A cleat is an American term for a type of shoe designed especially for sports played on grass or dirt, such as soccer or American football. It may also refer to a type of shoe designed especially for, and only worn in, wet weather.
Unlike "spikes" for sports such as track and field and golf, the shoes generally have large studs on the bottom to assist in gripping the surface, preventing sliding and assisting in rapid changes of direction. The stud itself is often called a cleat. A metal or plastic piece that attaches to the bottom of a shoe is also called a cleat, especially a cycling shoe that interfaces with a clipless pedal system. There are three main types of soccer cleats: round, hard ground, and bladed. there is also metal studded, but that is less common because they are illegal in some games.
In football (soccer), where the shoes themselves are known as football boots, there are three different cleat types. There are soft ground cleats which are made for wet weather. The soft ground cleats are always replaceable, and are almost always metal, so when they wear down they are easy to replace. There are firm ground cleats which are made for firm natural surfaces. Also there are hard ground cleats which are made for hard natural surfaces.
In the United States, College football coach Joseph Pipal has been credited as one of the creators of "mud cleats" for football shoes.[1]
The term originated before the manufacture of dedicated sports shoes, when sportsplayers would nail strips of leather to the soles of their ordinary shoes to assist with grip.
References
- ^ Sports Illustrated "A Roundup Of The Week's News" August 22, 1955
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