Footy Guru 2013 Year in Review:

Footy Guru 2013 Year in Review:

This year we saw some new releases in the boot market and whenever new releases drop or new silos drop it's a big deal... It can make or break the market. Furthermore, The market and products come and go and with certain products companies can push there way to the head of innovation on the boot market. This year the reoccurring theme that we saw companies innovate and change was the upper on boots. For the longest time we saw companies be stagnant with the boots and just change the color/graphics of the boot.

However, boot nerds/consumers are smarter and now seek fit over weight in many situations. This does not mean that the speed race is over because in terms of innovation making a feather light speed boot will always get consumers attention along with the rest of the market. The main connection in the fit theme is the upper on the boot. And that is what is trending and matters right now for consumers. It's the point of difference for many consumers buying habits when it comes to their next pair of boots.  In terms of performance, the upper plays a big key in performance and the fit of the boot. 

So we saw both Nike and Adidas reinvent the materials they use in order to further improve the fit of their boots. In 2014 look for this theme to change, if I was Nike or Adidas I would innovate the crap out of the boots outsole because that is another aspect that many companies have not experimented with. A perfect example or statement product in the market that is ahead of its time is the Pele Trinity. The outsole configuration is a game changer so look for Nike or Adidas to do something similar if they are smart. At the end of the day, this post is just a run down on some of the best boots on the market in 2013 that caught my eye.


Footy Guru Boot of the year: Nike Hypervenom

Hands down this boot was a game changer. The Nike Skin provided a unique barefoot fit and feel that every footballers has ever dreamed of. Never mind the fact that Nike marketed it as a agility boot because what this boot was all about was an all around product made for both sides of the pitch with touch, fit, and weight being big motives behind the boots development it's success. 

This boot is all about the fit and the touch it provided compared to other boots on the market. The upper was so unique that no other boot on the market came close to its fit or feel which don't forget is trending. Fit and feel and the upper on the Hypervenom was a game changer. The boot really simulates the fit and feel of playing barefoot. Along with the fit the boot has an amazing balance of weight to go along with the boot. Coming in at around 7oz the boot was a perfect balance of speed and stability. Big fan of the outsole used on the hypervenom in terms of performance and overall stability.

Negatives: the boot upper stretched uncontrollably and with the upper being so thin it had its durability problems. For the first two months the boots fit and performance was fantastic but after that love period the boot quickly lost its performance and fit which resulted in a sloppy fit and feel on the pitch.  A more elastic upper would do the trick especially on the forefoot.

Footy Guru speed Boot: NEW F50 adizero

Many of you Nike fans will easily fall in love with the hype the vapor offers but the new adizero is actually a better boot in terms of fit, feel and pure speed. The hybrid touch they have implemented on the boot has provided a supreme touch and feel. The in hand experience of this model did a 180 release and I even thought it was more pliable than the Hypervenom. 

Along with the new upper which seems like it took decades for Adidas to change it... The outsole is something that I prefer on the F50 compared to the Vapor IX speed outsole. The Vapor outsole is at times too flexible so many times I think the boot lacks the proper torque in the outsole. Another point of difference about the F50 is the weight ratio. In a speed boot I want a concept boot that is light as possible so with the Vapor coming in at 6.7 oz in my opinion that is outdated.  While the F50 is lighter by a mile coming in at 5.3 oz I think it has the overall advantage in terms of the upper, fit and overall performance aka speed.

Negative: Adidas has really struggled with innovation in 2013. Although they put some new upper on some of their boots they are still rocking the same outsole on all of the silos. Kills innovation and each boots point of difference on the wall. Adidas needs to innovate while still keep their boots classy and unique. Dropping a purple heritage boot with a new silo is risky and kind of cheapens the boots overall value especially if it is not kangaroo leather. Innovate or die Adidas.... If it was me I would look at the adipURE III release and follow that boots innovation value and fit and feel because as a company I thought that boot represented Adidas soccer as a whole. But since then each silo has been slowly losing traction with the Predator and the 11 pro leading the way.

Best heritage boot: Nike Tiempo Legend IV

When it comes to class and touch. The Nike Tiempo ran away with this title easily. The 11 pro with it's sprint frame outsole and calf leather upper was a disaster from the beginning. So what I am saying is that the Tiempo has not had a lot of competition the past couple years. 

