The soccer shoes, known also as soccer boots are a very important part of the uniform and the game. As player's costumes have changed so much since the early days of the game, soccer boots have been through surprisingly few design changes in the last seventy years.
The evolution of boot development has been a conflict between protection from the climate and injury; against the freedom of limb movement to perform better. The improvement of the player's fitness has had a positive spin on soccer shoe development but these changes surprisingly appear to be more stylistic than anything else.
As soccer has become more glamorous the look has become more important than the desire to play better or decrease injury rates. It appears from the published literature there have been more injuries caused by soccer shoe innovations than appear to be resolved by new designs.
In the early years, soccer shoes were generally black and with higher cuts than the ones used today. The design evolutions of the shoes have become part of the game and as much an important item as the shorts or socks and almost as popular as the jerseys.
Players use special and customized soccer shoes made especially for them. The more significant changes to the shoes were that in the modern days the cut is lower, the color has changed. The shoes have become more comfortable and pretty much lighter than the old ones.
The old shoes were made out of leather with wooden cleats and leather soles. The newer soccer shoes are made out of leather or synthetic material, plastic or rubber soles and the cleats can be plastic, rubber, aluminum and even rubber or plastic and with the end made out of aluminum.
Some of the soccer shoes have changed the place of the laces and put them on the side of the shoes and some don't even have laces anymore. It is said that the change in the laces was so you could kick with more accuracy.
Players and soccer shoe manufacturers also use the shoes for marketing purposes, with special edition shoes, different color shoes, even autographed shoes. There are infinite different colors for soccer shoes. From plain black to golden with special details, or with, two, three even four colors combined.
Comfort is a very important issue for the soccer shoes. A pair of uncomfortable soccer shoes can cause serious blistering. Usually new soccer shoes need to be broken in so that they adapt to the format of the foot to prevent the blisters.
However, with new technologies, comfort is constantly improving and eventually one will be able to put a new pair of soccer shoes on, play a game and not have any blisters.
Even though the design of the soccer shoes hasn't changed much in the last seventy years, the design is quite different from the first soccer shoes. Technology has changed the feel of the shoes and the weight of these that were once very heavy.
For good playing, soccer depends a lot on the quality of the soccer shoes worn. Professional and amateur players love to be different by using an uncommon color and designed soccer shoes.
By: M. Jedediah