Every game, which is bizarre and is extensively popular, has evolved from a form which one would really find strange and not relatable to the current form. The evolution of such sports, mainly incorporated in its introduction of some useful props, or lets rather call them commodities used by players. Even these essential sports materials, used by the players, have evolved with time due to modifications introduced in them with technological advancement. The sport, soccer too evolved with time. Obviously the ball itself underwent modifications. One other thing that has always been the prime interest for soccer lovers and players are the soccer cleats. It is rather astonishing that king Henry (VIII) of England was the first one to have soccer cleats which actually had flat outer sole. With time, awareness grew that in order to hold a grip on the grass and maintain balance, players need studded soccer cleats. It was in 1920s when the world got the modern soccer cleats with replaceable studs.
DIFFERENT TYPES OF CLEATS USED
The type of cleat used mainly depends upon the surface type and the role of the player in the game. Most of the cleats are differentiated by the cuts and different arrangement of the studs on the outer portion of the sole of the cleat. Variation in field type and the player’s role leads to the usage of different types of cleats. For instance, when the game is on a hard field the players require wearing a basic sneaker type cleat with plastic studs. When playing on a wet or grassy field, cleats with screw-in studs prove to be advantageous for extra grip. Indoor football cleats have rubber soles, which increases the grip. There are cleats available now in the market for artificial grass too. There have been innovations in the cleats which were not really beneficial as they promised to be. For instance, in order to minimize injuries related to the ankle, bladed studs were introduced in soccer cleats, but they ironically proved to be the cause of injury and were banned. The studs are made of metal too in some type of cleats. Well, they have been banned in some places.
SOME FACTS ABOUT THE MATERIAL OF CLEATS
Initially the soccer cleats were made of leather, but nowadays the materials used for their construction are mostly synthetic fibers which may be combined with leather sometimes. Now various leading companies are innovating in cleat material and are having copyrights and patents too for their material. One of the most astonishing innovations in this field is the environment-friendly cleats. This cleat is actually the lightest of all and is made up of recycled materials.
THE SMART CLEAT: THE BEST INNOVATION
These cleats are said to have brain as they have a chip, which captures data, installed in them. The chip can measure speed, no. of sprints, maximum speed, distance covered, step rate, stride rate etc. This cleat is a wonderful tool for analyzing the performance of a player.
