Whatever your child's position is on the football field, there's a football cleat for them. Football cleats are made both for the position the play and the type of field where you play. Keep these two important factors in mind when you purchase your football footwear.
Knee, ankle, and foot injuries account for 25% of all documented football injuries, and a third of all football-injury medical costs. Many of these injuries occur in non-contact circumstances, implicating the type of shoe as a risk factor.
Most football players wear one of two types of shoes: "football style" shoes, which have long cleats, or "soccer-style" shoes, which have short cleats. Long-cleat football shoes are associated with a greater incidence and severity of knee and ankle injuries when compared to soccer-style shoes. This is thought to be due to the fact that football-style shoes make the foot temporarily stationary in the turf, and therefore unyielding to any internally-or-externally-applied forces. The foot is planted-stays there as the leg moves-you can quickly see what happens.
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Shoe Style
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High-tops
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Mid-cut
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Low-cut
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Cleat Types
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Molded
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Detachable
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Shoe Materials
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Leather
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Synthetics
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Determine Your Childs Cleat Size
Shoe Style
Football cleats come in three styles--or heights--to accommodate the varying needs of players by position. High-tops, and low-cut shoes are designed for a specific purpose, so choose the style that best suits your position and needs.
High-tops
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High-tops extend up the ankle to provide extra support, especially for lateral movements.
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Linemen benefit from this support because of the pressure put on their ankles by the numerous lateral movements during the course of a game.
Mid-cut
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A mid-cut shoe offers more support while still allowing maneuverability.
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This style best fits the game of skill players- defensive backs, running backs, wide receivers and quarterbacks.
Low-cut
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Low-cuts are preferred by some players because they are lightweight.
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The lower cut provides extra maneuverability to allow you to make quick cuts on the field.
Football Cleat Types
There are two choices: molded and detachable cleats. Most are designed exclusively for either grass or turf fields, so consider what types of fields your child most commonly plays on. If their games are played on both grass and turf, you can opt for a multipurpose cleat. Important note: Some schools, teams, leagues DO NOT allow Metal and/or detachable cleats-ask before you buy.
Molded
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These cleats are permanently attached to the outsole on the shoe's bottom.
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Turf shoes usually use molded rubber cleats to give you spring and traction on the harder turf surface.
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Molded cleats are generally less expensive than shoes with detachable cleats.
