BALL-CONTACTING PAD FOR SPORT SHOE BALL-CONTACTING PAD FOR SPORT SHOE

摘要

A sport shoe having ball-contacting pads mounted thereon for increasing kicking performance without appreciably decreasing ball feel is disclosed. The pads include a top layer separated from a bottom layer by interconnecting elastic elements or webs. The top and bottom layers are substantially planar and elongate. The pad is arranged on the shoe so that when, for example, a soccer player kicks a ball, reaction forces from the impact will displace the top layer longitudinally, substantially parallel to the bottom layer, thus stretching the elastic interconnecting elements, storing potential energy. As the ball leaves the player's shoe, the reaction forces are diminished, and the potential energy in the interconnecting elements moves the top layer to again move longitudinally, but in an opposite direction. This return movement imparts a tangential force on a ball, thus enabling a player to kick the ball with substantial spin, a key tactic during many parts of a soccer game.