Nike / Aug 2018 / In-Image
How to Choose the Right Football Boots
No matter what position you play, you know about it if you haven’t got the right kit on for a match. Wearing the right football boots gives us skill, speed, power, and confidence to smash through defence and fire the goal into the net.
But choosing the right football boots is no easy task. The explosion in designs means you now have incredible choice, but hours of looking for the best ones for you. So, shave time and effort off the job with our rundown of what you need to look out for and how different shoe styles can affect your performance.
To choose the right football boots for you, you need to tick off the following features when you pull them on:
● Weight
● Suppleness
● Flexibility
● Comfort
● Protection
● Stability
● Propulsion
● Grip
Unfortunately, all these points are massively affected by the following football boot conditions…
Position
What position do you play? This is a crucial question when choosing the best football boots. If you’re a full-back or centre-back, your main concern is protecting your feet when you go in for those hard tackles, so strength and durability is key. On the other side of the coin, strikers need to stay quick and nimble with a large, clean upper (top of the boot where the laces are) for pinpoint accuracy.
No matter where you play, all footballers need control, comfort, accuracy, and pace from their boots. Today, football boots are often designed for multiple positions, but many include specific designs suited to a particular style of play. Check out these playing positions to find out what features you need to look out for when buying new boots:
● Goal: as the last line of defence, your boots need good grip and a padded upper to keep your feet protected after multiple collisions and long goal kicks.
● Defence: you get a lot of impact. Highly resilient boots with a wide striking area to clear balls accurately are for you.
● Midfield: defending and passing to both halves of the pitch is essential for a midfielder. Round or conical studs are excellent for making quick, easy and stable turns in your central pitch position.
● Wing: a major source of goals; pace, skill and accurate touches are very important on the wing. Look for boots with thin uppers for precision, and light studs and thin outsoles for enhanced speed.
● Attack: you need boots built for acceleration, stability and accuracy. Ideal boots for strikers should have a clear striking surface to hit the goal net, light uppers and soles for agility and responsive ball touches, and a secure stud formation for tight twists and explosions of speed.