Footwear with power kick plate

An article of footwear configured for supporting a wearer upon a ground surface, the article of footwear having a longitudinal axis and a transverse axis that is transverse to the longitudinal axis, the article of footwear comprising:

• an upper that secures the article of footwear to a wearer;
• and
• a sole assembly that is operably coupled to the upper, the sole assembly including an outsole having a base, the outsole also including a plurality of cleats that project from the base, the outsole also including an elongate rib that projects from the base, the elongate rib including a lower surface that is configured to contact the ground surface, the outsole also including a groove extending from the lower surface into the elongate rib and toward the base, the groove including a first internal surface and a second internal surface, the first and second internal surfaces moving away from each other as the sole assembly flexibly rotates in a first direction about the transverse axis, the first and second internal surfaces abutting each other to limit rotation of the sole assembly in a second direction opposite the first direction, wherein the article of footwear defines a longitudinal axis, wherein the groove extends longitudinally in a direction transverse to the longitudinal axis of the article of footwear, and wherein the groove extends only through the elongate rib of the outsole and stops short of penetrating the base.

A cleated shoe configured for supporting a wearer upon a ground surface, the cleated shoe having a longitudinal axis and a transverse axis that is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, the cleated shoe comprising:

• an upper that secures the article of footwear to a wearer;
• and
• a sole assembly that is operably coupled to the upper, the sole assembly including a midsole and an outsole, the sole assembly further including a forefoot area that supports a forefoot of a wearer, the outsole having a plurality of cleats, an elongate rib with an axis that intersects the plurality of cleats, and a groove included on the forefoot area, the elongate rib having a lower surface that is configured to contact the ground surface, the groove extending in a depth direction from the lower surface into through the elongate rib and toward the base, the sole assembly also including a base from which the plurality of cleats extend, the base including a thick section and a thin section that is thinner than the thick section, a step defined at a transition between the thick section and the thin section, the groove substantially aligned with the step, wherein the groove extends substantially parallel to the transverse axis, the groove including a first internal surface and a second internal surface that extend substantially normal to the lower surface, the first and second internal surfaces rotating away from each other as the sole assembly flexibly rotates in a first direction about the transverse axis, the first and second internal surfaces rotating toward each other and abutting each other to limit rotation of the sole assembly in a second direction opposite the first direction.