Soccer Fitness Secrets

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Quality Soccer Shoes Give You A Feel For The Game And Feel Great Too

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It has been said that more people in the world play soccer than any other sport, and there is little reason to doubt the veracity of that claim. With little more than an open field, a makeshift goal, and a ball, you can have a soccer game at just about any time. This is surely one of the reasons that soccer is so popular in some poor countries, but it hardly explains soccer's popularity in developed countries like the United States. Here, organized soccer players need more than a ball to play, and in many cases, proper soccer shoes are required before you are allowed to take the field of play.

Soccer shoes are required for several reasons. Not only do appropriate shoes give you traction in a sport where traction is paramount, they also provide you with support and padding that will protect you from injury. A quality soccer shoe is constructed with an upper portion that is made with materials and layering that will give the player the most feel for the ball, and in a sport where your feet are as important as soccer, that feel is incredibly valuable.

Since feel for the ball is important, the materials used are also integral in transmitting that feel. Soccer shoes are usually made of real leather or synthetic leather, with real leather providing the best feedback for the player. Real leather has other advantages as well. Leather shoes tend to fit better and are often more durable as well. However, those advantages come with a higher price. Further, if you are playing on a wet, water logged field, a real leather shoe will absorb more moisture making it heavy and robbing it of its durability.

A less expensive option is synthetic leather. Appropriate for beginning and intermediate players, synthetic leather offers an affordable entry level shoe for prospective soccer players. Further, synthetic leather offers greater water resistance and is ideal for play on wet fields. Synthetic leather shoes are easier to clean and tend to maintain their looks for a longer period of time even though they typically do not last as long as their leather counterparts.

The most important part of soccer shoes is where the rubber meets the road; the sole, where the cleats are. There are four types of soles on soccer shoes: molded cleats, detachable cleats, turf shoes, and indoor shoes. Molded cleats are the most basic and affordable design. Perfect for young or beginning players, molded cleats are part of the sole of the shoe and they are designed to be appropriate ? although not ideal ? for a wide range of playing conditions. Detachable cleats are similar to the molded cleats but with one major difference; you can remove them. By unscrewing the cleats and replacing them with different types and lengths, more advanced players can create a shoe that is ideal for the playing conditions they may face in their game.

Soccer is not always played in cleats, however, and some shoes are designed for use on Astroturf or on other kinds of indoor surfaces. Looking as much like sneakers as typical soccer shoes, turf shoes and indoor shoes possess a tread designed to grip artificial surfaces while still providing the optimal feel that is needed in a soccer shoe.

When you purchase your soccer shoes make sure to be properly fit and remember that they are designed to feel snug, particularly on the upper portion of the shoe. Remember that a leather shoe will stretch over time, so a shoe that feels snuff at first may eventually stretch and mold to the exact shape of your foot making it like a part of you, and perfect for the game of soccer.

Get all the latest in Soccer know how from the one and only true source at http://www.SoccerDetails.com. Be sure to check our soccer shoes page.

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Thursday, March 19, 2009

A Firm Step With Soccer Cleats

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In modern soccer, performance is a key factor for professionals. This performance depends not only on his mental and physical shape, but also on good footwear. An essential part of the footwear is the soccer cleat, also known as studs. The soccer shoes are specially equipped with cleats that prevent players from slipping and assist in rapid changes of direction.

There are different types of cleats for the different sports, such as rugby cleats, baseball cleats, soccer cleats, cleats for track, etc. Most sports played on grass or dirt require the use of cleats for athlete's stability.

The difficulty to play soccer on different types of ground was recognized early on in the history of soccer. That meant that the sole of the soccer shoes needed to offer proper resistance or ground traction.

At first, metal tacks similar to those of engineers' boots were used. These metal tacks could be dangerous and their use was forbidden by Rule 13 of the FIFA regulations for the safety of the players. Eventually leather soccer cleats (or studs) replaced these tacks.

Soccer cleats are made of different materials and can be fixed or removable. The most common are the plastic cleats. This is so because shoes with plastic soles are simpler to make and usually cheaper than any other. Rubber soccer cleats, though, are usually softer than the plastic ones.

Both plastic and rubber soccer cleats are usually fixed to the sole of the soccer shoe. There are also aluminum soccer cleats, which are usually removable. These soccer cleats can be entirely aluminum or plastic with aluminum tips. Recently new cleat systems were devised to help distribute pressure across the boot. Incorporation of new polymer materials further strengthened the sports shoe as well as providing lightweight footwear.

