A Complete Guide for How to Lace Soccer Cleats
How do you lace football boots or soccer cleats? Soccer cleats are one of the most essential pieces of soccer gear and equipment and it is important to know how to lace them properly for maximum comfort, support, and injury prevention.
Although using the right lacing techniques is important, it is just as important, or even more, to pick the right type of cleats based on your playing surface and foot type. Once you have cleats that fit you comfortably, then you can focus on how to tie them properly.
In this blog, I will go over everything you need to know about lacing your soccer cleats properly.
The Right Type of Laces
Before we get into the lacing instructions for how to properly tie your cleats, first make sure that your soccer laces are in good shape. Worn down laces or low quality laces can break during the middle of the match or become untied very often, leaving your team down a man while you are having to tie your cleats over and over again.
It is also important to not have too long laces or too short laces and to have laces that are just the right length for your cleats.
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Standard Lacing
The standard lacing system is the most common lacing system that you would also use when tying your regular everyday shoes. To begin the standard lacing system, pull the shoelaces through the bottom eyelets until there is an equal amount of shoe lace on both sides.
Afterwards, form X patterns using all the holes up until the last eyelets by lacing up the cleats right hole after left hole, or vice versa. Once you have put the shoelace through the final eyelets, simply tie a knot at the end.
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Top Lock Loop Lacing
If you are a player that feels like they need a bit more lock-down in the ankle and heel then you can try out this forward foot lock lacing system. For this lacing technique, start by doing the same standard lacing technique that requires making X’s with the shoe laces.
Once you get to the second eyelet, or third eyelet, from the top, instead of criss crossing the laces again, you run the shoelace through the hole directly on top of each side. Then form a loop between the uppermost eyelets on either side and pull the laces right through.
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Forward Foot Lock Lacing
The forward foot lock lacing system is very similar to the previous lacing system, the top lock loop, however the main difference is that the loop in this one is done near the front of the foot, usually one of the first bottom eyelets, instead of the top one.
The top lock loop lacing system is designed to provide a more secure feeling through the ankle and heel areas, to minimize heel slippage, while the forward foot lock lacing system is designed to provide a more secure feeling through the front/mid foot area.
A Few More Tips for Tying Soccer Boots
- Invest money in a high quality pair of soccer shoelaces
- If you have really long laces I would recommend replacing them for laces that fit better, but if that is not an option right now, you can wrap the excess laces around your foot, under your arch, and pull tight
- If you feel pain while wrapping your laces around the arch of your foot, wrap differently, such as around the heels, to get rid of the pain
- Tuck the excess laces into the top of your soccer shoes, between your ankles and the side of your shoes
- Do not loosely tie your laces because loose laces and loose loops will keep coming undone during a game and you will have to spend valuable time tying your cleats instead of playing the beautiful game.Â
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best footwear for soccer?
- Firm Ground Cleats: Designed for natural grass fields.
- Soft Ground Cleats: Designed for wet and muddy grass field
- Artificial Turf Shoes: Designed for artificial surfaces
- Indoor shoes: Designed for indoor surfaces and harder outdoor surfaces
- If you have wide feet consider wide soccer cleats
- Also, consider cleats made out of high quality materials such as leather, which can mold to the shape of your feet for a custom and perfect fit.
- High quality insoles can also help the comfort of your soccer cleats
When is it time to replace your soccer cleats and get a new pair?
The time to replace your soccer cleats is when they have ripped, they are causing you pain, they have lost their traction, or if any of the shoelace holes have ripped.
How can I learn more about the game?
To learn more about soccer the most important thing is to join a team and play the game as much as possible. If possible, analyze high level games as much as you can and your own games as well by recording them with a soccer camera. Also read soccer books, listen to podcasts and interviews watch soccer documentaries, as well as some movies, tv shows, and anime.
Conclusion
In conclusion, knowing how to tie your soccer cleats effectively is crucial for any player or coach who wants to step into the pitch. In this blog I went over three different lacing techniques as well as provided you with tips and tricks on how to tie your laces to help you perform better.
