A lot of people around the world love to play sports and to exercise too. Running is a great way to keep fit and to keep your cardiovascular system in good order, plus the same can be said for soccer or football as well.
You may not have thought of this, but having the proper shoes for each of these activities is essential to the results that you want to get, not to mention that these activities have different requirements. Shoes are some of the most important components of each of these activities, of course besides your own talent and motivation.
Anyway you might be thinking that this is not a big deal and you can use football shoes or cleats for jogging and that you can use running shoes to play soccer. While it technically is not impossible, it’s definitely not recommended or practical in any way.
The fact of the matter is that there are a few crucial differences between football shoes and running shoes, differences which can make or break everything. Running shoes are ideal for running and football shoes are ideal for football. That’s just the way it is. Let us now answer this question; What is the difference between football shoes and running shoes?
The Cushioning
One of the biggest differences that can be seen between football shoes or cleats and running shoes has to do with the cushioning, especially in the heel of the shoe. Running involves repeated shocks or impacts to the heel of the foot.
Every time you take a step while running your heels take the brunt of the force, thus causing injury, pain, and stress, especially over a long period of time. For this reason running shoes have extra padding in the heel to compensate and combat the impact, something that is very important if you are running on hard surfaces.
Football shoes do not have nearly as much padding in the heel, this being because they aren’t solely designed for running. Plus playing football involves running on grass or AstroTurf and therefore does not cause nearly as much of an impact on your feet as running on a hard surface like a cement sidewalk.
The Tightness
Another big difference between running shoes and football shoes is in the way that they fit around your feet. Yes running shoes can be pretty tight, but they aren’t nearly as tight as cleats or football shoes. Running on grass and kicking around a hard ball means needing shoes that fit really closely around your feet, especially when playing a rough game with other people.
If a football shoe is not tight enough it might just fly off of your foot the next time that you go to kick the ball. On the other hand, running shoes don’t need to be as tight because you aren’t kicking a ball and as long as they stay on comfortably they don’t need to be locked onto your feet like a pair of football shoes.
Photo Credit: theydiffer.com
The Studs
The next big difference between running shoes and football shoes is that one has way better traction than the other. Playing football, or soccer as some call it, means running around on grass that is grown on dirt and is quite slippery.
Since the aim of the game is to be quick and get the ball in the net, it means that a player must be able to start and stop running quickly, not to mention being able to move from side to side in order to get around the opposition team. For that reason football shoes come with blades, studs, or spikes places along the bottom. The spikes dig into the dirt and grass in order to greatly improve traction on the football field.
On the other hand, running shoes are only used for running and most of the time it is on a relatively flat and smooth surface that is quite hard. As long as you aren’t running on ice or snow you don’t really need that much traction when it comes to your running shoes. Plus it would be very uncomfortable to run on a cement sidewalk with a bunch of spikes sticking out of the bottom of your running shoes. Running shoes will have light rubber on the sole in order to gain good traction on the sidewalk.
Photo Credit: www.soccer.com
Breathability
Another big difference between football shoes and running shoes is their breathability. Of course this is an important factor in both football and running, however much more so when it comes to long marathons and extended periods of running. Soccer or football shoes are quite breathable in order to provide some air flow and temperature regulation. However they are only meant to be worn for a couple hours at a time and thus it isn’t as important as for running.
Running can sometimes last for several hours, or in the case of a marathon it can last all day. Therefore having well ventilated feet is very important if you want to have a hope of outrunning several hundred other people. Having hot and sweaty feet can leave you with foot fungus or worse, thus adequate ventilation is a must for any avid runner.
The next difference between running shoes and football shoes is that running shoes have much more arch support. Arch support is perhaps the most important part of any shoe, especially the running shoe. Every foot is different and they all have slightly different shaped arches. No matter what the shape is, all of the arches in various feet need to be supported, something that couldn’t be more true than for extended periods of running.
Whether your arches are flat, over pronounced, or just perfect, too much running can cause arch pain, back pain, and even permanently change the shape of your feet. Therefore running shoes, since they are used for long periods of being on your feet, always have good arch support to keep your feet in proper form, position, and keep them pain free.
Arch support is still important when it comes to football shoes, but not nearly as much. This is because game of football only last for a little over 2 hours, plus running on grass or any other soft surface is not nearly as bad for the arches as a hard surface like cement, the surface which runners usually exercise on.
Precision Kicking
The final big difference between football shoes and running shoes is in their overall shape and their purpose. Running shoes are designed for running and therefore they are quite a bit wider to provide for a solid running base.
On the other hand, football shoes or cleats are designed for playing a sport with a ball and therefore they are a fair bit narrower in order to increase agility and the ability to turn quickly. Also football shoes are designed in order to handle a ball and to be able to do precision striking. A player can kick the ball with football shoes and be very accurate with their shot, unlike running shoes which due to their shape might send the ball flying in any direction.
Conclusion
As you can see, when it comes to the question of “what is the difference between football shoes and running shoes?” there are quite a few key point to keep in mind. Simply put, running shoes are designed for prolonged running or jogging on a hard surface and are designed with foot support and ultimate comfort in mind. On the other hand, football shoes are designed with the sport of football in mind and are therefore made to be able to do precision striking. Plus football shoes are also designed with traction in mind. If you have any questions, comments, or any other things that you would like to mention in regards to this question, we would be more than happy to hear from you.
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