Getting started out with soccer
I kicked a soccer ball for the first time when I was about 3 years old. But before I kicked a soccer ball, I refused to kick a soccer ball.
My parents always tell the story of one of my first soccer “practices.” I was in a gym with a bunch of kids learning the basics of soccer. The first thing we were learning was how to properly kick the ball. The coach would walk around to watch each of us kick the ball and give feedback. When the coach came over and told me to kick the ball, I lifted my leg up and kept it there. He kept telling me to kick the ball and I just kept my leg up.
I’m sure I refused to kick the ball because I thought it was funny. (I think that’s a fair assumption because I still find it funny when looking back.) But I did become more serious about soccer as I got a bit older.
Starting to play soccer competitively
I started playing soccer competitively when I was 7 or 8. I was always one of the better players on my team. By the time I was a teenager, all I cared about was getting better and proving myself against the best competition in my state. Playing soccer in college became an obsession when I was in high school. I knew it was an attainable goal - I just needed to keep improving.
Developing an obsession with soccer cleats
As a soccer player, I felt like I needed the right cleats to obtain that extra competitive edge and reach my goal of playing college soccer. Lighter cleats to run faster. Thinner leather for better feel and ball control. Specific cleat patterns designed for people who played my position. Performance was my #1 consideration when buying cleats and #2 was a design that allowed me to express my individuality.
Since cleats were so important to me, I was always doing research. Surfing the internet to learn about new releases, going into stores to browse even when I didn’t need new cleats, asking teammates what they thought of their cleats, monitoring what my favorite pro players were wearing - the list goes on. Researching and shopping for cleats wasn’t a chore, it was a hobby.
The end of my competitive soccer career
During my senior year of high school I was invited to do a walk-on tryout at one of the best programs in the country. I received an offer from a smaller program. And I was confident that I would have been able to walk on about a bunch of other schools.
Despite this, I made the tough decision to end my soccer career and prioritize academics in college. I didn’t play soccer much in college, but when I did - I used a pair of cleats that I had bought in my junior year of high school. They were pretty beat up, but they lasted me all throughout college.
Picking soccer back up as a former competitive athlete
I joined a recreational soccer league with some coworkers in Chicago shortly after graduating from college. I dusted off my old soccer cleats and starting playing soccer regularly again. But one day I realized that multiple toes were coming out of the front of my cleats.
The next weekend I went to the nearest soccer specialty store to buy a new pair of cleats. As soon as I walked in the store I was overwhelmed. I hadn’t done research on cleats in years, so I had no idea how to find the right shoe. All the models had changed - new styles, new names, new technologies, new (higher) prices.
I didn’t know what features each cleat offered, but I did know what I liked in a soccer cleat. I asked a store employee for help in finding a cleat that met my criteria, but he wasn’t helpful at all. It was an entirely painful experience. I wanted a quality shoe - but I didn’t want to break the bank. I wanted something that I could buy again in a few years - not something that would be “upgraded” every 12 months. I now valued comfort over performance at all costs. Nothing in the store seemed to match those criteria.
The kernel of an idea
I left the store thinking that the soccer cleat market no longer served me. Since I had stopped playing soccer competitively, my needs had changed. Shortly after that experience I came up with an idea - a soccer cleat for former competitive players. Fairly priced, made sustainably and with high-quality materials, comfortable, minimal, consistent. A shoe that has everything you need and nothing else. At the time, the working name for the concept was Kanso - a Japanese word that can be translated to “simplicity.”
We made multiple pivots to land on our current idea - an all-purpose athletic shoe for kids that are getting started with sports. Read this blog to learn more about our pivots.
Comments