Why do goalkeepers tape their fingers? Well, there’s no question that finger injuries are a possibility when you’re playing in goal. One of the more popular ways to either deal with existing finger injuries or try and prevent new ones from forming is to tape your fingers. This is actually something that you see a lot of professionals do and when you look into the amateur ranks it’s not such a common occurrence. A lot of things in goalkeeping are almost more of a myth than a reality. I’ve seen through the years some kids tape their fingers to try and mimic the professionals, but sometimes that can be a two-edged sword. If you’re going to decide that you want to tape your fingers you have to do it the right way.
When you’re going to go through the trouble of taping anything, fingers, ankles, wrists, or whatever it may be it’s important to make sure that you’re actually getting a benefit. I’m not going to talk about ankle wrapping because I’m not a trainer and there are plenty of videos out there about that. What I want to explore with fingers though is the actual benefit that you’ll be able to obtain. Also, if you need to think about using different types of gloves if you’re going to be taping your fingers.
I’ve talked about this in another article on the site, but I’ve been playing the position in different levels for going on 20 years now since I started as literally a child. I’ve never used tape on a consistent basis. I can cover some of the potential setbacks of not taping your fingers when you train or play. Here are some of the topics that I’m going to cover in this article.
- Why do goalkeepers tape their fingers: benefits
- How do goalkeepers tape their fingers?
- Would you need to change the type of glove that you wear if you’re going to tape your fingers?
- Getting into the habit of playing like this
- What happens if you don’t tape your fingers at all
- Would this be something that I recommend?
Why do goalkeepers tape their fingers: benefits
Potentially the benefits that you would obtain are a few. You’ll make it tougher for your fingers to bend in awkward positions. Which is, of course, the main cause of injury. In many ways what you’re trying to obtain with something like this is to be able to strengthen your grip. Potentially besides being able to prevent an injury they’ll the tape will be able to help you deal with harder incoming shots. Are those not the exact same benefits that you could be getting from gloves with finger support? Yes, those are going to be exactly the same type of benefits that you could be getting.
If there are these types of gloves out there why would you waste time and potentially even more money taping your fingers? I know it seems like I’m asking a rhetorical question here, but goalkeepers who prefer to tape their fingers rather than use these types of gloves have some decent points. With the tape, you’re going to be able to adjust the feel and the strength of the tape and you can actually change your feel within the same game. If you put the tape in a little too tight you can take it off and try again. With the glove, you’re going to have to adjust to what the manufacturer is providing.
Is there a potential to feel safer with the tape on than without it? There definitely is, just based on common sense if you’re adding support and that support is going to actually help you withstand any outside force it’s a positive thing. The key to the whole thing is to make sure that you’re taping your fingers in such a way that you are adding that support and you’re not making yourself uncomfortable. Is there scientific evidence to prove this makes a difference? In my research, I would say there isn’t conclusive evidence. If you find that tape feels comfortable do it.
How do goalkeepers tape their fingers?
There are actually different methods that you can use. Let’s go over some of the common things that people do that maybe don’t help as much. One of the common tape jobs that I see is just a little bit of tape right in the middle of your finger. What are you trying to achieve with this? If you have a blister and you want to protect it I guess it might help. I think that for the most part though, this is not something that’s going to work much. When we talk about adding support I would say that you need to tape the wrist reasonably tight and come from there to add a little bit of extra support to the finger area.
A lot of keepers end up just doing the simple middle of the finger tape job to avoid taping their thumb too tight. I totally agree with this if you tape your thumb too tight and you lose movement then the tape job can really hamper your ability to play. It should go without saying, but this can really be an issue. Just using the simple x method of taping you’re going to be able to add some of that support without losing much of the hand movement. Some keepers deal with taping around their thumb and that joint point with the rest of the hand. I never liked it because it was just too tight for me.
Speaking of something being too tight, you also need to find “tightness” that you can deal with. One of the common mistakes is tightening the tape too much and losing movement. If you leave it too loose it’s going to be coming off of your fingers especially if you’re taking your gloves off a lot or the glove itself is too loose on you. Yes, it can be very complicated.
Would you need to change the type of glove that you wear if you’re going to tape your fingers?
For me, if I was your parent goalkeeper coach or whatever it may be this would be the most concerning part. The main reason why I never used tape consistently was that I never found a perfect fit with a taping method and a glove. If you wear a really tight glove the tape has to be very light. How good is light tape really going to be? Another thing to consider is that even if you find the perfect fit there’s no guarantee that you’ll be able to find the perfect fit with the next generation of gloves that are going to come out next season. Like with a lot of things in goalkeeping you need to get a feel for your equipment. If taping your fingers get in the way of that is it really worth it?
