Tensioning systems for footwear

An item of footwear with a tensioning system, comprising:

• a shell configured for enclosing a foot and at least a portion of a lower leg;
• the shell having a pair of opposing edges generally aligned along a top-of-foot portion of the shell and/or a front-lower-leg portion, the edges generally configured to align with a longitudinal axis of a wearer's foot and/or lower leg, the opposing edges defining opposite sides of the shell;
• a closure system adjacently associated with the opposing edges for drawing the opposing edges toward one another;
• an instep area comprising a tongue positioned in a gap between the opposing edges;
• a foot retraction system comprising a tension path, a pressure-distribution element free-floating from the tongue, and at least two anchor points disposed along the path on the opposite sides of the shell and supporting at least one tensionable cable section disposed along the path, a first anchor point comprising a tensioning mechanism, the tensioning mechanism configured to adjust tension in the tensionable cable section, a second anchor point being arranged on the shell, at least one of the anchor points being positioned on a lateral or a medial side of the footwear;
• wherein a section of the tension path transversely crosses the instep area of the item of footwear at and through the pressure-distribution element disposed between the opposing edges, the tensionable cable section crossing over an outer surface of the instep area and under the closure system, the opposing edges and an inner surface of the shell to apply a selectable force magnitude and force direction to the instep area, providing a selectable degree of downward and rearward seating of the wearer's foot and heel in the item of footwear;
• and the tensionable cable section can be tensioned over the instep area independently of the closure system for drawing the opposing edges towards one another.