My 14 year old DS will be starting high school soccer which plays on turf. He also has a decent amount of his club training on turf. DS has been wearing fg shoes for all of his turf training. I have bought him turf shoes before and he always hates them and goes back to his FG cleats. I feel like with so much training that will be on turf, he should have turf shoes. I bought him the exact shoes he wears for grass (Adidas Predator shoes), only in the turf option, thinking that he will get used to him. He doesn't like them because he is so used to his fg shoes that he says shooting and ball control is harder. Any advice? Should I tell him to keep trying to get used to them? Are kids able to go back and forth between fg and turf shoes and adjust their playing style for the different feel of the shoes?
My HS-age son (and virtually every player I see) wears cleats on outdoor turf, and the same pair he uses for grass. I've seen a couple of kids try to wear turf shoes like you'd wear indoors here and there, but the surfaces are so different that they don't seem to work well. I've never played on the outdoor turf used today (and the stuff they used when I was a kid was entirely different, and awful), but based on walking around on it, wearing indoor shoes to me wouldn't be much different than trying to wear running shoes. EDIT: Clarifying that he's wearing FG cleats. Neither of us have ever tried SG cleats, but I'm curious after the comment from Sam below.
DS has always worn his FG cleats on the turf fields, unless prohibited. There are some turf (mainly indoor) where it's more a flat "carpet" than it is "artificial turf". In those situations, he'll wear his flats (what he wears for futsal). If you want to get him another set of cleats, I'm going to recommend getting a set of SG. When DS did an overseas trip a couple years ago, it was highly recommended they bring SG and FG cleats, so we got him a set of SG. He used them at home after the trip when he was on wet, natural grass fields (duh, soft ground), and I guess they worked, he never slipped, although we saw other players slipping.
So, I don't think these are indoor shoes. I think these are the shoes for outdoor turf but maybe I am wrong. These are the ones I am referring to: Image doesn't seem to work when I copy it but I will try this link: https://www.adidas.com/us/predator-freak-plus-laceless-turf-shoes/FW7239.html ETA: The turf shoes are laceless which he also dislikes but they don't make a similar version in laces option.
Not what I was picturing (I was thinking you meant true flats, something more like a Samba). I've never seen a sole quite like that. It reminds me a little of a pair of Adidas shoes I had a long time ago (sold to me as shoes for very hard ground when we lived in the Southwest, but I think they were really for old-style Astro turf) with a sole a little like this: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/544935623664913278/
I think those are good on the "old style" (and sometimes indoor) artificial turf. Basically flat carpet. A marble would simply lay on top of it. The "current" style of "turf" actually looks (even up close) like synthetic grass and usually FG cleats can be used. A marble would go between the strands. I found a picture of what I'm describing... The top type would use FG and the bottom type would use what you've pictured (or flats). IMO, flats can be used for futsal AND the Astro turf, and FG can be used for the Artificial Grass AND Natural Grass.
Those are still closer to an indoor turf shoe. Newer, outdoor turf (good turf) is very plush and requires a traditional cleat.
Just to play devils advocate... there's a thought that a traditional FG cleat can "catch" too easy on the outdoor turf (Artifical Grass) and cause injuries. Not saying I believe it, but I wouldn't say the AG "requires" a traditional cleat.
That is an issue inherent in artificial turf. There is no dirt to give way under the grass, so the foot gets stuck without being able to release. I rarely see players using nub style soccer shoes though on modern outdoor turf.
It depends on the particular turf. I would talk to the coach and see what he recommends. But also I would probably get what my son likes. Why force him to wear something he doesn't like? There are different turf materials and heights and the underlayment also impacts how hard/soft the turf is. But most outdoor turf pitches are designed for regular FG cleats, but turf shoes could work as well (but again it's more of a personal preference so get what he will perform best in and feel best in). When I play on indoor turf I usually use turf shoes (small studs). Provides good traction. Flat soles don't give me enough traction, I've tried and I slip with them. If I'm on a regulation sized outdoor turf pitch I'll usually use FG shoes though as the style of play is usually aggressive and the FG shoes provide good traction.
I agree that if both shoes are equally good, it's best to let him decide which shoes he wants, but I have been told that turf shoes are better if you practice on turf and that the fg cleats are harder on your feet since they are on firm turf and not grass. I have no idea if this is accurate or not when it comes to the new style of turf (which is the only turf he plays on).