I feel that the worst thing that you could do is go out and get looser gloves to be able to fit the tape in well. In many ways, this is going to lead to you relaying a lot on the tape to do the work instead of the glove. I just don’t feel that this is the best way to go about it. I can understand that some people are very much in a comfortable spot with the way that they tape their fingers. I just keep coming back to it making things more difficult for you at the end of the day. If changing gloves is something that you need to it could be good for you to ask why do goalkeepers tape their fingers.
Getting into the habit of playing like this
Here’s the main problem that I have with finger taping, it’s just all about consistency. I just don’t see particularly kids having the ability to be consistent with taping their fingers each and every day that they practice. I understand why pros do it. Many guys all they have to do all day is train a couple of hours a day. If you arrive at the facility early you can even get help from the trainer and you won’t have to do any of the taping yourself. When you’re a kid or you’re not a pro and you have other things to do sometimes you’re getting to practice right on time. In some cases, kids even skip stretching.
Come game day then, dad or mom wants their kid to look the part so they’ll tape their fingers on gameday. Why in the world would you change the feel that the player has for the ball? If you’re catching the ball just with the gloves all week you’re not going to get any benefits if you’re trying to catch the ball with taped fingers in the game. If anything your hands are going to feel stiff and sticky even.
I could say this about adding any type of gear to your kid on game day. A lot of times I’ve seen players come out with knee pads or helmets for games when they didn’t wear anything of that sort in practice. I can understand that a little bit if you’re on a hard surface or something like that. Even if you’re going to switch to shorts on gameday over the practice pants I get it. For the most part, though, try and mimic the practice feel in the game with the gear that you wear. If you’re going to tape your fingers it has to be a commitment. I just don’t see many players capable of making that commitment.
What happens if you don’t tape your fingers at all
I may not be as qualified to talk about the ways that you should be taping your fingers since this was something that I did very rarely throughout my career. If I remember correctly the issue was that I did suffer a broken finger when I was around 16 or 17 years old. I actually played through the broken finger, didn’t really do much to try and make things get better. At that time though I did try and tape my fingers to be able to help my pinky recover. As I’m writing this I’m remembering the pain and I can’t believe I played through it like if nothing happened.
You’re a bit more exposed to injury when you don’t tape your fingers or do anything to try and help your cause there. I do think that glove technology has advanced. At the time of my finger injury, I switched to the fingersave model of that year. Having the extra support I would say definitely helped me feel a lot more comfortable playing through the injury. The injury happened to me when I was wearing a very loose glove in general. I remember wearing that model. I had to start taping my wrist and then the pinky of course. I do think glove technology has changed to the point where you can find taping alternatives.
As far as long term damage goes I am the type of older goalkeeper with crooked fingers. I’m not that old so at this point, I don’t have too much trouble with my fingers being crooked. I do know a very old school goalkeeper. He’s a gentleman that played pro in maybe the 70’s I want to say. His fingers are a mess! In talking to him he did say he played through multiple fractures as well, and almost in the bare hands era of goalkeeping. If you’re an up and comer these days you won’t have an issue.
Would this be something that I recommend?
Ultimately then, would I recommend that you tape your fingers as a goalkeeper? As I mentioned my big issue is consistency. If you’re someone who is very consistent and can mimic the tapping technique that you like every time why not. The thing is, I really don’t think that many goalkeepers, especially ones at a young age, are going to have the time and the willingness to be able to be diligent about the way that they’re tapping themselves. That’s what leads to my next point. Glove technology these days is at a point where you can find gloves that have extra support on your fingers. If that’s what you’re trying to get with taping your fingers.
In case of an injury do I think it would make sense to tape your fingers? That one is actually tough. I don’t recommend playing through a broken finger unless you’re at a point in the season where you just have to give it a go. My issue was over the summer and continuing to play was one of the dumbest things I’ve ever done. Without proper rehab, my finger lost movement and is actually thicker than the finger on the other hand. You live with it, at the end of the day, it’s not a major issue for me. If you don’t have to play through, just sit it out.
Just to wrap things up I would say that for me the best idea is to try and find a glove that you feel comfortable with. That can be tough enough, then you want to add trying to find a taping method that you can also feel comfortable with. At the same time, of course, it has to be something that you can mimic quickly and on your own.
