A shoe includes a shoe top structure secured to a sole having a sole forward
segment
for making contact with a shoe support surface such as the floor of a basketball
court, and a sole rearward segment which arches upwardly and then extends rearwardly
from the sole forward segment to be spaced above the shoe support surface, and
including a heel in the form of a heel panel mounted beneath the sole rearward
segment, and including spring means biasing the heel panel downwardly a certain
distance from the sole rearward segment to define a vertical gap between the sole
rearward segment and the heel panel. As a result of this construction, a downward
thrust of a wearer heel inside the shoe presses the heel panel firmly against the
shoe support surface drives the heel panel upwardly toward the sole rearward segment
against the biasing of the spring means, thereby storing energy in the spring means.
As the wearer rises off the heel panel, the spring means causes the heel panel
to exert a downward force on the support surface, the spring means thereby adding
upward acceleration to the wearer body to cause the wearer to rise higher in his
or her step or jump than he or she would without this shoe.