Each type of soccer cleat is indicated for a different type of ground. Soft grounds usually are more slippery so one generally uses higher aluminum cleats that penetrate more deeply to avoid slipping. For firm grounds the soccer cleats are a bit lower, therefore plastic cleats are indicated.

Soccer cleats made of rubber should be used on hard grounds, as they are better for impact. On harder grounds the soccer cleats need not penetrate too deeply, as the ground isn't as slippery. The soccer cleats are usually higher on the heel and lower on the forefoot, as more weight is put on the heel.

Injuries related to the wrong use of the soccer cleats are quite common. These injuries are usually on the knees and ankles. The most common knee injuries caused by wrong choice of the cleats are those to the ligaments. With the use a high set of aluminum soccer cleats on firm or hard ground the injuries are most likely to occur. The ankle injuries are usually sprains. The wrong use soccer cleats can also cause blistering to the feet, giving them an uncomfortable feeling.

Many professional players still prefer the shoe with traditional soccer cleats arrangement, which provide no more protection to the player than the boots of yesteryear.

Changes to shoe design appear to be in response to demand from parents keen to reduce the number of injuries associated with the modern game. The use of the right soccer cleats according to the ground that the game is going to be played is a key factor to prevent blistering and injuries that can be serious.

Soccer players should set an example and use the right type of soccer cleats and also the manufacturers should instruct the client for the better use of the soccer cleats.
Get all the latest in Soccer know how from the one and only true source at http://www.SoccerDetails.com. Be sure to check our soccer cleats page.


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Monday, March 16, 2009

Soccer Uniform, Colors In Play

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Nothing is more important for a soccer fan, than his team's colors and badge. In the soccer uniform, the club's badge is on the chest, placed close to the heart.

In the nineteenth century, soccer uniforms had long sleeved shirts and they used knickerbockers that covered the knees in place of the shorts used today, and long socks.

When television was black and white, the color of the soccer uniforms were very important, when one team played in light uniforms the other team had to play in dark. In this way, viewers could tell which team was which, and also the players were able to tell where their team mates were on the field. The basic soccer uniform is made up of shirts (jerseys), shorts, socks and shoes.

The goalkeeper has a slightly different uniform from the rest of the team; the jersey has to be a different color as he is the only one allowed to use his hands in the game. The difference in the goalkeeper's uniform is necessary so that viewers and players can easily recognize which player he is. The goalkeepers usually use special gloves for defending the ball.

The referee and his assistants also need different color uniforms so that they aren't mistaken for any other player in the field. Players also use protections such as shin pads which can also be included as part of the uniform.

Before uniforms were made of heavy material, when wet with sweat or rain, they would stick to the player's body. Nowadays, soccer uniforms are made from light synthetic material that doesn't stick when wet and doesn't weigh as much as the old uniforms.

The design of the soccer uniforms was quite different in the old days compared to today?s design. The shirts had a collar similar to a polo shirt, with laces or buttons on them. In the more modern uniforms the collars are something like modern T-shirts. The shorts today are very different from the ones used in the nineteenth and early twentieth century, quite shorter and much lighter than before. The socks are quite the same today, but some socks have a few details like lines, the club badge or name.

Today, there are quite a few famous uniforms, like the Brazilian national team, which are famous all over the world, especially among the youngsters. The use of these uniforms as a marketing strategy has become quite common and pretty effective, with sponsors on club or national uniforms.

The amount of official replica soccer uniforms sold is quite big due to marketing campaigns, the passion of the fans towards their national team or the club they support. The uniform manufacturers also use the name of famous players to sell more. Names like Ronaldinho, Beckham, and Zidane are very much used so that more and more uniforms are sold.

The clubs invest highly in marketing their own brand name and their players' names as a way of popularizing the brand and the club or national team. Some clubs and national teams make special editions of their uniforms for important games or anniversaries.

The use of soccer uniforms in marketing has helped the main brands of sports clothes and these uniforms, especially the jerseys are used by young people to go out to parties, going to shopping centres and even on dates.

Get all the latest in Soccer know how from the one and only true source at http://www.SoccerDetails.com. Be sure to check our soccer uniform page.

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Sunday, March 8, 2009

Soccer Shoes: A Stylish Kick

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The soccer shoes, known also as soccer boots are a very important part of the uniform and the game. As player's costumes have changed so much since the early days of the game, soccer boots have been through surprisingly few design changes in the last seventy years.

The evolution of boot development has been a conflict between protection from the climate and injury; against the freedom of limb movement to perform better. The improvement of the player's fitness has had a positive spin on soccer shoe development but these changes surprisingly appear to be more stylistic than anything else.

