They cost me and arm and a leg! But technically, my parents paid for them, kinda like they do with everything else since I'm in college.

They are the Nike Shox R4, all black, and look pretty sweet if you ask me. They are a "new arrival" at The Finish Line (where I bought mine) and at Champs. They cost a hell of a lot, but I firmly believe they will pay for themselves--literally, when I get that varsity check come November, and physically, by the comfort and style.

I figured, why not buy them now, since we have our annual Officials Evaluation on Wednesday. This would be a good time to break them in....of course, I'd break them in before the games on Wednesday, but you get the gist of what I'm saying...

Just a shoe note of my own. Many people have made positive comments about the New Balance shoe. I found a pair and tried them on, but just didn't feel comfortable in them. :( Another season in the Converse Whistles, I guess.

Are the Nikes the ones with the "springs" in the heels?

If so, I don't think I'd be the first to wear them to a varsity game.

I have always worn a New Balance cross trainer and have been pleased with them. I'm trying out a New Balance walking shoe this year. Everybody's foot is different, I personally have never found any Reebok or Converse shoe to be very comfortable.

Whoa!!! Heckuva point,Bob. That got me thinking,so I "googled" the Nike Shox. Came up with this description-"The concept is the same as springs,but instead of actual springs,Nike Shox uses high density polyurethane foam columns,which provide the same basic effect as springs.They absorb the energy of impact and return it to the wearer on the transition from heel-stroke to toe-off."

Using that description,it sureashell sounds like these shoes should be illegal, as per NFHS R3-5-3- equipment designed to gain an advantage. Have you,or anybody else,heard whether this shoe is illegal,or not? Has the FED or NCAA put out a ruling on them yet?

Funny, King was talking about wearing them to officiate in and when Bob replied, I couldn't figure out why he wouldn't want to officiate in them. But JR's post makes a good point. As far as I know, there's no ban on them.

Yabut,would you allow them in your game? I read several different accounts on 'em when I "googled" 'em,and every account says that they are designed to give the exact same effect as springs.Nike is advertising them that way too. The casebook is quite explicit on this one- CB3.5.SitA-"The second standard provides that any equipment ..designed to...gain an advantage shall not be used.<B>The referee is given no leeway here and no judgement is required</B>." I think that someone had better make a decision on this one in a hurry-both for FED and NCAA.

Howard, let me know what your interp is on this rule, so I can let everyone else know. Or better yet, why not join and post for yourself?!?

Well, I'm gonna allow them until somebody tells me not to. I've never used them, and I don't really know what the effect is (despite company claims). If they really do what they say, then the NCAA and the Fed need to let us know that they're not legal equipment. Just my two cents

Exactly!

Are you guys serious? There is no ban on these shoes. The technology isn't new. They have been out for about 2 years. Didn't you ever see the "bong, bong, bong" Nike commercials?
On a side note, some of these shox are not technically sound. I found this out at Athletes Foot. If you have one near you should go check it out and get them to tell you what kind of foot you have and what kind of shoe you should buy. Maybe some of you have already done this and know this. If so, disregard.

Yes.

We know that. That's why we're saying that if the shoes really do give an unfair advantage, then somebody should tell us what to do about it; b/c as of now, nobody's doing anything about it.

If your opinion is that we shouldn't do anything about them, that's fine. My own opinion is that if they provide extra height to a player's jumping ability, then they should not be considered legal equipment. Would you agree with that? Or do you think that as officials we shouldn't have to be the judge of legal/illegal shoes? I'm just curious.

Hell,the casebook says that you can't wear a shoe with a light in it. For the life of me, I can't see how they could justify something like that as being illegal,yet let shoes with quasi-springs in them go.

Sproing
 

Wear 'em. And sign your first varsity check over to your parents. If they are as expensive as you act, perhaps you better sign over a couple of checks.

For JR and Chuck try jumping in your bare feet. Now try jumping in your shoes (the ones with the rubber [spring] soles). If you don't jump higher, I bet you at least feel better when you hit the ground.

The two of you wouldn't be saying that officials must live by the same uniform rules as the players... would you?

I can see you two old geezers sproinging down the court...

Sproing.... sproing...

sproing.... sproing...

No I've got trail... sproing...
Back - up sproing... sproing...http://www.gamers-forums.com/smilies...anim-xjump.gif
:D

Re: Sproing
 

The same could be said for most any decent shoe. All shoes are designed to absorb energy when the foot strikes and release it on the return. Guess we should only allow players in bare feet.

