We’ve covered different topics on the site to get a sense for how long goalkeeper gloves are meant to last. There’s little question that as gloves start to show signs of wear and tear the grip level will also start to decrease. Knowing that, the answer to “do the type of goalkeeper gloves you wear impact your performance?” should be pretty clear … right? I wouldn’t be so sure, even the answer is yes there are multiple reasons why the gloves you wear could impact your performance. Grip is certainly a part of the equation, but it may not necessarily tell the whole story. Knowing this I want to take this article in a direction to figure what type of issues with your gloves could end up impacting your performance.
I’ve spoken maybe even ill of newer goalkeeper glove models, and falling victim to the trends of you will. In a sense I would have to admit that you can’t stay put and you need to be open to progress. Goalkeeper gloves are inevitably going to be thinner and thinner for example as the years go on. At this point though some of the newer gloves don’t do enough to soften the blow if you will. As I’ve mentioned in other articles these are issues that could directly impact your performance. In fact, they can put you in a position where you’re at a higher risk of injury. That’s just one example in which the answer to “do the type of goalkeeper gloves you wear impact your performance” is a yes. Yet, the answer has nothing to do with the fact that you’re wearing old gloves. It’s actually the opposite.
Do The Type of Goalkeeper Gloves You Wear Impact Your Performance? – What About Gloves Can Impact Your Performance
The first thing that people are going to think about is grip, and of course that’s one of the things that you have to account for. The thing about grip though is that grip isn’t always about your gloves being sticky. Sometimes the issue is that the cut that the gloves feature doesn’t necessarily benefit the contour of your fingers. Another issue that you may have to contend with is mobility of the fingers because of the aforementioned finger cut. Also, some gloves are a bit more bulky, these types of gloves usually help ensure that you don’t feel the burn from a really hard shot. That can help you even avoid injuries particularly if the glove features good grip support. Sometimes though having this means that you have to give up hand mobility and making clean saves can be tougher.
There are a lot of things that can be impacted by the gloves that you wear and how they fit. I’ve talked about this in other articles on the site, but the way that gloves fit could make injuries more common. That happens on both sides of the spectrum. With really tight gloves I had an issue because I felt my fingers were being pressed directly against the ground. With looser gloves wrist issues are more common. Finger problems can also occur with looser gloves. No matter how you look at it, it is important to make sure that you’re wearing gloves that you’re comfortable with and that fit you accordingly. Otherwise not only your performance can dip, but you may find that you’re at a higher risk of injury. That’s certainly not something that you want to deal with.
When Is It Ok To Change Gloves Due To Diminishing Grip?
Grip isn’t everything, but it is an important part of the equation for sure. To be completely honest this is going to be a really personal thing that each goalkeeper has to decide upon. When I talk about grip I usually refer back to the old school thought that gloves don’t necessarily need to be sticky. They need to be comfortable so that you can put your hands in the right position to make clean saves on a consistent basis. Now, for some of us we need them to be a little extra sticky because otherwise we don’t feel as confident making those clean catches. That’s really in my opinion where the problem lies.
You see, even some pros go through the whole year with a pair of gloves because they just love the way that they fit. They don’t care that the gloves maybe aren’t as sticky anymore. In fact, it could be a good idea to train with gloves that aren’t as sticky to get used to relying solely on your catching technique. For games though there are two moments when you may want to retire your gloves. Either they really just make it hard to grip the ball to the point where you feel they are more of a detriment to you. The second option is when you don’t feel comfortable wearing them anymore. It’s such a between the ears kind of thing that it’s hard to say throw them out when they start having little tears or wait until they are fully ripped up!
Do The Type of Goalkeeper Gloves You Wear Impact Your Performance – The Truth About Glove Cuts
Usually when goalkeeper glove manufacturers use this term they are just referring to the contour of the fingers that the gloves feature. Most goalkeeper gloves are going to have a winder finger protection area. This is meant to allow you as a goalkeeper to have “bigger” hands to play for one. Also, the larger area allows for the force of an impact to better dissipate throughout the glove. What you get with that is an easier time dealing with harder shots. The thing is, we don’t all have the same type of hand. There are cuts that just won’t feel comfortable for you because of the contour of your fingers.
