Last Updated on August 1, 2022 by Randy
Let’s have a look at how to break in soccer cleats. There is nothing like when you receive that new pair of soccer cleats! The smell..the feel…the shine….the newness! When you get a new pair of soccer boots you can’t wait to put them on with your soccer shoes and head over to the nearest soccer field to give them their christening. We have all gone through it and we love that feeling very much. Of course though, when they are new though, they are not necessarily in their most flexible state. So how do you get them there? How do you get them broken in?
Wear Them as Often as You Can
The way to break in your soccer cleats is really to wear them as much as you can. You should get them on to your feet every time you are gong to be involved with a soccer ball. Even if you are at home and you have a ball, and it is just you, go outside with the ball and kick it around with those new pairs of cleats. Practice close dribbling at home or you could even practice free kicks maybe (if you have the space and a good enough target) but the point is to get them out the box and wear them as much as you can at home while kicking around the ball.
Pick-Up Games or Scrimmages
Wear your new soccer cleats to your next pick-up game and scrimmage. We all know that these games are usually less organized and you have a lot more time with the ball at your feet in this setting. The amount of time that you take to dribble an opponent, or run with the ball in a scrimmage is usually a lot less than you would in an actual organized game. So use that opportunity to get some touches in with your new pair of soccer cleats and as you continue to do that you will most definitely begin to see that your soccer boots are getting broken in. In some cases the boots will start to grip your feet better and as this happens your touch with your new pair of boots will be like second nature.
Formal Team Practice
Wear your soccer boots when you go to formal practice. If you play for a team and you guys have practice a couple times a week, make sure that you wear your new boots and within three to six sessions you will see that they will start to become broken in. When you are practicing your off the ball drills like sprinting, jogging, jogging backwards etc. put all your effort into the training and this will not only benefit your skill level but your cleats will get broken in as a result of how hard you work. When you are practicing drills like free kicks and penalties, use maximum effort and of course when it comes to the actual game play at practice, this will also work towards getting your boots broken in.
Matches and Games
Now it would be better of course, if you had the opportunity to break in your boots with all the above methods before you actually use them in a game but sometimes this is not possible. If you bought a new pair of boots because the pair you had before got destroyed, and you have a game in another few days, then of course, you won’t have time to do as much breaking in before the game. This is not a problem though because during game play, although they will feel new, use it as a challenge to yourself to increase your effort at ball control and precision passing with the new boots and see how it goes. Most likely it will go well for you and at the end of the game you would have become that much more accustomed to your boots and the break-in process would be well under way.
Have No Fear!
The bottom line is – have no fear, break-in time is here, as long as you get the soccer cleats out the box and packaging and on to your feet. From the time you hit the soccer field with the ball, the break-in starts and within a few weeks the boots will be well broken in. Yes, some boots do take longer than others but the bottom line is that the more you use the soccer cleats the more they will become broken-in which will bring many advantages to your game play such as better control, more comfort for your feet, and overall better play because the newness of the boots is no longer an issue.
Conclusion
In conclusion, use your new soccer cleats as much as you can. Use them by yourself, use them in pick-up games, use them in formal games, and trust me the break-in process will start and be well underway within weeks. No need to soak it in any water, or do anything crazy, just keep playing the beautiful game in your new cleats and before you know it, you will have a new pair of cleats that are broken in, and performing to the levels that you want them to perform to, or better.
There is only one thing left to do now, take your new soccer cleats and get outside. Use the ball if you are alone to kick around if you have an open field or enough space at your home to get some individual ball handling in. Get out there to the next available soccer scrimmage and run some ball for a couple hours, your boots will thank you later by conforming to your feet. Of course, attend your training and train hard, this will also help your cleats to be broken-in. Lastly if you have a game or match coming up, you know what to do, play hard and put in that extra effort to make the new boots do what they are supposed to do accurately. By doing these things you will be on your way to having a well broken in pair of soccer cleats.
