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Blisters are painful, and they’re to be avoided at all costs. As well as being painful, blisters on your feet can cause you to miss soccer practice or matches through injury, so preventing them is important.
Here, we explain what causes blisters from soccer cleats and introduce you to six tips that will help you prevent them from appearing on your feet this season.
What causes blisters?
The main cause of blisters is friction. So, in terms of your soccer cleats, excess friction against the soles of your feet, your toes, or even your heels can lead to painful blisters.
If you don’t wear in a new pair of soccer cleats, you’re much more likely to suffer from blisters as a result, so it’s really important to follow the steps introduced below to prevent them.
What to do if you have a blister?
If you have a blister on your foot as a result of your soccer cleats, the best course of action is to leave it uncovered while avoiding pressure on the affected area.
From a soccer perspective, it’s best to avoid wearing cleats while you have blisters, which might mean a week on the sidelines until the blister has healed.
If a blister is causing you significant pain and has burst, it’s best to seek medical attention from your coach or a GP if you’re not with your soccer squad.
Six tips for preventing blisters from soccer cleats
While blisters can happen in soccer, here are six tips that will help to prevent blisters from soccer cleats:
Tip 1: Know your size
It might seem like an obvious place to start, but the best way to prevent your soccer cleats from causing blisters is to know your size.
Bear in mind that soccer cleats usually fit to size, so you don’t necessarily order a size up or a size down.
So, if you’re a US size 10 in your everyday shoes, you can usually order the same-sized cleats without any issues. While most brands of soccer cleats fit true to size, it’s always a good idea to keep your receipt and check the terms and conditions of any purchase to make sure you can return them if they don’t fit.
Of course, a good way to make sure that your chosen cleats fit is to try them on in a store before ordering them. You could always visit a sports store to try them on before ordering them online for cheaper if you find a better price on the internet!
Also, when you’re trying on soccer cleats, it makes sense to wear a pair of soccer socks. Soccer socks are typically thicker than gym socks, and they can make a big difference to the way that your cleats fit.
Tip 2: Buy good quality cleats
The quality of the cleats that you buy will make a big difference in whether or not they give you blisters. Cheap cleats made from low-quality materials (synthetic materials like plastic) are more likely to cause you problems.
This is because plastic cleats don’t typically mold to the shape of your feet, which leaves plenty of room for friction – which is the main source of blisters in footwear.
Ideally, you should look to buy a high-quality pair of soccer cleats made from leather, as they’re much more comfortable and will respond to the contours of your feet. While leather cleats cost more in the short term, they will save your feet from blisters, which is well worth the expense!
Tip 3: Wear them in
Once you have purchased your soccer cleats, you need to wear them in before using them for a soccer game. You can’t just pull them out of the box and head out onto the field in them, as your feet need some time to adapt to them.
To wear your soccer cleats in, begin by wearing them around the house or in the backyard. You can even keep them on your feet when you’re sitting at your desk or watching TV!
Once you’ve softened the leather, you can then wear them to soccer training ahead of a match. Consider wearing them for part of the session, keeping another pair of cleats or trainers at hand just in case you need to switch over.
Wearing cleats in is important as it softens them up and prevents some areas of friction within them that can easily lead to blisters.
Tip 4: Apply vaseline to the heels
There are several spots within soccer cleats that can cause blisters, but the heel of each cleat is perhaps the biggest offender. A great way to reduce friction at the back of your heels is to apply some vaseline to the inside of your cleats.
You can also apply some vaseline to the toe area of the inside of your cleats, and you can expect similar results. While not foolproof, I have found that applying vaseline to new soccer cleats in the past has helped me wear them in much more easily.
Tip 5: Use blister tape
Another option if you’re worried about developing blisters from your soccer cleats is to use blister tape. For less than $10, you can buy a roll of blister tape that will last you throughout the season, and it’s an excellent addition to your kit bag.
You don’t need to apply blister tape before every match; it’s just helpful to have while you’re still wearing a new pair of soccer cleats in.
Also, if you already have blisters on any part of your feet, you can apply the tape to offer some protection against further friction. Of course, blister tape doesn’t go to waste, and you can use it for other sports and for general use if you suffer from blisters in any other aspect of your day-to-day life.
Tip 6: Think about the surface you’re playing on
Something that soccer players sometimes forget to consider is the surface that they’re playing on before heading to a match. For instance, if you’re playing a match on a really hard surface, wearing metal stud soccer cleats isn’t a good idea, and it can cause blisters.
Equally, if you’re playing soccer on artificial grass, wearing any type of cleats can cause blisters, as the turf is unable to take a stud. Therefore, you need to think carefully about your choice of footwear for the different surfaces that you play on throughout the season.
This is why it’s helpful to have a couple of pairs of soccer cleats, so you can switch between the ideal type depending on the weather and surface that you’re playing on.
Recap: How to prevent blisters from soccer cleats
Typically in soccer, you are only likely to suffer from blisters if you don’t wear in a new pair of soccer cleats before wearing them for a game.
You also need to think about the surface that you’re playing on, as choosing the wrong footwear can potentially cause blisters, particularly if you wear studs on a hard surface.