AG or Turf Shoes?

[justneededaname]

In a spin off of "Let's Talk Cleats"...

My son is going to be training next year on a synthetic surface. How do I know if I should buy him artificial grass shoes or turf shoes?

 

[LASTMAN14]

In a spin off of "Let's Talk Cleats"...

My son is going to be training next year on a synthetic surface. How do I know if I should buy him artificial grass shoes or turf shoes?

Honestly, there is no right answer from any of us. But, your son's feet will tell him. It will come by using both. Maybe buy a pair of each (yes its expensive) and have him alternate them over the next few months. I have used both over the years and feel that an AG boot was best on synthetic fields. For me I gained better traction and feel. I also have flat feet and felt a AG boot gave me longer comfort over longer periods of time. I am also able to use them when playing on grass.

 

[pewpew]

My daughter owns both but prefers her Adidas Ace ag/fg cleats. She said the turf cleats are a little more comfortable but felt she got a better touch on the ball with her regular cleats. Who knows. She can be fickle. Look around. There are good deals to be had on older/closeout models of turf cleats you could buy him to try and see if he likes them. My son was recently taking a Friday night 10-week camp. I knew he'd be training on turf but that by the time the fall comes around he'll need new cleats in a bigger size and practice/games will be on grass. He'd outgrown his other shoes from last season. He's only 9. Not sure where you live. Prosoccer in Pasadena has a lot of options. Found him a pair of Nike Jr Tiempo Leather Turf shoes for $20!! Normal price $50.

 

[LASTMAN14]

My daughter owns both but prefers her Adidas Ace ag/fg cleats. She said the turf cleats are a little more comfortable but felt she got a better touch on the ball with her regular cleats. Who knows. She can be fickle. Look around. There are good deals to be had on older/closeout models of turf cleats you could buy him to try and see if he likes them. My son was recently taking a Friday night 10-week camp. I knew he'd be training on turf but that by the time the fall comes around he'll need new cleats in a bigger size and practice/games will be on grass. He'd outgrown his other shoes from last season. He's only 9. Not sure where you live. Prosoccer in Pasadena has a lot of options. Found him a pair of Nike Jr Tiempo Leather Turf shoes for $20!! Normal price $50.

Love ProSoccer. I've been shopping there since they opened in the early 90's. MT did a great job building that store. Especially at its current location best yet.

 

[NoGoal]

My DD wears both the Nike Magista turf and hard surface (the discontinued cleats with the round studs) boots. She said, both work well on synthetic grass.

 

[Surfref]

In a spin off of "Let's Talk Cleats"...

My son is going to be training next year on a synthetic surface. How do I know if I should buy him artificial grass shoes or turf shoes?

Just buy firm ground (FG) cleats with the round studs. They work just fine on artificial turf. Just don't use blade cleats on artificial turf.

 

[Surfref]

As a referee, I have seem way too many knee injuries from players (especially girls/women) wearing blade cleats. Most were off the ball injuries where the player was running and changed direction and the blade cleats did not release quick enough from the turf causing too much stress on the knee. About 6-7 years ago I started paying attention to the cleats players that went down with knee injuries were wearing. About 80 percent of the players suffering knee injuries were wearing Adidas blade cleats. The blades on the Adidas cleats tend to be longer than the Nike blade cleats.