RECENT RELEASES
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PUMA RAZZLE DAZZLE CAMOUFLAGE TEST SPEED BOOTS
We thought Adidas’ Lethal Zone teaser campaign was truly unique but now Puma have released a pair of boots that is just as unique – and a Limited Edition!
First spotted being worn and tested in training by Sergio Aguero, Puma have released a very limited number (50 each in the UK and USA) of what they have called the ‘Razzle Dazzle’ camouflage colourway – a test concept prototype for their upcoming speed boots.
The unique patterning is an innovative form of camouflage, previously used on military ships and was known as ‘Razzle Dazzle’. Its purpose was to confuse the enemy with a design which makes it difficult to know exactly the speed and direction it is moving and by car manufacturers when concealing a new model.
Masked in black and white, there is no hiding the potential of PUMA’s new Special Edition Speed Boot. Expect the final release to be a lightweight bott with a single-piece synthetic upper and an engineered outsole.
BOOT SPOTTING 12-13 MAY
After one of the most dramatic final days of the Premier League in history, we at TRW have set about to give you one final boot spot article from the Premier League’s weekend action.
We start with the boots that earned Manchester City the title. Sergio Aguero started the season in a host of different boots before finally signing for Puma and has since worn V1.11 boots. Aguero was spotted midweek in a fancy looking unreleased pair of Puma boots so we look forward to what the German brand has in store for the upcoming season and Euro 2012.
Puma have had a strong season with the likes of Aguero added to their roster. Michael Carrick has worn Puma boots for a number of seasons. Carrick had delayed a switch into Puma’s Blue/Black/White/Orange Powercat 1.12 colourway but made the switch on the final day of the season - perhaps because they match his United away kit so well.
With Euro 2012 around the corner there is a lot of debate about which England strikers Roy Hodgson will take with him to Poland and Ukraine. Jermain Defoe is one player who has impressed despite finding opportunities for game time proving few and far between. Defoe has switched between AdiZero II and MiCoach AdiZero boots since the latter’s release.
Another player who has divided opinion is Liverpool’s Andy Carroll. Carroll has hit good form recently for Liverpool and his inclusion would be less of a surprise now than it would have been a few months ago. Umbro would love to have the striker involved as he could then wear the St George collection Speciali III boots.
One player who many feel might be worth the risk is Norwich’s Grant Holt. Holt has had a hugely impressive season for Norwich and has been instrumental in helping the Canaries stay in the Top flight this season. Holt began the season in Umbro Stealth Pro II boots but ended in Nike Tiempo Legend IV boots.
Chelsea have had a strong end to the season and with 6 place secure chose to rest some key men ahead of their Champions league Final this coming weekend and give a few younger players a chance to impress. One of them was 21 year old Sam Hutchinson who made his first season start for the Blues wearing Adidas AdiPure 11Pro boots.
The Adidas Predator LZ has dominated our boot spots recently. This week a few more players caught the eye in Adidas’ 12th Predator. Everton’s Phil Jagielka has had rough season due to injuries. Jagielka will possibly miss out on the Euros due to this but may find himself paying for Team GB in the Olympics wearing the new Predator LZ.
Arsenal’s Laurent Koscielny had a slow start to his English Premier League career but since settling down has been part of the reason the Gunners had such a strong end to the season. Koscielny has worn Predator X, AdiPower Predators and now Predator LZ boots in his time at the Emirates.
Wigan escaped relegation for the 2nd season in a row thanks in part to Franco Di Santo. After failing to impress at Chelsea Di Santo moved to Wigan also wearing Predator X, AdiPower Predators and now Predator LZ boots.
Our final boot spot of the season is one of our favourites Jon Walters. Walters has featured in our articles a few times this season and once again caught our eye after wearing the new alternate Infrared/Black/White colourway.
ADIDAS ADIPURE 11PRO – BLUE/INFRARED/WHITE
Adidas have grabbed our attention with the release of the new Predator LZ and new AdiZero colourway and now we can complete the Euro 2012 line-up from Adidas with the new Blue/Infrared/White AdiPure 11Pro colourway. Adidas have some of the game’s biggest names on their books with the AdiPure range boosting the likes of Bastian Schweinsteiger, Frank Lampard and Xavi Alonso.
The AdiPure range is known for their comfort, style and touch. The upper is made of the highest quality Taurus leather providing excellent fit, comfort and ball feel. The Leather is also coated with an ultra-thin ‘Duracoating’ which protects the leather in areas of high abrasion.
