A major improvement

ASICS has been on a good run recently. Their DS Light X fly Pro 2 is one of my favourite boots on the market and their DS Light X Fly 5 was my boot of the year last year. Slowly but surely the brand is beginning to increase in popularity and their line up is full of boots that were easy to recommend. Except for the Ultrezza series. The original Ultrezza was a good boot that had somewhat of a fanbase because of the support and comfort it offered. However, the Ultrezza 2 was a step backwards in some ways. The technology and support on the boot was good but the leather was so bad it was difficult to recommend it to anybody. With the release of the ASICS Ultrezza 3, ASICS have replaced the stiffer leather with a softer leather than not only feels much better, but also breaks in far easier.

Fit and Feel

Indeed, the leather is the most obvious change from the previous model, and it is the first thing that is noticeable when pulling the Ultrezza 3 out of the box. It is much softer than before and has a nice, plush feeling in hand. On feet, the leather is very soft and cushioned but not overly so. But the leather does feel like you can take some heavy tackles in the boots and come out unscathed. The way that the forefoot is stitched also helps the leather not feel overly bulbous and means there is a nice, comfortable fit on foot without any sloppiness.

The synthetic midfoot is stiffer than what is found on other ASICS boots, but it is not uncomfortable. In fact, the Motion Wrap tech in the midfoot means that there is good lockdown available here without feeling like it is constraining the foot. When added to the deep lacing system, this enables the Ultrezza 3 to seem like it will fit well for multiple foot types with few issues. It is also appreciated that ASICS once again has added an extra lacehole at the top of the foot which enables people to make a runner’s knot for even more lockdown.

Even without using a runner’s knot, the lockdown feels really good. Aside from the before mentioned Motion Wrap in the midfoot, the heel does a great job of locking the back of the foot in place without feeling too constrained. The heel and the rear of the inside of the boot has this very nice suede-like liner for extra comfort. There is also a good amount of cushioning in the heel itself which feels very nice on the back of the foot.

While the boots are slightly heavier for a modern boot (233 grams/8.22 ounces in a 27cm) they make up for it with the amount of support available. The insole is nicely cushioned, and the soleplate has no stud pressure on any surface. Of course, part of this support comes from the 5mm raised heel. The soleplate is very stiff and supportive in the midfoot thanks to the reinforcement on the bottom using ASICS’ Torque Truss technology. This allows the midfoot not to twist awkwardly and keeps the foot in a balanced position when running.

As far as sizing, I went with my normal size in ASICS, which is a half size down from my normal size and the fit is excellent.

Touch

The stitching in the forefoot lends itself to a very classy and cushioned touch on the ball. This does not mean that the forefoot is overly cushioned, but it does allow for a confident touch on the ball. It should be noted that the wider stitching pattern on the instep is softer than what is found on the outside of the foot. This softer instep allows for that softer touch when controlling the ball.

On the flip side, the narrower stitching on the outside of the foot is more firm meaning that dribbling with the ball does not feel as cushioned and there is a slightly thinner and closer one to one feel with the ball on this part of the foot.

However, the synthetic midfoot means that there is a completely different feel for the ball when using this part of the boot to control the ball. It is ever so slightly grippy on the ball, but the synthetic material is much thinner and there allows for a more barefoot feel on the ball. The synthetic material is not super thin so there is still a bit of material between the foot and the ball, but it still feels nice to control the ball on this part of the foot.

A quick aside about the soleplate, which has a few more studs than a normal firm ground plate. The ball feels very secure when manipulating or controlling the ball with the ball of the foot and maybe the only grip here is that I wish the bottom of the studs themselves were textured, as that would allow for better grip on the ball in adverse conditions.

Passing and Shooting

It would be fair to say that the ASICS Ultrezza 3 is a control boot/support boot and as such it will not blow anyone away with it comes to hitting the ball with any kind of power. Despite that, it is not in any way a bad performer and provides a good feel when passing the ball around. Of course, the leather forefoot definitely helps in this regard, and no one will be walking away disappointed with how the boot performs when it comes to knocking the ball around.

Shooting is not the most exciting affair, but it performs above average and gets the job done. Partially because of the heavier weight of the boot, there is somewhat a bit of power added when hitting the ball. What also helps is the fact that the soleplate provides a solid platform for the foot to sit on when hitting the ball. Since the soleplate is also very balanced, the foot does not feel awkward when hitting the ball. The rear studs also do a pretty decent job at keeping the foot anchored to the ground, which helps when hitting the ball with power.

Grip

If the soleplate has been mentioned maybe a bit too much, there is a good reason for that. It performs really well and is very comfortable to run in. ASICS have made the right choice to not change it from what was on the previous generation of the Ultrezza. This is because besides the comfort, it is also very agile in a lot of ways. This is not to say that the soleplate will provide the same sort of an experience that one would find on a speed boot, but rather that the forefoot is flexible enough to allow for a lot of different changes in direction.

The deep grooves that are located throughout the forefoot of the soleplate allows for easy change of direction without the foot feeling twisted or bent out of shape when making these changes in direction.

Little touches also make the soleplate on the Ultrezza 3 nicer. The fact that the rounded studs have a slight indentation in them means the studs distribute pressure better when used on artificial ground, in spite of the fact that they are just slightly taller than other boots with rounded studs. This also means that yes, the soleplate is excellent on multiple surfaces like hard ground, firm ground and artificial ground. It is very comfortable to play in.

Conclusion

While ASICS did not need to do a whole lot to improve on the previous generation of the Ultrezza, the Ultrezza 3 shows that they knew what improvements needed to be made to the boot to help it be the best version of itself. The new kangaroo leather forefoot is a massive improvement and feels great both in fit and touch on the ball. Add this to the other tech and support on the boot and what you have is a great performing boot that will not only keep the foot comfortable and supported but also can stand up to the rigors of the modern game.

What do you think of the ASICS Ultrezza 3? Make sure to share this with your friends and be sure to follow me on Instagram and Facebook!

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