"Deadly Agility". This the buzz term that Nike wants to make synonymous with the new Hypervenom II football boot. Much like its forebear, this new iteration appears heavily focused on allowing players to move as freely as possible, as well as make quick cuts and jinks while taking on opposing players. While we'll still need to slip on a pair ourselves before we can say it lives up to Nike's billing, the company has explained the design process that went into the Hypervenom II.

Phil Woodman, Nike Football Footwear Designer says that part of that design process included "members of our team wearing white socks and spray painting them while their feet were flexed in various football-specific movements. As they unflexed their feet, the unpainted white lines identified prominent flex grooves. That exercise quickly escalated into visits to Nike’s Sport Research Lab to consult with our scientists on how the foot can best move with the boot for ultimate agility."

As a result, Nike's Flywire technology was specifically placed within certain portions of the boot, with a two-pronged effect. One, to keep the boot shape as sturdy and as firm as possible for protection. And two, to give footballers the greatest deal of flexibility while keeping the Hypervenom II as lightweight as possible. Along with the Flywire technology, the Hypervenom II is the first Nike football boot to incorporate both the Flyknit sock-like collar and NikeSkin with All Conditions Control (ACC) coating to the upper.

The Hypervenom II is slated to hit local stores on 4 June, with a grey and orange colourway for the men's boot, and blue with luminous yellow for the women's boot. As far as pricing goes, no word just yet, but we're expecting it to hit the R2 000 mark.