A anatomically shaped midfoot ‘360’ support saddle adds midfoot stability during lateral movements. An anatomically moulded EVA insole assist movement and improve fit while a soft suede synthetic leather lining provides additional comfort, whilst reducing any foot movement within the boots for a more secure fit.
The AdiPure 11Pro’s SprintFrame features new three part dual cushioning Traxion studs which have an internal anti-shock tubes and high abrasion resistant ground contact layer. A FlexZone in on the forefoot ball area offer greater flexibility and aid linear motion. A split between the 3rd and 4th toes called PlusFlex aids ground adaption and provides a higher energy efficiency during later movements. As with all Adidas football boots now, the soleplate features a cavity for MiCoach technology.
PELE SPORTS TRINITY 3E K
Despite not having much of an on-field presence, Pele Sports football boots have quickly gained a solid reputation. The Trinity 3E is a genuine contender in the speed boot market and now Pele Sports gone to the next level by releasing the Trinity 3E K – the lightest leather boot in the world.
The Trinity 3E was developed to deliver comfort and maximum acceleration with a unique stud geometry that naturally decreases the risk of injury and enhances the speed and precision of your game.
The original Trinity 3E weighed just 158grams and featured a new generation speed upper Symbioskin – a tri-laminate material designed specifically for the Trinity 3E. Now however Pele sports have replaced the synthetic upper with a soft Kangaroo Leather upper which will undoubtedly aid comfort and ball feel.
The fibre reinforced lightweight polymer hybrid outsole is a dual density fabrication created through molecular manipulation that results in an optimised rigidity directly aligned to the biomechanics of the foot.
One of the most unique aspects of the Trinity 3E is the patented stud geometry which harnesses the natural mid-foot motion, ensuring the earliest possible force generation, accelerating your rapid response rate. The stud tips are created from an advanced binary compound has been specifically engineered to naturally resist and reduce the likelihood of a rolled ankle or ‘inversion’ injury.
Along with the Black/High Risk Red K-Leather colourway Pele Sports have also released a great looking White/Red colourway for the synthetic upper. With boots (especially in the speed category) receiving more and more outlandish colourways, it is nice to see a simple black and white colourway being released. However we do think these would look great with a splash of Adidas’ ‘Electricity’ or Puma’s ‘Parachute Purple’.
ADIDAS F50 ADIZERO MICOACH – INFRARED/BLUE/WHITE
Having gotten a sneak peak on the feet of Liverpool’s Stewart Downing in the FA Cup Final over the weekend, we can now fully reveal the new Adidas F50 AdiZero MiCoach colourway – which is set to be the lead f50 colourway for the European Championships.
Adidas have released some genuinely eye-catching colourways for the AdiZero over the past but have opted for a slightly more understated colourway ahead of the Euros with this Infrared/Blue/White colourway.
Adidas will hope for a similarly successful European Championship as they had back in 2010 when the AdiZero was released and took the World Cup by storm scoring a total of 43 goals on their way to becoming the tournament’s top scoring boot.
The F50 AdiZero MiCoach boots feature Adidas’ Sprintweb which provides stability during high speed movements. The lightweight Sprintskin upper is a revolutionary single layer synthetic which provides incredible ball-feeling and reduced weight. Adidas groundbreaking Sprintframe uses geometrics and new stud construction to offer the perfect balance between lightweight and stability.
This new colourway – which are available from 1st June – is set to have a big summer as the likes of Lukas Podolski, David Silva, Arjen Robben and Ashley Young will all be in adidas’ headline F50 Infrared/Blue/White colourway in Poland & Ukraine.
BOOT SPOTTING 5-6 MAY
This weekend had plenty of action and excitement to catch the eye but what stole the headlines was the new Adidas Predator LZ that made its official on-field debut this weekend. We love bringing you the best boots spots from the Premier League and once again we start the week off of with our famous Monday morning boot spots – or should we say LZ spots…
We start off with Steven Gerrard. The Liverpool captain was spotted in training wearing the new LZ but opted for his Black/Warning AdiPower Predators for the FA Cup Final. Gerrard is well known to be a fan of black boots and may actually take some convincing to into the LZ.
It looked as though we wouldn’t get to see the LZ in the FA Cup Final after both Gerrard and Cech wore AdiPowers but we did finally get out first glimpse of the Infrared/Black/White colourway when Dirk Kuyt came off the bench for the Reds. We are not surprised the Liverpool players were given the Infrared colourway rather than the Blue one as it goes perfectly with their Adidas home kit.
Scott Parker’s injury has allowed Brazilian Sandro to get an extended run in Spur’s midfield. Sandro went straight into the new LZ as Spurs took on Aston Villa at Villa Park.
