|
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." If you are playing the line you want a high cut. I know this because i played the line in high school. You want a high cut because when you are blocking, or trying to get off of a block you put a lot of weight on your ankles, and if you dont have the support you take the risk of rolling your ankles. high if your on the line Wussy, play barefoot HIGH CUT...FOR HIGH ANKLE SUPPORT
|
