Adidas Predator

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Adidas Predator + Absolado TRX TF

Adidas Predator is a range of football boots developed by German sportswear manufacturers Adidas. The common feature of the Predator range is the presence of rubber patches or strips on the top of the shoe that increase power, swerve, and accuracy when kicking the football.

History

The first Predator boot was launched in 1994 after Craig Johnston, a retired Australian footballer who played for Liverpool, came up with the idea of attaching rubber patches with teeth-like dimples to the outside of the kicking area of the boot in order to allow the wearer to apply extra spin to the ball when passing and shooting. The second Predator boot, the Predator Rapier, very similar to the first, was launched in 1995. Ever since, Adidas has launched a new model every two years to coincide the FIFA World Cup and the UEFA European Football Championship. The Predator range of boots has placed a particular emphasis on technological innovations in boot technology, while an increased attention to design has allowed increasingly sophisticated marketing strategies. David Beckham is the highest profile player to be sponsored by the Adidas Predator brand.^[1] Zinedine Zidane also wore Predators.^{[citation needed]}

Design

Adidas' current product line includes three models incorporating Predator technology:

• Predator PowerSwerve, with a kangaroo leather upper, a two-piece studded outsole and PowerPulse technology in the forefoot. It is available in firm ground (FG)Hard Ground (HG) and soft ground (SG) configurations. A model of the boot developed specifically for David Beckham includes an upper made from a lightweight microfibre, in response to protests from the Viva! animal rights group.^[2][3]
• Predator Absolion Powerswerve, similar to the Predator Powerswerve, but without an external heel counter and Powerpulse. It uses a full-grained leather upper.
• Predator Absolado PowerSwerve, aesthetically similar to the Predator PowerSwerve, but without PowerPulse, heel counter, or rubber predator elements.

History of Predator models

For almost every major tournament, a new Predator was released:

• Predator (World)
• Predator Rapier (1995, not released for a major tournament)
• Predator Touch (EURO 1996)
• Predator Accelerator (World Cup 1998)
• Predator Precision (EURO 2000; minor update in 2001 Precision 2)
• Predator Mania (World Cup 2002; minor update in late 2002 'Mania 2')
• Predator Pulse (EURO 2004; minor update in 2005 Pulse 2)
• Predator Absolute (World Cup 2006; Rugby version in November 2006 Absolute Rugby)
• Predator PowerSwerve boot (EURO 2008; Rugby version in February 2008 PowerSwerve Rugby)
• Predator X ^[4](Released October 26th^[5])

The eponymous Predator elements have developed over time. However, the principle behind the project involves attaching rubber strips to the forefoot, in order to increase the acceleration of the ball. Originally, the focus in Predator commercials was on shooting strength, but this gradually changed to focus more on the effect on ball spin and precision. The first Predators were also available without Predator elements under a different name. While the Predators were made of black Kangaroo-leather with white stripes and red elements, the equivalent boots without Predator technology were black with white stripes and blue accents. However, the Precision equivalent was black and white only, while the Supernova (Predator Mania without the Predator elements) was black with either silver or gold heel caps and stripes.

The Predator Touch meant a change in many ways. It featured the Traxion (trx) studs, which were rectangular and anatomically placed. Before, studs had always been round. For professional players who preferred the old studs, Adidas produced special Predators with a different outsole. However, these were not made available publicly.

The Predator Rapiers also were the first Adidas soccer boots available in different colours. Up to then, Adidas soccer boots had always been made out of black leather. The Rapid, however, was also (as a limited series) available in white and red. The same is true for the following two models. Beginning with the Mania, Adidas started to produce its Predator boots in countless colour variants. Moreover, one color was called David Beckham's style.

The Predator Precision introduced replaceable Traxion studs that were fitted by the tightening of a minute screw. These studs were available in various lengths that made the boot adjustable to ground conditions as is possible with the classic screw-in soft-ground studs. There were however some reliability problems, as the studs would come loose quite often, thus needing more constant maintenance than the classic screw-ins.

Predator Mania was released to coincide with the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan and came in various colour schemes in addition to the traditional black–red design. These included the 'Champagne' which was a champagne white colour, a 'champagne gold' which was a gold pearl like white, however just stud back ground and heel cup was gold. These were the special player like David Beckham, Del Piero, and Raul. These were available in the XTRX blades for soft ground use which came with a stud key and could be loosened or tightened at the owners comfort and also the red firm ground blades for hard surfaces. These were not detachable and came fixated to the boot. Problems with the reliability of the XTRX blades meant a revised version was released in late 2003 'Mania 2' which incorporated minor changes to the layout and design of the studs. In addition to this with the revision Adidas also released the boots with traditional screw in studs which were previously only available to professional players who had the boots custom designed by Adidas. Predator Mania2 color way is Lunar, Gun Metal. The final revision of this boot came with the release of the HG (Hard Ground) sole which was the same as the FG except the studs were black instead of red and were joined up and more robust with the boots intended to be used on 3rd generation and synthetic surfaces. Blue mania were only released in small numbers primarily in the North American market, Japan, and Korea and are rare in Europe.

