Never thought I’d have to do this, but hear we are talking about shoe tying tips for soccer players. You wouldn’t believe how many players shoes come untied at practice! Even high school kids… When watching them tie their shoes, they do all the twisting and and technical part, but at the very end barely pull the two loops. After that they’ll even do a double or triple knot, but still the laces come undone. There are a few other good tips needed to help them kick the ball and prevent injuries.
Most important part to keep your shoes tied
First, I want to recognize my friends in the UK who call soccer shoes ‘boots’…
American pro players and coaches call them boots too because they’ve been around the world and influenced by European football.
The reason why shoes come untied is because the last pull of the laces isn’t tight enough. If players could do this part they wouldn’t have an issue… But there are a few other tips when tying shoes that will help with shooting power and injury prevention, which you’ll read in the following subtitles.
No joke, but I have to tell a player to tie their shoe almost every day of the week… I don’t even tell them to tie their shoe anymore, instead I just say “shoe tying class tomorrow 2:30” and they just smile.
Learn how to take care of your feet and boots
Besides the tie, make sure every crossover ‘X’ is tight
What I mean by crossover is each X the laces make.
Example: When your shoes are tied, notice the 5-6 X’s with the single lace at the bottom that goes across.
From the bottom to the top of your laces, they all need to be tight. Not so much that it hurts or is uncomfortable, but you don’t want any slack.
You shouldn’t be able to fit your finger under each lace…
Definitely shouldn’t be able to stick your finger under them. So start from the bottom and work your way up, making sure each inch of the lace is tight.
If there is slack in the X’s you’ll lose power on your pass and shots. Not only will this affect your kick, but can give injuries.
You can also develop foot pain OR roll your ankle if your laces are not tied the right way. Our feet need to be snug inside the shoe.
You want your shoe to be snug and tight.
You’ll know what’s too much, but make sure you also know what’s too little.
3 ways to get more power and distance on your shot
Why the double knot isn’t needed
If you tie your shoe right, you don’t need a double knot.
What’s the point of a double knot if you can’t tie the knot tight?
The pros don’t double knot their boots/shoes, you don’t need to either.
Some shoe laces are harder to keep tied
Now don’t let this be your excuse:) But some laces [especially new] are harder to keep tied.
There’s also different materials…
The softer laces are easier to keep tied, compared to the rough/hard shoe laces.
It’s hard to describe, but maybe the new shoe lace oils make it more difficult to stay together.
Don’t forget the most important part
Kids can have a worse memory than old people so just one last reminder:
On the last part when you pull the loops, do it as tight as you can. This is the key!
Now it’s time to play:)
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