, traction coefficients, and outsole stiffness. These metrics are valuable, but they don't measure what's happening inside the shoe.
HBN Shoe designs from the foot down. Our primary diagnostic instrument has always been in-shoe pressure measurement — understanding where the wearer's weight is, and whether it's in the right place.
That Difference in Methodology is Why
We Saw Something the Industry Hasn't
The Mirror-Image Discovery
We started with footwear's most challenging comfort problem: the high-heeled shoe.
Using in-shoe pressure data, we identified the core issue — a pathological weight shift onto the forefoot caused by heel elevation. Our solution shifted the weight rearward, restoring a healthier pressure distribution.
That technology, Insolia Heels, has been validated in tens of millions of pairs of high-heeled footwear sold globally.
When we turned to athletic cleats, we applied the same diagnostic lens
In-shoe pressure measurements during deceleration revealed the mirror image of the high-heel problem:
Excessive rearfoot loading at the moment of greatest injury risk.
The required correction was the reverse:
Shift weight forward onto the forefoot.
Why This Matters
The major athletic footwear manufacturers optimize outsole stiffness, stud geometry, and shoe-to-surface traction.
These measurements are taken from force plates and motion capture systems that operate outside the shoe. They will tell you about rotational torque and linear traction — they won't tell you that your outsole design is putting the athlete's weight in the wrong place at the wrong time.
HBN is the Only Footwear Technology Company That Designs From In-Shoe Pressure Data Downward.
Rather Than From Surface Interaction Data Upward.
That methodological difference is why the IMS Cleat exists, and why it addresses a problem the industry has not yet recognized in its own measurement frameworks.
The Insolia IMS Boot and Insole System
Six Innovations with Patents Issued & Allowed
Boot Innovations
1) Insolia Radial Stud Array™ (RSA)
Single Center of Rotation Aligned with Great Toe Joint
Insolia IMS Arranges Studs
Around the Great Toe Joint
Creating a Single Center of Rotation
The Insolia RSA stud pattern aligns with the foot's natural pivot point during high-force cutting maneuvers. Each stud's curvature matches its radial position from this center.
Benefits:
20% less rotational torque than standard designs
Maintained linear traction
Reduced knee stress
Enhanced heel lift and forward weight shift
Standard Soccer/Football Boots Lack a Single Center of Rotation
Multiple rotation centers prevent proper pivoting during play.
Most boots claiming injury risk reduction only function when on toes or heels alone.
They fail during high-force maneuvers when the entire foot contacts the ground - precisely when protection is most needed.
2) Insolia Free Motion Zone™ (FMZ)
No Motion Restricting Studs Under the Great Toe Joint
Insolia IMS Places Studs
Around the Great Toe Joint, Not Under It
The Insolia FMZ stud arrangement removes studs from under the Great Toe Joint, which allows for proper Great Toe Joint motion.
The First Metatarsal, not the toe itself, creates this movement
Proper foot motion requires the First Metatarsal Head to move downward and rotate inward
Studs under the Great Toe Joint block this motion, increasing the risk of injury.
Critical Difference: Stud Placement Relative to the Great Toe Joint
Standard cleats place studs under the Great Toe Joint, restricting flexibility. This restriction disrupts coordination throughout the foot, preventing safe deceleration mechanics.
The blocked joint inhibits ankle flexion, delaying heel lift and forward weight shift when needed most.
Insolia IMS places three studs around the Great Toe Joint to preserve natural motion.
3) Insolia Zone Of Flexibility™ (ZOF)
Adaptive Hinge Bends Around the Great Toe Joint
The Insolia Zone of Flexibility is Molded into the
Top of the Outsole
The 3-4 cm length of the Insolia ZOF allows the Outsole to bend at the wearer’s Great Toe Joint, accommodating natural variations around the population average for each boot size.
Maintains a smooth bottom surface for minimal rotational resistance
Interior geometry inhibits excessive foot bending
Includes a concave dome under the Great Toe Joint
(see Innovation 4)
The Insolia Zone of Flexibility Surrounds the Great Toe Joint
Connects the rigid forefoot to the rigid midfoot and heel sections
3-4 cm length adapts to individual foot shape
Enables natural bending for heel lift and forward weight shift during deceleration.
Flexing the Insolia Field Outsole
4) Insolia Pressure Relief Dome™ (PRD)
The Air Gap Protects Great Toe Joint from Upward Pressure
A concave dome creates an Air Gap under the Great Toe Joint, preventing upward pressure from reaching it during aggressive cutting motions.
The Air Gap decouples the forces acting at the point of peak load on the outsole from the underside of the Great Toe Joint.
This decoupling prevents those forces from locking up the Great Toe Joint, thus enabling proper foot motion.
The matching Dome on the outsole's bottom maintains the structural strength of the outsole at this critical load point, while allowing room for the Air Gap on the top surface.
The Dome is subtle, yet critical.
Insole Innovations
5) Insolia Flex® Technology in the Insole
HBN’s patented Insolia Flex technology
The Asymmetric Depression Under the Great Toe Joint:
Allows natural joint drop and rotation
Encourages ankle flexion
Enables protective forward weight shift
Benefits:
10% improved walking efficiency (reduced VO2/kg)
40% increased forefoot walking comfort scores
6) Insolia Cradle® Technology in the Insole
Patented Insolia Cradle features:
Anatomically-Matched Heel Cup
Contours to the heel bone's natural shape
Improves balance and stability
Medial Side Support
Reduces plantar fascia strain
Increases comfort during standing and movement
Insolia Sports Technology
Beyond ACL Protection
Our Technology Addresses Four Major Sports Injury Risks:
ACL Tears – through forward weight positioning
Achilles Injury – by enabling natural heel lift
Lateral Ankle Sprains – by controlling foot inversion
Turf Toe – by preventing joint jamming
Each injury stems from restricted Great Toe Joint rotation
When this joint cannot move naturally, the body compensates with motions that increase the risk of injury.
The Core Principle:
Optimizing the Great Toe Joint Function Reduces Injury Potential across All Sports
Next Application:
We are adapting elements of the Insolia Integrated Motion System for all court sports, including basketball, tennis, and pickleball, through specialized insole and outsole designs.
Integrating the Insolia insole innovations into a court shoe that incorporates the Insolia Zone of Flexibility will deliver the same protective forward weight shift demonstrated in our soccer cleat research.
Insolia IMS
Built on Decades of Innovation
HBN Shoe was founded to solve Footwear’s Most Challenging Comfort Problem
High Heeled Shoes
Over 60 million pairs of footwear with Insolia Technologies have been sold globally, delivering measurable improvements in comfort, walking efficiency, and body health.
Learn more about our Fashion & Comfort innovations.