If you want a leather boot i would go with the Tiempo legend.  The kangaroo leather upper along with the straight lacing are the keys to this boots success. The durability along with the $160 price point were also factors of the boots success. Many times when a hypervenom or speed boot didn't last consumers would go with something they knew which was most of the time was the Nike Tiempo.

Negative: Like any other leather product kangaroo has the ability to stretch and lose its performance very quickly. Not only does it stretch but it also holds excess water in wet conditions which is a big negative in my opinion. However, there has never really been a synthetic boot that truly replicates the fit, feel and touch leather provides. Also along with the feel it is hard to replicates a leather boots durability. In most cases the Tiempo in terms of overall value and durability was on the top of the list in 2013.

Best value of 2013: Nike Premier 

Many times when people are balling on a budget and price is a big factor in picking their next boot I usually give my two cents. Not everyone buys the elite boots and many young footballers buy the down grade. The best boot of 2013 in terms of overall value was hands down the Nike Premier. 

It's simplicity, price and weight were all involved in my decision to name the "Premier" the value boot of the year for 2013. With this release Nike was able to create a lightweight old school boot that was affordable by both young and old consumers. They nicknamed this boot the copa killer and it has just done that. Coming in at 8.6 the boot is light and traditional and very affordable coming in at $100.

adidas F50 adizero FG Unboxing

Adidas F50 Adizero Samba review:

adidas drops Samba Pack

Adidas today launched the Samba Collection, Brazilian inspired football boots aimed at celebrating the vibrancy and exuberance of the World Cup host nation. For the first time ever, as part of the Samba Collection adidas has released a new boot from each of its four boot ranges, adizero f50, Predator, NitroCharge and 11pro, with an array of new bright, exciting color ways. Each boot has been designed with its own distinct identity and cutting edge technology, inspiring the next generation of footballer.

The Samba Collection launch marks the start of the adidas “All in or Nothing” 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™ campaign. The tournament is the world’s largest event and the ultimate platform, where it will be Game On or Game Over for the World’s best teams and federations. The full roster of adidas star players will be involved in the campaign from Leo Messi and Oscar to Dani Alves and Mesut Ozil.

NitroCharge, the energy-retaining football boot designed for the next generation of footballer as worn by Dani Alves and Ezequiel Lavezzi, comes in a new visually striking lime green colourway. As a boot designed for ‘The Engine’, the player who is always running, tackling and relentlessly powering his team, the Samba NitroCharge encourages its wearer to go Full on or be Gone. With its unique and highly elastic ENERGYSLING around the forefoot supporting sidecut and precision turn movements to sharpen reactions on the pitch, and ENERGYPULSE spring technology providing high energy push-offs and long lasting energy return when sprinting, the NitroCharge combines new technologies to innovate the way ‘Engines’ play the beautiful game.

The adizero f50, long sought after by the fastest players such as Leo Messi, Lucas Moura and Gareth Bale, empowers its players to Fly or Die with an electric sky blue color way. The adizero f50 is all about precision engineering with every aspect of the boot design based around making the wearer as fast as possible on the football field.

With features such as SPEEDTRAXION, an all-new, high speed stud alignment for maximum acceleration and pinpoint changes of direction, and SPEEDFOIL, a revolutionary material that combines lightweight, softness and durability for a comfortable, yet locked down heel fit, the Samba adizero f50 is a boot which ensures these world class players will be faster than ever before in Brazil.

The vibrant pink color way of the Samba Predator Lethal Zones favored by the likes of Oscar, Mesut Ozil and Fernando Torres instructs its wearer to Hunt or be Hunted. Designed with five distinctive ‘Lethal Zones’ of technology to deliver outstanding ball control, touch, accuracy and power, the boot is made to master every aspect of performance.

With a luxury deep purple color way, the Samba 11pro worn by Philipp Lahm, Hernanes and Frank Lampard retains the classic attributes that allow players to Make the Play or Make Way. With its premium, ultra-soft and ultra-light Taurus leather providing excellent fit, performance, comfort and ball-feel allied to an all new outsole with comfort frame for better pressure distribution, as well as optimized stud placement for maximum grip and acceleration, the 11pro remains the boot of choice for the complete footballer.

