The Predator Accuracy embodies the essence of a Predator
There are few topics that generate as much discourse in the football boot world than the debate – ”What Makes an adidas Predator?”
To some, a Predator is its own institution, like the Copa Mundial. All you need is the holy trinity of leather, rubber elements and blades. To others, it’s about putting together the best technology that adidas has to offer into one boot.
Since the return of the Predator in 2018, we’ve seen more of the latter, culminating in the Predator Edge that had a modern knit upper, extremely aggressive rubber elements, blades and even an innovative metal piece in the tooling for added power when striking the ball. A ton of technology crammed into one football boot.
With the launch of the Predator Accuracy, adidas has changed course, and taken the side of the purists. The Predator Accuracy retains the bladed tooling from the Edge, but has gone for a leather-like upper, and a more traditional placement for the rubber elements.
Is this a sign that adidas has sided with the purists by going back to leather(ish)? We lace up in the 20th edition of the mythical silo to find out.
Hello Hybridtouch my old friend
It was a surprise to see adidas return to an “older technology” in Hybridtouch when it came to the upper. First introduced in the 2014 Predator LZ, Hybridtouch is adidas’ take on what leather should be – if they made it in a lab.
The rubber elements on the boot have also undergone a revamp. Instead of the spikes or fins of the previous generations, adidas have strategically placed the new 3D soft rubber elements, called High Definition Grip, on the instep and the toe box area, focusing on parts of the foot that you’d strike the ball with.
On the outside, they’ve added some texturing for a tiny bit of grip on the ball when dribbling with the outside of your foot.
The tooling is the only part of the boot that survives the refresh, where the facet frame sole and angular studs return to provide dynamic traction for better movement on pitch. Power facet is also available again in the form of a weighted stud at the tip of the soleplate that redistributes weight towards the front of the boot to allow for extra momentum and oomph when swinging your foot.
Grip Socks recommended with the Predator Accuracy
The only minor complaint we had was the lower than usual cut around the heel of the Predator Accuracy. This meant that I didn’t feel as secure in the heel area as I’d like. As such, I’d definitely recommend using a pair of grip socks with the Predator Accuracy, although I suspect an additional lace hole for a runner’s loop would solve the issue too.
Sizing wise, we went true to size at US9. However, due to how wide the boot is, narrow footed players may want to consider going half size down.
Set Piece King
The first word that came to mind when I slipped the Predator Accuracy on was “comfort”.
We’re glad to report that adidas has fixed the less than ergonomic fit from the previous generations. No more pain from running in it and it’s a simpler, flatter insole. They’ve also added some padding on the inner lining for that extra bit of comfort.
The second word that comes to mind is “power”.
Maybe it’s a placebo effect from the Predator name, maybe it’s the on-feet comfort combined with the rubber and the bladed studs, but there’s just something about wearing a Predator Accuracy that makes you feel like you have a divine right to every set piece.
The combination of the various elements of the Predator Accuracy means you get a unique “OOMPH” when you strike the ball in the Predator Accuracy.
It begins with contact made with the Hybrid touch upper, where the inner lining also adds that bit of soft padding to take away the sting of the ball when shooting and controlling the ball.
Then you have the Predator rubber elements that give you the confidence to take more accurate shots by providing you with a mental image of the right part of the foot you should be striking with.
It should come as no surprise that when it comes to shooting in the Predator Accuracy, more is more. None of that modern day whipped or knuckle ball nonsense. The boot makes you want to put all your force into one goal, smashing the ball as hard as possible into the top corner. As a defensive midfielder, I found myself also gleefully getting stuck into multiple challenges in the middle of the pitch, feeling extra safe and protected from the old-school feeling upper.
It is a glorious return of the Power Boot and we absolutely love it.
Tooling
Blades have been a long-time request from Predator purists and it’s easy to understand why. An important part of shooting comes from the stability from your planted foot, and there’s no beating bladed studs for that.
However, blades also mean that the Predator Accuracy FG has some caveats on AG usage. If you’re playing on the newer and more plush AG pitches, you’re a-okay. But if you play on shallower or less maintained pitches, we would recommend going for the HG (hard ground) or turf variants of the Predator Accuracy which should alleviate stud pressure and make it safer to play on such pitches.
Oh, and if you’re afraid you’ll be missing out on the metal piece aka Power Facet on the FG tooling, don’t be. We tried on both the HG and the FG and barely felt a difference.
The adidas Predator Accuracy ushers in the return of power boots, we hope
One of the most common criticisms of a manager in football is their lack of a Plan B when things go wrong. But managers like Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp have often pushed back on that criticism, suggesting instead that what you need is better execution of your Plan A.
Similarly, the Predator Accuracy feels like a statement model for adidas as it looked like it was built on feedback of the good and bad of the last 3 models.
I’ve loved every moment I’ve spent in the Predator Accuracy, a nice return to the “old school” Predator. It performs extremely well on pitch and I think I’ve taken more shots at goal this year than I have in the whole of 2022.
But as good as the Accuracy is, it’s the idea of what’s coming next that excites us. When adidas strikes the perfect balance of what worked on the Predator Mutuator, Freak and Edge to give us the Modern Predator.
adidas, make this your Plan A. And stick to it because it is so good.
Thanks for the review. I’m having a really hard time with this predators in terms of mid-foot tighness, Are they breaking in some point? Besides, I use special insoles that are a bit bigger than normal.
Thanks
Hey JC, yeah it should be the insoles causing such issues. The boot is comfy and soft enough to be broken in from the start due to the synthetic leather and also the stretchy knit tongue.
I can imagine the insole taking up more space and causing the tightness.