Boots were supplied by Tokyo Football SG, socks worn are also available at Tokyo Football SG

Simplicity goes a long way

Back in 2018 Mizuno released the Mizuno Wave Cup remake. With much hype, the boot quickly sold out and is among the best boots Mizuno has ever produced. Lesser known however, is that Mizuno also made a turf version that was exclusively released in South East Asia. It has been a turf model I have wanted to get a hold of for the longest time and was able to grab a pair thanks to the people over at Tokyo Football SG. While the turf model is not made in Japan like the firm ground, there is still plenty of quality and comfort on offer.

Fit and Feel

Being a Mizuno boot, we should always start with the leather. Again, while the Mizuno Wave Cup Turf is not made in Japan, the leather is still very soft and pliable. The leather is among the softest in the market for a leather boot and only took about one session to break in. Perhaps this is unsurprising for a Mizuno product, but it is still nice for the boot to be so simple to break in. There have been no hot spots to speak of and the leather fits around the foot nicely.

Interestingly, while the boot does not seem to have the Wave system like its firm ground brother, there is still plenty of cushioning available without it. But it is not overly cushioned to the point that the boots feel clunky on feet. They hit this nice middle ground of the cushion being noticeable enough to provide comfort without feeling like you are carrying this extra weight around.

The fit of the turf model of the Wave Cup closely but not exactly follows that of the firm ground version. This is both a good thing, and well not a bad thing but different. For example, the leather not found on the forefoot is tougher and of a lower quality on the turf model which can be a negative except it does hold its shape better. And as far as the heel goes, the one complaint with the firm ground model is that the heel can become too soft after a while, whereas the turf model holds its shape better over time.

Unfortunately, the one main issue I have with the series as a whole is that the heel is a bit too wide for my heel. While this is not a problem for everyone, it is an issue for me and there is some slight heel slippage when making cuts. The flip side is that there are no hotspots on the heel and the overall comfort of the heel is very good, with the cushioning doing a great job of absorbing a lot of the impact that the heel takes during play. This was even true for the session I did on concrete, not that I recommend these for street ball as concrete wears out leather super quickly, it is good to know that the boots are good for a street session, if needed.

Since the fit of the Mizuno Wave Cup Turf is so close to that of the firm ground model, I went with the same size, which is true to size and the fit is perfect. So, if you are ordering a pair, go with your normal size.

Touch

The touch in the Wave Cup turf is excellent. Of course, not as nice as the more premium firm ground model, it is still really good and there is something to be said about how closely they try to mimic the same feel in the turf model. The leather has this lovely plushness to it that helps softly caress the ball, and gentler, tiny touches can really be appreciated in these.

For some reason, the stitching pattern on the forefoot seems to really accentuate the touch on the ball to the point that the Wave Cup turf has the one of the best touches on the ball out of any turf boot I have ever worn. As an aside, I feel the same way about the firm ground boots as well. Dribbling also has this interestingly great sensation and it feels like the more technical players will get a lot out of these boots, as once again the touch allows for this second skin feel.

Passing and Shooting

While for the most part this is a fairly straightforward affair, the fit, and the touch on the ball means that passing with the forefoot feels especially satisfying. The midfoot construction is stiffer than the firm ground model which does mean it is a bit tougher to get the same feel as the excellent forefoot, but this is somewhat understandable since the turf boots are normally made to take more of a beating.

Shooting in the Mizuno Wave Cup Turf is excellent. There is none of the pingy sensation like one gets from synthetic boots but there is a very enjoyable feeling when hitting the ball and the fact that the upper does not try to do anything crazy means that while it is a simple design, for more precise technique it goes a very long way.

Grip

The soleplate is surprisingly aggressive and is great even on thicker turf surfaces. It has enough grip to be used on hard ground surfaces as well. In fact, if you are looking to stop your boots from wearing out on sandier surfaces, it might be worth giving the Wave Cup turfs a go instead. On concrete, there is plenty of grip and there is a good feel for the ball on the bottom of the soleplate, though do be away that like any shoe worn on concrete will wear out quicker than normal. But the best case use is on some of those artificial pitches that have shorter artificial grass. There, the soleplate almost makes it feel like some sort of speed turf boot because of how much grip is available. I even used the boots on a carpet like surface and they feel great on even that surface, as well.

Conclusion

The Mizuno Wave Cup Turf is an excellent turf option not because it tries to do anything complicated but because it does the simple things better than most others on the market. Add that to the great fit and fantastic touch on the ball and you get one of the best go to turf options out there. It fits a variety of foot types and breaks in easily. Because of these reasons it has become my go to turf boot.

What do you think of the Mizuno Wave Cup Turf? Please share this with your friends and make sure to follow me on Instagram and Facebook! And if you are looking for a pair, make sure to contact Tokyo Football SG!

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