Whether you are playing football in a formal league or using a backpack to mark the goal of a catch game in the park, the right shoes can improve your game and help reduce injuries. Deciding which shoe is right for you depends on many factors, but the main factor is the surface you are wearing. As Halle Bissen, assistant coach of the Women’s Football Team at the University of California, San Francisco, explained, “There are hard ground shoes with hard plastic cleats and soft ground shoes with metal cleats suitable for ordinary grass. Prevent slipping on wet grass and mud. Multi-ground shoes suitable for turf or hard ground are located somewhere in the middle, and the cleats will not be as short or as high as shoes on hard ground. There are also some flat shoes, With a little pattern and viscose, it’s almost like basketball shoes.”
New England Revolution professional midfielder Scott Caldwell said that once you know where you will play, the rest is up to personal preference. “Some people are looking for lightweight shoes, some people like the quality of the material, and some people prioritize fit,” he said. “For me, I find that material and fit are the most important. If a pair of cleats are firmly attached to my feet, they will be very comfortable and give me confidence in the ball.” Alex · Ivanov, a former semi-professional footballer and decathlete in the Empire State League, and the current head of the coach of the Massachusetts Nitehawks Sports Club, said that he “wants the cleats to feel like a part of my foot. I’m always looking for a softness.” Durable leather, it feels like a second skin, so if I curl my toes or bend my feet,” the shoes move with him.
Synthetic shoes are usually lighter than leather, but they do not last for a long time and are not suitable for individual feet. Ivanov said that when he played in the past, he would “drag the spikes by dragging the tops of the toes.” He said that compared with synthetic shoes, “good leather can withstand a longer period of time, so when I Finally bought a pair of boots that feel like a part of my foot. I won’t wear it out and have to change a pair.” Chicago West Loop coach Stefan Markovic agreed. “I will always advise everyone to try leather shoes,” he said. “They can be used for three, four or five years, depending on how you take care of them, while synthetic shoes can only be used for one or two seasons.” One of his warnings: “If you play outside in a wetland, leather is better than synthetic materials. heavier.”To help you find the right football shoes, we interviewed five professional coaches and players from all over the country. This is their suggestion.
Adidas Copa Mundial Soccer Cleats
The Adidas Copa Mundial is a classic shoe that is a consistent favorite among experts. James Bede, the owner of James Bede Soccer Club in Newton, Massachusetts, has worn the Copa for years and says, “it moves with and molds to my foot. When you hit the ball, you feel like you are playing barefoot.” He describes the kangaroo leather as “smooth, like velvet” and says, “it feels like when you wear sandals and your toes are comfortable, exposed to the air.” Caldwell says, “the leather material provides a really good fit to my foot — and for a long period of time if you keep up protecting the leather. It’s a classic shoe that I like the look of. The comfort level and my confidence when wearing it are just higher than with other boots.” Markovic also considers these to be his favorite shoes. “I got mine in 2014, and I still have them and still use them today,” he says. And Ivanov says they’re the perfect shoe for new players, because the stiffness provides the extra support they need to prev ent injuries.
Nike Phantom Vision 2 Pro Dynamic Fit FG Soccer Cleats
If you can find these laceless cleats in your size, they’re one of Bissen’s favorites (and worn by players on the UCSF women’s team, she says). She loves how tight they feel around her foot: “They are like a slipper. The shoe secures your foot just a little bit tighter [than normal] and feels like it’s molding to your foot,” she says. Because of that tightness, she cautions that these shoes take time to break in. “For the first month, I had to struggle to get them on. Now I put them on, no problem,” she says. “Once they are in, my feet feel like they’re in a sock boot. I feel very secure in it. My foot isn’t moving around a lot.” Ivanov is also a fan of laceless cleats and recommends them for players who “like to hit knuckleballs, where you want the ball coming off your foot with no spin.”