How to Lace up Baseball Cleats

Baseball cleats are a type of shoe especially designed for playing the sport of baseball. They have metal or rubber spikes on the sole to help provide traction when running on a baseball diamond's sandy and sometimes slick surface.

Lacing up baseball cleats is very similar to lacing up tennis shoes, but doing it properly is important to provide maximum protection and comfort to feet during play.

Insert the ends of the laces into the set of holes on the cleat closest to the toe. The lace goes in from the top and is pulled through from underneath. Hold the two ends against each other to make sure that you have equal length on each side, and adjust as necessary.

Lace up the cleat by crossing the laces over each other diagonally through each hole. The lace goes through the underside of each hole, out the top and then under again for the next hole. For example, the first lace on the left will go through the next highest hole on the right and so on; then it will go through the next highest hole on the left. Lace up the holes on each side before moving to the next row. Pull the laces through snugly each time, but not so tight that you have difficulty getting your foot into the cleat.

Put the cleats on your feet once you have reached the top of the holes on both shoes.

Tie the laces snugly in a bow. Use a double-knot if necessary to provide a tight, comfortable fit.

Fold the top flap of the cleat down over the laces. This will cover up the knot and also provide extra padding for your foot in case a ball hits it in the course of game play.

Tips

You can also choose to put the flap down over the laces first and tie the knot over the top. Putting the laces under the flap ensures that the cleats are more snug on the foot and have a nicer appearance; putting the laces over the flap ensures that the flap stays down more securely. Baseball cleats come in numerous styles, including low-cut, high-top and mid-cut. Which cleat you choose determines how much ankle support and comfort you'll get, but it comes down to personal preference.