The article of footwear for grounding the human body to earth includes an upper portion; a sole having an outer sole face distal from a user and an inner sole face proximate to the user; one or more electrically conductive portions which extend through the sole from the outer sole face to the inner sole face; and an electrically conductive layer which extends over a portion of the inner sole face and being configured to make conductive contact with the foot of the human body. The sole includes a blade portion.

A kind of sports equipment which comprises a sole and an upper is revealed. The sole is provided with a peripheral wall projecting upward from a periphery of the sole and a mounting groove formed on an outer surface of the peripheral wall. The upper is arranged at the sole and a periphery of a bottom of the upper is bent inward to form a connection portion which is mounted into the mounting groove on the peripheral wall of the sole correspondingly. The connection portion of the upper and the peripheral wall of the sole are sewn and connected by a sewing thread while the sewing thread is located at the inward-bent connection portion of the upper so that the sewing thread will not be exposed. Thereby the upper and the sole are connected more firmly and aesthetics of the sports equipment is also improved.

The present disclosure relates generally to traction devices for footwear. In some embodiments, cleats are provided that are operable to provide preexisting articles of footwear with enhanced grip, traction and performance. Certain embodiments of the present disclosure comprise a threaded male extension for interfacing with a preexisting shoe sole and at least one projecting gripping element for contacting or extending toward a ground surface.

An all-in-one footwear spike wrench and dirt removal tool includes a footwear spike wrench key and also a footwear dirt removal prong. The prong is adjustable between a stored position in which the prong is inoperative and a deployed position in which the prong is operative. The tool may include a compartment configured and dimensioned for storing running spikes. A tool kit includes the tool, a separate wrench key bit and a separate dirt removal prong bit, the latter two being selectively retained in a base member of the tool.

An article of footwear includes an upper comprising a knitted component forming a one-piece integrally knit element that forms a lower portion of the upper and extends from the lower portion toward a collar. The lower portion of the upper is configured to extend under a wearer's foot. The article of footwear includes an insert member having a bottom side with a plurality of protuberances that extend away, and the lower portion of the upper is vacuum molded around at least some portions of the protuberances of the insert member. The article of footwear may also include a sole assembly secured to the bottom side of the lower portion of the upper.

A footwear construction includes a sole assembly having a midsole of a first durometer and a plurality of separate, individually reactive lugs of a second, greater durometer bonded to the midsole. On soft terrain, the individual lugs can remain extended and can engage that terrain to provide grip and traction. On hard terrain, the individual lugs can independently compress into deformation regions of the midsole to enhance traction, so that the midsole also can optionally contact the terrain with portions of the lugs. The sole assembly can include a fabric embedded and encapsulated in the materials of the lugs and the midsole to mechanically bond the lugs to the midsole and impair delamination. The individual lugs can include caps extending into the midsole with voids filled with the midsole material to improve the lug securement. A related method of manufacture also is provided.

A traction cleat assembly for a golf shoe includes a hub and removable cover affixed to the hub body in a fixed position with mated sealing engagement between the hub and removable cover defining a, the hub body including a minor driven fitting comprising one of a female fitting and male fitting defined in the hub bottom surface, and the cover top surface including a minor driving fitting for mating engagement with the minor driven fitting to define mated engagement therebetween.

A method of forming a plate for an article of footwear is disclosed. The method includes applying a first strand portion to a base layer including positioning adjacent segments of the first strand portion to form a first layer on the base layer. The adjacent segments of the first strand portion having a greater density across a width of the plate between a medial side and a lateral side at a midfoot region of the plate than at a forefoot region of the plate and at a heel region of the plate. The method also includes applying at least one of heat and pressure to the first strand portion and to the base layer to conform the first strand portion and the base layer to a predetermined shape.

A sole structure for an article includes a first layer including a first bundle of fibers affixed to a first substrate, a second layer including a second bundle of fibers affixed to a second substrate, a traction element having a first portion disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate and a second portion extending from one of the first layer and the second layer. The sole structure further includes a resin that consolidates the first bundle of fibers and the second bundle of fibers, and secures the traction element between the first bundle of fibers and the second bundle of fibers.

Various embodiments for a traction element used with athletic shoes having a stud body with a metal insert that extends axially from the stud body and methods for manufacturing such traction elements are disclosed.