VANTAGE
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200,000 won shoes
While wearing carbon shoes, running shoes, futsal shoes, and tennis shoes,
Why are your socks2,000 won socks?
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With improved ankle compression,it strengthens the ankle and prevents injuries, achieving two goals at once.
The most important thing in a game is not recovering from injuries, but preventing them in the first place and supporting your core, balance, and joints so you can perform at your best.
That is our core technology.
With full non-slip on the sole, tensile strength is increased, and even during marathons, running, or sports with a lot of turning,the socks do not slip inside the shoes and maximize ground reaction force.
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Even during long workouts or indoor exercise, due to sweat,to prevent blisters or foot damage, we designed upper air holes so blisters and sweat do not accumulate easily. Not used in regular socks Suppresses foot odor by using the high-priced patented fabric Biomax.
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Q. Vantage: Director, could you please introduce why you decided to create 'Vantage'?
A. Myung-ho Han: Hello, my name is Myung-ho Han.
I am currently working as a physical therapist at Ian Orthopedic Clinic and serving as the team leader.
Among physical therapy fields, I have a particular interest in feet, so I have studied a lot about gait and foot abnormalities.
To explain the reason, I have to go back quite a while, to when I was serving as a medic in the Navy. That day was a holiday, and I was playing soccer with fellow soldiers in the barracks. While playing, I tried to shoot and ended up kicking the ground really hard. I finally understood what it means when people say they see sparks. It hurt so much. That night, I saw that my foot and lower shin were badly bruised. At that time, I was just a first-year student in physical therapy and had joined the Navy as a medic, so I knew nothing about the human body. The military doctor at the army hospital just prescribed a patch and a bandage. Back then, military doctors were often newly commissioned right after graduating from medical school and residency, so they couldn't always provide detailed treatment. I'm sure it's better now. (laughs)
Anyway, after that day, my right foot started to have problems and developed functional flatfoot. Walking became uncomfortable, and above all, I became more fatigued and prone to injuries when playing soccer. I studied hard to find the reason and eventually managed to improve my foot. Coincidentally, I play futsal once a week with the CEO of Updream Korea, a former national team player who co-developed Vantage. He is a truly charming person, the kind you rarely meet in life. Over the years, I discussed the importance of ankles and exercise with CEO Jiwoong Lee, and it is an honor to have created the functional compression socks <Vantage V1> together.
Q. Vantage: What do you think are the advantages of 'Vantage' compared to other socks?
A. Myung-ho Han: From a general perspective, there are many advantages such as ankle protection and minimizing foot odor after exercise, but as a physical therapist, I believe Vantage has two major differentiators.
The first is that it actively protects the ankle.
When I look at many ankle support socks I use, I can feel that they hold the ankle well in terms of fit. I define this as passive ankle protection. But! In reality, when you have to suddenly stop or change direction while sprinting or playing soccer, your ankles are subjected to loads of about 4-5 times, up to 11 times your body weight.
The key for ankle support socks is how well they hold your ankle in these moments. This is what I define as active ankle protection. Simply holding the ankle when worn and actually stabilizing it during games or intense activities are different; the latter reduces the risk of injury and greatly enhances performance. To elaborate on performance improvement, professional athletes compete in environments where even the slightest difference determines the outcome. At this level, a difference of just 1mm or 1 degree can decide the performance between amateurs and professionals. That's how important it is to actively support the ankle.
The second is improved recovery.
This time, let me add a bit of anatomy and biomechanics. Anatomically, the ankle is an important passageway. Many muscles that start above the ankle become small tendons here, and all the small structuresโligaments, tendons, muscles, nerves, blood vesselsโsupport the body and generate great force through this small, unstable joint. You may not notice when you're young, but as you age and your recovery weakens, it becomes harder to withstand the load on the ankle, leading to compensatory movements like out-toeing or abnormal gait. This, in turn, causes certain muscles to be underused, which weakens those muscle groups and creates a vicious cycle. Meanwhile, people who exercise intensely experience this ankle degeneration sooner, and delaying this as much as possible is the key contribution of ankle support socks to recovery.
'Vantage' is designed to firmly compress joints and muscle tissues even during intense exercise, helping you exert high efficiency and stable power with less energy. Simply put, since you use less energy, the recovery time is shortened.
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Q. Vantage: Is there a reason you decided to expand this kind of item, previously used by professional athletes, to the general public?
A. Myung-ho Han: I believe good things should be shared (laughs). There are two main reasons. The first is that ordinary people also want to perform well in their favorite sports, just like professional athletes. The most important asset for professional athletes is their own body. They do everything they can to maintain their bodies for as long as possible to extend their careers. That's how they maintain peak condition for a long time. This is the same for sports enthusiasts. Many people want to enjoy their favorite sports for a long time. However, if ordinary people want to perform like professionals, they need a lot of warm-up and care, but usually they don't do that because it would take more time and wouldn't be as efficient or cost-effective. This is where assistive tools come in. These tools offer advantages in terms of time and efficiency.
Therefore, if 'Vantage' socks helped professional athletes with their performance and bodies, I was convinced they would be essential for the general public as well. The second reason is to reduce the risk of ankle injuries for ordinary people, which is connected to the first reason. For example, when a patient with ankle pain comes to the hospital, it's usually one of two things: either they haven't moved enough, or they've moved too much. The causes are different, but in both cases, the load on the ankle has exceeded what it can handle. If these people had an assistive tool like 'Vantage' to help withstand the load on the ankle, their injuries would have been less severe, and they might not have needed to visit the hospital at all. In summary, I believe 'Vantage' is an assistive tool that effectively protects the ankles of everyone, whether they like sports or not.
Q. Vantage: Yes, thank you very much.
A. Myung Ho Han: Yes, thank you :)
[Director Myung Ho Han, Manual Therapy Center - Profile]
- Cebu Doctors University College of Rehabilitative Science
- Department of Physical Therapy 5-year Program Diploma
- Regular member of the Korean Physical Therapy Association
- Completed Advanced Course at KEMA Society
- (Kinetic Exercise based on Movement Analysis certificate)
- Completed German Schroth Scoliosis Treatment Program
- (The Schroth Best Practice Program certificate)
- Completed Pilates Instructor Course (Lv1, Lv2, Lv3)
- Training at NYCPM Metropolitan Hospital, New York College of Podiatric Medicine, USA
- Training at Cleveland Clinics, New York, USA and completed insole manufacturing course
- 2020 Fall Composite Materials Society Best Award (Development of customized insoles for patients using metamaterials)
- Designed AI motion analysis exercise anatomical model at Removing Company Co., Ltd.
- Former Orthopedic Rehabilitation Physical Therapy Team, Seoul Now Hospital
- Former Adult Rehabilitation Therapy Team, Healings Rehabilitation Hospital
- Former Pediatric Rehabilitation Therapy Team, Hansarang Disabled Infant Home
- Former Director, Cancer Rehabilitation Physical Therapy Center, Dasram Nursing Hospital
- Former Director, Rehabilitation Physical Therapy Center, Good Shepherd Hospital
- Former) Chief Exercise Partner at Removing Company Co., Ltd.
- Current) Director of Manual Therapy Center at Ian Orthopedic Clinic