Samir Nasri played a mokor part in the tease campaign of the new Predator LZ so it was no surprise to see the City midfielder wearing the new Bright Blue/Infrared/Collegiate Navy/White Predator.
We were a little surprise to see that Robin Van Perise was not involved in the LZ tease campaign. The Dutch forward has been in spectacular form this season in the AdiPower and continued that form in the LZ hitting a brace against Norwich on Saturday.
Van Perise was joined in the LZ by teammate Aaron Ramsey. Ramsey has been in the AdiPure 11 Pro since their release but has now made the switch from the AdiPure to the new Predator.
Possibly the most surprising LZ spotting of the weekend came in Everton’s game against Wolves. Nikica Jelavic has been a revelation since joining Everton. Jelavic has done all his scoring in Nike Tiempo Legend IV boots however this weekend Jelavic wore the new Predator LZ.
Although the LZ drew most of our attention it didn’t escape us that Stewart Downing gave a brand new AdiZero colourway their official debut. Downing came out in the new AdiZero colourway that Adidas have lined up as part of their European Championship range. Stay tuned to TRW as we will being you a full review of the new colourways soon.
Adidas released the White/Black/Red colourway as an alternate colourway that was not set for any on field support. They have however been worn by a few players in the Premier League such as Bolton’s Martin Petrov.
We were a little surprised to see Stoke’s Kenwayne Jones also sporting the alternate White/Black/Red AdiZero colourway. Jones has been wearing Nike Tiempo Legend IV boots but has switched from a leather to a synthetic boot.
ADIDAS PREDATOR LZ – INFRARED/WHITE/BLACK
No Predator release would be the same without a Black/Red/White colourway. The new Predator LZ has already broken the model in many ways has done so again with the release of the alternate Infrared/White/Black colourway.
The LZ is the 12th, weighs just225 grams and is most technologically advanced, unique looking and innovative Predator to ever be released. Five distinctive ‘lethal zones’ were developed in conjunction with some of the world’s leading players and aim to deliver greater ball control, touch, accuracy and power.
The ‘First Touch’ zone features recessed Predator SL rubber, which acts as a cushioning platform on the synthetic upper to give immediate ball contact. The raised, thicker 3-D shape on the inside vamp of the boot is known as the ‘Drive’ zone and follows the natural shape of the instep to create a rebound effect for greater distance and power.
The ‘Sweet Spot’ zone has a smaller surface area and has raised ribs on the medial side of the boot, with the purpose of generating greater spin and pace. The instep of the boots feature a ‘Pass’ zone with memory foam on the medial side of the boot to ensure consistency of passing, along with a 3-D sticky print with large surface area to increase ball contact time for more precise passing.
The ‘Dribble’ zone is a continuation of the SL rubber from the forefoot, to provide optimum grip on the ball for controlled dribbling. The ribs of the rubber are positioned on the lateral side of the boot and are designed to provide a small contact surface area with the ball which allow for a large number of quick ball contacts, spaced out to ensure optimum grip.
A newly engineered Hybridtouch upper combines the benefits of leather and synthetic – comfort, stability, reduced water uptake and the highest quality feel in all weather conditions. A Sprintframe construction uses geometrical learnings and offers the perfect balance between lightweight and stability. The Sprintframe outsoles to provides the Predator Lethal Zones with maximum grip and optimum pressure distribution on a firm or soft ground.
The Predator Lethal Zones joins the AdiZero and AdiPure 11Pro in offering miCoach support and is the first miCoach enabled Predator boot. Players can now track their performance stats such as distance, sprint count and maximum speed, then wirelessly transfer the data to a mobile phone or PC.
ADIDAS PREDATOR LETHAL ZONES UNLEASHED
After one of the most unique tease campaigns ever, Adidas have unveiled their 12th Predator – the most technologically advanced, unique looking and innovative Predator to ever be released.
Designed with five distinctive ‘lethal zones’ to deliver performance, the new Adidas Predator LZ was developed in conjunction with world-class players such as Van Persie (Arsenal FC), Xavi (FC Barcelona), Nasri (Manchester City FC), Nani (Manchester United FC) and Di Maria (FC Real Madrid), who tested and contributed valuable input to the development of the Predator LZ.
The eye-catching LZ features five zones of technology for ball control, touch, accuracy and power – all while still weighing in at an impressive 225 grams – making this boot a contender in the speed, control and power categories. The five deadly zones were highlighted in Adidas’ tease campaign and have been designed to master all aspects of your game.