This may not necessarily be a major issue when you’re starting out, but as time goes by and you start having injuries and fingers that twist one way or the other, finding the right fit can become more challenging. The moral of the story that I’m trying to get at here is that it’s usually not a good idea to force yourself to wear particular cut gloves just because they are fashionable. In fact, you’re going to be better served with lower quality gloves that fit you right. There are glove cuts that you may never feel comfortable with and those can impact your game because you’re never going to be comfortable making saves and catches while you’re wearing those gloves.
You Won’t Necessarily Find The Solution In A More Expensive Glove
Repeat that line to yourself as many times as you need to, to make sure that you get it! This is by the way not a personal criticism that I’m making of anyone. I am as guilty as the next person of this. You want to try the novelty glove and see how it fits and a lot of times we hope that doing so is going to improve our game. The fact of the matter is, more expensive gloves are not necessarily better gloves for you. Where does the difference in price usually lay? For the most part, we like to think at least that more expensive gloves are built with higher quality products.
The issue with goalkeeper gloves is that you can have the highest quality materials in a design that just doesn’t fit you. So at the end of the end of the day you could be paying more for a glove that will potentially increase your risk of injury and even impact your game in a negative way. That’s why I caution against falling for the marketing stunts that many of these goalkeeping gear manufacturers employ. If they make you want the glove the marketing department is doing their job the right way no doubt. You have to get to a point though where you know and understand what’s best for you. When you get that down then you can create a set of criteria that you’ll use to judge the gloves that you may encounter.
Noticing That You’re At A Higher Risk Of Injury
This may not necessarily fall directly into the question of do the type of goalkeeper gloves you wear impact your performance. Then again if you’re hurt all the time because of the gloves that you wear then definitely your performance is being impacted. There’s really no two ways about that. What are the key parts of gloves though that could put you at a higher risk of injury? We’ve already talked about a glove not fitting right for example. If it’s too loose you can twist your hand or your fingers and a ton of different issues can pop up from something like this. When they are too tight you could end up pushing your fingers down against the ground. That really hurts, and that can lead to different types of injuries as well.
The way that you’re able to strap the glove to your wrist is also key. This is another topic that I’ve covered extensively on the site. You need to make sure that your wrists are strong enough to withstand some of the harder shots that you may face. You can do that through tape or the actual strap that is on the glove. If the strap is no good then the glove is going to fit loose and you can come across some of the issues that we’ve already talked about. You can compensate for that by tapping your hands, but many goalkeepers, especially the young ones, don’t have the patience for that.
Good Technique Is Still The Best Thing We Can Preach
You can’t get around good technique. A goalkeeper with good technique with a bad glove is always going to be better than a goalkeeper with bad technique with a good glove. The reason here though why good technique is important in answering the type of goalkeeper gloves you wear impact your performance is because when you know and understand how it should feel for example to catch a ball cleanly you’ll get a better sense of what gloves are good for you. When you know this you can really tell when a bad glove is affecting your game. Can a good glove improve your game? There’s no doubt about that either.
If you feel that you’ve done everything that you can do and you still aren’t a natural catcher of the ball then go get a better glove. Again it’s part of knowing what technique should look like, as well as the limitations that you may have within your way of doing things. Now, I’m not saying that getting a sticky glove allows you to stop training and trying to develop your skills. It can serve as the safety net though. A lot of times good gloves can increase the confidence level of a goalkeeper, and that’s incredibly important.
Do The Type of Goalkeeper Gloves You Wear Impact Your Performance – Conclusion
If there is one thing that I would like people to take away from this it would be the fact that it’s not just the wear and tear on the gloves that could impact your game. Obviously losing grip is something that happens. The thing is, if you’re training and you’re playing constantly which I hope you are because that’s the only way to get better the grip is going to go. The key though is to find a glove model that fits your needs and wants. As I mentioned before it’s never a good idea to fall for brand marketing tactics.
In most of the articles that I talk about gloves, I usually never want to say this is good and this is bad. Just because the way that you may like your gloves to fit you can be 100% different to how I like things. When we take that into account what can be said is that if you want your gloves to not impact your performance you want to find a model that fits you. Ideally you’ll make sure that the gloves are well kept and in doing that you’ll pretty much be fine.
