Mizuno Supersonic Wave II Football Boots - Blue/White/Blue
Increasingly, we're becoming more and more impressed with the football boots Mizuno are releasing. Their Morelia range is a benchmark for quality, the Ignitus has a growing army of fans thanks to some innovative technology, and now completing the trio is the new Mizuno Supersonic Wave II football boots, designed for the playmaker...
At first glance, the Blue/White/Blue Mizuno Supersonic Wave II football boots could be mistaken for just another leather football boot. But Mizuno have given us an insight to the incredible reseach and development that has gone into creating the Supersonic, it's fair to say every component hasn't happened by chance, as this boot is engineered to perform!
To create the Supersonic Wave II, Mizuno returned to the drawing board; to build the perfect boot for a 'playmaker' they first needed to understand the components that form their game. These were divided into four categories; Active, Distance, Movement and Acceleration.
The breakdown of these categories is that the 'playmaker' is the most active player on the pitch, expending the most energy, and spending the most time with the ball at their feet. Elite midfielders cover the most distance during a game, over 11km, making fit and comfort key. They produce over 1,500 subtle movements during the game, including change of direction, speed of movement and ball contact, so their boots require cushioning, flexibility and stability. Add to this that midfielders are involved in high intensity activity every 60 seconds and are sprinting on average every 4-5 minutes, making acceleration an essential part of their game. 
Having established these key areas, it was time to put the theory into practice and engineer the Mizuno Supersonic Wave II soccer cleats. As players use the lateral side of the foot for small touches to keep the ball closer to the foot, Mizuno introduced the feather touch system (FTS). Designed to reduce the rebound between ball and foot contact, Mizuno use two different types of memory sponge underneath the upper in the fore of the boot.
When you look down on the fore of the boot, the outside toe area ( marked FTS) uses a thicker 'low' rebound sponge and incorporates a micro fibre synthetic material stitched, as it's a thin material so improves the performance of the sponge. The rest of the fore area features a thinner 'high' rebound sponge, and as with the rest of the boot upper is made from a quality soft kangaroo leather.
For further ball control, Mizuno realised that you must be able to execute two key basic skills. Pull the ball towards and roll the ball away from the underside of the foot. The solution from the Mizuno Supersonic Wave II soccer shoes is the 'Tiger Claw' outsole, with the studs configured and shaped both conical and bladed to assist ball control. 
The outsole of the Mizuno Supersonic Wave II football boots are a great shouting point, because not only does it feature the 'Tiger Claw' stud configuration, but weighs in at only 80g, 40g lighter than the Nike CTR360! Other performance benefits include flex grooves, a reinforced midfoot and compact 'Wave' technology incorporated into the heel. 
With the continual movement of the 'playmaker', the main area of pressure is on the lateral side of the foot, caused mostly by the rapid change of direction. Which is why you'll find an additional piece of material stitched onto the upper between the toe and Mizuno logo, to wrap and support the foot. 
Overall, the Mizuno Supersonic Wave II football boots are a well researched and developed boot, and after undergoing extensive player testing in Italy are expected to hit the market from 1st July and can be pre-ordered today, costing around £120 GBP / $185 USD / €145 EURO.
Now you've had a look at the brand new Mizuno Supersonic Wave II football boots, are you a fan? Share your thoughts with the SoccerBible community online.
