As anyone who has very little experience in soccer (last time I played was at senior high school P.E.), you can only imagine how good that went.
The pitch, pardon the word, behind the Nike CTR360 Maestri III is that it was created for somebody who would define themselves as a maestro in the game. In to be a maestro, you have to be able to control the soccer ball with utmost precision and elegance not unlike what you would see during the famous Nike Freestyle commercials of some in the past. To do that, the Maestri III uses a Kanga-Lite II synthetic material for its upper, which was also known as the "3D control pad." This works best for people way more talented than I'm to completely have the ability to manipulate the ball in a manner that allows you avoid defenders and keep it in a safe position. The symmetrical lacing system allowed for the control pad to be even more prominently placed on the cleats.
During our tests using the Maestri III, it didn't feel like the ball was sticking with the cleats like the name implies, but it what it does do is rub resistant to the cleats softly and allows me to put my feet in a manner that it feels like I'm in total control after i take a shot at the goal. One from the drills asked us to kick the ball off several walls and whenever the ball returned to my feet, the padding managed to get seem like I had been able aim my shot much better than I'd have with any other shoe.
After we experienced a specific drill, the teachers would ask us to grab a sprig bottle and douse our feet in water for a few seconds. The idea was that despite the fact that our feet were wet, we'd not have the difference. To my surprise, that actually turned out to be the case. An evolution from the classic Nike All Conditions Gear concept, Nike All Conditions Control kept my feet dry even though my cleats were completely soaked. The ball felt slightly looser once the Maestri III was wet, but that may convey more to do with me being a soccer noob above all else.
After we completed all of our drills, it was time take the field for many brief seven-minute matches. As you might imagine when you are getting a bunch of journalists in the game, it was not even close to the "beautiful game" that people like to call soccer, but I felt extremely comfortable in the cleats. While I might not have any clue as to how to play defense (or offense) in soccer, I was capable of making a play for the ball when necessary with sharp cuts without feeling bogged down when I make use of a training shoe.
While I cannot speak for just about any other set of soccer cleats on the market, the Nike CTR360 Maestri III is a superb footwear no matter sport. The ease by which somebody slide in to the shoe and the comfort you feel while running the area causes it to be great for just training with or without a soccer ball.
The next review is based on a set of the Nike CTR360 Maestri III provided to us by Nike to test out around the Nike campus in Portland. The firm ground form of the cleats can be obtained now for pre-order for $200.00 at Nike's online shop and will ship on August 2nd.
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