What does Flyknit
mean for Hypervenom?
Flyknit has taken boot manufacturing to a new level. We used to be obsessed with how light the
boot is but Nike often reiterate their focus on three areas of the boot ‘Fit’
‘Touch’ and ‘Traction’. With Flyknit initially being introduced with the
Magista and now the Nike Mercurial Superfly, this leaves the industry
questioning what is next for Nike’s latest boot launch, the Hypervenom 2.
The Hypervenom boot originally replaced the Nike Total 90
boot which was worn by, and associated with, many big names in football
including Roberto Carlos, Luis Figo and Paul Scholes. However, the innovative team as Nike felt it
was time to shake the industry up and create a new range of boots to offer
athletes and customers – the HYPERVENOM.
The Hypervenom was born in Brazil with
Nikes next generation golden boy Neymar as the main public face of the boot.
This boot was created for the attacker, the dribbler, the agility players who
are deadly in the box. All skills which
characterised Neymar’s famous attacking nature.
The Hypervenom introduced many new qualities
to ponder over; the outside of the boot was made from a honeycomb like texture material
called ‘Nike skin’ which was unique and different from all other Nike football
boots to that date. Nike explained that
the softness of this skin provided the player with the perfect touch on the
ball. When putting the boot on the material stretches to the size and shape of
the player’s foot enabling the creation of the perfect mould to ensure an
ideal, individual fit. The boot also
advertises a new traction system that featured a split toe soleplate; a
soleplate that was made in conjunction with some of the world’s leading
podiatrists to give the player maximum ‘traction’ allowing footballers to be
agile in and around the box.
Finally, the design of the boot was radical yet very cool,
supporting a Lebron like Nike swoosh on the heel of the shoe, with the main
Nike swoosh placed on the inside of the foot rather than the standard swoosh on
the outside. The two tone colour way made the boots bright
and gave it a dynamic look on the pitch.
The boot was an immediate success and the quality of the
design is highlighted by the fact that some of Europe’s top strikers are still wearing
this model. This begs the question - what
is next for the Hypervenom?
Over this World Cup summer the football technology industry
has seen some outstanding breakthroughs in boot making. I did not think that Nike could not top the
fit and feel of the Hypervenom but, in my opinion, the Magista’s and Superfly
have now overtaken the Hypervenom when considering fit, feel and overall
performance.
The Magista and Superfly model offer Flyknit technology along
with brio cables and a thin layer of Nike skin which combine together to offer
a fit which is supernatural. In
addition, the dynamic collar really does make the boot feel like it is a true
extension of your leg, there is no distraction.
Personally, I am a big fan of the high collar, but I realise it is not
for everybody, as we have seen with Cristiano Ronaldo sporting a pair of custom
made Superfly boots which see the dynamic fit collar just below the ankle.
Would the Hypervenom be better with the technology advances
seen in the Magista’s and Superfly?
Definitely. I think the fit and feel could be improved
drastically by adding a couple of extra touches.
After wearing the Hypervenoms for a couple of weeks I found
the Nike Skin stretched and therefore the boot did not continue to give the
snug fitting feel created from the first wear.
This could be enhanced by the introduction of Brio Cables and Flyknit
technology alongside the Nike skin that the Hypervenoms currently possess. This will give the boot a better lock down
effect when turning and applying pressure to the sole plate ensuring that the
‘fit’ of the boot is consistent and reliable.
However, I would not suggest
that Nike go down the route of putting the dynamic fit collar onto the next
Hypervenom model. We have seen players
such as Zlatan Imbrahimovic, Cristiano Ronaldo and Pedro of FC Barcelona
decline dynamic collar option presented in the Superfly, instead opting for the
Vapor 10 boot. I feel the dynamic collar
is a little like Marmite, you either love it or hate it! Therefore, I think it would be foolish to
install the high collar on all of the premier models offered by Nike.
The Hypervenom 2 is a huge realise for
Nike and they have a hard act to follow after the first Hypervenom was such a
big hit with top level athletes and the general public. Can Nike top the first creation of this boot
with its next innovative edition of the Hypervenom? Many people will be intrigued to see what the
Nike team have up their sleeves for the next instalment of the attackers boot -
one thing that can be guaranteed is that the main focuses will still be ‘fit’
‘touch’ and ‘traction’.
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