The invention concerns a penetration resistant article comprising a plurality of substantially planar elements; each element comprising at least one fibrous layer formed of multifilaments having a linear density of at least 200 dtex, a tenacity of at least 10 grams per dtex, and an elongation to break of at least 2%; and superposed upon at least one of the fibrous layers, a polymer layer comprising a thermoplastic polymer, a thermoset polymer, or a polymer having glass transition temperature of −40° C. to 0° C., a molecular weight (Mw) of 20,000 to 100,000, and a viscosity of about 2×106 to about 1013 poise at 20° C.; the polymer layer covering and being adhered to from 25% to 75% of the area of the fibrous layer, wherein the area not covered by the polymer layer comprises a plurality of discrete areas.