Let it grip!

Athleta has never been one of more popular brands when it comes to their football boots. While their apparel is by far their most popular line of products, and even their futsal shoes do well, their boots have always been somewhat of a minor thing within the brand. However, the fact that the sales of their boots are large enough to continue their investment in new tech shows that Athleta have managed to carve out a space for themselves in the extremely competitive Japanese market. The biggest piece of new tech on their boots is the WETSAND TEX, which is only found on the new Proxima. Promising grip in all conditions, it shows that the brand has been creating new tech in order to push for a bigger piece of the Japanese market. And the Proxima shows that Athleta does deserve to have a bigger space in the market.

Fit and Feel

The WETSAND TEX is easily the most obvious thing about the Athleta Proxima when first pulling them out of the box. It fully covers the entire upper and does have the texture of wet sand. So, there is that rough texture that you are probably imagining right now. Athleta goes a bit beyond that however as the material also has a waxy feel that is similar to the waxiness found on materials like GripKnit. Unlike GripKnit however, the upper of the Proxima is a synthetic.

With such a layer on top of the boot, it would make sense that the upper of the boots would be thicker than average, stiffer, and take longer to break in. Instead, the upper is pliable from the start and is quite thin. It is because of this combination that the Proxima breaks in easily, with the boots only needing a little over an hour to feel mostly broken in.

Another great thing about the Proxima is that the overall fit is quite forgiving in terms of width. There is plenty of width for wider footed players, while at the same time even my medium to narrow foot fits well in the boots. Even though the lacing system is not overly deep, the clever design and the placement of the stitching on the forefoot allows for the laces to be sinched up without causing bunching in the forefoot. This in turn allows for the forefoot to need no stitching for fitting purposes and not only gives the boot a cleaner look but also means there is less interruption in the forefoot.

Athleta has their GridShell system on their boots to help provide stability and support for the midfoot. While on their leather models the GridShell system works well because it is made of a more solid synthetic, the softer upper on the Proxima works to the disadvantage of this support structure and a slightly stiffer material would be a better design choice here.

However, the midfoot does offer good lockdown overall. This is because of a knit tunnel that Athleta put in this part of the boot. It is very similar to the Compression Fit Tunnel that is found on the current F50, but in a knit instead of a synthetic. There is a small X shape on top of the knit to stop it from overstretching. The knit is also thicker than what is found on a lot of other boots. At the same time, it also feels more premium than one would expect from a smaller brand like Athleta. The inclusion of an extra lacehole to do a runner’s knot is a small but very welcome inclusion. Another positive is that there are extra laceholes toward the bottom of the lacing system which allows people with wider feet to change the lacing set up so there is not as much pressure where their feet would probably be widest.

Athleta also deserves praise for how comfortable the heel is and there is plenty of cushion to make sure the level of comfort stays high. Unfortunately, this thickness leads to a problem. While the front half of the boot though the midsection has a thin upper and makes the Proxima feel sleek on feet, there is a lot of thickness around the ankles. While this does provide a lot of extra comfort, it does feel as if there is a bit too much cushioning and makes this area of the boot feel clunky. This is quite a juxtaposition from the rest of the boot. Athleta could probably halve the cushioning here and there would still be more than enough cushioning.

While the heel is very comfortable, it is also wider than a lot of other boots on the market. This issue is helpfully negated by the fact there is that extra lacehole for the runner’s knot, but it still can be somewhat noticeable when making really hard cuts. It seems like part of the reason for this decision is that the heel cup itself is very solid but given that a lot of players want some softness, especially in the upper part of the heel cup, a more pliable material would probably serve the Proxima better here.

For the sizing, just like every other boot in Athleta’s line up, they run around half a size long. So, make sure to go half down from your normal size when ordering these.

Touch

As one would expect given the look of the upper, the touch on the ball is consistent throughout the Athleta Proxima. But because of the grippy nature of the WETSAND TEX on the upper itself means there is plenty of grip available, even in wet conditions. There is a slight learning curve to get used to the upper, but much like GripKnit, once you get used to it, it almost feels magical on the ball.

This also means that trapping the ball feels awesome and puts you in seemingly total control of the ball. Much like other grip tech, it helps give a lot of confidence on the ball. The thin upper also means that the boots fairly barefoot and there is not a lot between the foot and the ball. Which is excellent. That, in combination with the upper not having much in way of stitching helps the upper feel more in tune with your feet.

Dribbling does take a little bit of getting used to because the upper is so grippy, but again, the upper being thin enough to almost give you a direct feel on the ball means that the ball is also easy to manipulate.

Passing and Shooting

So, this is where the fun really begins. The Athleta Proxima is a lot of fun to hit the ball. Driven passes, long balls, curled crosses, all feel awesome to do in the boots. The boots almost feel like they are actively encouraging the player to constantly put some sort of spin on the ball, and you can pull off some crazy bend in the boots.

Now, the upper is not so thin that it has that pingy sensation that some people like with their synthetic boots, but it is still more than thin enough to the point that one can feel the power when hitting the ball. I particularly really enjoy hitting trivelas in the boots as it does feel easier to pull off than in other boots.

Maybe the only drawback is the fact that the shorter studs do not anchor the foot into the ground as aggressively as something like a Predator, but it is good enough for what it does.

Grip

The studs on the Proxima are fairly short, which is to be expected of a brand that targets the Japanese market. This means that the boot is great on harder ground and artificial ground. It works decently enough on firm ground but anything softer and the studs do not have enough height for them to have the needed grip. However, since most people seem to be playing AG these days and not a lot of us have access to high-quality firm ground pitches, the stud length is more than acceptable.

The studs themselves are fairly basic in design, but I do appreciate the X shape in the studs as for me this mentally makes me feel like I can move the ball around better with the bottom of my feet. It is also appreciated that there is a rivet at the top of the toebox as this provides extra durability.

Overall, the soleplate also has good flexibility in the forefoot and plenty of stability in the midfoot and while the insole is also a little too basic, there is no stud pressure when running in the boots and helps provide that overall comfort that the boot’s design goes after.

Conclusion

While not perfect, the Athleta Proxima is a really enjoyable to play in because of the WETSAND TEX upper. It is really easy to pull off crazy curls on the ball and is almost the king of boots for trivelas. Athleta have brought an awesome boot to the market and if they could maybe just refine them a bit more, and cut down on the cushioning, they could have a dedicated following of boot nerds. This is especially true as Athleta have not comprised on their desire to make sure that there are boots that properly fit people with all types of foot shapes and widths. Overall, the Proxima is a fun boot that is worth a try, especially if you just want to have a bit of fun without sacrificing fit or quality.

What do you think of the Athleta Proxima? Please share this with your friends and make sure to follow me on Instagram!

Also, make sure to check out the podcast I co-host with Boot Wizard, The Football Boot Hour!

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