Youth Baseball Cleats

When looking for youth baseball cleats one must be aware that not all cleats are designed for baseball. The, what I call the Three Big sports, Baseball, Football and Soccer each have cleats designed for their individual sport requirements.

There are athletic shoes designed to be “All Purpose” shoes, which can be worn to play any of the three sports, but I’d only recommend them for younger players, as the older the player becomes the more skill specific the sport becomes, and the cleats play a major role in execution.

Notice No Toe Cleat On Soccer Shoes

Youth Baseball Cleats

Legal?

Athletic footwear is not cheap and in fact can become ridiculously priced when endorsed by a super star of that sport. Unless you’re independently wealthy, don’t get pulled into the advertising hype no matter how much your player complains or begs.

Now that you’re in the right price aisle, the next issue is to make sure you’re buying a legal cleat for the sport. For instance some baseball cleats have metal spikes which are illegal in football and for the most, also soccer.

Metal spikes are not the only illegal factor to look for. Baseball and football shoes also have a toe cleat, which is forbidden at all levels of soccer. Be sure you’re buying legal and specific cleats for the intended sport or you could be stuck with an expensive pair of shoes which are worthless to you.

Differences: There are distinct differences in the type and designs of the shoes for each sport.

Soccer: Soccer shoes have many more cleat designs, where the cleats are affixed to the sole of the shoe, than either football or baseball. These different designs are intended for play on different types of surfaces, which makes soccer one of the few sports a player may require several pairs of playing shoes.

　Shoes with longer cleats are used for hard to firm ground playing surfaces, but shorter cleats are required for soft fields to prevent mud from collecting between the longer cleats and reducing traction.

                 High Top Football Shoes / Youth Baseball Cleats

Some soccer shoes are made of expensive leather, because the softness of the leather offers the player a better feel for the ball. Low top shoes are the major choice of soccer shoes.

Football Cleats: The cleat pattern is uniform for football shoes and come with molded or detachable plastic cleats, offering a certain degree of flexibility to adjust to field conditions. The main concern for football shoes are not the cleats, but rather the cut of the shoe.

High Top shoes are normally chosen by linemen, defensive and offensive, who require a lot of ankle support.

Low Cut shoes offer the lightest weight which running backs, receivers and defensive backs tend to like.

Middle Cut offers a combination benefit of the two other styles.

Metal Baseball Spikes

Youth Baseball Cleats

Baseball Cleats: Baseball cleats come with molded rubber/plastic cleats, or metal spikes. The metal spikes, which some of the more expensive shoes have removable spikes for changing lengths, are the main choice of baseball player.

They offer excellent stop and start abilities on dirt or grass and easily puncture the hard baked dirt of the infield during July and August. Baseball cleats come in all three cuts, but the Low Cut shoe is the most prevalent choice due to its light weight. However, players with weaker ankles or who just feel better with additional support, do wear mid and high top shoes.

Fitting Baseball Cleats:

In some ways finding a pair of baseball cleats which fit properly is the same as choosing your regular everyday shoes, but not 100% the same.

                                                     Rubber Cleats

(1.) Make sure the shoe fits perfectly. This may sound like a silly statement, but if the shoe is just a bit too small, or too large, which is the norm, it can have a great negative affect on your performance.

(2.) The shoe must be comfortable. Cleats are styled just like other shoes and not all styles or cuts are comfortable to everyone, if they were there wouldn’t be so many different styles.

(3.) Insure the shoe is flexible. Leather has different degrees of quality which is related directly to softness, so just because the shoe is leather doesn’t mean it’s soft. Today shoes are often accented with synthetic materials for design style and color. These too can affect the flexibility of the shoe.

You do Not want to be a catcher with a pair of cleats which hurt the toes when you enter your squat.

(4.) Cleat placement, whether metal spikes, rubber or plastic molded cleats, are suppose to help the athlete stay balanced as well as offer traction. Try on both shoes and test your balance. Do you feel solid standing erect and bent over? Can you pivot on the balls of your feet?

Don't Get Too Carried Away With Coool

Youth Baseball Cleats

These are all very important issues which must be tested to the athlete’s satisfaction. Just because the cleats are brand new doesn’t mean they don’t contain a flaw, one spike slightly longer than the rest, or positioned an 1/8” off center.

Try on several different brands, styles and sizes in order to compare their feel. You wouldn’t walk up to glove rack and take the first one you take off the hook. Choosing your cleats should deserve no less attention.

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