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What is Zoom Air? and what makes it so different from Max air? any other differences or characteristics that zoom has please let me know and show pics ofexamples if you can.
School Me On: Zoom Air
- Thread in 'Nike' Thread starter Started by royalflush1230,
- Start date
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Short answer: Zoom Air is a low-profile, tensile cushioning system created to enhance lateral movement. You can google it like everyone else for moreinformation and pictures.
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Zoom Air
Pros:
Low profile
Relatively lightweight
Responsive
Can be inserted into a modified sockliner
More resistant to deflation
Flexible
Good energy return
Better feedback (court feel for basketball applications)
Cons:
Some perceive a lack of true cushioning (can be mitigated by double stacking)
Less shock absorption
To be honest I can't think of many more cons. Please add if you know of any.
Max Air
Pros:
Excellent cushioning and shock absorption
Aesthetically appealing (opinion)
Can be a lightweight solution (when replacing most of the midsole
Good for bigger athletes
Cons:
Floaty feeling (typically, may have been addressed in newer designs).
High profile
Less flexible
More likely to burst or puncture
Not as easy to incorporate into overall design
Energy return not as great as Zoom Air.
Pros:
Low profile
Relatively lightweight
Responsive
Can be inserted into a modified sockliner
More resistant to deflation
Flexible
Good energy return
Better feedback (court feel for basketball applications)
Cons:
Some perceive a lack of true cushioning (can be mitigated by double stacking)
Less shock absorption
To be honest I can't think of many more cons. Please add if you know of any.
Max Air
Pros:
Excellent cushioning and shock absorption
Aesthetically appealing (opinion)
Can be a lightweight solution (when replacing most of the midsole
Good for bigger athletes
Cons:
Floaty feeling (typically, may have been addressed in newer designs).
High profile
Less flexible
More likely to burst or puncture
Not as easy to incorporate into overall design
Energy return not as great as Zoom Air.
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Generally speaking, guards=zoom air, forwards/centers= max air. Zoom air gives you that awesome court feel and responsiveness. Double stacked zoom air isBANANAS.
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^True, more specifically the Point guard, shooting guard, and the smaller more lithe small fowards would benefit from Zoomtypically. Power Forwards and Centers Max Air. But this is further refined by player preferences regardless of position.
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Yeah definitely. It's so funny to me to see PGs wearing Hypermaxes.
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Thanks everybody
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Early implementations may not be as responsive.
Some models with Zoom Air have a reputation for bottoming out early, such as the Lebron 2.
More responsive implementations may cause'foot fatigue' in some.
dark chocolate
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More cons:
- Mushy feel.
-While playing, will have you feeling as if you are running in mud.
-Offers no support whatsoever during explosive movements. If you doubt this, try doing squats in a pair of shoes that feature zoom air, then do a set of squatsfeaturing EVA or even Max Air.
-If you are injured in the lower extremities Hip, Knee, Hammy, Calf, Achilles, you don't want to play in a shoe featuring zoom air, due to the lack ofsupport.
Pros of Zoom Air: Readily provides a broken in feel in shoes, that feature the set up.
That's the only "pro" I can think of.
Otherwise, Zoom Air is crap if you REALLY play ball.
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Wow, I think you may be one of the only people I have ever heard to call zoom air crap....I prefer zoom, but I respect your opinion
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^^^right. zoom air is dank. i have a pair of powermaxes and hate them. i love the responsiveness of zoom. personally, i feel like max air feels dead. its likeEVA that gives better cushioning and is more durable but it still has no responsiveness, its very bulky and makes you sit high off of the ground, and itsusually featured in heavier shoes.
zoom air to me feels like what shox should feel like, responsive and springy. zoom air only feels mushy if its implemented under the midsole. i also feelfaster and more agile when i play in zoom. i wouldnt say i jump higher, but i jump faster. i have my insoles that i used regardless of the cushioning, so iguess the lack of support comment doesnt apply to me.
