The right footwear for whatever sport your kids may be playing depends not only on the surface the sport takes place on but also the rules of the league your kids are playing in. Baseball cleats are designed differently than soccer cleats for a reason, and those reasons pertain to young kids playing for fun as well as professional athletes making millions of dollars.
Toe Cleat
The main difference between soccer cleats and baseball cleats for kids is the presence of a toe cleat. The toe cleat, located on the sole of a baseball cleat under the center of the toes, is illegal in soccer cleats for safety precautions. Referees check players' shoes for a toe cleat before every match and will make players change cleats if one is found. It is conceivable that you could play baseball wearing soccer cleats, but it would be illegal to play soccer wearing baseball cleats.
Sole of Soccer Cleats
Soccer shoes come in a number of patterns, depending on the firmness of the ground you are playing on. The general rule of thumb for soccer cleats is the softer the ground, the longer and fewer cleats on the bottom of the shoe. For kids, however, games are often not held on the highest quality, soft grass fields where long cleats may be needed. Kids may also grow out of shoes quickly, making spending money on high-quality cleats not possible. The most practical shoes for kids to wear during soccer are firm ground shoes, with molded plastic cleats on the bottom for traction on many types of surfaces.
Sole of Baseball Cleats
Baseball is played on a field with two surfaces, a grassy outfield and a hard dirt infield. Higher-level baseball leagues allow for metal cleats, but youth leagues for kids will only allow for molded plastic cleats. The cleats need to be long enough to enable you to have traction on a dry infield but not too long where they will get caught in the outfield grass, causing injury. Adult cleats are typically a half an inch or longer, but cleats for kids should be shorter than that length.
Material And Cut
Soccer shoes are typically low-cut, meaning that they come underneath the ankle. This allows the shoes to be lightweight, and allow you to wear ankle and shin guards, which are also required. Baseball players are not required to wear shin guards so baseball cleats often come to or above your ankle to provide support. High-quality shoes for both sports are often made of leather that molds to your foot, but kids most often use a synthetic material that is durable and inexpensive.
Member Comments