Okay, so the other day I was watching my nephew’s Little League game, and I noticed one of the kids slip on the grass. It got me thinking about baseball cleats and what the bottoms actually look like. I mean, I’ve worn them before, but I never really looked at them, you know?
So, when I got home, I grabbed an old pair of my son’s cleats from the garage. They were pretty muddy, so the first thing I did was take them outside and bang them together to knock off the loose dirt. Still pretty gross, though.
Next, I grabbed the garden hose and sprayed them down. I used my fingers (yeah, it was kinda nasty) to get the mud out of the crevices. I had to do some digging, and some of the mud was really dry and stickey.
What I Saw
Once they were reasonably clean, I could finally see the pattern. Here’s what I noticed:
- Lots of studs: Obviously, there are a bunch of these little “spikes,” or studs, whatever you wanna call them. They’re arranged all over the bottom.
- Different shapes: Some of the studs are kinda round, some are more like blades, or little triangles. I guess that’s for different kinds of grip.
- Heel and toe focus: There are more studs clustered around the heel and the ball of the foot. Makes sense, since that’s where you put the most pressure when you’re running or changing direction.
- Some empty space: There’s a bit of a gap in the middle of the sole, between the heel and the front. I imagine that helps with flexibility.
- Material is tough:I tried to bend one of the studs to see how tough the material is,and found it very strong.
So, yeah, that’s pretty much it. It’s not rocket science, but it was interesting to actually examine something I’d taken for granted. Now, when I watch those kids play, I’ll have a slightly better understanding of how their shoes are helping them (or sometimes not helping them!) stay upright.