As soccer has become more glamorous the look has become more important than the desire to play better or decrease injury rates. It appears from the published literature there have been more injuries caused by soccer shoe innovations than appear to be resolved by new designs.

In the early years, soccer shoes were generally black and with higher cuts than the ones used today. The design evolutions of the shoes have become part of the game and as much an important item as the shorts or socks and almost as popular as the jerseys.

Players use special and customized soccer shoes made especially for them. The more significant changes to the shoes were that in the modern days the cut is lower, the color has changed. The shoes have become more comfortable and pretty much lighter than the old ones.

The old shoes were made out of leather with wooden cleats and leather soles. The newer soccer shoes are made out of leather or synthetic material, plastic or rubber soles and the cleats can be plastic, rubber, aluminum and even rubber or plastic and with the end made out of aluminum.

Some of the soccer shoes have changed the place of the laces and put them on the side of the shoes and some don't even have laces anymore. It is said that the change in the laces was so you could kick with more accuracy.

Players and soccer shoe manufacturers also use the shoes for marketing purposes, with special edition shoes, different color shoes, even autographed shoes. There are infinite different colors for soccer shoes. From plain black to golden with special details, or with, two, three even four colors combined.

Comfort is a very important issue for the soccer shoes. A pair of uncomfortable soccer shoes can cause serious blistering. Usually new soccer shoes need to be broken in so that they adapt to the format of the foot to prevent the blisters.

However, with new technologies, comfort is constantly improving and eventually one will be able to put a new pair of soccer shoes on, play a game and not have any blisters.

Even though the design of the soccer shoes hasn't changed much in the last seventy years, the design is quite different from the first soccer shoes. Technology has changed the feel of the shoes and the weight of these that were once very heavy.

For good playing, soccer depends a lot on the quality of the soccer shoes worn. Professional and amateur players love to be different by using an uncommon color and designed soccer shoes.

Get all the latest in Soccer know how from the one and only true source at http://www.SoccerDetails.com. Be sure to check our soccer shoes page.

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Wednesday, March 4, 2009

The Soccer Jersey - A Matter Of Identity

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Nothing identifies the game as much as the soccer jerseys. The jersey is probably the most important part of the uniform. It doesn?t matter if it's a club or national team; the soccer jersey is typical and unique of the game. One can tell if a person is using a soccer jersey from miles away, and it is used not only by soccer fans but also because a lot of the jerseys have nice designs and lines to them, which allows people to wear them in practically any occasion.

The soccer jersey has suffered a lot of changes over the years. In the beginning, the jerseys were made mostly out of cotton and were relatively thick in comparison to the modern ones. This was a disadvantage because when the players used to sweat the shirt would get heavier and stick to the body.

Old day soccer jerseys were quite simple as far as design goes, usually white or dark and had polo like collars to them with laces or buttons. Some people don?t know this, but the famous Brazilian yellow shirt we see today wasn?t always yellow. In fact, it was white with blue collars. This uniform was used until the famous defeat to Uruguay in 1950.

As the years went by, the soccer uniform developed together with the textile industry. Another reason is because the game became more and more popular and more and more competitive.

There was a point where the soccer jersey wasn't cotton anymore and started to be made with synthetic material. This made the jersey much lighter than the cotton ones and doesn't stick to the body as much as the cotton ones. Together with the material change, design changes were being made, especially the colors. Most jerseys still had polo like collars. The more modern soccer jerseys are made with special dry technology material that doesn?t get wet and doesn't stick to the player's body.

Nowadays, clubs and National teams use the soccer jersey for marketing strategies, with the name or logo of big companies on the shirt. Soccer fans in general buy a lot of soccer jerseys, especially the jersey with the club they support and their national team. Selling jerseys with the name of famous soccer players brings the sales up quite a lot, especially when these players are well wanted by the fans. It is very common to see jerseys with names like Ronaldinho, Beckham, Zidane, Ronaldo, Henry, Deco, Kak? and so many other famous players who are popular with the fans who support the teams they play for but also by soccer fans in general. The national soccer teams are also quite responsible for the selling of jerseys, especially the Brazilian, Argentine, German, Italian, English and French jerseys.

The soccer jersey manufacturers use a lot of marketing to sell their products and even come out with special edition jerseys and other marketing campaigns.

A soccer jersey isn't only a jersey, but it's an identity. It's the love of a fan towards the team he supports, it's like a second skin to some people.

Get all the latest in Soccer know how from the one and only true source at http://www.SoccerDetails.com. Be sure to check our soccer jersey pages.

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