your example of zoom air sucking talks about doing squats then you use that evidence to prove it sucks for basketball. when in basketball are you standing with2-3 times your body weight on your shoulders? never. of course a low profile cushioning system doesnt do well under these circumstances. for basketball itsperfect because its quick and responsive and helps make your shoe an extension of your foot, so you get the protection of a shoe with the speed and agility ofbeing barefoot.
zoom air to me feels like what shox should feel like, responsive and springy. zoom air only feels mushy if its implemented under the midsole. i also feelfaster and more agile when i play in zoom. i wouldnt say i jump higher, but i jump faster. i have my insoles that i used regardless of the cushioning, so iguess the lack of support comment doesnt apply to me.
your example of zoom air sucking talks about doing squats then you use that evidence to prove it sucks for basketball. when in basketball are you standing with2-3 times your body weight on your shoulders? never. of course a low profile cushioning system doesnt do well under these circumstances. for basketball itsperfect because its quick and responsive and helps make your shoe an extension of your foot, so you get the protection of a shoe with the speed and agility ofbeing barefoot.
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You can have whatever opinion you want but I think it is a bit much to imply that anybody that disagrees with your opinion does not "REALLY" playball. Especially when there are so many NBA players that prefer Zoom Air. But compared to you I am sure they aren't REALLY playing either.
rockdeep
Banned
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lol...
I like Zoom. So do alot of others who really play ball.
To Each their own... but I know many "pro's" who ask that their shoes be custom fit with Zoom Tooling.
Double Stack Zoom? Whoooah Nellie.
I like Zoom. So do alot of others who really play ball.
To Each their own... but I know many "pro's" who ask that their shoes be custom fit with Zoom Tooling.
Double Stack Zoom? Whoooah Nellie.
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Probably the latest reincarnation of NT's favorite Nike hater, Coach Hubie...
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any semblance of this was blown out of the water by the Original Zoom BB.
over my balling career ive used some heavy duty cushioning setups. full length shox, heel/fore shox, full max, heel/fore max, tuned, tubed tuned, etc.
though im a guard ive usually gravitated towards the shoes with the best impact absorption as my play style is very fast paced and aggressive.
im slamming 200+ on these joints and not only is it the most responsive cushioning setup ive used but it's also the best impact protection.
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So i guess Kobe Bryant and the rest of the NBA players dont REALLY play ball?
Im curious, but i wanna know why you dislike Zoom Air? Im not trying to flame, but your the first guy i have ever heard that from...
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two stack zoom is just perfect
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Here we go again, Dark Chocolate/Jack Johnson/Coach hubie ruining another thread with his anti-Zoom/Nike rants. Why join a board called NIKETALK if you hatethem? And don't bring up Kobe - only thing he hates worse than Zoom is Kobe. ANd I agree with Clutch on the Zoom BB and being over 200 lb. I picked up apair of TB's at Ross and they are the best feeling Zoom I have ever tried. Greatness in a box.
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I'm "slamming" 250 lbs on them as a big guard/small forward (Bball literallypaid for school for me and paid the bills for a sec, this is not a weekend warrior perspective) and I do prefer zoom myself. But notice I say LESS shockabsorption, not saying it doesn't have shock absorption.
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Wow, I wasn't aware of any Zoom cons. Its the best cushioning tech you can have in an athletic shoe.
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good read. Lot of insight on Zoom & AM
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Why stop there? Why not have zoom-air insoles on top of a Max Air midsole?
dark chocolate
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RockDeep wrote:
I know many "pro's" who ask that their shoes be custom fit with Zoom Tooling.
Yeah, you know everything and everyone! How's that nike position going anyway, or is it Under Armor now?
To the rest of you who took umbrage with my dislike of a twenty year old, inefficient "tech", one that had to be changed to satisfy the *Green*,perhaps you should ask yourselves why is it that you are so sensitive about FOAM? There was a time that ZOOM AIR was the snip! But since they changed thecomposition, it lost its effectiveness. Put on a pair of OG Jordan XII's, or any OG Penny's, then put on the retro. The Zoom used today does not havethe durabilty nor "responsiveness", that term you cats love to throw around, the former had.
