On July 14, Footbalance is headed to the Xterra Mountain Championships in Beaver Creek Colorado. While many of us can understand the benefits of footbeds for running shoes, it can sometimes be hard to understand the need for footbeds when cycling and mountain biking, since your feet aren't actually engaged with the ground.
One would think that the ancient Irish game of hurling being at least 2,000 years old could not be improved upon. However FootBalance custom made insoles have done just that with the Performance custom insole. FootBalance R&D team is as we speak currently working on a new insole aimed specifically at hockey sports and hurling to further improve players performance and comfort. **********************NEW*****************************
Recently FootBalance have recently launched FootBalance 'Game'. The FootBalance Game is specifically designed to offer greater shock absorption, better stability and injury prevention.
Hurling is a field sport that requires some similar foot movement and twists as other sports but it tends to have harder foot ground strikes due to the players leaping high to catch the ball and hitting the ground at speed in order to move past their opponents effortlessly. While watching the game one would be mesmerized by the skill of the players in terms of their use of the stick (hurl) but their feet are constantly under pressure keeping their balance, twisting for pivot turns and sharp stop starting movements at high speed. FootBalance 'Game' insoles simply slide into players football/hurling boots providing extra comfort and absorption for hard ground strikes while at the same time keeping feet in place and aligned so that there is no slipping within their boots, all of which helps prevent injury and provide stronger performance.
Back in the summer, in Helsinki, FootBalance had the chance to try out hurling and review how the game is played.
We found this interesting announcement from Runcoach.com about a recent study on marathon training habits. It includes some pretty interesting results:
Did you know Finland is the home of both Nordic walking and Footbalance insoles? Finns are keen fitness enthusiasts and love the outdoors, so it is no wonder they strive to create inventions that increase the benefits of exercise offering extra enjoyment and comfort for the exerciser.
Nordic Walking
Since the 1930s Finnish cross-country skiers have used poles for their summer training but Nordic Walking as we know it was created in Finland in the 60’s and today it is present in over 40 countries with about 10 million participants around the world. Nordic Walking is one of the fastest growing physical activities in the world. Interestingly Nordic walking as a sport wasn't formally defined until the publication of "Sauvakävely" by Marko Kantaneva in (Finland in) 1997. In 1997, the Finnish sports institute joined forces with other agencies and the ski pole manufacturer Exel plc to formalize the technique of the sport and to develop specific poles for Nordic walkers. Research into the effects of this simple technique soon led to it being trialled as a health and rehabilitation technique – results were so impressive that it became a major tool in activity promotion and wellness programmes worldwide.
Footbalance
The story of Footbalance starts in 2003 with Erkki Hakkala, a physiotherapist specialized in podiatric medicine.
The Rock N Roll Marathon is coming to The Emerald City on Saturday, June 23, and Footbalance wants to meet you there. This race is going to sell out quick, so get yourself signed up ASAP. Don’t want to commit to the full marathon? Not to worry, there is a half-marathon option as well. To ensure a comfortable race for all, the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon will feature a Wave Start format with water and fuel stops all along the course.
If ever there was a sport that competitors need the balance and assistance from Footbalance insoles as well as the perfect fit that Footbalance insoles provide, then orienteering or foot orienteering as it is also known is close to the top of the list.
Here in Finland a big orienteering relay will take place this week-end on the 16th and 17th of June. The 64th Jukola (men's) relay and the 35th (women's) Venla relay. The orienteering competition is organized in Vantaa, Finland, at Hakunila sports park. Footbalance will be represented at Jukola & Venla by our sales team of olli and Juha who who will be providing free foot analysis and customising Footbalance insoles for competitors.
Why does orienteering stand out as a sport that requires the extra aid of Footbalance insoles? Think of in terms of the terrain the competitor must cover in his/her goal to navigate to each checkpoint. The competitor moves through vegetation, hard and soft ground and can be jumping over obstacles such as fallen trees etc all the time moving at speed with his/her main focus on attempting to cross reference the course map to the terrain in his/her field of view while checking a compass to be sure of going in the correct direction. As you can imagine the orienter has little concentration in terms of where they place their feet and thus balance and control is essential at such speed particularly in unfamiliar terrain.
Do you Ragnar? Are you a Ragnarian? Footbalance is!
The Ragnar Relay Wastach Back is June 16th on the back side of the Wasatch Mountains in Utah. If you are still getting up to speed on what the Ragnar Relay series is, it is described by the Ragnar folks like this:
In celebration of the UEFA European Football Championship 2012starting this Friday, here in Footbalance HQ we are going a little football crazy. You can see from our Facebook page that we have updated it to reflect the teams taking part.
We are having our own staff competition where each member gets to choose a team at random from a hat and gives a €5 contribution. The winnings will go toward a Finnish charity Euro Peliin Elämälle while the winner will receive some nice goodies and the bragging rights for 4 years :-)
specifically designed to offer greater shock absorption, better stability and injury prevention.
Did you know Finland is the home of both Nordic walking and Footbalance insoles? Finns are keen fitness enthusiasts and love the outdoors, so it is no wonder they strive to create inventions that increase the benefits of exercise offering extra enjoyment and comfort for the exerciser.
If ever there was a sport that competitors need the balance and assistance from Footbalance insoles as well as the perfect fit that Footbalance insoles provide, then orienteering or foot orienteering as it is also known is close to the top of the list. 
In celebration of the