In a perfect world, that's probably correct. Speaking for my son (10+ years playing) and daughter (7+ years playing), neither of them have complained about using FG cleats on artificial grass. DS plays and practices 90%+ the last 2-3 years have been on the new style of turf.
Most new HS turf fields are designed for FG cleats. Which would only make sense as I doubt entire teams will be switching shoe types depending on where they play but I could be wrong. Also, alot of what looks like FG cleats are actually "hybrid" or essentially made for both artificial grass and real grass.
They are made for both. There was a time when the front spikes were more squared like a baseball cleat, but I've seen newer soccer cleats move away from that. I would think rounded spikes would release easier in most situations. Baseball infielders need to be able to stop on a dime in dirt and then their arm does the rest of the work. Thus a square cleat that holds makes more sense. Soccer players' feet need to keep moving.
I agree with the others - FG cleats should be good for most surfaces he'll play on in high school as the turf on fields these days is much more like grass than the old turf surfaces. We've only ever bought FG and flat soled in the past.
I suspect turf shoes will fade away as more and more old astroturf fields are upgraded to newer style turf.
My DS plays at a set of fields with both types of turf, and occasionally plays on grass (in the regular season). I finally broke down and bought turf shoes that are pretty comfy and he likes lot. Naturally, I also bought regular cleats that he claimed fit, and then decided two weeks later were too small, past the point of returns.
He's learning--probably felt fine until he had to play in them for a bit. Write it off as the cost of learning the game! The good news is--he's playing soccer; a good pair of cleats are the only real expensive piece of equipment you need. Shinguards, shorts, jerseys--don't really matter than much as long as they fit. The ball doesn't have to be anything special, either. My son's first travel coach told his mother & I to never skimp on cleats, and that was great advice.
You might want to try thin socks with those tight fitting cleats. Sock thickness/thinness can make a notable difference in how tight the cleat feels.
We picked up a great pair of Adidas socks with the shoe purchases, blows the terrible socks his club uniform uses (from Puma) out of the water. I'll take a stab getting him to try them out, at worst we have a neighbor a few sizes behind who can inherit cleats and pay us back in home brewed beer. On the cost point, I was talking about uniform prices (which for us rotate every 2 years) and complaining about the ~$300 total when a dad piped in that EVERY outfit for his daughters dance was that much and that they had MANY of those, sometimes more than one for a single recital. Not gonna lie, I giggled a little at the thought.
I've been told by some parents that the turf boots helped their kid with foot/ankle issues on turf. Can probably fit a supportive insole too I'd imagine. I think they work fine on dry turf but I've see players slip occasionally on wet days.
For modern field turf it is recommended to wear AG boots. They are hard to come by in the US but are available. Example https://www.soccer.com/shop/details...GHWarJDrRJmA_V9hiYBoC8gsQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds They generally have more round studs and are sometimes hollow to dissipate the heat that Field Turf generates. Here is a good video explaining the different types of sole plates.
Someone mentioned insoles and I wanted to ask if people think the expensive insoles are worth it? I know a dad whose kid plays on one of the top 05 academy teams in the country (top 5 for sure) and he always buys Currex insoles, but they are expensive and I wonder if they are worth it.
That video is super helpful. I have now figured out that turf shoes are different than artificial grass shoes and turf shoes were entirely wrong for the surfaces my son plays on. It sounds like FG shoes work fine on the modern artificial grass but that AG shoes might be a little better. I am looking into AG shoes but it seems like most are AG/FG hybrids (which the video says just means FG shoes). Since he will be playing on turf so much (artificial grass by the shoe definition), I don't mind getting a pair of AG shoes and having a separate pair of FG shoes since he wears out his cleats so fast anyway.
If I understand correctly, here are all the shoe types (least aggressive to most): Flat sole Turf AG AG/FG hybrid FG SG In terms of surface here's how they line up: Futsal - wear flat sole Indoor turf - wear turf shoes (but acceptable alternatives are flat and AG) Outdoor turf - AG ideally or AG-FG hybrid (but alternatively can wear turf, or FG) Outdoor dry grass - FG or AG-FG hybrid Outdoor wet grass - SG (FG also works and are what most amateurs would use)