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Starting from the Bottom – A guide to the season’s hottest cleats.

by: John Leonhardt
Copywriter, Foot Locker, Inc.
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As a coach dialing up new schemes and organizing practice routines for the upcoming season, you may not have had time to see what’s in store for this year’s selection of football cleats. When an athlete comes to you with questions on cleats, this guide will help you steer him in the right direction.

Over the past few years, players big and small have been leaning toward cleats that are lighter and faster. The game – now more than ever - relies on speed. A transformation of new offensive systems, such as the read option, places faster, more agile athletes at quarterback, resulting in more backfield speed than we’ve ever seen before. As a result, defenses also need that ability to quickly close the gap on ball carriers in the open field. That trend doesn’t seem to be changing. The cleats are continuing to get lighter, which may be a big reason why the game, in the eyes of many football experts, is faster than ever. Vendors have reduced the weight of these cleats while maintaining their structure, and continue to offer athletes the protection they demand.

Eastbay’s Football Cleat Buyer Scott Edgerton offered some insight on the upcoming line of cleats for 2013. In his eyes, there are a couple of big reasons for the continuing decrease in weight.

The first and most obvious are the technologies. When athletes in all sports began to take a liking to lighter shoes, vendors battled in a game of one-upmanship to develop new ways to keep their shoes lighter, while maintaining their comfort and stability. That’s why today we’ve seen a flurry of new shoe technologies aimed directly at providing lightweight stability.

The second reason cleats have been able to go lighter is the playing fields. “Athletes used to buy about 70% detachable and 30% molded,” says Edgerton. “That’s a complete 180 from where we are today. It’s about 70% molded and 30% detachable now. The big reason for that is the playing surface. Detachable cleats are better for grass, and the molded cleats are great for synthetic turf. Many fields and stadiums today use synthetic turf, so athletes don’t necessarily need the detachable options. The molded cleats obviously have studs molded right on the thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) plate in the outsole. Detachable cleats are screwed into a TPU plate. So ultimately, molded cleats are much lighter than detachable.”

According to Edgerton, the biggest cleat vendors in the game today are Nike, Under Armour, and adidas. Here is a guide to what each has in store for the season.

Nike

 While you’re bound to see that iconic Nike Swoosh on numerous cleats this year, there are a few key models that you should keep on your radar as the season approaches. Headlining Nike’s 2013 season is its top-end cleat, the Vapor Carbon Fly 2 TD. “This is going to be Nike’s biggest play this season,” says Edgerton. “It’s all about pure speed, quick acceleration, traction, and stability. You’ll be seeing this shoe on a lot of players this year.”


This Carbon Fly 2 comes in a low-cut silhouette, making it a great option for those fast skill-position players who rely on quick cuts and breakaway/catch-up speed to be successful. It also shows off some of Nike’s most prominent shoe technologies. The upper consists of lightweight Flywire, which is engineered to lock the foot in place and prevent slippage during those razor-sharp cuts. Also featured is a Nike Zoom Air unit in the heel, which gives athletes low-profile, super-responsive cushioning with significant impact protection.




The new Alpha Pro is another highly regarded cleat from Nike. “The Nike Alpha Pro caters to many positions,” says Edgerton. “It comes in a 3/4 or low silhouette and also has detachable and molded outsole options, so there is a lot of versatility here. It also probably shouldn’t come as a shock that this is the lightest model in the Nike Alpha Pro series.”

Like the Carbon Fly 2, the Nike Alpha Pro features Dynamic Flywire technology for lightweight stability. However, this cleat has a Phylon lightweight-foam midsole that offers cushioning in the midfoot, but is engineered to reduce in the forefoot to give more feel and responsiveness when accelerating.



Another big play for Nike is the Lunar Superbad. “This is a little bit bulkier than the Carbon Fly and Alpha Pro,” says Edgerton. “It’s a 3/4 cut and has an integrated fit sleeve to really lock your foot in place. The Superbad provides a little more power than the previously mentioned Nike cleats. It’s directed toward the bigger position players, so linemen and linebackers will be the guys you’ll see wearing it.” The Lunar Superbad is available in both molded and detachable versions.



Rounding out the line of Nike cleats for 2013 is the CJ81 Elite TD. This cleat will be Calvin Johnson’s game shoe this season and was designed to his exact specifications. The CJ81 Elite TD combines a lightweight synthetic upper for strength and comfort, with a midfoot strap to lock your foot down for optimal push-off without slippage.

 


Under Armour

Last year, the new design from the Under Armour Highlight created an incredible buzz in the football world. Once again, this season, UA’s top model will revolve around that super-high cut with the Under Armour Highlight MC. “The shoe construction goes way up above the ankle,” says Edgerton. “But it does not restrict movement; it’s a very flexible foam material. So when you lace it all the way up, it’s really not a stabilizer but rather a way for athletes to get a snug fit without pre-wrap and tape.”


