- 600
- 10
- Joined
- Aug 16, 2002
So the KD's didn't have any heel cushioning units. Fine, Nike had a excuse for not having a heel cushioning unit in Kevin Durant's shoes. "He's always on his toes!" I'd still put something there to protect the athlete from odd time he does land on his heels. And what about the thousands of people buying his shoes? They can't all be forefoot strikers. Don't you want to protect them from injury as well? The excuse is weak but why no heel cushioning unit in the Hyerfuse or Zoom Go Low, too?
- No heel unit, no long term durability. They might be okay to start but it won't last, the open-celled foams will bottom out and it's cushioning ability will degrade. Especially as a shoe released during the summer for outdoor ball on unforgiving surfaces, their cushioning life will be even shorter and the importance of cushioning is even greater.
- Forefoot Zoom is great but heel cushioning is more important than forefoot cushioning. The heel experiences much more force than the forefoot (7-10x body weight in heel, 3-5x body weight in forefoot). Plus, the heel can only rely on a pad of fat to absorb shock, whereas the impact in the forefoot can be absorbed by the attenuation of the entire leg (ankles, knees, hips).
- Nike is being cheap! They've released many shoes in the past with the same (or lower) retail price with better cushioning setups. Example,
- Zoom Drive, Forefoot + Caged Heel Zoom, $90.
- Zoom Ambassador, Forefoot + Heel Zoom, $85.
- No heel unit, no long term durability. They might be okay to start but it won't last, the open-celled foams will bottom out and it's cushioning ability will degrade. Especially as a shoe released during the summer for outdoor ball on unforgiving surfaces, their cushioning life will be even shorter and the importance of cushioning is even greater.
- Forefoot Zoom is great but heel cushioning is more important than forefoot cushioning. The heel experiences much more force than the forefoot (7-10x body weight in heel, 3-5x body weight in forefoot). Plus, the heel can only rely on a pad of fat to absorb shock, whereas the impact in the forefoot can be absorbed by the attenuation of the entire leg (ankles, knees, hips).
- Nike is being cheap! They've released many shoes in the past with the same (or lower) retail price with better cushioning setups. Example,
- Zoom Drive, Forefoot + Caged Heel Zoom, $90.
- Zoom Ambassador, Forefoot + Heel Zoom, $85.