Since the very first time man stepped onto a football pitch with a pair of football boots, mud has been one of the worst opponents. However, today Nike might have neutralized this opponent for good. This is the Anti-Clog Traction.
22.08.2016
Since the very first time man stepped onto a football pitch with a pair of football boots, mud has been one of the worst opponents. However, today Nike might have neutralized this opponent for good. This is the Anti-Clog Traction.
Let me paint a picture for you: You leave the training ground after a rainy and rather muddy session. You take your boots off and start clanking them together or maybe you try to use one of those half-ruined brushes to remove all the mud. What’s even worse, your training session went horrible as you couldn’t get any traction because of all the mud that clogged the cleats. Does it sound familiar?
I’m pretty sure it does. For centuries clogging has been an issue for footballers all around the world and it has kind of seemed as the issue has been accepted by everyone. But if there is one thing that Nike refuse to do, it’s to accept the status quo. A couple of years ago, Nike introduced their All Conditions Control, because football should be played in all conditions. Now you can take it to the next level by getting Nikes latest innovation: the Anti-Clog Traction football boots.
Over the course of two years Nike’s design, material and research teams have been working on this project to find a solution to a problem that most people would consider impossible.
“They leave the pitch preparing to habitually clean the mud out of their studs only to discover there’s almost no mud there. They can’t believe this is even possible, but it is.” Max Blau, VP of Nike Football Footwear.
Nike Anti-Clog Traction sole plates include an adaptive polymer that becomes compliant when exposed to water. The team of developers initially pursued a variety of mechanical and water-repellent solutions, but concluded none were viable solutions for the lifetime of the boots. Their next approach seemed counterintuitive, but ultimately proved effective. “We stopped thinking about repelling water and started thinking about using it to our advantage to create a lubricious layer, without sacrificing traction,” says Dr. Jeremy Walker, one of the PhDs working on the project. “Understanding the molecular structure of mud was key to developing a hydrophilic solution, which helps keep mud from clogging the plate.”
You can get the new Anti-Clog boots by clicking on this link right here.
