Soccer cleats are the most important piece of equipment a soccer player will ever buy. A soccer player will always seek out cleats that provide outstanding traction, support, and ball feel. This post will go into further detail on how to soften soccer cleats for soccer players.
This article will inform readers of the many types of soccer cleats available and will also detail a few factors to consider when deciding which cleats to buy.
To begin, it is necessary to comprehend the many parts of the cleat. Cleat designs provide players with differing levels of performance in a variety of situations.
Understanding each cleat’s component can aid you in selecting the ideal pair for the playing situations you encounter most frequently.
It will help the readers of this article too. You would not want to use cleats designed for artificial grass or indoor play on a soft, muddy pitch.
Knowing the different sections of a soccer player’s cleats will greatly benefit them as a player.
A cleat is made up of six primary parts. The top, outsole, insole, midsole, stud or cleat, and heel are all components of the shoe.
Also, it will be necessary to answer the question below to understand why you need to soften and make your soccer cleat as comfortable as possible.
People often ask the question; how should a soccer cleat fit. The answer is, soccer cleats should hug a player’s feet and feel like an extension of their body.
A nice snug fit cleat is key for proper control and allows every part of a player’s foot to contact the ball, without any air between the foot and the cleat.
But how tight of a fit you want is a personal preference. Players usually wear soccer cleats that are half the size of their regular sneakers.
Soccer players often look for cleats that are no more than ¼” longer than your largest foot because soccer cleats that are too big can put a player at risk of injury.
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Why do you need to soften soccer cleats?
Having read through to this point, you should have grasped how soccer cleats are important to a player’s performance on the pitch. And also how the soccer cleats should fit.
All of that points to the fact that comfortability is a major factor for every soccer player’s consideration.
The major reason soccer players should soften their cleats is to improve performance, reduce the risks of getting injured, and comfort.
Stiffness and flexibility are two aspects of soccer boots that are often disregarded, but they may significantly impact a player’s boot comfort. How many individuals enjoy walking around in rock-hard boots? There aren’t many.
But what about when they’re wearing boots that are so flexible that they feel like a sock at times? You won’t have any spring in your stride as you push off since there isn’t any reactivity.
Flexible soccer cleats aid a player’s running in a soccer match. When a soccer player wears responsive or stiffened soccer cleats, it also reduces how the player feels the ball.
Cinquestelle is one of those businesses that is built for comfort. Many soccer players have tested the Colibri boot and discovered that it fits like a sock.
Their boots can practically bend in half because they are intended to provide the finest possible contact on the ball. Their idea is most likely that if a soccer player’s foot can flex naturally, it will aid in his or her touch of the soccer ball.
Adidas Nitrocharge is intended to provide rigidity while also increasing rebound as you push off the ground. After putting the Nitrocharge soccer cleat through its paces.
Many players reported that it was exceedingly rigid and impossible to bend. Meanwhile, it is just what some soccer players are looking for. However, others believe that it will be tough to break in, even though it provides a more sensitive push-off.
How to soften soccer cleats?
There are different ways by which a soccer players’ cleats can be made soft. However, it is important to note that the type of materials used in making soccer cleats sometimes determines the method to use to soften the cleat.
There are a lot of materials used in making soccer cleats such as kangaroo leather, natural leather, and synthetic leather.
Below are some methods you can make use of in softening your soccer cleat.
Heat the Cleats
Most things melt under the action of heat, and soccer cleats aren’t any different. Soccer cleats can be softened by heating them at a temperature that isn’t too hot so it doesn’t melt.
The aim of heating a soccer cleat is to make it softer. However, since heating with direct fire creates an extremely high temperature that is difficult to control, people have resorted to using other means.
Although some individuals advocate laying soccer cleats on a radiator, an oven or hair dryer is most likely the best option. To achieve nearly similar temperatures, ensure that the oven’s heat element can be set to a low level and the blow dryer’s heat element can be set to a high setting.
Another alternative is to use a clothes dryer on the maximum heat setting. The temperature range sought is around 200-220°F (93-104°C). Temperatures over this range are likely to do more harm than good. Before heating the soccer cleats, make sure to clean them well, preferably with little water.
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If you make use of an oven, and it overheats and melts the soccer cleats, set them on an oven-safe pan or another container (but not one used for food).
When heating, ensure the soles are facing up to avoid melting into the oven rack or pan.
Place the soccer cleats in the oven for 5–10 minutes. If you have an infrared surface thermometer, you can eliminate the guesswork involved in obtaining the required temperature range.
Again, avoid overheating since excessive heat will degrade rubber, and cleaning up molten soccer cleats is not a good idea at all.
When using a dryer, it has been stated that heating the soccer cleats on “high” for at least seven to ten minutes is effective.
Do not place the dryer in a single location, and inspect the soccer cleats frequently for symptoms of melting or other degradation.
However, be cautious since the rubber might become quite hot. Once again, an infrared surface thermometer might come in handy.
Allow at least 10 minutes for the soccer cleats to cool. Then attempt to influence it. Hopefully, even after cooling, the object would stay softer and more flexible.
However, keep in mind that there are several formulas and manufacturing processes, and some may perform better than others.
There is also no miraculous solution, and some hardened soccer cleats will just be too damaged to soften. And it might imply you’re degrading the soccer cleat by heating it to soften it, and some objects can no longer withstand the pressure.
