Cleats
Cleats are sports shoes fitted with studs or blades on the sole to grip grass and soft ground, and can also mean the studs themselves.
Definition
Cleats are footwear with a pattern of studs, blades or spikes projecting from the sole to bite into grass, mud or artificial turf. The word is also used for the individual studs on the sole. By digging in, they give traction for running, turning and stopping quickly on surfaces where a flat shoe would slip.
They are standard kit in field sports such as football (where they are often called football boots or studs), American football, rugby, baseball and lacrosse. Stud shapes and lengths are matched to the surface and conditions — longer, fewer studs suit soft, wet pitches, while shorter, denser patterns suit firm ground and artificial turf.
Where you’ll hear “cleats”
Sports that use this term:
Football
The world’s most popular team sport — endless running, teamwork and community in one game.
American Football
A strategic, position-based team sport of set plays, sprinting and coordinated teamwork on a marked field.
Rugby
A physical team sport of carrying, passing and kicking an oval ball toward the opposing line.
Baseball
A bat-and-ball team sport where two sides alternate between batting and fielding to score runs.
How it connects
The meaning-bearing relationships that place Cleats in the wider knowledge graph — each one with the reason it exists.
Commonly confused with
Close enough to be mixed up — the distinction is worth knowing.
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Follow the threads that connect Cleats to the rest of SocialSportHub.
Beginner guides
- What to Bring to Your First SessionMost first sessions need far less than people expect — water, clothes you can move in, footwear that suits the surface and a few personal bits usually cover it, with any sport-specific kit noted on each sport's first-session page.
- Beginner Clothing and Equipment BasicsA calm, practical guide to what to wear and bring for a first session — comfort and freedom of movement first, borrow or hire before you buy, and footwear that matches the surface.
- Spending Wisely as a BeginnerYou rarely need to buy much to start a new sport, because borrowing, hiring, taster sessions and a little patience let you learn what genuinely matters before you spend.
- Your first football sessionA warm, practical picture of what actually happens when you turn up to your very first football session — how it runs, what surprises beginners, and how to enjoy it without any pressure.
- Your first running sessionA warm, honest picture of what a first running session actually feels like — so you can turn up relaxed, run at a comfortable effort, and enjoy it without any pressure to be fast.
Equipment
- Football boots (cleats)Studded footwear that grips the pitch for football and other field sports.
- Football (soccer ball)A round, inflated ball used to play association football and futsal.
- VolleyballA soft, inflated ball struck with the hands and arms in volleyball.
- Climbing shoesClose-fitting rubber-soled shoes that grip small holds in climbing and bouldering.
- Padel racketA solid, stringless perforated racket used to play padel.
Playing surfaces
- Artificial turfSynthetic grass, often filled with sand or rubber, that gives a firm, even, all-weather surface. It plays faster and truer than worn natural grass.
- GrassNatural turf grown on soil — the traditional surface for many field sports and, in tennis, a fast court with a low, skiddy bounce.
- TrailNatural off-road terrain of dirt, rock, roots, grass and mud that varies constantly and rewards surefootedness in trail running, mountain biking and hiking.
- SnowCompacted or natural snow on slopes and trails — a low-friction surface built for gliding, where skis, boards and runners slide fast over frozen ground.
- Synthetic trackAn all-weather rubberised athletics running surface — firm, springy and high-grip — giving sprinters and distance runners fast, consistent, predictable footing.
Tactics
- Counter-attackWinning the ball and moving forward at speed to attack before the opponent can reorganise their defence.
- High pressA football tactic where a team hunts the ball high up the pitch to win it back close to the opponent’s goal.
- Set-piece playRehearsed routines from a dead-ball situation such as a corner, free kick or throw-in used to create chances.
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How this page is maintained
- Content type
- Term
- Provenance
- Tier A — evergreen educational
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- Content updated
- 2026-08-04
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