Football is a popular American sport and requires several pieces of equipment for safety and performance. Football cleats -- shoes made with short spikes or studs extending from the sole of the shoe -- are designed to provide traction on various playing surfaces along with support for running. Joseph Skiba, equipment manager for the New York Giants, says, "Football cleats give you more support in the midsole than soccer or baseball cleats. This helps with lateral movement and with things like taking hits or making tackles." Football shoes are made in a wide range of designs, styles and sizes, but the top-performance football cleats are chosen based on the playing conditions and position.
Materials
The top-performance football cleats are made from a combination of materials that maximizes comfort and stability on a lightweight frame. Leather is the most commonly used material for the shoe upper because it provides a flexible, durable and comfortable feel. Mesh and other technical fabrics are used on the inside of the shoe along with strategically placed vents for extra breathability and moisture control. Other materials used on the top-performance cleats include EVA insoles for comfort and TPU cleat outsoles.
Positions
Football cleats are available in three basic styles -- high-tops, mid-cut and low-cut. As a result, different positions will choose different styles as the top performer. For example, lineman will commonly choose high-tops because they provide additional ankle and lateral support while blocking. However, positions such as quarterbacks or running backs will choose mid-cut styles as the top-performance football cleat for the ability to combine speed and agility with lateral support. Low-cut styles are generally chosen by other skill position players such as wide receivers and defensive backs for the ability to maximize speed and agility.
Conditions
As the playing surface conditions change, so does the top-performance football cleats. A football game played on natural grass could start with dry conditions but a mid-game thunderstorm changes the conditions to wet and muddy. In these varying conditions, removable football cleats are the top performing shoes because they allow you to change the length of the cleats. Most cleats are available in 1/2-, 5/8-, 3/4-, and 1-inch lengths. Shorter cleat lengths are preferred on short grass or dry conditions while longer cleats perform better in wet, muddy conditions.
Leagues
Despite the ability to adjust the type of shoe and length of the cleat depending on the conditions, some leagues may regulate the type of cleats. For example, most youth football leagues will have rules for the types of cleats. In these leagues, the top-performance football cleats are limited to molded cleats with a maximum length of 1/2 inch.
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