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Football boots, called cleats or soccer shoes in North America, are an item of footwear worn when playing association football. Those designed for grass pitches have studs on the outsole to aid grip. From simple and humble beginnings football boots have come a long way and today find themselves subject to much research, development, sponsorship and marketing at the heart of a multi-national global industry. Modern "boots" are not truly boots in that they do not cover the ankle. If you play soccer competitively, you know that cleats are a big deal. But exactly how important are they? Will soccer cleats really improve your performance? These are questions that many soccer players ask themselves. There hasn't been any conclusive research that shows that nicer cleats give you a large upper-hand. However, most people believe that better cleats will greatly improve your performance. In the modern soccer cleat market boots are targeted toward different types of positions and different types of players altogether. Some cleats say they will help you control the ball more effectively, others say they will allow you to run faster. For example Adidas' F-50s and Nike's Mercurial Vapors are targeted to fast, striker/winger players because those positions speed is important. The brand of cleats is more of a preference then anything. Many people will argue that Nike cleats are the best and others will just say Adidas or Pumas are better. In all honesty the brand you should buy from is based more on personal preference than anything else. So it is a good idea to buy different cleats from different brands and eventually you will find the brand you really like. Although different types and different bfrands of soccer cleats may have a small to midsize impact. The largest impact they have is on the mentality of the player. Players use to expensive cleats will have a hard time adjusting to cheaper cleats because they feel like the cheaper cleats are infereor while players used to more expensive cleats will play only slightly better when using more expesive cleats. All in all though, if you want to play soccer at the top level every small difference matters and thats why cleats are important. Depending on the type of surface, kind of sport and even the wearer's position or role in the game, different cuts of boot and particularly stud arrangements are available. For hard pitches, amateur participants may wear a sneaker shoe or a plastic-stud boot (known as a "moulded sole"); in most sports and positions this is adequate, although on a well-grassed or sodden field, screw-in studs are recommended for more grip; these may be metal, rubber or plastic. Presently, boot designs are based on the "criteria" of speed, power, touch or control with some boots offering a combination of these. However, these specifications matter little on the player's actual playing ability and are actually a marketing strategy. For indoor football, indoor cleats are used. These come with rubber soles, meant to maximize grip on the floor. Some are built on the design of firm-ground football boots, and some are specifically designed for the indoor game. For football on turf or artificial grass, some players wear regular firm ground football boots. But wearing regular football boots on turf greatly reduces the life of the boot, so companies such as Nike have developed football boots for artificial grass (AG). More recently, moulded soles with specially designed boots known as blades have moulded soles facing in multiple directions, theoretically to maximise grip and minimise ankle injury. Recently, however, "bladed" football boots have faced criticism from some UK sporting bodies for causing potentially serious injuries to players. English football club Manchester United have even banned its players from wearing boots with bladed studs after players like Wayne Rooney and David Beckham suffered repeated metatarsal injuries. Many players now use personalisation around the world to improve the look of their boots and to make them easily identifiable in the club dressing room. It is now very common to have your football boots fully personalised with either your name, initials, number or club logo. In the past the standard way for football boots to be identified has always been the black permanent marker pen, ugly and not very professional. Many retailers offer various options and colours to personalise football boots by using the very latest embroidery machinery. |