In the last five years, football innovation has really come on leaps and bounds, with every aspect of football technology being revisited to see what can be improved. The focused effort of Trusox and Nike are at the very forefront.
08.05.2016
In the last five years, football innovation has really come on leaps and bounds, with every aspect of football technology being revisited to see what can be improved. The focused effort of Trusox and Nike are at the very forefront.
There is no better example this evolution in the world of football technology than the Trusox, which since they were released have opened players eyes to the unquestionable benefits of improving the small margins in your game, which make a crucial impact. They have been completely unique in doing what they do, until early this spring, when Nike joined the arms race. We now take a closer look at what similarities and differences there are between the two products that look to achieve essentially the same thing.
Despite the brand being only a few years old Trusox have already built up a very loyal following, both of regular footballers and professionals at the very highest level of the game. Gareth Bale, Luis Suarez and Jamie Vardy are only a few of the players that swear by Trusox. I myself have been using them for years now and there really can be no doubting the effectiveness of them, because you instantly feel the loss of traction if you go back to wearing regular football socks again.
Although they will probably never admit it, I think if you ask any Nike Football designer, they would have to feel that when it comes to the performance value of football socks, they initially missed that this was an area with so much potential. However, following the Trusox revolution, they have thrown the full might of their innovation lab behind providing their athletes with exactly this and the result is the new NikeGrip technology.
When Nike put this much effort into creating something, you have to take notice and I have also been quick to purchase a pair of NikeGrip socks already and played a good couple of games in them. On the NikeGrip socks the grip effect is one you feel, but in a very different way and to a slightly lesser degree than with the pads on the Trusox.
NikeGrip socks give you their improved grip on your foot and boot in a far less apparent way, because their effectiveness comes from the material the sock itself is made from. Using an ultrafine polyester fiber, they have engineered the socks to create more contact points with the foot and boot, with a tire tread-like feeling. It’s certainly a much more advanced way of achieving the same goal, but the question is if the simpler way Trusox achieve it is ultimately better?
There are those who think the grip in the Trusox is a little too aggressive and distracting. For them the new NikeGrip socks are absolutely perfect, because they help stabilise your foot, while feeling softer and more comfortable.
Like with so many things, it’s down to personal preference and you will have to decide with yourself what you want the most - the strongest possible grip from Trusox or a more rounded sensation of stability in your boots with the NikeGrip socks. I for one can’t wait for EURO 2016, where we get to see if any Nike athletes make the move from Trusox to NikeGrip.