WARAFIT: New Sneaker Lacing System 

_{Jinrui Yang}

The history of sports can be traced back to pre-historical times as a mode of social interactions and competition within and between communities. Over the years, sports have been developed and redefined into many different categories. Before the second industrial revolution in the early 20th century, the development of standard sportswear remained a challenge. However, throughout the century, designs of footwear for sports have been modified to fit the needs of different sports. Sneakers are designed for use in various athletics games and basketball. A well-designed sneaker helps athletes to improve their performance because the comfort it provides makes movement easy. A good sneaker design also prevents injuries when an athlete is running. As one of the three major sports in the world, basketball is different from other sports in terms of game design and movement of players. Because of the complexity and comprehensiveness of movements and actions of players, designing basketball sneakers is complicated and requires several considerations to ensure they provide comfort and prevent injuries.

The philosophy behind a good design of basketball sneakers is that it makes players more careless about the sports equipment under their feet without losing its protective role. This study develops and presents a basketball shoe design with an advanced shoelace system that allows better interaction between the shoe and the foot. The design of the show is aimed at providing a better feel of the shoe and foot to allow comfort and free movement, which subsequently enhances the performance of basketball players and minimizes risks of sustaining injuries.