Athletic shoe

An athletic shoe of a type arranged and configured for use in an athletic sport and proportionately arranged, sized and configured to receive a human foot, comprising:

• a. a sole extending along the bottom portion of the shoe;
• b. an upper, operatively connected to said sole, said upper including a toebox at a forward end thereof configured to operatively enclose the toes of said foot, including a big toe thereof;
• said toebox having at least a forward portion thereof constructed of a material having generally uniform properties across said forward portion;
• c. said toebox defining a cutout portion formed through at least said forward portion of said toebox;
• said cutout portion being generally aligned with said big toe of said foot so as to be generally centrally engaged by a forward end of said big toe when said big toe abruptly moves is a forward direction within said shoe;
• said cutout portion being configured to define an opening through said toebox material sized to allow passage of at least said forward portion of said big toe therethrough to an extent such said forward toe portion extends through and forward of an outer front peripheral surface of the toebox;
• d. a cover of stretchable material operatively secured to said toebox so as to cover at least a maximum peripheral opening extent of said cutout portion, and having an elasticity sufficient to enable said big toe to advance into and through said cutout opening while imparting damping resistance to said advancing toe;
• said elasticity of said stretchable material being significantly higher than that material of said toebox forward portion;
• and
• e. wherein said cutout portion includes segments of said toebox material that pivotally move outwardly against the bias of said stretchable cover material when engaged by said big toe advancing in a forward direction, to enlarge the size of the cutout opening as the big toe advances.

An athletic shoe arranged and configured to house a foot of predetermined size and shape, said shoe having a forward toebox portion designed, arranged and configured to contain toes of said foot, said foot having at least one selected toe configured to extend along a longitudinal toe axis extending from a first metatarsophalangeal joint (MPJ) and centrally forward through proximal and distal phalanges of the selected toe;

• said shoe being arranged and configured to orient said foot for some forward and backward movement within said shoe such that said longitudinal toe axis of said selected toe moves within a generally vertical plane and such that the intersection of said longitudinal toe axis with said toebox at a predetermined forward impact position of said selected toe with said toebox generally defines a toe impact area on said toebox;
• said shoe further comprising:
• a. said toebox being generally constructed of non-stretchable material;
• b. said toebox having a cutout portion generally centered about said toe impact area of said toebox and surrounded by said non-stretchable material, said cutout portion defining a passageway through said non-stretchable material being sized and configured to allow penetration of a forward portion of said selected toe through said passageway and beyond a normal outer peripheral surface of said non-stretchable toebox material;
• c. a stretchable layer operatively connected to said toebox non-stretchable material and extending across said cutout passageway, having elasticity sufficient to enable at least a portion of said advancing selected toe to move into and through said passageway against the bias of said stretchable layer.