Shoes and/or shoe elements facilitate natural foot motion and/or reduce forces tending to fight natural foot motion. In at least some such structures, a wearer's heel is secured to the hindfoot region of a shoe (e.g., by a strap system) in a manner that permits heel/forefoot rotation and that allows the lower leg to remain straight. In other structures, a shoe can include a heel supporting component that is separate from a midsole component, and this heel supporting component can move toward the lateral side and/or medial side of the shoe along an interface between the heel supporting component and the midsole component. Other suitable shoe and shoe component structures also are described.

A sole structure for an article of footwear includes an upper layer comprised of a plate member and a lower layer comprised of a plurality of segmented portions separated by flexing regions. The flexing regions may comprise portions of a compressible material. The sole structure accommodates vertical bending and torsion, while limiting lateral bending.

An article of footwear has a sole assembly that is further comprised of a chassis, a reinforcing member and a forefoot plate. The reinforcing member includes lateral and medial forefoot portions that fit with corresponding recesses in the forefoot plate and the reinforcing member in the forefoot region of the chassis. The reinforcing member includes a central portion that figs with a corresponding recess in the heel region of the chassis. The chassis and the forefoot plate include ridges on their outer surfaces. Cleats extending from ridges in the forefoot of the chassis are vertically aligned with protrusions on ridges in the forefoot plate. The protrusions can help diffuse forces applied by the cleats against the inner components of the sole and foot to reduce point loading.

An article of footwear has an upper and a sole structure secured to the upper. The sole structure includes a chamber that encloses a pressurized fluid. The chamber includes subchambers laterally extending in a medial to lateral direction of the bladder. A bottom surface of the chamber may include at least one bond that laterally extends across the bottom surface of the chamber from one side edge to another side edge of the chamber in the medial to lateral direction. The bond may cooperate with an indentation in the bottom surface that separates one subchamber from an adjacent subchamber. A diameter of the subchambers may decrease in a direction from a heel region of the bladder to a forefoot region of the chamber.

An insole liner for a shoe is disclosed. The liner consists of a wedge shaped member having opposite back and front ends, a top surface and a bottom surface. The liner has a polyurethane base layer, a middle layer made of silicone gel and a top layer made from memory foam. The wedge shaped member has a thickness which tapers from the back end towards the front end. The base layer has a shore hardness which progressively decreases from the back end of the wedge shaped member to the front end of the wedge shaped member and wherein the middle layer has a shore hardness which progressively increases from the back end of the wedge shaped member to the front end of the wedge shaped member. Finally, the bottom surface has a plurality of projections.

The present invention relates to an interchangeable footwear device. The device may include a flip-flop sandal design wherein the device may include interchangeable structural features to allow a user to change features as associated with a particular terrain. The interchangeable footwear device includes a gripping system to traverse a number of different terrains. The footwear may include a sole member having a thong member attached to a top of the sole and a heel strap selectively attached to the sole. The heel strap may be selectively attached to the sole with a fastener that may be manually adjusted in a secured or unsecured position to remove the heel strap from the sole. In particular, the interchangeable footwear device may include a gripping unit selectively attached to the sole member of the footwear. The gripping unit may include a toe grip pad and a heel grip pad.

A sole structure for an article of footwear includes one or more outsole portions. At least some of these outsole portions include a plurality of alternating upward-facing and downward-facing elongate channels. The channels may have a base and two sidewalls, with adjacent channels sharing a common sidewall. The bases of the downward-facing channels form an upper surface of the outsole portion and the bases of the upward-facing channels form a lower surface of the outsole portion. The sidewalls are arranged at non-perpendicular angles to the upper surface. A first outsole portion has a pressure-versus-strain curve having a local maximum at a “trip point” pressure value and a first strain value and wherein the pressure-versus-strain curve has a change in strain of at least approximately 10% before a second occurrence of the “trip point” pressure value is reached. An article of footwear having the sole structure attached to an upper is also provided.

A SOUTHAMPTON home has been pelted with bricks in a series of targeted attacks.

POLICE have arrested a man for assaulting officers after he was told he was breaching the new coronavirus laws.