An Andy, AMEN!
 

I guess we should look at banning bare feet because the arch serves the same function. Of course, the foot is not a mechanical device (or is it?) but clearly people with high arches would have an unfair advantage over people with flat feet.

Comprehende
 

I hope you all didn't misunderstand... but that was my exact point - all shoes provide some cushion/spring. I assume Chuck and JR were just funnin'

I haven't seen the shoes (Nike Shox) but I assume they are NOT similar to the old "Spring" shoes that included a set of two(or more?) springs for about 3 inches underneath the sole of the shoe and then a second sole that contacts the ground. Those would be hilarious and obviously illegal.

Wish I had a picture!
:)

Found one on e-bay (of all places - $20) but how do I put that jpeg into this message?

Pardon me for sounding stupid, but isn't this a running shoe?
 

After reading the posts here, it looks like this is designed as a running shoe and propels the runner forward. They refer to the boing factor, but it doesn't sound like it really gives much of an advantag.

I know that if I am on the court with a kid that spent his entire year's allowance on these shoes, I'm going to let him play until someone on Mt. Olympus tells me otherwise.

Re: Re: Sproing
 

Is there any other way to play? What's all this fancy talk about shoes? Y'all need to bring yourselves and all your book learning down to good ole Kaintuck to see how the game is meant to be played. :D

These shoes do not give a advantage. These shoes are not new. These shoes have been around for about two years. You probably had someone already wear these shoes in a game and didn't even realize it. They are popular, and have been for two years, because Vince Carter wears them. We all know the kids follow the stars. If, we started examining shoes we would have to know what they look like and what technology they use to determine their legality. Obviously everyone doesn't follow shoes closely enough or this would have came up two years ago. Plus, this technology is a gimmick and you have to be a certain weight to get the benefits of the shox. I love Nikes but for the most part they are a fashion shoe designed to catch the eye instead of being comfortable/useful to the foot.

It is amazing what you can learn on a couple of trips to the Athlete's Foot.

Unless I see a shoe that has the "Flubber" effect (remember the movie?), I have other things to worry about.

Z

An Andy, AMEN!
 

What about these ?

http://www.cockeyed.com/incredible/s...ingshoes13.jpg

Re: AnAndy, AMEN!
 

All I have to say is... Can you buy them in all black?

I don't allow any Nike shoes in any of my games. The kids change or they don't play.

Nevadaref, I know you are kidding. Are you from Northern Nevada or Southern Nevada?

Re: Re: AnAndy, AMEN!
 

Might make GT/BI easier to call . . .

what does that mean? i hope you were being facetious.

so i wore them on wednesday and they hold up pretty well. the first game, they were kinda weird feeling, but by the 2nd game, i'd worn them in and they felt pretty good. i may put some "are you gellin?" stuff in there once the season begins to make it even more comfortable.

I think he was. He just forgot the winkie ;)

So did they give extra "spring" to your step? That's a serious question.

Can I just say that those are the stupidest commercials I've seen in a LONG time. "Gellin' like a felon"? Give me a freakin' break. Where's that pukin' smiley when I need it?

Re: Re: Sproing
 

And while we're at it, shrink the width of the key and only allow 3 frontcourt dribbles before forcing a pass-off.

Just Slightly Insane
 

"The concept is the same as springs,but instead of actual springs, Nike Shox uses high density polyurethane foam columns,which provide the same basic effect as springs.They absorb the energy of impact and return it to the wearer on the transition from heel-stroke to toe-off."

Oh my God. That sounds nice, but think - the time constant of the return . . . it is not 'adaptive' in nature. It doesn't know what you're going to want to do. It can just as well zig when you want to zag. Nothing as simple as this can work well under the range of conditions basketball implies. My guess is it doesn't do much. If it did, it would cause train wrecks.

Speech recognition wasn't, and isn't, easy, either. Sure, you can do it under controlled conditions, with a limited vocabulary domain. But we'll all have to put up with the Baby Bell's maniacal devotion to collecting voice samples, when pressing '1' is a LOT easier. Not all engineering makes sense.

Try the new BMW 5 series, however. The steering wheel has a nice adaptation - it 'scales' (lock to lock) to the speed you're going. Thus it takes roughly 10 turns at 70 to do as much as one turn will do at 10mph. My younger boy wanted to know, could they take it one step further and recognize roll-over just before it happens - and refuse to let the wheel move that last unsafe millimeter?

Up North.