Breakthrough in WoW 10s: 5mm Heel-toe Drop

What Is Heel-toe Drop

Heel-toe drop is the difference of thickness between the amount of materials under heel and the amount of materials under forefoot. Sometimes, we call it drop for short in sneaker industry, and two sneakers may of the same heel-toe drop as it is a relative measurement of thickness.

Why We Made the 5mm Heel-toe Drop

During 2004-2005 NBA Season, hand checking started getting called because of the high risks of injury from too many physical contacts. As the defensive player was not allowed to stop the player with the ball by using their hands or arms, more and more speed-oriented players tried to score the points by cutting with the ball in hand and creating opportunities for shooting. This kind of players have very powerful legs, which scores them more than twenty points easily during a single game with only forefoot palm touching the floor or ground. The result of doing so is that the tear of the bend-over part on the shoe is more violent and frequent. Therefore, how to solve this problem, so that the fabric upper can be worn by such players for a longer time, while also provides them with more power for starting faster, becomes vital for the whole sneaker industry. Facing directly to this challenge, Way of Wade Team designed the Way of Wade 10 series with a 5mm heel-toe drop to improve the practicality of this product line.

How the 5mm Heel-toe Drop Function in Performance

There are two foundations for a sneaker with low heel-toe drop to take practice in real court games: a tip with relatively large toe spring angle, and a forefoot midsole with lighter weight but more rigidity.

As tested before, if we lower the heel-toe drop from 7-10 mm to around 5mm, the materials under forefoot palm can be organized in the shape of an arch with a larger toe spring angle and a more rigid support, which accumulates more power for players to start faster. After putting this kind of sneakers on, the speed-oriented player will be pulled forward automatically once his or her heel leaves the ground. This is because the force bearing point under forefoot palm moves forward automatically once the player pedals back and slightly leans forward with the help of the large toe spring angle and rigid support. In this way, no additional force is needed to bend over the shoe for quick start, thus the upper and insole of the sneaker can be worn for a longer time.

Except for this, the sole in Way of Wade 10 is designed in the shape of a curve if checking from the left or right, with a lower force bearing point under arch than the one under rearfoot so that the advantages of 5mm heel-toe drop can be best applied, which leads to a positive reduction in the weight and size of midsole materials. Its outsole is designed in the shape of this curve as well, and there are five holes on it (four big and one small) to reduce weight, and at the same time, give the players a close look on the carbon-fiber plate. Just as the outsole, the carbon-fiber plate in Way of Wade 10 is designed in the same curve under the midsole, providing enough support for the arch part of the midsole. It is in the shape of the capitalized letter “Y”, and extends from the force bearing point under heel to the toe box, assisting in performance of quick start with more push-in power.