Control is the Holy Grail of soccer skill. "Control, look, pass and move," writes trailblazing U.S. men's player Paul Caligiuri in his book "High-Performance Soccer" of the mantra instilled into him by his club coach. Control goes hand in hand with the most important piece of soccer equipment: shoes. You will want your youth player to have the best chance of receiving the ball at her feet and then wearing shoes that help her trap, turn, pass, dribble or shoot, with the ball going exactly where she wants.
Technology
Control features can be found in high-end soccer shoes. "It can be stitching, or the manufacturers add rubberized elements to the shoe, or slightly padded elements or little pillow-type elements," says John Scott, product evaluator for Endeavor Sports, the North Carolina-based parent company of mail-order soccer gear company Eurosport. These elements are in really expensive youth shoes, he observes, but "the average youth shoe running $40 to $80 is not going to have them." Manufacturers tend to focus on adding control features to adult shoes, he noted.
Considerations
Soccer shoes, regardless of make or model, are designed to provide superior traction and control not available in a running or cross-training shoe, writes Eastern Oregon University physical education professor Danny Mielke in "Soccer Fundamentals." "The key to footwear is fit," he writes. "The proper shoe should fit like a glove." Scott agrees: "For kids the most important thing is shoe that fits well and they go out in and play."
Brands
The Adidas Predator, which contains rubber strips in the uppers and a shaped toe, was designed by former Australian soccer player Craig Johnston to improve control and was first released in the mid-1990s. A youth version, the Adidas Predator X TRX, retails for $129 as of February 2011 and features calfskin leather uppers. The manufacturer claims the shoe provides swerve control and accuracy. The Nike Jr. Mercurial Vapor VI, at $119, claims "great ball feel" and control with its Teijin synthetic uppers, while the Adidas F30 TRX, at $59, lists "Kicker 3W" high-density synthetic suppers.
Expert Opinion
Scott believes that, as far a control and soccer shoes interrelate, "It really is the player." Unlike a sport such as softball, where Scott says a $500 youth bat can help the same player hit 15 yards farther than a $100 bat, young players do best with a well-fitted shoe, regardless of price and features. "The top brands, Adidas, Nike and Puma are the most popular because they fit the widest range of feet, and also because they have good products," he observes. "Nike tends to run more narrow, Puma and Adidas going to fit more of a medium width." All the big shoe manufacturers provide affordable shoes in the $30 or $40 range, as well as an even cheaper range around $20, he notes.
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