Sports has been one of the most important recreations, profession, and form of entertainment around the world. In fact, football or soccer, in particular, has been ranked as the most popular sport in the world, with around 4 billion fans. As proof of that, Cristiano Ronaldo is now the most-followed person on Instagram with 189 million followers to date.

This makes it easy to understand why people put so much effort into either watching or playing the game. But we should always remember that playing should not only be done just for the heck of it. With that, precautions should always be included in your list of priorities.

In terms of playing recreationally, comfort and style are typically being favored when it comes to purchasing football gear. However, competitive games call for wearing the ‘right’ attire, whether fashionable or otherwise.

What Exactly are Cleats?

Cleats are basically protrusions found on the outsole of football shoes. They are also being called as ‘studs’ by the British to mean football or rugby boots with cleats.

Cleats can either be made of metal, plastic or even rubber. Their shapes are also dependent on the type of environment where they will be used. The shapes can be blade-like or tapered and can be used on grass, turf, and other types of grounds.

Their original purpose is to protect the players’ feet. They eventually evolved to their current version, which provides sufficient grip or resistance when playing on slippery ground. Their use has been traced back from as early as the 15th century.

How Do Cleats Affect One’s Game?

Football games are played either on grass or artificial turf in the case of sports arenas. Wearing ordinary footwear subjects you to slipping since your feet don’t have anything to grip on.

Being constantly on the move makes you prone to serious injuries. This is because any sudden movement can turn to knees buckling or ankle-breaking without any friction between your feet and the ground.

Cleats protect you from this as their studs ensure that you won’t needlessly slide away, thus, minimizing accidents.

While there has been a study on the prevalence of injuries among football players, particularly those who wear cleated shoes, the gravity of potential injuries from not wearing one is far more dreadful.

Different Styles of Football Shoes With Cleats

There are basically three shoe styles that football players can choose from. The choice depends on what particular position you play in the team.

  • Low-cut – for those that prefer lightweight shoes, this is the way to go. The cut, as the name suggests, is so low that it extricates the ankle from any restrictions. And because of this, maximum mobility is achieved, and quick cuts become super easy. However, it offers the least protection against injuries.
  • Mid-cut – this shoe type has average ankle mobility but does not really restrict motion or movement. It caters to skilled positions such as defensive backs, running backs, quarterbacks, and wide receivers.
  • High-tops – this type of shoe has extended ankle for the purpose of providing the linemen extra support. This is particularly beneficial for lateral movements as this lessens your chances of ankle sprains.

Cleat Types

Purchasing the best football cleats either for you or for a loved one isn’t as straightforward as you might think. There are certain factors that you need to consider before buying. These include the cost, the comfort level, the environment or turf, the position in the team, and the playing level (whether recreational, amateur or pro)

Once you’ve taken all of the above in consideration, you have two basic options, namely in terms of types:

  • Molded Cleats – these types are the ones where the cleats are permanently fixed at the bottom of the shoe or the outsole. Molded cleats are typically the cheaper types than their counterparts and are thought to cause fewer injuries to the players.

The downside to this is that they are only usable to certain types of grounds. Once you play on another turf where they are not applicable, you have to use another set or kind of shoes.

  • Detachable Cleats – as the name suggests, these types of cleats are the ones that can be removed and put back to the shoe, depending on the type of field conditions. The extra costs make up for their flexibility as you can use the shoes on any grounds.

Professional football players and colleges typically use these types of cleated shoes.

Conclusion

After everything has been said and done, proper sports apparel and gear will still be as important as the skills needed for the sport. Regardless of how good a player you are, how comfortable you are on the playing field is going to be a significant factor in how well you perform. The extra protection is just a bonus. This is where the right cleats will come in handy.

While enjoying and feeling comfortable and doing what you love at the same time are equally important, wanting to be able to play the game for a long time by avoiding potential career-ending injuries should also be given the same weight. Unless, of course, you consider just watching it from the sidelines or from your flatscreen.