I second that....and given the less than stellar track record at adidas with quality control, I am concerned as well. I like the concept of the boot, from an idea standpoint, but I am still skeptical that adidas can pull this off correctly.
1. Pass pad 2. Large instep zone 3. Small instep zone by big toe 4. First Touch pad on toe 5. Outside pad by small toe 5 zones
all the ribs they put on the new predators, in fact all the predators. are just gimmicks. when will you guys erver learn that they don't do shit.
The same goes for the T90 and CTR ("pass pad") also If messi wore Hummel boots he would be just as good
Being one of the strongest critics of gimmick boots, I do tend to agree with you both. But, I will say that the rubber does allow for a different type of contact surface and it can alter the way the ball comes off your foot, slightly. I don't think it adds more power or drastically changes the or curve but on the ball, the way the ball spins and moves can be slightly different looking when you make contact with the rubber. Granted if you can't strike a ball well, you can't even begin to understand what I am talking about. I think the fact that Messi wore every type of Nike in their silo range shows that the boots don't really matter too much, talent prevails, as long as the shoe isn't so ill fitting that it has a negative effect in your performance.
95% player and 5% boots in my opinion, but the fact is that your boots can give you a psychological edge. Also the different 'zones' on the boot would arguable make more of a difference to your play if you have physical areas you know to use for different things - such as shoots with the 'sweetspot' *ducks for cover*
I wasnt bashing Hummel, I was getting across that messi would be the same player wearing a brand that isnt percieved to be as good as Adidas or Nike.
I would argue that it is more 99% you, 1% boots when it comes to actual impact on your performance in a totally perfect setting. Now if your boots don't feel right, or are causing other issues, it can't have a large negative impact on your game; this is because you are focusing on something that you shouldn't be in the game, your footwear. As for flip side of that, even when boots fit, there are some that you will just prefer for some reason, and you tend to play better in them. They either fit better than anything else, or they make you "feel" more powerful, fast, confident...whatever. You then do things that you have the ability to pull off, but maybe wouldn't if your confidence wasn't through the roof. I know that I have some boots that I just seem to play better in, because they are comfortable, and they fit/feel good. My Mizuno Morelia Japan are one, leather adiZero's are another, along with the adiPower, and more recently my CTR II's (even though they could fit slightly better, IMO). I have some boots that just didn't work fit wise (but were still good boots), and I played like crap in them because I felt like I was slipping, or they caused hot spots, for example. I don't think the ridges make that much difference in your play, controlling or striking a ball (for passes or shots). If you have a very refined game, you might notice a bit more control in slick conditions, or a slightly different spin on bending shots, or movement on driven balls, but for the average player, it isn't going to do anything other than make them think they have bought a shoe that will make them have the "edge" that players look for. Hence the glut of wayward shots I see people with bad skills take, and think they can pull off because they are wearing a "shooting" boot. I find it funny that companies market shoes to have a "thin upper to enhance touch" on one shoe, but produce a stiffer synthetic shoe with pads, ridges, rubber, fins, zones, or what have you to make your touch "better" at the same time. The power aspect if funny too, the shoe material might spin the ball differently due to contact surface, or have a shape that allows better contact at the sweet spot, but the strength in your shot comes from your core, then your technique.
I am curious about the new upper of the LZs. It does not look like the synthetic used on the F50 line, nor the synthetic used on the Beckham Predator line. Will it be good, or total garbage.... On a side note, how do you all feel about the synthetic used on the F50s now?
I'm pretty sure it will be the synthetic leather they use'd on everywhere but the forefoot of the Leather f50 micoach boot
So I asked my adidas buddy about the rubber fins coming off and this is what he said: "no worries on the predator Lethal Zones coming off. The new upper material features 40 times greater bonding strength compared to leather and rubber (as used in the past)." Also, the white LZ's are not being released. Price: $220.
While that makes sense from a materials standpoint (synthetic isn't natural, so glue sticks more), I still think they will cock it up....they always do. I love the fit of their shoes, adiZeros and adiPower specifically, but their build quality sucks. They need to apply that 40x stronger bonding deal to the outsoles. Any word on miadidas with the LZ's? Surely you could make them mostly white on there if they offer the shoe on the service....although all the zones might be colored as oppose to one section, unless they offer different coloring options per "lethal zone".
I thought this too because iTunits are my current boots, I'll just add some red lines across the front and tell everyone they're LZ haha
Funny story. I actually did something like this with an old pair of old adipure III's. I got a tube of silicone glue and made lines on the instep like one found on the large instep zone of the LZ. Once they were dry I tried them out at a practice session. I found that when I curved the shot it would have more curve than normal, but that's the only added control. This was actually something I didn't really either because if I wanted that much curve on the ball I would have put that much curve on it. It was harder to be consistent with shots like that. Eventually all the silicone lines lost their grip to the boot and fell off. It was a pretty cool little experiment though. I didn't think about adding any other "zones" and personally I think if you think you need the extra grip in those places you should just practice and learn better touch and control. That way you can be a better player overall in pretty much any boot and you won't need to shell out $200+ for a boot that has special grip zones.
I agree, if there are red stripes right on the sweet spot, I think that you would hit the ball with the sweet spot more often.
By Gunt22 .... Lethal Zones v Lethal Zones SL (Silver/Green) ♥ > www.Gunt22.com > http://www.facebook.com/pages/Gunt22/249359828428500
Those 2 colourways aren't too impressive! Will the white colourway the players are wearing at the moment be released? Those are sharp! appleCORR
Unfortunately Apple, I've heard they are not being released. Be interesting to hear how the LZ perform though!
Shame because they are the best colourway I've seen so far! They are just like adizeros with bits of rubber on them. appleCORR