Review: adidas Predator Lethal Zones TRX Soccer Boot

Now available at World Soccer Shop and Kitbag, the adidas Predator Lethal Zones (LZ) is the twelfth soccer boot in the firm’s groundbreaking series since 1994. The latest has been on the market for a couple of months now and worn by world football stars such as Nani (Manchester United and Portugal), Robin van Persie (Manchester United and the Netherlands) and Xavi (FC Barcelona and Spain) since the leadup to EURO 2012.

Over the last month we’ve been trialing a pair of adidas Predator Lethal Zones TRX Hard Ground (HG) boots during our summer league, training sessions and pickup games. Here is what we thought.

Aesthetics
One thing that we’ve come to expect from the Predator series is a new and completely modern look with each release. The Predator LZ is no exception.

adidas opted for a bright metallic blue / navy blue colorway highlighted by infrared Lethal Zones panels and studs for the first colorway of the boot. The obligatory adidas stripes are placed diagonally from the heel to the midfoot area. This placement did take a while to grow on us as we are so used to the adidas stripes on the middle sides of their shoes.

When put together, the design elements of the boot work to create a good-looking and flashy boot that catches the eye even the sea of multicolored boots that you’ll find in any professional match nowadays.

Fit
The adidas Predator Lethal Zones is a true to size fitting boot. So if you are in market for one, get your normal boot size.

Since it is a non-speed and more of what we think is a combination of a power and control boot, the Predator LZ is well-padded on the inside and provides a quite snug, running shoe type fit. This is more so at the rear of the boot as the padding towards the front is less. This is presumably because of the Lethal Zones panels on the outside of the shoe.

Ride
The adidas Predator Lethal Zones boot does take a little while to get used. This is particularly the case if you’ve been using speed boots of the sub — 7 oz. in weight variety since the LZ weighs in at 8.0 oz. (a little below average for cleats nowadays).

It offers good flexibility towards the front of the foot and good stability and heel support. However, you may have to do some running with it to get used to a somewhat firm-feeling soleplate. About an hour of jogging and ballwork with the Predator LZ should be enough to get you used to it.

Finally, we’d be remiss to not add that the inner lining of the LZ is quite soft and comfortable towards the rear of the boot and very running shoe feel in nature. This is reminiscent of some of Umbro’s latest boots and indeed welcome!

Performance
The overall performance and touch of the adidas Predator LZ is centered around its five, super-light (SL) rubber and memory foam 3-D zones designed to improve ball control. Let’s have a look at our experiences with each one.

First Touch
Designed to provide optimum cushioning for trapping or one touch moves with the front of the foot, the First Touch area of the LZ works quite well. It does provide an excellent feel on the ball (though we are not sure how it works) to give you that extra fraction of a second to make a good pass, skills move or take a shot.

We found that it works quite well in helping you to gauge what weight to put on the ball for long shots and crosses made with the front of the foot.

Drive
Located on the all important instep, the Drive area of the adidas Predator Lethal Zones is the most pronounced of the five. We also found this to provide a nice advantage in taking long shots and making long range passes.

Given that this area is designed to create a rebound on the ball for maximum propulsion, we do not recommend trying trap a ball in this area unless you are wedging it into the ground.

Pass
This is our favorite Lethal Zone on the new Predator!

Essentially it is a protruded area of memory foam on the inner foot area intended to quickly kill the momentum of incoming ball and give you longer contact it for more accurate passes.

As it with ECZ pass pads on the Umbro Geometra and the Nike CTR series, the Pass Lethal Zone works and is very effective. The memory foam quickly absorbs the drive of the ball when trapping with the inside of the foot yet gives the wear the intimacy with the ball needed for some lovely Xavi-esque passes (particularly on the ground).

Dribble
This is a small area on the outside front of the adidas Predator Lethal Zones football boot that is supposed to aid in skills moves. However, we didn’t see any real benefit of it or better feel of the ball when doing fancy footwork in match or practice situations.

Sweet Spot
This is a set of raised 3-D ribs on the inner front of the boot that adidas says allows longer contact with the ball. While the Sweet Spot is located in the area used to deliver accurate curling shots and aerial passes, we didn’t see any advantage to having it other than providing a good visual cue as to where to hit the ball for a Beckhamesque curler. Thus, it’s a good training feature for those new to the game but didn’t do anything to enhance our tester’s game.

Summary
Overall the Predator Lethal Zones soccer boot is another solid effort from adidas. It offers the right combination of protection and low weight to be worn for any position on the field. The First Touch, Drive and Pass zones will enhance your game to some extent. If you’re a high level player, this boot is worth a look. If you’re a novice, try a cheaper version of the boot than the pro-grade TRX for a good training shoe that shoes you where to hit the ball for different types of passes and shots.

Check out our Football Boots section for more on the latest soccer footwear.