A sole structure includes a main body formed of a first material and at least one insert formed of a second material. The main body defines first portion of a ground-engaging surface including a first channel defined by a first segment extending along a first axis and a second segment extending along a second axis transverse to the first axis. The one or more inserts are received in sockets formed in the main body. The at least one insert defines a second portion of the ground-engaging surface and has a second channel including a third segment extending along a third axis parallel to the first axis and a fourth segment extending along a fourth axis transverse to the third axis and substantially parallel to the second axis. One of the first channel and the second channel defines an interface between the main body and the insert.

Systems and methods are described for a shoe sole for relieving pressure from a wearer's metatarsal heads. In one aspect, a shoe sole comprises a shoe outer sole comprising a shaft region, a ball region, and a toe region. The shaft region underlies metatarsal shafts of the wearer and comprises a first lower surface, the ball region underlies metatarsal heads of the wearer and comprises a second lower surface, and the toe region underlies phalanges of the wearer and comprises a third lower surface. The second lower surface is raised relative to the first lower surface and the third lower surface.

A method of manufacturing footwear and an article of footwear having a tapered heel in part defining an impact point associated with a padded impact zone which first strikes a surface upon a foot plant and a plate embedded within a sole of the article such that the plate supports the heel of the sole from flexing or collapsing. The impact point is part of an impact area (F) positioned adjacent an ankle pivot axis of the wearer's ankle, and in one aspect is positioned at or slightly posterior the ankle pivot axis. In one aspect the method includes configuring a sole of the footwear based on an ankle pivot characteristic or balance pivot characteristic of a wearer in a custom manufacture or based on the same of a typical or an ordinary wearer in a non-custom manufacture.

A sole structure for an article of footwear having an upper includes an outsole having a ground engaging surface and a midsole member disposed between the outsole and the upper. The midsole member has a pocket extending from a heel region to a forefoot region and a sole plate disposed within the pocket. The sole plate extends from the heel region into the forefoot region. In the heel region, the sole structure is shaped to define an entry region that is configured to increase contact at the ground engaging surface during a heel strike. The entry region defines an angled portion that is angled at an entry angle relative to a flat ground surface. The midsole member is a supercritical foam.

An article of footwear includes an upper extending from a first end in a forefoot region to a second end in a heel region. The article of footwear also includes a sole structure attached to the upper and including a posterior end extending beyond the second end of the upper. The sole structure includes a bladder having a portion disposed between the second end of the upper and the posterior end of the sole structure.

A sole structure may include multiple macrolayers. Each of those macrolayers may include a spring plate and a layer of damping material. Macrolayers may be bonded or otherwise fixed relative to one another and provide constrained layer damping in response to impact forces occurring as a result of activity of a wearer of an article of footwear incorporating the sole structure.

A rocker shoe has a lower rocker surface extending across the plantar surface of the shoe sole from the heel and terminating short of the toe. A rocker shoe construction kit has a rigid or substantially rigid rocker piece having an upper surface for securing over a major portion of a lower plantar surface of the sole of a shoe upper and a lower surface of predetermined rocker shape, a cushioning layer for securing over the lower surface of the rocker piece, and a layer of tread material configured for securing over the lower surface of the cushioning layer and any exposed portion of the plantar surface of a shoe.

An article of footwear includes an injection molded outsole of a first material having a durometer reading of at least 28 to at most 38 on the Asker C scale, an injection molded insole of a second material having a durometer reading of at least 28 to at most 38 on the Asker C scale, and an upper, at least a section of a peripheral edge of the upper being sandwiched between the insole and the outsole.

A dual-hardness outsole includes a front section, a middle section, and a rear section, at least the middle section of the outsole including a wedge having a bottom surface which extends below another bottom surface of at least one of the front and rear sections such that the wedge carries more weight than the other bottom surface. The outsole comprises a hard portion and a soft portion that are secured to each other and together form the wedge, a cross-sectional profile of the hard and soft density portions being such that a center portion of the wedge is softer than opposite lateral portions thereof.

A kit includes a pair of items of footwear; wherein each item of footwear includes a brace that is arranged to be releasably secured to at least part of a wearer's leg and/or foot; a platform that is operably connected to the brace; and a securing mechanism for releasably securing a balancing member, or a stack of balancing members, underneath the platform. The kit includes balancing members for each item of footwear so that one balancing member can be replaced with another balancing member that has a smaller ground-contacting area, or so that it can have another balancing member with a smaller ground-contacting area stacked underneath it.