How much of an advantage do cleats give?

by **myu** » Mon Oct 25, 2004 5:29 pm

I've never owned a pair of cleats since I played soccer in the first grade so I really have no idea. I was just browsing some shoes a couple weeks back, and I noticed that football shoes were ridiculously cheap (like $20-40), so I considered buying a pair.

Whenever I play a pickup game of football, I always just wear regular cross-training shoes, or even sometimes some ragged basketball shoes.

Will it be like night and day if I were to go out and buy a pair of cleats? O_O

by **BossHog** » Tue Oct 26, 2004 9:08 am

Well they only make a difference if you think that having traction helps. :shock:

It won't turn you into Barry Sanders over night, but it'll certainly allow you to move a lot better on the field. If you don't have cleats, you just slide on grass. it's a lot easier to get hurt with a flat sole too because of the sliding... easy to 'over-slide' and over-stretch a hammy or a quad.

Tell me you don't play soccer without cleats... that's pretty much a sin I think. It makes even more of a difference in soccer because you're always planting one foot while the other is kicking....

A good pair of shoes and 3 sets of cleats for soccer... rubber bottle cap cleats for hard, dry ground, aluminum cleats for soft or moderately wet ground, and a longer plastic cleat for especially bad conditions. You can get away with using only one of the two latter sets of cleats... but either one will give you sore feet on dry, hard ground.

... hope that helps.

redskinsmiley

by **welch** » Fri Oct 29, 2004 7:56 pm

Well they only make a difference if you think that having traction helps.

Could it be that someone here knows a lot about soccer??

by **BossHog** » Sat Oct 30, 2004 6:35 am

It's the English in me... it comes with a unique hooligan tendency. :shock:

by **joebagadonuts** » Mon Nov 01, 2004 9:59 pm

if you're going to play any sport where you have to move quickly in any direction without cleats, you might as well bend over and kiss your ankles goodbye before you start.

by **Chris Luva Luva** » Tue Nov 02, 2004 6:37 pm

Cleats give you a 100% advantage.

Traction is key in all positions in football. Moreso in other positions.

You BETTER have cleats if you play my position of CB, you WILL get burned in a heartbeat.

by **redskinz4ever** » Thu Nov 04, 2004 1:51 pm

cleats on grass ...YES !!!
cleats on astro turf ..... a smaller version of cleat is used.