History
Cleats were designed to protect soccer players from foot injuries. Now their purpose is to give players more grip on the pitch especially with bad weather conditions. Since the beginning of American Football new developments in the cleat where implemented to american football shoes.
Slow Beginnings
Cleats where first seen in 16th century England. In the early 19th century cleats were used for soccer in Europe. American Football came along, the early models had leather, metal or even wooden studs which caused numerous injuries.
Along Came Rubber
With the evolution of football people began to see that the cleats needed to improve.
With the development of vulcanized rubber around the 1920s, so now using rubber for cleats was possible before it was considered too heavy. In 1925 the first cleats with removable studs where invented so people could use their shoes during the match and after they could just take the studs off and walk home. These shoes with removable studs where invented by the German brothers Rudolf and Adi Dassler. These two brothers are famous for their big companies Puma and Adidas.
Playing in Mud
Joseph Pipal was the developer of what is known as mud cleats. These cleats have longer studs and they are sharper as well, this gives you more grip in the mud.
Built for Speed
With the futher development of cleats companies saw that making them lighter was the way to go. 196 grams was the lightes football cleat the world had ever seen in 2011 it was the 5 Star by Adidas. In 2013 Nike beat that record with the Vapor Laser Talon which was the first shoe to have 3D printing techonology in it. It weighed 158,8 grams.
Materials and types
Making sure that you have proper gear before going on to the field for practice and games is probally the most important part of being an American football player. Cleats are a essential piece of equipment for an American Football player.
Leather shoes: form around your foot to give you a good fit. They breathe well which makes them more comfortable for the players. Leather shoes have a good durability if you maintain them. Because of this they are higher in price.
Synthetics: these are lower in price, but they don’t breathe as well as leather ones and the durability are also less. Most shoes have synthetic materials in them, mainly as reinforcements.
Cleat types
There are two types of cleats, you got the screw-in and the molded cleats.
Because games can be played on grass or turf grass you need a shoe that can be used on both surfaces. The most important part of a shoe is that they fit wel and feel good during a match.
always make sure to check what shoes are allowed in the league you play
Length
American Football shoes can be used the whole year. However, some studs are better in certain weather that is the benefit of screw in studs. Joseph Pipal was the developer of what is known as mud cleats. These cleats have longer studs and they are sharper as well, this gives you more grip in the mud.
Parts of the shoe
Ages and gender
The only difference between men and women shoes is that they have different sizes
Positions
Cuts of cleats
There are 3 different cuts available for American Football players, Low, Mid and High Cut.
the Cut you play with is mostly personal preferance and can also be determined by the position you play.
Safety
These are the safety rules for cleats from the NFL.
“Shoe cleats made of aluminum or other material that may chip, fracture, or develop a cutting edge. Conical cleats with concave sides or points which measure less than 3/8-inch in diameter at the tips, or cleats with oblong ends which measure less than 1/4 by 3/4-inch at the end tips are also prohibited. Nylon cleats with flat steel tips are permitted”
Riddell | Schutt |
Shock Doctor | SportStar |