Athletic Propulsion Labs is a brand new footwear company that has created the first basketball shoe to instantly increase a player’s vertical leap. The company’s debut model is the Athletic Propulsion Labs Concept 1 shoe which houses a brand new patent-pending technology embedded in the forefoot called “Load ‘N Launch” which is designed to help propel the athlete upward upon direct compression. High end performance automobiles were part of the design inspiration and material choices for the Concept 1 shoe.
APL will officially start pre-selling the new shoe on March 24th for $300 only online at http://athleticpropulsionlabs.com. Counter Kicks will be posting the complete backstory on the Athletic Propulsion Labs brand and their new “Load ‘N Launch” technology in an interview with the company founders soon. A 3-page ad spread featuring the APL Concept 1 shoe also appears in this month’s newest SLAM Magazine. Follow us on Twitter @CounterKicks for the latest updates. Continue reading for more detailed images of the Athletic Propulsion Labs Concept 1 shoe.
Wow. Those look crazy. If they can boost my vert ill tell everyone I know about this brand!!
This shoe looks incredible! I can’t wait to get a pair!!!!
Saw these on the APL site from when it was first posted on the CK Twitter page last night. Needless to say, I haven’t been this hyped for the launch of a new shoe in YEARS.
The carbon fiber upper looks really dope..I can see the auto inspiration in it. I would gladly pay $300 if this stuff actually works. I’m stoked so far
Whoaaa. I’m feelin the design alone. Pretty interesting stuff. Can’t wait to read the interview for this!!
Is it just me, or does Load ‘N Launch sound more sexual foray than energy return system?
Clean design. I’m really digging all the colorways! Great look so far. Wonder if any leagues like the NBA might ban these cuz of the technology. Would probably just be crazy marketing for these guys just like the original AJ. ‘Get the shoes they say you can’t wear’! Hah
Looks like some shoes to do battle with in The Matrix! Love the bright green colors and all the carbon fiber on it. Sick pics!!
i have been staring at these for the past hour. i really hope the technology works- it could be a big step forward in basketball sneakers!
I’ve never spent anywhere close to $300 for a pair of sneakers but these seriously have me considering it. I just wanna know that the vert technology. If so, consider me sold on a pair
Gotta admit; few things have gotten me as excited as these. Im probably a foot off from dunking so I dont expect that but if it adds a few inches to you’re vertical, can you imagine grabbing boards and shooting over guys that you wouldnt have been able to before? Its a cool thought. At least its a NEW concept un-like most stuff in shoe hypebeast world
Thanks for the info!! Can’t wait to see the full story behind the shoes
Looks hot. Appreciate the pix and info. I’m down to try these out in some runs
LOOK LIKE A BANGER, nice design
the shoes look real slick out the gate. impressive start for a new sneaker company. lets see if they got the goods now. i bet a lot of bball companies are watching to see how these do
Good job. Will more colorways come out for it
how much bounce does it give u? i wanna know more about the technology
I plan to be one of the first for the preorder so get a pair. The shoe sounds good ,I hope it lives up expectations.
DOPEEE! THE BLACK/GREEN ONES GO HARD!!!
That’s a sick design but no1 in they right mind are going to shell out $300 dollars for a pair of kicks , especially for a start up brand. Get ya mind right and ya prices down . Don’t forget we in a recession fam , ya aint Nike but good luck though
Very impressive,Design looks great!
Waiting for the full coverage.
Wow..!
$300 honestly aint bad if they got this new technology in it. you got JB chargin $150-200 for old ass technology and less than premium materials. all u payin for there is a logo. i dont have any problem to support real sneaker dudes if this stuff works cuz the design is hot and the carbon fiber and tech i bet costs alot more than other shoes. down to support new companies if they pushing right
These look really great. Sure the price is high but how could it not be if they made their own technology. Who else has done that? Not even Nike or adidas can say they made a shoe that makes you INSTANTLY jump higher. 3 bills is a small price to pay for that if the shoes perform. And Im not mad at that carbon fiber design AT ALL. Props to this company. I wanna read the interview now.
lookin forward to reading the full story on this brand. im hooked so far.
Im glad alot of folks are seeing these are performance kicks and not for profiling.
Like a gentleman said above. Some would easily pay this much for a sacred non performace shoe.. so why not pay $300 for a shoe that can do something positive for you on the court.
i’m skeptical about the claims, but i am still excited to see the results. three things can happen here…
A) the shoe is successful both on delivering on it’s claims because the tech is legit, and in being a high performance basketball shoe. if that’s the case, then the industry will be turned upside-down. now folks will definitely think twice before dropping money on a pair of shoes that may be aesthetically pleasing but uses the same old technology that doesn’t really augment existing abilities, or if they actually want to improve their game.
if they ARE successful, will leagues/schools/tournaments allow them, or will paying money to improve your game make them something that will divide schools into the ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots’? i can see poorer schools complaining that the shoes may give players on an opposing team an advantage.
B) the shoe can be successful in delivering on it’s promise, but at the cost of overall performance. what i mean is, a shoe can make you jump higher for a number of reasons…
-a thicker mid-sole that makes you taller, thus letting you get ‘higher’
-an actual spring that may make you jump higher but you sacrifice stability and balance (think jump-soles)
so forth and so on. if that’s the case, then i doubt these will take off and will instead end up being an interesting footnote in the sneaker books. who wants shoes that can make you jump high but you can’t wear on the court or you’ll turn an ankle?
C) the shoe doesn’t make you jump higher. epic fail and law suits will soon follow.
time will tell, but for now, APL has my attention.
If the shoe delivers on it’s claims, this could be huge. Solid design as far as looks. Glad performance kicks are comin back
Looks really nice. Can’t wait to see more about it.
Great to see a new PERFORMANCE sneaker brand on the market. Auto inspired styling on this one is money! Dope photos
Both colorways are sick. Feeling the look so far. The new tech got me hyped
After checking the pics and reading the other comments, I am pretty excited to hear more on this brand. Kind of came out of nowhere which I think is really cool. They got a good looking product so if the technology delivers, it’s game over. I hope the interview gets posted up soon!
wow, looks impressive from the photos. the green colorways are nice
Some of the coolest kicks I’ve seen in a long time. I hope they get in the market and do some damage because the big companies are slacking on technology. Great post and hope to read more soon.
I love the design for these, not even thinking about the technology. Now match this up with the new tech and you got something BIG. I would love to hear how much testing the shoe has gone under and how long it took to create the design. This is a good start so far.
They got me interested so far with the pics. Will look out for that interview.
That BLACK/GREEN colorway is fire! Great look for a performance shoe.
Nice start for this company. Let’s see how the technology works now.
dmvballer (first poster)
why the hell would you spread the word if it worked you friggin crackhead??!!!! The whole point of these things is to make YOU better, not everyone else.
Maybe i can get a pair for Christmas!!!
Been reading reviews and some say it works, some say it doesn’t.
I think the maximum effect would be achieved only if you jumped correctly (as one of the reviews described) like on a springboard.
Just to let you know all you guys that are so excited about this new technology will still be picked last in gym class, still won’t make any organized team and will end up watching games on tv in your 300$ sneaks