26.05.2017
To create the products of the future, you must go back and take some inspiration from the past. To give their players agility like never before, adidas have delved into to the ritual of taping up. Time to meet and learn all the tech behind the adidas Nemeziz 17+ 360Agility…
Today is a very big day, as adidas have just presented their newest boot silo, which may very well turn out to be the biggest innovation of 2017. The new adidas Nemeziz 17+ 360Agility is an absolutely unprecedented piece of technology, which will be replacing the Messi collection and joining the adidas ACE and X as a main boot silo. There are just so many new and unseen ways of constructing a football boot used on this boot design that before we take you through it, we just have to mention that this boot really does work and everything you read, as outlandish as it sounds, all makes this boot one of the best we have ever tried in action.
The new adidas Nemeziz 17+ 360Agility is made for the nimble, light-footed and sharp reflexed players, who use these attributes in their play to dance past defences. They are true creators, who can strike from anywhere and at any time, which is why opponents fear them so much. Many defenders will remember the times they got outmanoeuvred so hard they were left on the floor and the experience will haunt them forever – just think of Jerome Boateng, who I’m sure won’t forget Leo Messi ever.
Speaking of Lionel Messi, he and the players he chooses to back will not be the only players to wear the adidas Nemeziz boots, as was the case with the Messi16 silo the Nemeziz replaces. Adidas have added more superstar names to the agility roster and that’s why you can also look forward to seeing this boot on the feet of players like Roberto Firmino and Renato Sanches. Exciting prospects in each their own way, but both absolutely fit the mantra of this new boot. Read this blog for an understanding of how the new boot is made and be sure to watch our full video adidas Nemeziz review, which is also featured in this blog.
To give this type of player a completely new way of experiencing agility, adidas have tapped into a common ritual in other physical sports and arts, which is wrapping your feet or hands in elastic tape. Boxers do it to stay strong and nimble, ballerinas do it for stability and to feel light-footed and martial artist do it to enhance their reflexes. All of these needs play a very big part in football and that is exactly what adidas have looked to unlock, with their new Nemeziz design, which features the 360 Agility bandage. The 360 Agility Bandage makes up the entire upper, and is a series of rubber bands inspired by medical taping. Medical taping is used by people to support and aid agile movements, which is exactly what the laceless bandage upper does here.
adidas have created a 17.1 version of the Nemeziz design, which does features laces on the upper, to complement the adidas Nemeziz 17+ 360Agility, but this 360 Agility Bandage and its elasticated nature means that the upper can be made entirely without laces on the 17+ version and with very strong lockdown too. Even when you pull on the boots and stretch the material, so you can get the boots on, you can feel how the material wants to compress and tighten for a personal and wrapped fit. The laced version is really only for people who like to keep it old school.
The material has been wrapped all the way around the boot, so it folds and sits anatomically correct. This means you really get that tight and strong fit, which so many people crave in their boots. I can honestly say that I have never experienced anything like this and certainly never support to this degree. The bandage is sown finely together and to give the boot construction more stability in key areas, adidas have added thin layers of silicone, where the adidas Nemeziz 17+ 360Agility upper needs to be stiffer.
Some of you may know the design behind adidas’ other laceless football, the ACE 17+ PureControl, or even have a pair yourself and know that they have an inner compression construction for lockdown, as they need that to give players enough stability. This is not the case with the laceless Nemeziz , which has plenty of lockdown and support for even your sharpest turns, thanks to the wrapped design. The upper of the boot is absolutely what makes it unique and although it sounds crazy that elasticated bandages alone can keep you locked in, this stands as living proof.
“Disruption is a part of my game. A player must attempt to make moves that their opponent isn’t expecting and needs to do so as quickly as possible. To be able to do that, you need complete confidence in your boots and the flexibility to move and adjust easily. The design of these boots is perfect for my game.” - Leo Messi
To leave defenders flailing on the deck and to become that true creator, you need traction. Lots and lots of powerful traction! To create a soleplate that did their revolutionising new upper justice, adidas designed the new Torsionframe outsole. The TPU sole features two strong torsion bars in the midfoot, which provide players with more responsiveness and crucially lots of kick-off.
To add to the acceleration from the torsion bars, the stud-configuration is made with semi-conical studs. The flat side of the half-moon shaped studs offer a strong and sharp kick-off from the ground, when you really want to launch yourself in a direction, while the conical side lets you move easily through the ground for smooth twists and turns. The angling of these two sides has been data-analysed extensively, which means the placement is far from random. This basically means you get none of the bad stuff and the best of every stud shape. VERDICT
Having to go back in their proud history and finding wrapping up for boxing, ballet or martial arts as inspiration for their new boot can only be described as a stroke of genius by the designers behind it. Wrapping up and preparing for battle is as much about mental focus as it is improving your physical performance, which is what makes it so fitting for football. I am insanely excited to see how people take to the new concept and especially looking forward to seeing the design in action. They look so sick!