With the success of the Mania in 2002 Adidas launched a budget version of the boot called the Manic. This featured all the key characteristics of the Mania boot but with small cosmetic differences. A cheaper and Young Cow leather was used in comparison the Manias kangaroo skin leather, also there was a difference in the size and length of the tongues on each boot compared to the Mania and the achillies protector on the heel was not plastic. Differences in the studs and colouring of the under sole are also evident although the differences can be hard to notice at a glance the Manics are often mistaken for Manias even though the RRP of the Manics was £60 opposed to the £120 of the Manias with the difference in build quality being significant. Although the Manias and Manics are two entirely different boots released by Adidas the similarities lead people to sometimes believe the Manics to be fake versions of the Manias which is not the case.

With the increase in quality of leather, general comfort and added durability the Predator Mania FG is widely considered to be the peak of the Predator range. With the line discontinued in late 2003 the boot has long been out of stock however 2nd hand prices for the boots still dwarf the original £120 RRP when the boots were new, giving testament to the popularity and demand for the boots some six years later.

The ""Predator Pulse"" introduced in late 2003, before the Euro 2004. First color was Black/Red(Original). This Predator is the first boot include "Power Pulse System" and only Predator Pulse can't change to the original insole. Because of this, this predator became heavy which mean Adidas lose some Player.

PowerPulse technology was introduced in the Predator Pulse in late 2003, and was continued with the Predator Absolute in November 2005. The PowerPulse sockliner shifts the boot’s centre of gravity closer to the point of impact, allowing more powerful shots on goal. Most of absolute's PowerPulse is 40g, however only Red version is 60g.

The "Predator Absolute" introduced in mid 2006 (Before Germany World Cup). First colourway was black/red, white/gold and blue/white. This Predator is the first with changeable PowerPulse technology, which allows the exchange of the PowerPulse sockliner between the normal 40g and a lighter weight one, with no intentional weight added. Also Adidas Made Gold/White Absolute for "Zinedine Zidane" to celebrate his last international conference.

The Predator PowerSwerve (launched November 2007) saw this time around, the introduction of hi-tech foam, called Smartfoam, used in the Predator element to allow more rebound power, swerve and improved control through longer contact with the ball. Football legend Zinédine Zidane helped to develop the new Predator PowerSwerve boot. After ending his active career, he worked together with the Adidas innovation team (a.i.t) in the further evolution of the new boot. Scientific tests have shown that, in comparison to its predecessor, the Predator PowerSwerve can achieve up to eight percent more swerve and increase the power behind every shot by around three percent. The Dynamic PowerPulse technology in the sole of the boot and the special hi-tech foam in the forefoot upper material make these improvements possible. The PowerPulse element filled with tungsten powder, which shifts weight toward the point of impact, enables players to put more power behind every shot.

Adidas Predator Fantasy TRXFG

The development of the Powerswerve Special (a rugby version) continued the tradition. A wider last in the boot, and rugby hybrid studs were added, along with many other features.

Today, David Beckham, Andres Guardado, Alan Smith, Alvaro Negredo, Valeri Bojinov, Grafite, Marc Janko, Bafetimbi Gomis, Xavi, Robin Van Persie, Michael Ballack, Raúl González, Steven Gerrard, Dirk Kuyt, Kolo Toure, Edwin Van Der Sar, Petr Cech, Brad Friedel, Anderson, and Jose Reina wear Predators to name but a few. Zinedine Zidane tested and reviewed the newest version of the Predator range(Predator X)^[6]) .

Adidas has recently released a new generation of Predators. Predator Power, Predator Swerve and Predator Control. Adidas have also released a new DB Climacool Predator, with extended Predator elements, and in a colourway chosen by David Beckham. Also, a limited edition Predator Rome, in a unique colourway, has been released to support the Champions League Final which will be held in the Italian capital. March 6, 2009 also saw the release of the Predator Fantasy. Only available in a firm ground edition (FG), the boot featured a futuristic stadium graphic which Adidas have said will feature in many of their new designs.

References