Regular Cleats or Turf Cleats on Turf

My son will be having his soccer practice on a turf field soon, I am wondering if I should get him a Turf Cleats or a regular cleats will be fine?
 
If its newer artificial turf, the infill and sand layer are designed to mimic natural grass, so regular cleats are fine. If its really poor quality older turf that is short and hard, then consider turf cleats. Turf cleats are really designed more for short/hard "indoor turf" and not outdoor fake grass.
 
If its newer artificial turf, the infill and sand layer are designed to mimic natural grass, so regular cleats are fine. If its really poor quality older turf that is short and hard, then consider turf cleats. Turf cleats are really designed more for short/hard "indoor turf" and not outdoor fake grass.
This is right in my DD's experience. The fresher and newer turf she prefers FG cleats. But at places where it is harder, older, and less bouncy, like Junipero Serra High's small fields in SJC or at the US5 futsal courts in 5owney, turf shoes were better.

I just checked Seattle Sounders highlights on youtube here and they look like they wear cleats and not turf shoes. Same for highlights of Atlanta United. Both turf fields.

One thing you may want to pay attention to is what type of cleat, round pegs vs. blades. I think I read somewhere that on wet turf the blades were more likely to lead to some injury. Check for yourself, though.
 
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I would recommend looking for an AG or MG cleat with round studs for artificial grass / turf as opposed to firm ground bladed studs. Nike makes an AG pattern specifically for artificial grass, but it’s not on all shoes.
 
One of the referees on here (Surfref?) posted a point a while back that, in his experience, a lot of kids who he saw with what appeared to be serious knee injuries were wearing bladed cleats on turf.

My DD wears mostly Nike Hypervenoms with the blades, but only on grass. She sticks with turf shoes for any artificial surfaces. Unless it’s really wet, it has worked out fine. She played last night on brand new “long” turf and still used the turf shoes without issue.
 
You can use any shoes on artificial turf, or grass for that matter, some are just better than others. Cleats are designed to overcome the lack of friction when playing on surfaces. Grass is alive and each blade (when not dormant) has water in it. Traffic on the grass causes those grass blades to break, releasing the water. In addition, grass is constantly transpiring (pulling water up from the soil and evaporating), which is why when its 100 degrees, a grass surface will be roughly 90%. Artificial turf is not alive, and is just long nylon fibers, with a sand base that has some type of infill, generally a hydrophobic material like rubber (although Brock has a new engineered wood infill that is intriguing). Its dry as a bone (unless rained on). Thus, friction isn't impacted by traffic (like grass). Turf shoes or regular cleats should work, heck tennis shoes will work too in many cases.

At the NFL level, synthetic turf results in 16% more lower leg injuries (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30452873), which is relevant for elite male athletes in a contact sport. The physiology between post-puberty girls and boys causes girls to experience a much greater incidence of both non-contact and contact lower leg injuries.

Which brings us to friction, body type, weight, play level, and a number of other factors. At the end of the day, you want footwear that will provide enough traction, but not so much as to create an enhanced risk of injury because the slip resistance is too great for the body type, weight/mass, play level, etc.

If the playing surface is (1) outdoor synthetic turf is newer and in good condition OR (2) wet OR (3) natural grass, you want regular cleats that are going to bite into playing surface. If the surface is hard and dry (dormant hybrid bermuda on compacted ground or indoor synthetic turf, or long past its prime, poorly maintained, older artificial turf), go with turf shoes that have many smaller cleats or tennis shoes.
 
My son will be having his soccer practice on a turf field soon, I am wondering if I should get him a Turf Cleats or a regular cleats will be fine?
I strongly recommend Artificial Grass (AG) cleats. They are harder to find, but Niky's usually carries a few pairs and you can also order them on the Nike website. Bladed grass cleats can get stuck in turf and lead to serious knee injuries. Turf cleats, with the little nubs, do not provide enough traction and your son will end up slipping all over the place, especially when the turf is wet. Hold onto a pair of grass cleats for the away games and trips to Norco.
 
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