Athletic shoes with reverse slope construction

Abstract

New application of biomechanical principles of elastic stretch and braking force are combined in an athletic shoe. The new design implements the concepts by placing the heel significantly lower than the ball of the foot and toes. Tests show that an inner sole reverse slope of about 31/2.degree. provides an optimum significant improvement in jumping in particular. The reverse slope is substantially flat from the center of pressure beneath the heel to the five centers of pressure beneath the ball of the foot. The flat slope provides more assurance that the weight of the user will be applied to the shoe through the centers of pressure in preference to locations under the arch. The invention is applicable to "explosive" movement sports such as basketball, track and field, volleyball, tennis and soccer. Preferably the shoes are constructed with formed or curved heels to retain the feet properly positioned in the shoes by preventing the feet from sliding too far back within the shoes. The increased athletic performance appears to arise from a two fold effect. First, the reverse slope because of the toe elevation additionally stretches the achilles tendon resulting in the ability to generate greater jumping force as the calf muscle contracts. Second, the reverse slope because of the continuous flat nature of the slope, provides a greater stopping or braking force, thus improving the ability to convert forward momentum into vertical or lateral motion.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.