English Abstract

Running Shoe Function Design Corresponding to Users' Purposes and Skills

Kenichi HARANO
Institute of Sports Science, ASICS Corporation, Kobe, Japan
Nippon Gomu Kyokaishi,(2017),90(9),433-438 General Review in Japanese

Since sporting shoes are one of the most important gears for performance enhancement and injury prevention. A wide variety of shoes have been developed and these functions change corresponding to not only usage environments but also users' performance. For instance, in the designing process of running shoes for recreational runners, functions related to injury prevention, cushioning and stability are the most important factors. In order to meet various requirements, 8 requirement functions, cushioning, grip, flexibility, lightweight, fitting, durability, stability and breathability, can be defined as designing parameters. This paper describes the difference of designing functions between running and racing shoes. Moreover the practical designing examples of marathon shoes used in Olympic games are also introduced.

Keywords: Cushion, Stability, Grip, Lightweight, Pronation, Contact Pattern, Performance Enhancement, Injury Prevention