Review: Concave PT Dome Indoor Soccer Shoes

Over the past week and a half we’ve been testing the Concave PT Dome indoor soccer shoe from Concave Sports.  This premium grade indoor shoe uses many of the technological features of one of our current favorite outdoor soccer boots — the Concave PT+. As such, the PT Dome does not disappoint and offers some innovation not seen in indoor soccer shoes for ages.

Here’s a brief description of the PT Dome from Concave Sports:

The PT Dome indoor shoe combines the best of Concave’s patented technologies built into a well-balanced boot for indoor football and urban use. Its unique 3-part sole contributes to maximum comfort and traction control.

Concave Component has two functional benefits – increased sweet spot surface area for ultimate power and precision and the MetaGuard for protection of the metatarsal region. The Concave is made up of a patented 3 density PU reinforcement cushioning with lightweight foam for high performance.

PT Dome’s unique sole is constructed from 3-parts with variable densities to aid in positive traction whilst contributing to maximum comfort and control.

Upper
The upper is made up of a soft Calfi leather and micro fibre combination.

Outsole
Lightweight 3-part forefoot and rear Rubber/Phylon sole plate contributing to maximum traction and balance.

Sock Liner
Removable 1 density Rubber/Phylon for added comfort.

The Test
When we got our Concave PT Dome shoes our late winter indoor soccer season was still in session.  Therefore, our test consisted of the following:

• One break-in session in which we ran some dribbling and shooting drills and practiced skills moves at the indoor facility
• Two indoor soccer league games

The venue that our league was held at used a hardwood surface also used for basketball and volleyball. Unfortunately, we were not able to test the Concave PT dome on artificial turf.

Aesthetics
We tested a pair of black and white Concave PT Dome shoes pictured above. The shoe also comes in several other colorways including black and red and white and red. All models feature the well-placed stripes seen throughout Concave’s 2010 shoe collection. We thought that those at the front added to the PT Dome’s appearance in a manner that gives them a trendy modern sports-inspired casual shoe-type appearance.  Overall, we thought that the Concave PT Dome is an eye-catching product that looks good on and off the court.

The Fit
Our tester usually wears US size 10 shoes but got size 9.5 Concave PT Dome shoes because of the soccer player preference for snug-fitting game footwear.

Because the wearer cannot readily adjust the shoe’s laces because of Concave’s sweetspot / MetaGuard, the Dome is a bit hard to slip on at first. This is especially so with the heel area. However, after using the shoe for a bit, it slips on more readily as the shoe molds to the wearer’s feet.

Once on the foot, the Concave PT Dome offers a much-welcomed glove like and extremely comfortable fit. Its sole was found to offer significantly more cushioning (particularly in the heel area) than most of the other indoor soccer shoes that we have tired.  Movement on the court (including side to side shuffles and dribbling) felt great and not as uncomfortable as with a typical flat-soled indoor shoe.

In-Game Performance
After our break-in session with the Concave PT Dome shoes, we were eager for some game action in them. We have been using the Concave PT+ boots outdoors all winter and were attuned to Concave’s core features.  Here’s what we found upon using the Concave PT Dome shoes in the much faster paced indoor environment.

Touch

As with its outdoors cousin, the Concave PT Dome offers an excellent touch. It worked well for trapping with the inside, outside and sole of the foot and for one touch passes. The padding built into the shoe worked well for the game speed of indoor soccer where the lack of space and faster-moving ball offers you less time for ball control and decision-making.

The Concave PT Dome also performed quite well for chipped shots and the odd indoor long crosses and lofted passes executed with the front inside area of the foot. At the same time, its stability and upper made it an instrument of accuracy for the low passes made with the inside of the foot that punctuate the indoor soccer game.

Finally, dribbling with the front of the foot is definitely enhanced with the Concave PT Dome. The shoe’s sweetspot / MetaGuard acts as a large surface that slightly cups the ball when moving with it. Thus more control is experienced even on lower friction indoor soccer surfaces.

Shooting

Concave boots’ increased sweet spot surface area is one of their statement features. Given the fact that we’ve been using the Concave PT+ outdoors since December 2009, we’ve become quite fond of it. On the feet an experienced soccer player in an indoor setting, the sweetspot of the Concave PT Dome can be a goalkeeper’s worst nightmare.

Indoor soccer shots are often much faster than outdoor shots because of the reduced playing surface resistance of hardwood courts and artificial turf compared to dirt and grass. Now imagine what happens when shooting the ball on such a surface with the front of the foot using a shoe that has an enlarged sweetspot that not only cradles the ball for more control but augments the power of the shot.

Of course, it takes practice to master the Concave enhanced sweetspot. We were quickly successful in slamming stinging shots at unsuspecting goalies because of our aforementioned experience with Concave boots. However, practice is important if you haven’t used them before to avoid the dreaded “all power but no accuracy” label.

Durability
We’ve logged about three hours of practice and game time in our Concave PT Dome shoes as our indoor season winds down. They’ve been run with, used for countless shots, passes and tackles and they have been stepped on many times. Nevertheless, the Concave PT Dome shoes have held up very well. We see no unusual wrinkling or shape distortion in them. All of the stitching and glue used to build the shoe appear to be intact to the naked eye. Thus, we are left to surmise that the Concave PT Dome is well-constructed and should stand the test of time for many more indoor soccer seasons.

Conclusion
Go to any amateur indoor soccer facility in the United States and you’ll most likely see a fair share of players wearing the legendary adidas Samba – a shoe that originated in 1950 which became popular among indoor players in the 1990s. This is indicative of the lack of modernization that has exists in the world of indoor soccer shoes.  Therefore, we were elated by fact that Concave has entered this space with the Concave PT Dome featuring its patented sweetspot and MetaGuard combination and a fair amount of sole cushioning. Based on our evaluation, it is one of the best indoor shoes on the market.

Check out more brand new footwear in our Football Boots section.