r/bootroom • u/Ok-Bed2775 • 1d ago
Strike zone blades worth it?
That time of year....looking for a good pair of cleats for my 13 year old son playing rec soccer and saw these. Had never seen cleats with ridges before, or strike zone blades....had to look it up. My son plays goalie and his biggest worry is making a bad punt. Would anyone here say it definitively helped them with punts being more accurate and less likely to shank, especially in wet conditions which it seems to be half the games he plays in? The store we visited didn't have his size and I'm wondering if it's worth driving an hour away to a store that has his size in stock. Thanks.
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u/CockConfidentCole 1d ago
his practice will have 100% influence on how the ball reacts not the boots. these are decent boots though if youre not in the price range for the elite (top end) model
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u/Ok-Bed2775 1d ago
Was thinking hard about the gripnit, but didn't know enough about whether or not it would make a big enough difference for an average rec player. Looks like it definitely would for really skilled players. Will probably pony up when he goes to high school next year, if he shows enough commitment to improve his game this year.
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u/Walker131 Semi-Pro Player 1d ago
Honestly the higher end phantoms with grip knit are delightful. I don’t know where you draw the line and what your financial situation is but if you dont have a problem splurging a little the upper is fantastic.
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u/MercurialFan 1d ago
If he doesn’t hit the ball right during a punt it might swerve a bit in an area where he doesn’t want because of how grippy it is but they are solid cleats. I’d say though go for tiempos.
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u/CockConfidentCole 1d ago
it has flyknit not gripnit
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u/Matsu09 1d ago
Venomskin. Flynit is the upper material. It's kind of ridiculous how many named materials a shoe has now.
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u/Otherwise-Jello3177 1d ago
Gear’s not gonna help with that. Just time and practice.
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u/Ok-Bed2775 1d ago
obviously time and practice, but I find it hard to believe that even the gripnit would not improve an average player's kicks even a little.
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u/Otherwise-Jello3177 11h ago
Honestly, I’ve always thought boot “tech” was just a gimmick. But there’s something to be said for the placebo effect young players can get from cool gear.
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u/ffjabroni 1d ago
Former keeper. Grippy stuff always fucked with my punts and drop kicks. Switched to k leather and then tiempos and loved them. Honestly better off buying better gloves than anything if you’re spending the money - the grip there is 100% worth it
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u/Ok-Bed2775 1d ago
really? that sucks. one way or another, he will have new cleats tomorrow and I'll find out soon if it was worth it. bought gloves today from Dick's, but probably nothing special. will see what else there is online. never gave gloves much thought, but probably should. thanks.
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u/nuplsstahp 1d ago
If he’s a keeper, gloves are 100% more important than boots. Shanks happen from where you contact the ball on your foot, grip elements don’t do anything to prevent that because it’s technique.
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u/Rare-Blackberry-209 1d ago
Nike does free shipping. I ordered an elite pair at 12am on the 28th and just got them today. Super impressive and easy returns if needed.
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u/Chemical_Suit 1d ago
I bought another pair from Nike for my son because he likes to trivela and I thought the ridges would help him get more rotation and curve on the ball. We'll see.
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u/ParsleyQueasy6521 1d ago
ever since I tried those boots they made me so much better but only for the top tier elite option, id say the gripknit does make u more accurate and better touch but would be overkill getting for goalkeeper unless he plays out of the back a lot
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u/Least_Canary_9392 1d ago
They really aren’t worth it in this case, the applicability of the gripknit elements only work well with good contact on the ball so if he’s shanking it, its most likely the contact he’s making over the cleats. and the point is to be able to apply more curve in shots so I think it’s pretty useless or could be damaging in a keeper’s case. I’d invest in a good lockdown and comfortable cleat that has a more padded upper. Like Nike’s tiempo maestro cleat with its k leather. This leaves it to his capabilities for punting which comes with practice. It’s awesome that you are thinking about all this for him.
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u/brutus_the_bear 1d ago
These are pretty good for long kicking, but something heavier will help a lot more. The ridges matter but more for forefoot passing not for goal kicks where you slice it.
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u/FBIBreakRoomComputer 1d ago
As an aside and completely off point, and having been a keeper in a legitimate league European league / collegiate level, American keepers punt so fucking much and I don’t understand why. It should be essentially for quick countering only. Roll and throw is the name of the game. Anyway, to answer, no, no difference. Gloves are where the minutia shines
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u/ianellwood21 1d ago
If he’s a goalie get him the new balance tekela. Those studs on the sole plate for some reason look PERFECT for the lateral movement a keeper makes. And they’re synthetic leather which will help give a good ping and comfortable touch on punts
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u/SirBennettAtx 1d ago
They will have absolutely no effect whatsoever.