Baseball spike to increase hitting power! Mizuno "Global Elite" "Mizuno Pro" What is the spike "prime buddy" for new students?

ミズノは、多くのプロ野球選手や部活生から様々なヒアリングを繰り返しながらスパイク作りを進め、多くの野球人たちから強い信頼を得ている。   最先端の技術を駆使してスパイクを作り込む職人「クラフトマンシップ」の存在が、ミズノにとっての1番の強みだ。  



Mizuno Corporation
Global Footwear Product Headquarters
Planning and Design Dept. Kleit Planning Division
Tian Linzheng

- Current status of baseball spike market

Tian Lin: Currently there are quite a lot of players seeking light and fast moving shoes. In the market, these products are overflowing and Mizuno recognizes from players that these differences are very difficult to understand.

このような傾向を踏まえ、野球・ミズノの強みを活かして、今までにはない新しいコンセプトのものを出すことができないかと模索し続けてきました。  

- What baseball people are looking for

Tian Lin: Mizuno once went back to the origin. I thoroughly pursued the people who are going to start baseball and the people who are playing baseball every day, what they are looking for. Therefore, we focused on the following three points thoroughly.
① How do players want to become better?
② What do players want to realize?
③ How do players want to win the game? 

- I want to hit a further distance

Tian Lin: Playing in baseball is roughly divided into three types of batting, defense and running. When Mizuno saw the players what they wanted to play during the game, more than half of the players wanted to contribute to the team with a blow, so it was that they liked to hit anyway.

I have been playing baseball, but in retrospect, there are memories that batting practice was fun anyway. Although I was not good at all, I always tried challenging to fly the ball far. I thought that everyone would think this was a batter and it flashed that it could be realized with the power of spikes.

- New spike is born

Tian Lin: There are only lightweight spikes in the world, it was very difficult to demonstrate how much power Spikes can give to blows. However, believing that it is possible because it is Mizuno, I started to focus on professional baseball players and began to develop new spike.

Spike with only conventional metal fittings gets caught in the soil of the ground when the batting swings. Doing so will destabilize the balance and make your behavior unnatural. So, when stepping on with batting, we began to strive to make smooth the series of actions from metal fittings biting soil.

And as a result of repeating the test which made players actually wear a lot of samples and made the movements, we were able to develop new spikes "Mizuno Pro" and "Global Elite" that combine metal fittings and points.

"Mizuno Pro"

"Global Elite"



- About features

Tian Lin: The sense of stability when standing first is important. Since it is a swing motion since holding firmly, I emphasize stability. The next time the foot is stopped by swinging, the foot stops, and as for the necessary grip force, we make sure that the metal fittings penetrate into the earth gracefully.

Then turn the toes as you roll out the bud from behind to the front. In order to make the operation smooth,I decided to install a point with a large ground plane instead of metal fittings.

There is a rule that high school students' spikes must be unified in black, and every spike looks the same, but Mizuno has a look that gives an impact, unlike the past.



The foot placement is also integrated to make it fit more.

  "Prime buddy"

- About "prime buddy"

Tian Lin: The main targets are junior high school first graders who begin to wear point fit spike only after graduating from elementary school. There is also a change in the feeling that as a junior high school student changes with age and joins an adult. Also, as the environment changes, you will start to play baseball with new members, the ground will also become wider and the quality that you are required for movement and defense will be higher.



- About features

Tian Lin: I am trying to give power to players in movement.

Saul makes it difficult for the foot to bear a burden. Practice time is long, so big points will reduce the burden on the feet.

Newly made upper, realized a softness that makes movement more familiar.

――About future prospects

Tian Lin：時代が変わればプレースタイルも変わりますから、選手へのヒアリングをし続けることが大切になってきています。  

私は、金具のスパイクを初めて履いて、土に刺ささった瞬間に感動したあの日の記憶が今でも鮮明に残っています。  

色々チャレンジできる環境にありますので、非常にやり甲斐を感じています。これからも、選手にとって何が1番大切なのかを考えながら開発に取り組んでいきます。　　(了)  

Mizuno baseball
https://www.mizuno.jp/baseball/

Cooperation of coverage / Mizuno Corporation
Photo provided / Mizuno Corporation
Interview photograph / Hidemi Sakuma