CIVIC chiefs are working with police and residents’ groups after an attempted murder in the city centre.

A MAN used homophobic slurs and threatened to "spread coronavirus" towards two Southampton police officers after he broke a window.

IT was the perfectly scripted Hollywood ending for a distinctly familiar cinema audience.

A SOUTHAMPTON grandmother spent years battling cancer.

HAMPSHIRE Masons have raised funds to help provide specialist equipment for children and young people at Hampshire hospices.

A SCHOOLBOY who was apart from his soldier dad for four months was stunned when he turned up out of the blue to pick him up from class - just in time for Christmas.

HE'S BEEN an integral part of Saints' rise from League 1 to European football - and to mark his birthday, we've got a special José Fonte photo gallery.

It's 40 years today since Southampton FC began their memorable journey to glory in the 1976 FA Cup - and we've got some never before seen photos.

The Dancing Man Brewery is located on Town Quay and next to the Southampton docks.

TELEVISION presenter Piers Morgan has aimed a dig at a BBC Radio Solent journalist today over former Hampshire Cricket star Kevin Pietersen's exclusion from the England squad.

HE’S the former England cricket captain best known for his ability as an all-rounder.

MARCUS Barnes scored a stunning consolation goal as Eastleigh’s FA Cup run ended with a 3-1 defeat at League Two Crewe Alexandra.

All the photos from Saints' 1-0 victory against Crystal Palace, as Sadio Mane's late goal decides the match.

Saints bag themselves a well deserved point at Stamford Bridge after Dusan Tadic equalises with a penalty.

Pictures from Saints' victory over Burnley at St Mary's Stadium.

Check out our picture gallery from Saints v Hull.

Despite Morgan Schneiderlin drawing first blood at Britannia Stadium, two second-half goals from Stoke sends Saints away without a point.

Two goals from Graziano Pelle ensured that Saints took the lead twice at St Mary's Stadium, but equalisers from Erik Lamela and Nacer Chadli meant both teams came away with a point.

Despite an equaliser from Sadio Mane, Saints suffer a 2-1 defeat to Sunderland The Stadium of Light.

Saints had a battle on their hands after Leicester scored two goals in the first 19 minutes of play. No further goals were scored.

Photos from Saints' 6-1 win against Aston Villa, in which Sadio Mane scored a hat-trick in 2mins 56secs - the fastest in Premier League history.

Pictures from the Barclays Premier League clash between Manchester City and Southampton.

Pictures from the first leg of Europa League play-off between Saints and Midtjylland.

Pictures from the Barclays Premier League match between Watford and Saints.

View pictures of Saints thumping Norwich 3-0.

A third clean-sheet in a row for Saints must be a positive to cling onto - view pictures here.

A fantastic game at St Mary's, but that is of no consolation to Saints, who ended up on the wrong side of a five-goal thriller.

​Saints batter Championship side MK Dons to progress through to the fourth round of the Capital One Cup at stadiummk.

Pictures from Southampton v Swansea.

View the Barclays Premier League clash between Chelsea and Saints via our picture gallery

Check out pictures from Saints v Liecester

COMMUNITY CC celebrated winning the Southampton Evening Cricket League at the end of season awards dinner at Trojans Club.

SOUTHAMPTON sports fans are in for a treat with the arrival of the city’s first ever cricket festival.

A FORMER Aston Villa striker has died after he was Tasered by police.

WATERSIDE angler Arran Harmer was rewarded with a personal best pike of 23lb 2oz when he tackled a Southern Stillwater.

LOCAL sport will be bidding a sad farewell to Alan Frederick, doyen of Southampton Schools’ football for close on 60 years and popular bowls enthusiast, tomorrow.

A HAMPSHRIE 12-year-old with cerebral palsy spent time with the captain of Southampton Football Club, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.

A SOUTHAMPTON football team has scored big after being newly kitted out.

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GABI Taylor has credited her new team for her improvement as she prepares to make her Fed Cup debut alongside Great Britain teammates Johanna Konta and Heather Watson.

Southampton's Gabi Taylor is in the Surbiton Trophy quarter-finals after a stunning win against GB teammate Heather Watson - and another victory today.