Football boots have always been designed for performance, to run faster & cut quicker, which means having minimal support & light weight materials. The running community have recently reverted back to the same concepts of minimal shoes to improve running technique & strengthen the foot & calf. So the footballers have been ahead of their game & waiting for runners to catch up for years.
Super light materials are keeping this season’s boots fast & efficient. With less weight on your foot you require less oxygen consumption running, which means less energy spent to get around the park. My three favourite boots are all competing for the lightest boot on the market with the adizero out in front at just 165 grams.
As always footballers have liked minimal heel raise on their boots because it gives better proprioception (the feel of your foot to the ground by your body’s own nerve sensors). It also is a more stable position which means less likelihood of an ankle sprain. The mercurial & adizero both have a 0mm differential, ideal for better proprioception. The trinity has a 5mm differential to reduce stress on the achilles, meaning less strength in the long run.
The one main feature of minimal footwear that is lacking in football boots is flexibility in the sole. Boots have traditionally been stiff in the midfoot to supposedly help transfer power on your foot’s push off, but this doesn’t make any sense as your foot has a natural mechanism to do this & doesn’t need a stiff boot hindering your normal running style. A limiting factor for producing a flexible boot is the studs needing something hard to connect to & to distribute the studs pressure, rather than directly into your foot. I haven’t come across a boot with a flexible midsole yet.
My three favourite minimal style boots I’ve looked at this season are:
Adidas aidizero F50
– weight – 165g
– heel differential – 0mm
– flex – rigid throughout sole
The synthetic “sprint skin” upper makes this boot the lightest on the market.
Pele Trinity
– weight – 170g
– heel differential – 0mm
– flex – rigid throughout the sole
The synthetic “symbioskin” upper is available in 2 widths which is great for a good fit. It feels like nothing on your foot, but with quite high studs, it has serious traction.
Nike Mercurial vapor IX
– weight – 190g (size 9)
– heel differential – 0mm
– flex – super rigid with “glass fibre composite chassis”
Again a synthetic upper for minimal weight also has a dimpled golf ball pattern, so if you are trying to hit them with a golf club, they may get further down the fairway than the rest.
Asics are the only company that are going backwards in making boots for performance, sacrificing it for support & cushioning. They have developed a super chunky boot which offers more support, cushioning & a whopping 10mm heel raise (asics gel lethal ultimate igs9). This boot may be helpful when you are returning from an injury of the lower leg, but will seriously slow you down & prevent full strength return in the long term.
Russell Wright (Physiotherapist)
ocean view physiotherapy
central coast foot & ankle physiotherapy
86 ocean view drive wamberal
