A human foot contains 26 bones, 33 joints and more than a 100 muscles, tendons and ligaments.

It requires the right care to prevent injuries that might affect footballers.

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Problems in picking the right football boots are often faced by parents who have children just starting out in football. Some take the easy route of buying branded and expensive boots, thinking that those boots can protect the feet and help them kick better.

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Here are 5 factors that should be considered when picking out the right football boots.

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1. INJURIES DUE TO ILL-FITTING BOOTS

Injuries that can happen include blisters, heel pain and plantar fascitis, calluses and ankle sprains. Despite not being considered a serious injury, it can affect a player's performance.

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2. TYPES OF PITCH

Pitch types in general are divided into firm ground, soft ground and artificial ground. The short form of firm ground is FG, which can often found written on shoe names such as Nike Phantom FG or Nike Vapor FG.

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So are soft ground or SG for short, and artificial ground or AG. Most football boots on the market are firm ground or FG.

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3. TYPES OF STUDS

Stud types can be divided into conical studs and blade studs. Conical studs offer more flexibility to your feet and help in twisting or changing directions.

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Blade studs offer better traction and are suitable for acceleration. Long studs are for soft ground and short studs are firm ground. Most football boots nowadays have both types of studs.

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4. PLAYING POSITIONS

A light pair of football boots is between 5 oz & 8 oz. Forward and midfielders need to have light boots so that it is easier for them to accelerate and change directions. As for defenders, they need football boots that can protect their feet better.

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5. MEASURE YOUR BOOT SIZE

The furthest toe needs to be between ¼ and ½ of the size of your thumb from the tip of the boot. Press the empty space on the tip. Make sure it is neither too tight nor too loose.

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The same goes for the gap between your heel and the back of the boot. If there's space as wide as your pinkie, the shoe isn't suitable to be used.

This health information is provided by Dr Abdul Razak Ahmad, team doctor of Johor Darul Ta'zim FC (JDT).

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