That foam material is Under Armour’s CompFit technology. The CompFit ankle construction is designed to deliver support and a snug feel for an extra boost of speed. Inside the cleat, the footbed uses UA’s proprietary Molded 4D Foam, which is engineered to form to your foot for great comfort while also reducing cleat pressure.

“The Highlight really took the market by storm last year,” added Edgerton. “ It did incredibly well and athletes really enjoyed playing in it. We expect this shoe to do exceptionally well once again.” The Highlight MC comes with a molded outsole.

New on the racks this year is a model that revolves around UA’s most high-profile athlete, Cam Newton, the Under Armour Cam Highlight MC. Under Armour designed this cleat to the precise specifications of Newton, who is one of the game’s most versatile athletes.


“The Highlight MC and the Cam Highlight MC have the same design, but the Cam Newton model has a few additional stylistic and performance features that make it a little more of a top-end shoe,” says Edgerton. “The Cam Highlight has chrome detailing in the upper, which provides a great look for the guys who want to look flashy on the field. It also has carbon support wings in the heel so your foot remains stable during quick cuts. There also are some secondary cleat studs added in the outsole to engage the ground and allow for better acceleration.”



Finishing off Under Armour’s strong line this season is the Fierce Havoc Mid. Available with only detachable bottoms, the Fierce focuses strongly on strength and power. It has an engineered synthetic upper, and a full-length mudguard molding to create additional support for sudden plants and cuts. A power strap across the ankle area locks your foot in place to offer great support and stability.

“This cleat is a little bigger and stronger,” says Edgerton. “You’ll most likely see linemen wearing them. But there are some QB, pocket passers of course, that will wear these also because of the great support and stability they provide. Tom Brady has worn this cleat, so you know it’s been battle tested by one of the game’s best.”

adidas

Over the past few years, adidas has been setting marks for the lightest in performance athletic footwear. Two years ago, the adiZero 5-Star became the lightest football cleat on the market at 6.9 ounces. The Crazy Light basketball shoe soon followed, and at 9.8 ounces, it became the lightest performance basketball shoe ever created. When adidas made the Crazy Light 2 even lighter than its predecessor — 9.5 ounces — one could only expect that the updated adiZero 5-Star could get even lighter than its original.


Well, consider it done. The adidas adiZero 5-Star 2.0 weighs in less than its previous version, taking the crown as the lightest football cleat to hit the shelves. “It’s just 6.7 ounces,” says Edgerton. “This is the lightest cleat on the market. It’s really incredible when you pick it up to feel just how light it is. It has a combination of SprintWeb and SprintFrame technologies to give it that lightweight stability and support for those players that change direction quickly. There is also a mid version, which has the same features, with a little more ankle support.”

The SprintWeb in the upper of the adiZero 5-Star 2.0 acts as a welded frame, or web, to offer lightweight support and breathability. The SprintFrame, in the outsole, provides stability and acts as a lightweight running chassis. The 5-Star comes in low and mid options, with a molded bottom.


The adidas Crazyquick is another lightweight option that brings a few new tech updates to the table. The upper is made with QuickSkin, which is a welding process of two prominent adidas technologies –  SprintSkin and SprintWeb – that create a seamless, light, supportive cleat.

However, it’s the outsole where the Crazyquick separates itself. It uses a newly developed Quickframe design, which was developed after a study that tracked on-field movements of players. This led to a new traction system that features three types of studs. Circular SprintStuds provide toe traction and easy foot rotation, triangular QuickStuds improve your traction on side-to-side movements and cuts. BladeStuds in the heel allow on-point stops to get you out of cuts quickly.

The black/titanium/black version of the Crazyquick also has a new feature designed to add some “flash” to athletes’ on-field appearance. “The shoes actually change color when hit with a camera flash,” says Edgerton. “So when these guys are running around making plays on the field, all the flash photography will make these shoes pop. They’ll turn from that titanium color to a bright white.”



Rounding out the line for adidas is the Filthyquick. “The Filthyquick is pretty versatile,” says Edgerton. “It comes in a high and mid detachable version, as well as a low-cut molded option. It’s not as technical as the other adidas cleats, but it’s definitely going to perform well.” The Filthyquick uses a combination of synthetic leather and forefoot overlays to give athletes great durability and support, while the outsole features the same Quickframe design concept as the Crazyquick.

The primary objective of these cleats is to both help increase performance, as well as keep the athlete as safe as possible. However, make no mistake about it, the vendors also make the style of each cleat a strong point of emphasis. “These athletes want to play at a high level, but they also want to look good as well,” says Edgerton. The vendors definitely make these cleats flashy to meet that desire from the athlete. You’ll see plenty of color in each model, for both individual and/or team purchasing.”


So now you’ve been familiarized with the game’s top cleats from the game’s top brands. When that ball is finally ready to be kicked off in that season opener, be sure your team has all the advantage, from the game plan to the cleats on their feet.
For more information: Eastbay Team Services
800-841-5748 • www.eastbayteamservices.com






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