How To Break Into New Football Cleats

Your cleats are without a doubt one of the most important pieces of equipment that you have out on the field.

After all, your feet are what take you where you need to go. Whether your have wide football cleats or regular width football cleats, breaking into them is also incredibly important.

When your cleats fit you well, you will be able to move as you want to. They can help you cut, stop, and sprint throughout a game without trouble.

But you need to make sure that your football cleats have been properly broken in before you will be able to take them out to play.

Here's What To Do

Try Them On

​This might seem obvious, but before you play in new cleats, you need to make sure that they fit well. This is a common issue if you purchased them online. In a store, you can try them on before buying them, but online it is the opposite.

Walk around in the new cleats and make sure that they really do fit. If your cleats are uncomfortable from the start, they are not the right ones for you and you should try a different pair out.

Wear Them At Home

​Once you know that your cleats fit well, you can start breaking them in by wearing them out at home. Walking through your yard or even taking them to a park can help your feet get used to them while they break in around your feet.

Getting a softer start on them will make them more comfortable to wear later on. Start with only walking, not running, in order to help soften them to your feet without causing blisters. This will take a little longer than just running in them, but this way you will not hurt your feet.

Flex The Cleats

​Another way that you can break in your cleats is by flexing them. You do this by grabbing the heel and toe of the shoe and then bend it in as many ways as possible to help make the shoe more flexible.

This works best with synthetic materials, but it should also work with leather as well. Breaking up the tight bonds of the shoes as they are manufactured makes them easier to wear in the long run and will reduce the amount of time that it takes to break them in.

Remember, this won’t do anything to the interior of the cleats, but it will still soften the exterior.

Build Up The Time You Wear Them

​You should then start wearing them a little bit at practice. Increase the amount of time that you wear them every time you do.

Start with one hour, then bump it up to two, and so on until you can wear them for an entire practice without pain.

Stuff Them With Newspaper

​If you stuff your cleats with newspaper after every time you wear them, it can help keep the stretch that you put in them and maintain the shape that your foot as made in them.

This can also make a big difference if your shoes got wet at all while you were wearing them.

Soaking The Cleats

​Another method that you can use is to soak them in hot water. In order to do this, you will need a bucket or basin that is large enough to fit both cleats. The water should be hot, but not boiling or too hot to the touch. You will also want newspaper and a pair of football socks.

You do this by putting on your cleats with the football socks and stepping into the hot water. The water should only come up to the laces of your cleats. Move your toes around in the shoes while they are soaking in the water. Take your feet out once they have softened.

All in all, it should take about 10 minutes. Then stuff them with newspaper to prevent them from drawing back up and leave them for about 6 hours.

You will find that your cleats are much easier to wear when they have been broken in before you try playing in them. You will prevent blisters and unnecessary foot pain or injury.