These cleats are at the forefront of cleat technology. The construction is based on a series of replaceable studs made of plastic and metal. these studs are attached to a hard removable plastic insole located inside the shoe. Customizable parts include type of desired studs (small, short, medium, or high), type of desired shoe, type of desired plastic stud connecting insole, and lastly, type of desired insole.  Together this four part interchangeable unit makes for a very specific cleat, with abilities to satisfy just about any non-indoor/flat field condition imaginable.

Recommended for:

• Dry/Wet Grass
• Short/Medium Grass
• Any Synthetic Turf
• Hard Natural Surfaces
• Soft/ Soggy Grass
• Wet/Muddy Natural Surfaces
• Long/Tall Grass

Bottom Line: These cleats are highly customizable to playing conditions.  These cleats require good knowledge and understanding of playing surface in order to maximize their potential.  They also require a lot of maintenance.

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Indoor shoes are soccer shoes specifically designed for flat indoor surface, such as gymnasium  floors.  The soles are generally made of soft gum rubber, providing great traction on a hardwood floor or any kind of smooth flat surface.  Indoor shoe construction resembles a low-cut, thin soled sneaker. Compared to running sneakers with tremendous heel and arch support, that makes the sole think, indoor shoes require a flatter surface area for close grip traction and a thinner sole for a softer touch.

Indoor Shoes

Recommended for:

• Any indoor surface
• Any outdoor flat surface (court)

Bottom Line: Due to the thin rubber sole of indoor shoes, there is an increase wear when used on outdoor cement or street play.

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Turf Shoes

Recommended for:

• Hard Natural Surfaces
• Any Synthetic Turf

Bottom Line: Turf Shoes serve as a good option for training, providing more comfort than cleats. Good for training across various surfaces. They are not to be used on indoor surfaces, due to the increased risk of injury. Also, they easily scratch and damage wood or court flooring.

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Hard ground cleats have been a relatively new concept-or should i say recently new “product type.” Prior to this “hard ground” cleat categorization, players only had the choice of molded cleats or turf shoes. Companies found that there was a consumer interest and a need for a specialized cleat made just for extremely hard surfaces, such as dried hard grass, dirt and rock fields, and firm sandy field. Although they do provide stable traction for the hard surfaces, they still remain a very optional alternative to your cleat collection.

The molded stud construction is very similar to the firm ground cleats, made of rubber or plastic. Only differences are the stud size and the number of studs. Generally there are twice as many studs on a pair of hard ground’s than their firm ground counter parts, and their stud height is generally half as tall. With significantly more studs that are smaller in size, the cleats provide optimal traction on hard surface.

Hard Ground Cleats

Recommended for:

• Any Hard Natural Surfaces
• Short Synthetic Turf

Bottom Line: Hard ground cleats are specific to harder surfaces or short field turf. They are an optional choice for players looking for footwear that resembles a cross between turf shoes and molded cleats.  Also, if you know that the surface or fields you play on are going to be mostly hard dirt fields or always turf, then this might be a good choice.

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The construction of the shoe is based on removable studs, usually made of plastic or metal. the tall stud height combined with the 6-stud standard make the replaceable cleats especially good for wet, muddy and tall grass conditions. What makes the soft ground cleats so specific to rainy and squashy conditions is the tall nature of the studs, allowing a longer spike to penetrate the ground.  The significant decrease in the number of studs also plays an important role promoting less grass build-up between the studs and allowing the studs to sink more.

Soft Ground Cleats

Over the years, soft ground cleats have seen a tremendous transition from the stand 6-stud circular screw-in studs.  Now, replaceable cleats come in a large variety of shapes and sizes.  Although the functions of replaceable cleats still hold true, companies have since developed creative concepts for their removable studs.  Interesting advances in stud technology include manipulating the shape and materials of the stud, and reconstructing the sole.

Recommended for:

• Soft/ Soggy Grass
• Wet/Muddy Natural Surfaces
• Long/Tall Grass

Bottom Line: Replaceable cleats specific to wet or soft conditions and high natural grass fields.  They are discouraged from being worn on synthetic fields, due to the field damage and increase risk of injury.

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Footwear Types

• Firm Ground Cleats (Molded Cleat)
• Soft Ground Cleats (Replaceable Cleats)
• Hard Ground Cleats
• Turf Shoes
• Indoor Shoes (Flats)
• Custom Inter-Changeable Cleats (Tunits)

Let’s start with the types of soccer footwear out there. It is important to keep in mind the type of surface you or your child will be playing on, as this will reflect the type of footwear needed for such surfaces.  With the explosion of new technology in footwear construction and field turf creation, there seems to be a specific cleat for every single soccer condition possible. So, let’s identify the footwear that corresponds to these various field conditions.

Molded Cleats

The construction of the shoe is based on molded studs, usually made of plastic or rubber. The average stud height combined with the 12-stud standard configuration make molded cleats very versatile for many different surfaces and weather conditions. although companies have experimented with adding different materials to the soles of firm ground cleats, what still hold true to molded cleats are the non-removable nature of their studs.

Over the last decade, the standard “circular” studs have seemingly been replaced with the trend of “bladed” studs.  Although the construction of molded cleats has stayed relatively the same, much efforts have been placed in the areas of calculated stud (blade) design and strategic  stud positioning. 

Why is this important? The studs on your cleats serves the primary purpose of traction.  This traction or surface grip plays a big role when it come to one’s balance and stability on a grass or artificial surface.

Recomended for:

• Dry/Wet Grass
• Short/Medium Grass
• Synthetic Astro-Grass
• Firm Natural Surfaces

Bottom Line:  Molded Cleats are the most veratile type of footwear. They are effectively functional on a large variety of playing surfaces. 

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Footwear Types

• Firm Ground Cleats (Molded Cleat)
• Soft Ground Cleats (Replaceable Cleats)
• Hard Ground Cleats
• Turf Shoes
• Indoor Shoes (Flats)
• Custom Inter-Changeable Cleats (Tunits)