Vidar – The Importance Of Proper Footwear

By : Giuliano Trombatore

Overtime , basketball shoes became popular because of the specific need and feel for an athletes foot. Every athlete has experienced some sort of discomfort when it comes to trying new pairs of shoes. Sunny Kim has a solution for this issue. After experiencing discomfort while moving sideways in basketball , He noticed that his foot would naturally want to turn inward when making quick lateral movements, but his shoes did not allow for this motion. With his passion and knowledge in Business , Design , Basketball and Patents , He decided to start his own business called Vidar.

Who is Sunny Kim?  Sunny Kim is an alumni from Seneca in both the Accounting Program and the Business Management Program as well as the HELIX innovation incubator. Throughout his life , he always loved to design and play basketball. He had the passion for playing basketball , while also creating designs. He dreamed of becoming an architect in high school but his passion for learning about business ultimately led him on a journey toward entrepreneurship.  During Sunny's time at Seneca , he learned about business laws and patents. With his passion for basketball and designing , this inspired him to  pursue a patent for a feature that could assist athletes in moving laterally.  And that is when he decided to create Vidar. 

 

What is Vidar? Vidar is a new footwear brand that focuses on creating innovative products specifically  designed to enhance athletes' performance. 'The Throttle' is his new patented feature designed to enhance athletes' lateral footwork. It consists of a crater on the bottom of the sole that, when stepped on, stores your body weight like a spring onto the ball of your foot. This also tilts the foot at an optimal angle to help push off for lateral movement. This helps athletes who are in discomfort , get a new fit and help to their feet. “Traditionally, shoes designed for basketball, tennis, and other sports have focused mainly on forward movement. Apart from materials, there has been little innovation in supporting athletes' lateral movements. Our shoes are specifically crafted to cater to the intense lateral movements athletes require in their respective sports.:” - Sunny Kim .

 

How Sunny gets feedback and  opinions from fellow athletes?

He has been attending various events across Toronto to showcase his prototype and gather feedback. While attending these events , he has received a lot of valuable suggestions, but the biggest thing was his willingness to  want to connect directly with some of his core customers.  Therefore, He joined a few recreational basketball leagues where he could play in his shoes and engage in conversations with the target market. Interacting with players from other teams have been incredibly valuable to Sunny as he gets a lot of blind reaction feedback and opinions. For Sunny “There’s no better environment than after a game to discuss basketball shoes and receive genuine feedback. Players often express their frustrations about their performance and shoes, making it an ideal time for open discussions.”

 How do current Athletes deal with discomfort in their feet and what is the most common NBA injury? 

 The most common NBA injury is ankle sprains. A big part about ankle sprains is that the ankle rolls a certain way cause it to sprain and swell up. Now there is no way to be 100% injury free however there are many ways to treat this injury. Icing up the ankle while applying compression and rest will have an immediate relief. But for the long run a huge way to prevent it from getting worse is to get proper orthodox and proper footwear with good arch support. Every athlete has a different need and feel for their shoes , but it is one of their main priorities in order to stay healthy and play well.  AJ Rowe , a current basketball player for the Oshawa Brodie league has emphasized the strong need for athletes to get the proper footwear. "I feel like having proper shoes is so important for basketball, I deal with ankle issues and the constant running and jumping leads to lots of stress on my feet. Having shoes that support my ankles properly are crucial to keeping me on the court and performing at a high level"- AJ.

 Whats next for Sunny?

Currently, Sunny is focused on launching the K9 shoe, which is nearing its  prototyping stage, but he also has eight other designs ready for future release.the ""K9" shoe, takes its name from the "canine teeth" design on the side of the shoe, as well as from the backstory of Vidar, who created specialized shoes to step on the jaws of a giant wolf in order to defeat it."- Sunny

 

 

Podcast Link Vidar - The Importance Of Proper Footwear : By Giuliano Trombatore