Shoe employing negative toe rocker for foot muscle intensive sports

A shoe as defined in claim 8 wherein the first plurality of tension means comprises:

• a first plurality of holes proximate the edge of each lip;
• the second plurality of tensioning means comprises a second plurality of holes distal the edge of each lip;
• and
• a continuous lace extends alternately through the first and second plurality of holes.

A climbing shoe for providing resilient support for supplementing plantar muscle strength in a climber's foot having an instep and a heel, the shoe comprising:

• an inner sole of multiply oriented structural fiber encased in a high modulus resin matrix preformed to arch downwardly from a heel end to a toe end;
• an outer sole of high friction rubber attached to the inner sole;
• an upper attached to the inner sole having a toe portion, an instep portion and a heel portion, the instep portion having two lips each with an opposing edge defining a closure over a tongue, each lip having a first plurality of laceholes proximate the edge, a second plurality of laceholes alternately intermediate the first plurality of laceholes distal the edge of each lip, a third plurality of cutouts extending from the edge of each lip intermediate the first plurality of laceholes, each of the cutouts terminating in a vertex proximate the second plurality of laceholes, and each cutout containing an elastic web therein;
• a continuous lace inserted alternately through the first plurality of laceholes and the second plurality of laceholes for tensioning closure of the lips;
• a pad extending inwardly from each of a medial and lateral side of the heel portion of the upper, the pads located to engage a medial and a lateral depression respectively in the climber's heel;
• a rand of abrasion of resistant rubber covering the toe portion of the upper;
• and
• a quarter cover of abrasion resistant rubber covering the heel portion of the upper.