How To Pick The Right Shoes

The quality of a soccer shoe is generally measured by the material used and the shoe's design.

Traditional shoes are primarily grafted from full grain or synthetic leather. They use round studs for traction and traditional (exposed) lacing systems.

More advanced shoes are made from ultra-soft leather or kangaroo leather. The leather forms to the foot better and gives the player better control when making contact with the ball. Hidden lacing systems are used to keep the laces from interfering with ball contact and more exotic studs are used to improve traction.

Most soccer shoes are designed for a specific playing surface. Shoes are designed for artificial turf (TF), hard packed natural surfaces (HG), firm natural surfaces (FG) and soft natural surfaces (SG). Most outdoor fields in the Peoria area are best played using a firm ground shoe. If the field is wet from rain and still a little muddy, you may gain some advantage by using a shoe designed for soft ground.