Concave football boots have been around for a little while now, and
with two Manchester United footballers on their books, they're
certainly making a credible impression on the game. At the SoccerBible
we felt the time was right to take a good look at these innovative
football boots, and find out what all the fuss is about...
Concave are one of the new boys on the market, but rather than fall in-line with what already exists on the boots market, Concave have developed their own concepts and visions for what a football boot should be. The Concave vision is "to evolve the game and to inspire every footballer in the world through product excellence and technology innovation".
The top-end boot is the Concave PT+ Classic football boot, which is currently available in either a white or black colourway and will set you back around £115 GBP, which is a competitive price in the power and accuracy market.
To create the Concave PT+ Classic football boots, Concave acknowledged the modern design trends over the past few years, which have centered on creating lightweight boots which claim to increase player speed and mobility. The other trend is the change in construction materials on the boot uppers, seeking water resistance in wet conditions and increased tackiness in dry conditions.
Concave highlighted that there has been very little if anything in design that has focused on improving the quality of play or protection for the players’
feet. The mission was to deliver a performance based boot to the market, and the result is the Concave PT+ Classic football boots.
The stand-out feature of Concave football boots is the technology on the upper instep of the boots, which gives players the same type of increased “sweet spot” as an oversized head tennis racquet or a Big Bertha golf driver. The 'block', as we shall affectionately refer to it as, offers increased accuracy and greater velocity, resulting in more powerful, more confident play.
This sounds like a win-win situation, however the Concave element is a solid mass that is very difficult to flex, even when in-hand. The solidarity of this addition can impact on comfort and movement due to its' positioning, for example when on your toes the Concave element doesn't flex resulting in pressure being applied to the top of the foot.
Concave's ground-breaking and controversial design has been sanctioned by FIFA and UEFA, and has undergone extensive player testing before being unleashed on the boots market. Player testing has provided confirmation that the performance of the Concave boot was superior to traditional boots in respect to power, accuracy and overall feel.
An accuracy test was carried out by players shooting at a 1 metre target from a range of 18 metres. The results showed an improvement in accuracy of between 30 - 40% and an increase in power of approximately 15%-20%. Which means the Concave PT+ Classic football boots deliver a greater distance and accuracy in passing and shooting;
Less time for goalkeepers to react;
Less effort required to achieve the same result when passing and shooting.
All of these facts, figures and performance benefits are certainly impressive, but we still have a few practical issues. Such as, due to the Concave element the lacing system is limited to just three loops, which means you can't adjust and tighten the boot further down. Also, the Concave element creates a ridge so we wonder how this will affect ball direction and performance if you kick the ball on the edge of the element.
These gripes aside, we can't deny that the Concave PT+ Classic soccer shoes feature a sweet spot four times larger than that of any other boot on the market. The concave shape matches the circumference of a size 5 FIFA ball exactly, and the MetaGuard provides protection to the top of the foot and will appeal to the safety conscious customer and parent.
For comfort and performance the PT+ Classic is constructed using a soft kangaroo leather upper. This K leather upper offers maximum durability and comfort, with a soft toe area for ball feel and touch, stitched to maintain the boots shape.
The upper sits on a lightweight two-part injected TPU outsole, designed to spread the pressure around the footbed rather than onto any one point in the foot, protecting against injuries caused by turning quickly, or contact injuries. Which must account for the heel counter, which is relatively small and doesn't seem to offer substantial support.
The Concave PT+ Classic football boots are available in both firm and soft ground versions, with the firm ground featuring strategically placed bladed studs and the soft grounds featuring 7 studs, specifically designed for the soft UK pitches.
The Concave football boots have been a hit in the Premier League, and Concave can boast the likes of Wes Brown and John O'Shea of Manchester United as wearers. After signing up to be a Concave wearer, John O'Shea commented: “As a professional football player it is crucial that I wear a boot that can help maximise my performance on the pitch. I believe the Concave PT+ Classic is the next big thing in football.
“The boots are unique in design and offer exclusive technology which hasn’t been seen before. They offer me increased protection and confidence, and I hope to be wearing Concave for the rest of my career.”
The revolutionary Concave PT+ Classic football boots are characterised by the Concave element, a distinctive sweet spot four times larger than any other football boot. Together with the unique shape of the boot, Concave boast the PT+ Classic allows players to have 15 per cent more power, 30 per cent more control and far greater accuracy than anything else available on the market today, while also protecting against foot injuries.
The Concave PT+ Classic football boots certainly talk a good game, so we're keen to hear the opinions of any Concave wearers or just regular boot fans, to let us know what YOU think of these distinctive football boots...