The level of heat required to soften a soccer cleat is one of the biggest cons of this method. Also, the heating method can in some cases cause burns to the user if proper care isn’t taken.
However, on the other hand, the use of heating is arguably the fastest method to soften a soccer cleat, and it requires a very little method.
This method of softening soccer cleats is best used on cleats made with natural leather.
Soften the cleats by steaming
This method of steaming soccer boots is perhaps the simplest and most successful means of softening them to adapt to any soccer player’s foot.
Steaming is simply the process of using the water vapor from hot water to heat an item. And just like heating, it softens the soccer cleat due to the heat emitted from the vapor.
To perform this process, run a hot bath and locate something to keep the boots above the hot water, such as a bucket. Then, put the buckets upside-down in the center of the bath, and let the cleats sit for 15 minutes, check the cleats, and top up the hot water. Give the cleats a half-hour there.
Remove them from the water while it is still hot and place your feet in them. As the boots cool down, they will conform to the shape of your feet and produce a personalized fit. Allow another 15 minutes for the boots to cool down on your feet.
The technique is effective. It protects the players’ feet from blisters. However, the issue with this strategy is the unpleasantness that comes with participating in the process.
Soften Soccer Cleats by Soaking it
Another method for softening a soccer cleat is to soak it. Soaking is the process of wetting an item or submerging it in water or any other soluble item.
Water is a natural solvent. And in the case of soaking a soccer cleat in water; after a considerable amount of time, the water acts as a solvent and gradually makes the cleat softer.
In this method, combine three parts rubbing alcohol and one part wintergreen oil in a solution.
When placing the soccer cleats in the container, ensure that there is enough solution to thoroughly cover them.
Although both of these substances may be handled safely in tiny amounts, it may be advisable to insert and remove the soccer cleats using tongs or gloves. This will prevent your hands from smelling strongly of wintergreen.
Submerge the soccer cleats, shut the container, and check for softening regularly. Sealing the container reduces evaporation, which may reveal the submerged cleats.
It might take a few hours to see the effects, or it could take many days. So be patient and continue to check.
Take out the softened object and wipe it down with a clean towel. Allow the rubber to dry naturally. Although the soccer cleats will smell strongly like wintergreen, it is preferable not to wash the stuff away with water.
However, keep in mind that the oil residue is steadily degrading the rubber while weakening it. Because of this, your best move is to personally decide if you should leave the oil on or rinse it away using water.
In any case, it’s usually better to avoid using strong detergents while cleaning your damp soccer cleats.
Also, as an alternative to soaking, constantly using your soccer shoes to bathe can have the same softening effect as soaking it.
The soaking method can be used for soccer cleats made of synthetic materials. However, one of its major cons is its painstakingly time consuming. But on the other hand, it doesn’t require much effort like other methods.
Make use of plasticizers
At times, as your soccer cleats age, it hardens. This occurs because when softening chemicals known as “plasticizers” leak out. The high stiffness can take some time, but it can be stopped before the soccer cleats become so brittle that they can break.
Plasticizers keep the rubber sole of the soccer cleats malleable, which improves its utility. Silicone spray provides the plasticizers required to restore hardened rubber to its natural suppleness.
This method is so simple to engage, it does not require much. But this method is only best for soccer cleats that are made of synthetic materials. And as a result of this, its use is restricted.
Store the soccer cleats in an airtight container
Storing soccer cleats in an airtight container can help soften the cleats. The rubber composition of a soccer cleat made of synthetic materials makes this method a good one.
To make this method work, remove as much air (and consequently oxygen) from the container as possible before closing it.
Placing soccer cleats in zip-close bags and sucking out most of the air with a straw will significantly slow the hardening process.
Because the sole of soccer cleats is made of rubber, it is vulnerable to oxidation because sulfur is added to the mix when it is manufactured. Oxygen interacts with sulfur, removing it from the object and making it more brittle.
Soccer cleats should be stored in a cool, dry, and dark area. The same area you’d keep apples or potatoes would also be a good spot to put your bagged-up soccer cleats.
A temperature range of 68 to 77°F (20 to 25°C) is ideal for keeping soccer cleats. However, lower temperatures might also be beneficial.
You may even keep firmly wrapped rubber things in your refrigerator. On the other hand, the freezer is a less desirable alternative due to its extreme temperature and greater humidity.
The good side of this method is that it’s quite easy to perform and doesn’t require much from the user. However, on the other hand, the downside of this method is that it’s time consuming and requires great attention to the temperature to prevent the cleats from getting damaged.
Conclusion
The choice of their cleats is a result of their preference. Whether hard or soft, they all have their usefulness. In order to understand better, it is important to know the different parts of soccer cleats.
For everything, there is a reason, and for a better soccer ball feel, soccer players might consider buying a soft soccer cleat. But if a soccer player prefers the feeling of responsiveness and push-off, they can go for the hardened ones.
There are several kinds of materials used to make soccer cleats, like synthetics, natural leather, kangaroo leather, and more.
There are different processes and ways soccer players can take to get their soccer cleats softened; soaking is an example of how you can get your cleats softened.
Hi there, I’m Jay.
Soccer is everything in my life! My friends and I have created this blog with all our enthusiasm, passion, and understanding after years of playing pro soccer. Hope you will enjoy it!