The ‘First Touch’ zone, which was the first to be teased, sits on the forefoot area of the boots, and has recessed Predator SL rubber, which acts as a cushioning platform on the synthetic upper to give immediate ball contact.
The ‘Drive’ zone is raised and a thicker 3-D shape on the inside vamp of the boot, which follows the natural shape of the instep to create a rebound effect for greater distance and power.
The ‘Sweet Spot’ zone has a smaller surface area and has raised ribs on the medial side of the boot, with the purpose of generating greater spin and pace.
The ‘Pass’ zone is on the instep of the boots, with memory foam on the medial side of the boot to ensure consistency of passing, along with a 3-D sticky print with large surface area to increase ball contact time for more precise passing.
The ‘Dribble’ zone is a continuation of the SL rubber from the forefoot, to provide optimum grip on the ball for controlled dribbling. The ribs of the rubber are positioned on the lateral side of the boot and are designed to provide a small contact surface area with the ball which allow for a large number of quick ball contacts, spaced out to ensure optimum grip.
Supporting the five lethal zones is a newly engineered Hybridtouch upper which combines the benefits of leather and synthetic – comfort, stability, reduced water uptake and the highest quality feel in all weather conditions.
A Sprintframe construction uses geometrical learnings and offers the perfect balance between lightweight and stability. The Sprintframe was a game-changer when first launched on the F50 adizero range, and again comes in a choice of outsoles to provide these Predator Lethal Zones football boots with maximum grip and optimum pressure distribution on a firm or soft ground.
The Predator Lethal Zones joins the AdiZero and AdiPure 11Pro in offering miCoach support and is the first miCoach enabled Predator boot. Players can now track their performance stats such as distance, sprint count and maximum speed, then wirelessly transfer the data to a mobile phone or PC.
The new adidas Predator LZ football boots will debut on pitches across the globe this weekend in this Bright Blue/Infrared/Collegiate Navy/White colourway and are available to pre-order now ahead of being released on 1st June.
Arsenal star Robin Van Persie (who interestingly wore none of the teaser boots) said about the new boot; “If you want to be a top player it’s vital that you are an all-rounder and that’s what the new Predator Lethal Zones are about. The five areas on the boot cover where players touch and strike the ball and the design works to maximise accuracy, power and control. Based on my opinion, and the opinions of my fellow professional players, adidas have created the new Predator. It’s great that they listen to us carefully as we know how it should be and how it should feel and their expertise does the rest.”
ADIDAS PREDATOR LETHAL ZONES LAUNCH EVENT
Live event sees top footballers test their abilities against five deadly challenges
adidas yesterday launched the Predator Lethal Zones boot; the new boot was unleashed at a unique event pitting some of the best players in the World against each other in five deadly challenges designed to test every aspect of a player’s ability.
The launch event was created to showcase the capabilities of the new Predator Lethal Zones boot which is composed of five, super-light (SL) rubber and memory foam 3-D zones, each designed to support perfect ball control.
Leading global stars, including Manchester City’s Edin Dzeko and Manchester United’s Luis Nani and Tom Cleverly, took on the challenges and tested their abilities in the latest iteration of the World’s most famous football boot – the adidas Predator.
Luis Nani said from the event: “I’ve been involved in the design process for the new Predator Lethal Zones and I’m excited to see the final product and test it out across the 5 different zones. The boots are light, comfortable and help me with ball control whether I’m passing, shooting or dribbling.”
The five challenges at the specially converted venue in Manchester included;
Dribble Water Course; Designed around an automated slalom course to test the player’s fast paced dribbling abilities against a series of water blast sequences.
First Touch Air Cannon; Designed to test the player’s ability to control the ball at different heights and speeds, the First Touch Air Cannon Challenge will see a high-powered air cannon launch balls into the air for the players to control and then strike into two targets.
Sweet Spot Target Practice; Designed to demonstrate power and precision within a player’s passing, using the sweet spot zone to generate increased power without losing accuracy as they attempt to hit five static targets at different distances within a 30 second time window.
Drive Power Generation; Designed to test how much power players can generate using the raised and thicker 3-D shape on the forefoot, players will hit the ball as hard as they can into a specially designed pentagon that will measure and then display ball strike speed.
Pass Accuracy Showcase; Designed to test accuracy to the max, this challenge requires players to use the memory foam pad on the medial side of the boot to showcase their deadly control and accuracy.
“For the first time ever, Predator wearers have the complete weapon of control. We have been working with elite and amateur players for a number of years, and with Lethal Zones we have taken the Predator to a whole new level,” said Aubrey Dolan, product manager for Predator Lethal Zones.
