adiPower Predator

The adiPower Predator, the eleventh generation of the line, was about one thing: weight. Unveiled at a launch event in London in May 2011, it took the SprintFrame outsole from the F50 adiZero and, according to adidas, cut the weight of the boot by around a quarter.

It arrived at an awkward moment for the Predator. The F50 was adidas’s cutting-edge boot, and the whole market was racing to strip material away. The adiPower was the Predator’s answer: keep the power, lose the bulk.

Borrowing From the F50

The SprintFrame outsole was developed for the F50, and it was the major leap forward for the new Predator. It built stability through geometry rather than extra layers, which reduced materials and weight. The boot was also built on the same last as the F50 adiZero.

adidas’s US launch material gave the weight as 8.2 ounces, and launch coverage elsewhere put it at around 235 grams, roughly a quarter lighter than the Predator X. Other published figures run a little lower, so treat the weight as somewhere between about 220 and 235 grams.

The Predator Element, Reworked

adidas re-engineered the Predator element, the rubber zone that had defined the boot since 1994. Silicone rubber was positioned and tuned to create a uniform surface with a rebound effect, giving extra power behind a strike.

Elsewhere the adiPower kept what worked. PowerSpine stayed to reduce flex in the forefoot, and the upper used the Taurus calf leather first introduced on the Predator X. adidas added a soft Alcantara-style heel lining and a Traxion outsole configuration for grip.

The launch colourway was Blue/Electricity, a clear break from the black, white and red the Predator was known for. The boot pictured on this page is a different colourway.

Who Tested It

adidas said Nani, Xavi, Robin van Persie, Kaká and Steven Gerrard had tested the boot and fed into its development before debuting it that month.

Lighter Still: The SL

Within weeks adidas followed it with an SL version, built with a single-layer SprintSkin synthetic upper instead of leather. It weighed in the region of 211 grams, making it the lightest Predator yet. Naming varied: it is listed as the adiPower SL in some histories and the Kinetic SL in others.

The adiPower’s approach carried into the next generation, the Predator LZ of 2012, which kept the light build but brought the rubber zones back in force.

Frequently Asked Questions

What was the adiPower Predator?

The adiPower Predator was the eleventh generation of the adidas Predator, unveiled in May 2011. It was the lightest Predator to date, using the SprintFrame outsole from the F50 adiZero and a re-engineered Predator element.

How much did the adiPower Predator weigh?

Reported figures range from about 220 to 235 grams depending on the source and boot size. adidas’s own US launch material gave 8.2 ounces, and launch coverage elsewhere gave around 235 grams.

Was the adiPower Predator related to the F50?

In construction, yes. It used the F50 adiZero’s SprintFrame outsole and was built on the same last, which is why it felt so different from earlier Predators.

What replaced the adiPower Predator?

The Predator LZ, or “Lethal Zones”, arrived in 2012 as the twelfth generation of the line.

Read more: Predator X · Predator LZ · Xavi