[ijinxd]

I've been playing for a little under 4 years now, and playing "seriously" for about 1-2.
Strangely enough, I haven't really invested in a good pair of cleats. I've been playing with an old pair of K-Swiss shoes that work fine.

Do cleats really make a difference? Is it minute, or beneficial enough to justify dropping $50 on a pair?
I'm about to buy my new mask, and want to see if it's worth it to spend some cash on a pair of cleats too?

What would you guys suggest? I'm a huge Nike and Adidas fan (those have always held up best with me)
I was looking into the Super Speed TD's, they look fairly promising.

[YorksMrpaintball]

I currently use the High top version of the Superspeed TD's and i absolutely love them. In PSP chicago this year we were supposed to wear the exalt cleats because of sponsorship. I slipped and fell and lost traction, my moves were not as explosive as i was used to and I got shot in the snake because of it.

I switched back to my tried and true Nike cleats and saw a world of difference, that little claw on the toe gives me the extra dig-in power i need to make that explosive bump from S1 to S2. (btw after that we won every point the rest of the tournament) didnt get shot off the break once.

This is just my experience but i would say your definitely going to see a difference if you are a front player, back player not so much, but I think your going in the right direction!

Hope that helps!

[Pson]

I use my old golf cleats on muddy days and only see a value on rainy/muddy days.

[ijinxd]

Thanks guys. Pson, that's what I originally thought (only difference would be during times of bad weather).
Yorks, I usually play mid or front (never snake, sometimes back though). I suppose the Superspeeds may actually be worth it then.

[gijoey959]

I went to a Nike outlet and got some Mercurial cleats for $30 the other week

I see a ton of difference, but I play in dirt/sand, they're totally worth it for me

[turmoil]

Definitely depends on the surfaces you're playing on, but in general I don't think it's a bad thing to have cleats.

I would say to pay attention to ankle support if you need it. I got a cheap $30 pair of low top soccer nike cleats and I just about rolled my ankle a bunch of times. Stopped using them and spent a little more on a quality football high top. A little heavier, but the support rules.

[Open_Truth]

Again, it depends upon your terrain. Some people play more woodsball, and as such, cleats aren't always the best. They have a steep learning curve in woodsball, especially if you play with alot of downed trees.

If you are playing more on turf surfaces, they are great as well, as long as you get turf cleats. If you play on more grassy surfaces, they are okay.

Another thing, and these aren't for everyone, you can look into a pair of Vibram Five Fingers, like the Treks, Treksports, or Spyridons. They tend to be some of the better soles that can work for for turf or regular ground. And terribly light, when you consider that a pair of the heaviest VFF's tend to be right around the lightest track cleats.

[Nomahsib]

I have a pair of soccer cleats and Vibram Five Fingers. The soccer cleats are great for turf, grass, and dirt. I bought them at a garage sale 3 years ago and they are still holding up strong. The Vibram Five Fingers are a really solid choice for turf. I wouldn't recommend using them on grass though.

[ijinxd]

Thanks everyone. So from what I'm getting, it's all based on the surface I you're playing on. I do actually have a pair of KSO's (may try them next time).

gijoey, how did you manage to snag a pair of mercurial's for $30?!

[Zippin35]

Outlets man, check out all the distributors. Also stores like shoe warehouse or those that sell last years shoe model for dirt cheap. They rarely have cleats but if they do they can be had for a sinful price.

[Open_Truth]

Originally Posted by ijinxd

Thanks everyone. So from what I'm getting, it's all based on the surface I you're playing on. I do actually have a pair of KSO's (may try them next time).

gijoey, how did you manage to snag a pair of mercurial's for $30?!

They probably won't work very well. They don't have tread for turf or grass surfaces, but are fine on streets or walking through the mall.

That is why I recommended the Treks or Treksports, or the Spyridon's. The first two have a tread pattern very similar to alot of hiking boots, the last one is rather cleat like.

[ijinxd]

Zippin, you just reminded me of places like Ross and TJ Maxx, I'm heading down there in an hour. Thanks brother.

Open, yeah I realized that after posting. I'm not really down to drop another $80 on Vibrams, so I'll probably look for some dirt cheap cleats. I may try the KSOs just for the hell of it...I just want to see people's reactions to it.

[ijinxd]

Just picked up 2 pairs of cleats from Ross (Both Nike's) $17 each, and they go for $50-$120 off sites like eBay and the Nike site. Again, thanks Zippin for the reminder, and everyone else for the suggestions and info!

[Zippin35]

Originally Posted by ijinxd

Just picked up 2 pairs of cleats from Ross (Both Nike's) $17 each, and they go for $50-$120 off sites like eBay and the Nike site. Again, thanks Zippin for the reminder, and everyone else for the suggestions and info!

Glad I posted something helpful for once

[ijinxd]

Originally Posted by Zippin35

Glad I posted something helpful for once

You and me both haha

[TcsTuba]

I find that what type of cleats you need varies by positions and preference. I am a back player so I use Nike football cleats, they provide a strong hold into the ground so that I'm comfortable digging into one place. Also, I never just run to a bunker, I always run and gun, and the football style cleats help keep my upper body more stable, slightly helping my lane. Just my tale on the subject, hope this helped.

[BabyFace]

Noticed a big improvement when switching from nike football cleats to exalt cleats/spikes. They grip so well, great for quick bursts of speed and of course keeping traction. Love em. never lost any spikes yet either.

[rsion4191]

Just got some Speed TD Lows. BNIB from Ebay ran me $10. Needless to say that it was the best pick up shoewise for ballin'.

[Maxx102]

Kinda digging up an old thread, but as someone else said it depends on the type of field that you are at.

Since I have been playing off and and on since '92 I have quite a lot of equipment.

For your outdoor speedball courses that only have bunkers and grass, I use my Nike high top football cleats....I have a bad ankle so I need the extra support that a hightop gives.

For indoor courses that have carpet, astroturf, or heaven forbid - bare concrete the I use Forest Ice high top broomball shoes....yes broomball shoes and they really help with the traction and you don't slide around very much - if at all. They have two models and indoor version and and outdoor version - I use the outdoor version - very comfy - http://www.forestice.com/shoes.html

Finally when I am running around in the woods when I feel like letting my inner Rambo come out I use 5.11 ATAC boots.....doesn't cost me any thing extra since I use them for work. When I get a new pair for work - the old pair become my playing boots.

[ibunkerupwnd]

I have exalts the ones where you can change the spikes. They have never let me down I cannot ply without them. They are super gripy and comfortable

[Kbug]

I just use a pair of old Adidas soccer cleats. Not very agg, but they work fine