Neutral Positioning System technology

Neutral Positioning System technology is engineered to encourage your foot's natural biomechanics. It is designed to center and guide the foot to promote an efficient, stable and balanced stride. By carefully choosing materials and positioning the components, each of the Neutral Positioning System technology options are designed to provide just the right amount of structure to respond to the stresses of their specific activities.

NPS XTR: Neutral Positioning System-XTR is designed for the quick heel strikes of running and fast hiking on or off-road. The XTR system uses multiple components and densities of foam arranged to help center the heel and encourage natural foot biomechanics. In addition, molded TPU stability struts are positioned medially and laterally providing protection against both over-pronation and ankle twists.




NPS HIKE: Neutral Positioning System-HIKE is engineered to center and guide the foot to promote balance when traversing trails - with or without a pack. High density EVA plugs are supported with external struts on both the medial and lateral sides of the heel. This enables under-foot comfort much like an athletic shoe, but with the heel stability of the most rugged hikers.



NPS OXTNeutral Positioning System-OXT is designed for multiple outdoor activities: light hiking, trail running or scrambling in or out of rocky streams.






NPS 3D-i: Neutral Positioning System-3D-i features a thick multi-density foam insole to keep your heel centered and your body balanced while providing incredible comfort.





NPS Hi: Ahnu created the Neutral Positioning System-Hi to help stabilize your stride in footwear with elevated heels. The Neutral Positioning System-Hi system uses a molded TPU heel cradle and an A-Frame strut wrapped around the heel to help center the foot no matter what the city throws at you.


NPS & Injury prevention: Due to the high stresses on the legs, knees, and feet from the consistent shocks in road running, many runners turn to trail running. This helps reduce foot and lower leg trauma since trails are typically much softer than paved surfaces. The uneven surfaces of most trails also serve to reduce many overuse syndromes since the foot plant varies more from step to step. While trail running reduces the risk of pronation related injuries, the risk of ankle or lower leg twists and sprains increases. Trail running shoes, therefore, should focus on providing rearfoot stability that keeps the foot and lower leg in a neutral position. The new trail running shoes from Ahnu are uniquely designed to do exactly that with the Neutral Positioning System.