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Buying Cleats


Buying the right kind of cleats is an essential skill for any ultimate player. A poor choice could result in severe blistering, ankle problems, and even injury. Because there have been so many questions posted about this subject, I decided to take a survey using the rec.sport.disc newsgroup. In total, over 60 people responded, giving information about their favourite cleats, what they like about them, what they don't like, how they think cleats should be improved. The results of this survey are shown below.

The biggest challenge I had was organizing the information into a format that people could use effectively. I decided on choosing the five most popular cleats and outlining their plus and minuses. Keep in mind that all these comments are based on concensus. There will undoubtedly be players who disagree with some of the results.

Below are some useful comments made by players:

"I usually get leather cleats big enough to shrink a little, then I soak them down and wear them while they dry. They get broke in pretty quick and the leather is soft, light, and comfortable. Right now for soft mud I have a pair with six removable cleats, and for everything else I have one with about thirty-something molded cleats."

"It really comes down to what you feel comfortable with and what gives you the best traction on the type of turf you are playing on."

"Seems like you need two sets. One for soft flat fields, screw ins, and one for rock hard baylands cement. I've thought of this alot and have come to a couple conclusions: Football vs soccer screwins. Football design makes more sense for the type of cutting we do on the field. A good receiver or d-back football style will last longer than the soccer do. Made for more abuse by the cuts instead of ball control. The toe cleat on a football cleat is important in cutting. High or midtops recomended. I see so many ultimate players with these lite soccer shoes wearing those damn ankle braces it makes me sick. You'll get much more protection with integrated mid or high top support than adding a bulky uncomfortable brace. Getting the shoe that fits your foot is the main thing. And not a cheap pair either. It's your feet-- take care of them."

"If you get too much traction, knee injuries are knockin' at the door."

" The difference in comfort and the process of being broken in is entirely different when there is a nice leather shoe versus a synthetic shoe. That is one of the reasons I like soccer cleats more than football cleats."

"Keep the distance between your foot and the bottom of the shoe to a minimum - it decreases the chance of rolling your ankle. The problem this poses is a matter of comfort for the bottom of your feet."

"While some folks will choose one pair for tourneys and one for practice, I prefer to alternate each time I play... with ultimate five days a week (two practices, two summer league nights, one pick-up) in the Summer, it helps me to maintain the upkeep of both feet and shoes to switch up cleats"

"Soccer cleats in general work well as long as the ground is soft/gives a little. We've had several seasons in the past few years where the fields have gotten excessively hard after a drought period. With soccer cleats, this hard ground can cause a lot of problems from the impact with the ground. I had some trouble with my knees last year for this very reason. Shorter studs, and more of them, is good because it more evenly distributes the impact."

GAIA Strike ($ 84.99 USD) (www.gaia-ultimate.com)

Positive Comments:

- Pretty durable
- Very comfortable
- No break in needed.
- Great ankle support
- Lighter by far than other cleats.
- Good for wet conditions
- Toe is reinforced which is a big deal when you pivot a lot (my old cleats always wore out on the pivot foot toe)
- I love the super hard base on the gaia, it gives you a very solid surface to push off when cutting on hard ground.

Negative Comments:

- 2nd pair of Gaias don't fit as well as the first pair I bought. Despite being the identical model and size.

- Me and all my teammates have noticed that you need at least a heel cup if not an extra sole with these.

- If they can fix the fit a little, they'll be pretty much perfect.

- They are showing wear after a year.

- They take some time to strech in the toebox. It took me about 2 months before I thought they were comfortable.

- The only thing that would make them better is for the cleats to be moved closer to the edge of the sole.

Adidas Copa Mundial ($ 99.99 USD) (http://www.adidas.com)

Positive Comments:

- Good for gripping the ground
- Soft kangaroo leather breaks in immediately, lasts forever.
- Lightweight and fast
- I use it because it is a molded cleat that works well on the hard california surfaces where we have most of our tournaments.
- Flexible
- No blisters ever, light, lasts for years even with a beating


Negative Comments:

- Better insoles. Weren't cushioned enough in the heel.
- Adidas makes narrow shoes and my feet aren't so narrow. I've been leaning towards the Nike's which are wider.
 - A little more ankle support would be great
- They expand a little bit too much when it gets wet up here in Oregon.
- Most of the Addidas models have little or no insole, and don't work well with my orthodics.
- Every Addidas I have owned has developed a gaping hole on the toe or on the side near the front.
- With soccer cleats, hard ground can cause a lot of problems from the impact. I had some trouble with my knees last year for this very reason.

Nike Sharks ($80-120 USD) (www.nike.com)

Positive Comments:

- Pretty lightweight and breathable for hightops and grip well
- Provide a lot of ankle support, so much so that I stopped wearing an ankle brace pretty soon after an injury and have not reinjured it.
- I've been leaning towards the Nike's which are wider.
- I have had them for 3+ years and still wear them regularly.
- solid, available, less ankle rotation than screw-ins.
- They have a little more cushion than the most addidas cleats.
- The assorted "teeth" make them wearable on a variety of surfaces. Good for summer at venues with variable (grass coverage/drainage) pitch qualities, especially where the ground is hard under the grass.

Negative Comments:

- Partially made of fake suede-like material that rips pretty easily when wet. So, I have gaping holes where my arch flairs out to couple with my big toe. However, I can still wear them and it doesn't seem to detract from the comfort or performance.

Kelme Turf Shoe ($80 USD) (www.kelme.com)

Positive Comments:

- The Kelme Turf shoes rock for hard fields
- They have a wide toebox
- If you have a wide foot get Kelme Turf shoes. They are great on dry ground and your feet will thank you.

Negative Comments:

- Turf shoes clog in wet conditions.

Nike Speed TDs ($80 USD) (www.nike.com)

Positive Comments:

- The shoes are super light, great for traction, and the baseplate curves up on the sides to prevent your foot from sliding around when making hard cuts.

- They're very very very light; they have an excellent cleat pattern, similar to Slams, but with longer, and round cleats that are better for really mushy conditions.