Achievement in any sport requires stability as a foundation. To achieve good performance, you need to have strong legs with a pair of suitable sports shoes. For example, when playing softball, the player must perform movements such as throwing, twisting, turning, or running. Therefore, they must use a pair of shoes that have good cleat. For softball players, they have two choices which are metal and plastic cleats.
Difference between metal and plastic cleats
Softball shoes require flexibility to perform fast movements. These cleats are spikes made from metal or plastic. When the player moves, these spikes create friction with the ground, so the player will not slip.
The cleats are attached below the sole of the shoe to prevent players from slipping while performing movements such as running, turning, or hitting the ball. Moreover, cleats also help create strong traction and help you avoid injury.
We will show the characteristics of each type of softball cleats in the following paragraphs.
Metal cleats
Cleats with metal cleats are commonly used in sports, especially soccer, baseball, golf, and softball. For each sport, cleats are designed with various types of spikes, with different lengths and arrangements.
Cleats that are made of metal are solid and durable. The metal cleats generate great friction with the ground when it plugs into the ground, so it helps players cling to the ground. When playing softball, you need to hold your feet on the ground to create a pulling force that will help you hit the ball harder.
In this case, the spikes dig deeply into the ground and give you good traction. Besides, metal cleats are replaceable, so if a spike is detached or bent, you can replace a separate spike without having to replace the entire cleat.
The downside of metal cleats, however, is that it is prone to wear if you use it when playing on surfaces other than grass or ground such as concrete. Furthermore, the spikes adhere to the surface of the ground, if the player suddenly changes direction, he may suffer injuries such as dislocated legs.
Plastic cleats
The sole of the sneakers can also be attached to cleats made from plastic. Like metal cleats, plastic cleats come in a variety of sizes and shapes, but most plastic spikes have short lengths to make sure they don’t break.
The plastic spikes are permanently attached to the sole, so if a spike breaks, you will have to replace the shoes. The advantages of plastic cleats are durable and solid. If you’re worried that playing softball on surfaces like concrete can erode metal cleats, for plastic cleats, they don’t get eroded by hard surfaces like concrete or asphalt.
Another advantage of plastic cleats is when you use plastic cleats on the muddy ground because they are lighter than metal cleats, it will help you to move on mud rather than sinking and getting stuck like when using metal cleats.
However, when you play softball on surfaces like grass or soil, the plastic cleats will not give you the grip and traction as good as metal cleats. Besides, plastic spikes are more prone to bend than metal spikes due to strong pressure when users perform strong movements such as running, sliding, or rotating.
Moreover, plastic cleats are not replaceable, so you will have to buy new shoes when the plastic cleats under the sole of your shoes are broken or bent.
Comparison between metal cleats and plastic cleats
The price of metal cleats is more expensive than the price of plastic cleats, but this would be an appropriate investment as users can replace each metal spike if it breaks without having to throw away the shoes. Conversely, if you use plastic cleats, you will probably have to replace the shoes when a plastic spike is bent or broken.
Metal cleats provide you durability and high efficiency on the ground or grass. The metal spikes attach themselves to the ground, thereby creating good traction for your movements. Plastic cleats again help you play well on surfaces like concrete or asphalt without worrying it will wear out. When using plastic cleats on hard surfaces, it will not make a loud noise as if using metal cleats.
For younger players, their foot size increases rapidly due to the growth hormone during puberty, so they should choose shoes that attach plastic cleats to minimize costs. Besides, amateur players should buy plastic cleats instead of metal cleats because the price of plastic cleats is much cheaper than metal cleats.
On the contrary, if you are an athlete or an adult who wants to achieve high performance while playing sports or competing in highly competitive sports, you should choose shoes with metal cleats.
Final words
In summary, in this article, we have pointed out the pros and cons of metal and plastic cleats. If you are a professional softball player, you had better use metal cleats. On the contrary, if you’re just playing softball for entertainment, plastic cleats also give you the features you need.