The Yohji Yamamoto F50 adiZero

adidas has officially unveiled their latest custom limited edition designed boots and they are available to pick up TODAY! adidas have teamed up with award-winning Japanese fashion designer Yohji Yamamoto, the man behind the adidas Y-3 fashion brand, to launch the limited edition Yohji Yamamoto adizero f50 boot. Even though the design is vastly unusual, the actual performance of the F50 adiZero underneath is unchanged. Same boot and the same upper! It would have been awesome if adidas were to tease the new adizero and create buzz around the release by putting this paint job on the new boot and make it limited edition. That would have set the boot world on fire and made for an underground release! Peep the Footy Guru synthetic F50 adizero review below:

In limited quantities of course (2,000 pairs)… for the longest time adidas has not dropped a limited release and in order to compete with Nike they are forced to change their business model. Soccer boots have slowly become a lifestyle with boot nerds wanting to be different on and off the pitch. Unlike the old days FOT’s now have two to three pairs of boots in their arsenal/collection. I think as a brand you need to have limited releases because it keeps demand high and for those certain boots it pays tribute to the true boots.

About the design of the boots….

The front of the boot displays a pair of imperial lion-dogs who, in ancient times, guarded the emperors of Japan who used to live on sacred ground. This traditional design has been placed in the context of Japan’s modern sci-fi culture creating a spiritual connection between the past and the future. The result is an unexpected design that draws inspiration from the fashion world in order to make a bold statement on the football field.

The outer side of the boot features the modern depiction, while the inner side takes on the machine like conceptualization. You can even see the difference compliments of the snarling teeth that sit along the front of the boot. There is a lot of color involved right through the forefoot and the ability to instill the print in such detail is visually impressive.

“My inspiration is a mixture of ancient traditions and modern sci-fi from Japanese culture… I hope the inspiration of the boot harmonises the players and gives them extra confidence to express themselves without any fear. People should feel free to express themselves. Just follow your own instinct.” – Yohji Yamamoto

For boot nerds here in the US, Soccer.com is obviously going to be your best chance at snagging a pair.

Limited Edition Adidas F50 adiZero “Cascadia Cup” Released

Ahead of a big match, MLS match adidas soccer/soccer.com have decided to drop a limited edition boot to celebrate the Cascadia Cup. This limited edition adizero will be worn by many Portland Timbers and Seattle Sounders players during the Cascadia Cup this Sunday , October 13, 2013. 

Personally, I have always been a big fan of limited edition boots because I think as a brand it shows you care about pleasing your followers aka boot nerds and that is exactly what Soccer.com and adidas have done with this miadidas release.

 Boots are only available on soccer.com and are limited in numbers and sizes! Looking forward to seeing these on the pitch this Sunday!

Throwback Thursday: Adidas F50i Advert

Unisport Uncut Episode 5: The Weight Debate

New adidas F50 adizero: Synthetic Electricity/Hero Ink

Robin van Persie’s Customized adidas Boots vs First Pair Of adidas Boots

RVP like many footballers is a creature of habit when it comes to his choice of boots. So much of a creature of habit that the dude has been with adidas soccer since day one. Below features his custom boots he did through miadidas and the first adidas boots he wore when he signed/started with adidas.

RVP first ever adidas boots.

We have all been there as boot nerds. You fall in love with a boot and two months down the line that model is no longer available. This is why for the past six years he has worn those infamous slime adiPower Predators. Many boot nerds wonder why… but based on the fact of his latest customized boot from adidas, it is now clear that RVP was a big fan of the adiPower outsole probably because it was very stiff and supportive.  RVP wore his new customized boots today against Chelsea. The custom F50/hybrid boots features the leather F50 upper with the OG adiPower outsole. 

Throwback Thursday: Footy Guru OG adizero F50 Review

Adidas Drop miadidas Premium F50 adizero Edition

For those F50 FANS/boot nerds that want a premium pair of customized boots it seems as if adidas has delivered. Recently, adidas dropped the F50 Premium Pack in which you can only customize and get through miAdidas. However, it’s not the same old F50 setup; according to adidas “The F50 Premium is available with a specially designed lightweight upper, featuring enhanced stability in the heel and distinctive chrome SPRINTFRAME. Combined into a premium package, with a suede shoe bag and personalized key chain, the F50 Premium turns understated style into a bold statement.”

I have always said that the outsole should be a point of difference on a boot and with the Chrome outsole on the Premium F50 it definitely is a banger. Looks very classy and unique in my opinion…

The boots will retail for $290 and remember it is a custom boot/package.  You can check them out on miadidas now. For those interested in the current F50 model peep the review below.

Can a boot be too light?

