When many parents buy football boots for their kids, they usually buy oversized cleats for them so they won`t outgrow them in the next few years. So the question in their kid’s minds is how tight should football boots be?
In some other cases, a new football shoe may fit in terms of length but become tight in the side and heels. Or a football boot can fit in the sides but tight in the forefoot area thus squeezing your toes. In some other cases, you may have difficulty putting on the football boot. So should football boots be a size bigger? How to make football boots fit better and how tight should football boots be, we will answer all these questions in this article.
When choosing cleats, ensure that you chose cleats that provide an ultra-snug feel around your foot and a cleat that has a little room to wiggle in your toes. Most pros usually wear a soccer cleat that is half a size smaller than their casual footwear so that they can get a “second skin” feel. As you know every footballer has a different type of feet so you need enough space in your cleats to waggle your toes.
READ ALSO – HOW DO I FIND THE RIGHT FOOTBALL BOOTS?
Should Football Boots Be Tight?
As a general rule of thumb, football boots should be tight. In the soccer industry, a better term to use is “snug”. Hence your cleat should have a snug fit. Your football boots should not be too tight to the point that they cut off circulation from your feet.
If you wear oversized cleats, they may cause serious injury to you on the pitch. It can cause you to trip and fall or your foot will slide around inside the football boot resulting in blisters.
You should wear a football boot that allows you to shoot and pass the ball without stress. A premium quality football boot should also be breathable and lightweight so that you can experience less fatigue even if the game drags on under the hot summer heat.
How Should Football Boots Fit?
How much room should there be between your toes and the forefoot area of the football boot? As a rule of thumb, your cleats need to have a ¼ -1/2 gap between the forefoot area and your toes. To put this in a simpler perspective, if there is a thumbs space between your toe and the top of the cleat then the cleat is too big. The correct space should be the smallest finger space between your toes and your feet. If you see that your toes are pressing against the upper side of your cleat then they are too tight, you will need to get another one.
How To Make Football Boots Fit Better?
Below are a few suggestions that you should follow to make your football cleat fit better.
- One way to make your football boot fit better is to dampen them with water. You can do this by spraying water directly on the football cleat while they are on your foot.
- Stuff your football cleats with different items that will help them to expand. You can use different items to stuff your football boot. One of such is a shoe stretcher, Balls of newspaper, and tennis balls.
- Another method you can use to make your football foot fit better is the freezing method. You can place two bags of water in your cleats and then place them in the freezer. As the water turns to ice, the cleat will expand and stretch. In this way, there will be more room for your feet after the ice melts.
- And finally, another way to make your cleats fit better is to wear them when you are not playing. In this way, the cleat will be able to mold to the natural shape of your foot.
Do All Brands Don`t Fit The Same Way?
The answer is No. All brands are sized a little differently and this makes things a little bit more complicated. In the soccer industry, it is known that Adidas soccer cleats run wide, Puma cleats run tight in the midfoot area while Nike cleats are somewhat average and in-between. You also need to understand that the material used to produce a particular football boot can mean the difference in the way the cleat fits. It is known that leather football boots stretch than synthetic football boots.
CONCLUSION
Now you have gotten the answer to the common question, how tight should football boots be? As a reminder, The correct space should be the smallest finger space between your toes and your feet. If you see that your toes are pressing against the upper side of your cleat then they are too tight, you will need to get another one.
