Footwear sole assembly with insert plate and nonlinear bending stiffness

A sole assembly for an article of footwear comprising:

• a sole plate that has a foot-facing surface with a recess in the foot-facing surface;
• wherein the sole plate has a front wall at a forward perimeter of the recess, and a rear wall at a rearward perimeter of the recess;
• an insert plate disposed in the recess;
• wherein the insert plate has an anterior end, a posterior end, and a length extending between the anterior end and the posterior end that is less than a length of the recess;
• at least one groove extending generally transversely in the sole plate and having a medial end and a lateral end, with the medial end closer to a medial edge of the sole plate and the lateral end closer to a lateral edge of the sole plate and rearward of the medial end;
• wherein the at least one groove extends laterally outward of the recess;
• and
• a resilient material disposed in the recess between at least one of the front wall and the anterior end of the insert plate or the rear wall and the posterior end of the insert plate such that the resilient material is compressed in the recess between the at least one of the front wall and the anterior end of the insert plate or the rear wall and the posterior end of the insert plate prior to operative engagement of the insert plate with the sole plate when the sole assembly is dorsiflexed.