In today's fast paced game I think a boots weight plays an important part in on field performance. I like a boot that makes me feel light on my feet and is not too bulky. The game has become so technical so why not make products that help with technique and improve fit.

So first and foremost I focus on fit and then take a look at how light can I can go but still get the same sock-like fit/feel. Many boot nerds that come into Far Post ask about weight and then compare the boot they are interested in against other boots weight, then fit and style. A great example of this is the current Vapor IX compared to the f50 adizero. Many boot nerds ask about the weight of the f50 and even though it's lighter they prefer the Vapor because the fit/comfort the boot provides. So at 6.7 oz the boot is not the lightest but because of the fit/feel many consumers including myself go with the fit and sacrifice the weight in some instances. However, if adidas improve the fit of the synthetic upper which they will this December it could cause Vapor fans to switch. Only time will tell...

In terms of a boot being too heavy my cutoff is around 8.5 oz. ideally the perfect weight of my dream boot would be around 7 oz because at that weight you still have a boot but also speed properties to aid in quickness on the pitch.  The lighter you go I think the boot is seen as concept and gimmicky rather than useable and performance driven in the marketplace. We have already seen super light on the market place… The GS was a gimmick in my opinion and had a nice idea around the boot but awful execution. From the upper/fit all the way down to the outsole. I tried the boot on several times but with the lack of fit I could not talk myself into it no matter how light it was. For example, a boot coming in at 5.6 oz may be feather light but the moment the boot starts breaking down word spreads fast among the boot community and just like that the buzz and demand slowly diminishes because they want a boot that lasts and FITS.

At the end of the day, many consumers including myself research the boot before buying it because with boot prices raising it really is an investment for footy fans and their parents. The lighter you go on a boot the more protection you sacrifice and in many times you sacrifice the fit and durability of a boot which are held in high regards because now days consumers  are smarter and want a boot that fits and has a weight/style that suits their game.

Will speed boots make you faster? No, however they will make you feel quicker during the game and in tight spaces. At the end of the day, the super light weight boots are seen as gimmicks because if it does not have the correct fit or only lasts two weeks it’s not credible. So yes a boot can be too light on the market and adidas and Nike need to concentrate on fit and actually improving/making players faster on the pitch instead of just seeing how light they can go.

Unboxing: White/Infrared F50 adizero

Adidas F50 adiZero Messi Edition Unboxing and Review

Adidas Snapshot app

I have always been a geek when it comes to technology and footy. For the past two years I have used miCoach consistently to work on my fitness to try to take my game to the next level. I definitely used it to help prepare me for Timbers tryouts this past winter.

I personally think it is a big point of difference in the market place because when I train on my own I want to know how many sprints or how long I was active on the pitch. So when I found out that adidas took It a step further and came out with the SnapShot app I was very interested. The latest app from adidas called “SnapShot” tracks the balls flight from the moment you kick it and then calculates your shot speed and more. As a boot nerd, I think this is awesome because I have always wondered how hard i kick a ball and after a session of open play this app would be so fun to mess around with your friends. It can track things like speed and flight time of a single kick, as well as play back your shot back in slow motion. Gareth Bale has posted his own 78mph sample shot with the app to help get footy fans started.

You can upload shots straight to social networks like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube and then compete against others who have posted their own which is pretty cool.

Your shots stay in the app's own library section and show at a glance data to help you see how you are improving.

You can download the Snapshot app from iTunes now.

Boot Nerd Photo of the day:

Boot nerd photo of the day features the synthetic F50 adizero. In terms of pop and point of difference it does not get any better than the latest infrared release. These are fire! Have always been a big fan of red boots on the pitch. In terms of synthetic vs leather in this boot I am torn because I feel like the synthetic gives me a constant fit and feel while after time the leather option expands and looses its form along with that new boot fit and feel. Peep the blog for the synthetic review of the boots. Would like to thank @deenags from the Portland Timbers for sharing his boots. Welcome to Footy Guru @deenags. As always boot nerds many of you will apply but only a few of you will be chosen. #footyguru #F50 #footygurusquad #footyporn

Blog Mode:

Pregame footy shenanigans... Its a lifestyle. 

Lionel Messi Vs AC Milan All Goals And Skills

Just Arrived: UCL Leather F50 adizero

The aftermath of lunch time Footy at adidas. Shout out to @hongster from Adidas for the new leather F50 adizero UCL boots. Unboxing and review dropping soon. #footyguru #f50 #findfast #footyporn #PDX #Adidas