Soccer Cleats 101 Soccer Cleats News and Reviews
A few weeks back, Nike introduced us to the Spark Brilliance Pack; a collection of Red/White/Blue boots that would be worn by leading Nike Women’s players at the Olympics later this summer. Today, they added the final piece to the collection in the form of a heat-map style Magista Obra 2.
The Magista 2 is designed to emphasize an evolution in touch and traction, something that is reflected in the visual aesthetics. Designer Phil Woodman and his team re-imagined the original Magista silhouette (a design that, with its mid-height collar and Nike Flyknit technology, changed the look of footwear and redefined feel and touch on the pitch) to further the boot’s tactility and tighten the gap between the brain and ball.
We were focused on sensory amplification through feel. By delivering a better feel for the ball, players are able to confidently create on the pitch without distraction.
Nike researched which parts of the foot are most sensitive to touch and mapped those against high-touch zones gleaned from slow-motion film study of ball control. They then turned this into a heat map, with the more defined red areas representing slightly thicker material in that particular area.
As a result, the upper features peaks and troughs of varying dimensions. These peaks and troughs utilize the same amount of materials as the original Magista through the use of negative space. The highest peaks (4.5mm) are in the premium touch areas, aligned with where the foot should come in contact with the ball.
Designed to accommodate the shape of the ankle bone while leveraging a thicker Flyknit structure for additional coverage, the revamped collar also dips lower on the tendon for comfort. The tongue-less solution now features light padding under the laces for coverage in this high contact area.
Retail wise, July 23rd is the date when you will find them on the Nike Football App, with a full release on soccer.com set for the same time.
