Baseball Youth Digest: Before you purchase a new pair of baseball cleats, there are certain things that you should know about the baseball shoes. These things are related to how the cleats are made and how to size your new game shoes. This article lists and explains 6 important things that every baseball player, coach, and parent should know about baseball cleats.

Before you buy a new pair of baseball shoes, make sure to read and know the following facts about baseball shoes:

1. You should know the rules that you must comply with as they regard cleat length and kinds of cleats allowed. Some leagues do not allow players to wear metal cleats. The length of your cleats or studs must comply with league and association safety rules. Most leagues have a 1/2 inch length rule. Younger kids should have shorter studs to add stability and prevent turning of the ankles.

2. Molded baseball cleats have studs that are molded of plastic, rubber, or other urethane material. These studs or “cleats” are attached permanently to the sole of the baseball shoe. These molded cleats are usually made to last one season. Rubber molded cleats are recommended for use on hard surfaces. Molded baseball cleats are cheaper than detachable cleats.

3. Detachable baseball cleats have studs that can be removed and replaced with other stud designs. Replacement cleats have considerably less durability than permanent cleats. It is important to frequently check the detachable cleats because a gap between the sole and the stud does exist. Detachable cleats can be used for longer periods of times because the studs can be changed and replaced.

4. Combination baseball cleats use both metal and plastic cleats, as well as cleats of different shapes and lengths. Combination baseball cleats are used in wet and extremely muddy conditions. Combination baseball cleats provide excellent traction and control in slippery turf conditions.

5. Baseball players with speed often size their baseball cleats a 1/2 size smaller than their normal shoe size. Under or tight sizing your baseball shoes 1/2 size keeps the foot snug in the shoe. This snug fit prevents a sliding or slipping motion of the players socked feet inside the shoe when the runner accelerates to steal a base.

6. Make sure to lace your shoe tightly to insure a snug fit. As said before, a snug shoe reacts better to the movement of the foot inside the shoe. Many players are buying shoe designs with Velcro rather than shoe laces. They feel that Velcro can be use to get a tighter “lace up”. Velcro also does not come untied like regular shoe strings or laces.

For more great articles on coaching and playing baseball visit the Baseball Coaching Digest, Youth Baseball Digest, Baseball Parent Guide, and the Little League Digest. Good luck to you and your team. Have a great day, Nick

The CoachesBest Baseball Store has a great selection of 1400 Baseball Products. Check out the BatAction Hitting Machine baseball pitching simulator. This high speed training machine is 100% Guaranteed to raise Batting Averages and has a full year warranty.

Nick Dixon is the President and founder of Nedco Sports, a sports training company established in 1999. Dixon is also an active and full time high school baseball coach with over 25 years experience. Coach Dixon is better known as the inventor of the BatAction Hitting Machine, the SKLZ Derek Jeter Hurricane Hitting Machine, the SKLZ Target Trainer, the SKLZ Derek Jeter ZipnHit Pro, and the SKLZ Strikeback Trainer. Dixon is also a contributing writer for BaseballCoachingDigest, the Youth Baseball Digest, the Baseball Parent Guide, the Baseball 2Day Coaches Journal, and Blog4Coaches.

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