I want to be really honest with this article, when I first got the idea to put something out there about the goalkeeper gloves J4K sells, my experience with the brand was through the products that they sold on Amazon. My perception of these gloves was that they were manufactured for an audience that played recreational soccer only. I actually felt that they had done a good job attacking that niche. Since, if you looked for goalkeeper gloves on Amazon, that’s one of the first brands that popped up. Especially if you were looking for juniors gear. As I dug deeper into the brand I realized that in the months that it has taken me to get around to writing this article they’ve completely rejuvenated the brand.
In seeing this happen I had to update my experience because the article was going to be based on the gloves that I had tried from Amazon. Now, I had to order the newer models. Right off the bat, I was on the fence about the price tag on the options that they have. I think I understand what they are trying to do. In a sense what they’ve done is create a very extensive offering. The gloves are for the most part priced in that middle to low tier. This is a space within the goalkeeper gloves price ranges that I truly enjoy. You get that chance to find that diamond in the rough. In the sense that you’ll pay medium tier money for a glove that you can get premium use out of.
Goalkeeper Gloves J4K – Love & Hate Them As A Starters Model
There’s a generation of kids, at least in the US, playing recreational football whose first gloves are probably going to be one of the goalkeeper gloves J4K offers on Amazon. Some of the gloves that are still listed on Amazon are the typical gloves that seem to be designed by someone who never played between the sticks a day in their life. On the other hand the glove manufacturer has models that kids can start in at very reasonable prices on their page. These models are able to resemble what a professional goalkeeper glove looks like today. Right off the bat, if you’re interested in Goalkeeper gloves J4K makes you probably want to look at their official web page.
An update on this again, J4K goalkeeper gloves that they made for “recreational” purposes only have been all but whipped out from the listings on Amazon and eBay. That means that they have only kept the types of gloves that actually look like goalkeeper gloves. In my opinion that’s a smart move to legitimize the company. Particularly with the type of market that they are going after right now. This is a topic that I want to talk about extensively. In short though, they are trying to provide actual wearable gloves at a decent price tag. That decent price tag label seems to be something that other companies are not concerned with at all. The lower price gloves that Addidas, and Nike make for example, just don’t make the cut as modern gloves at all.
Finding A Model That You’re Comfortable With Can Be An Interesting Idea
Most of the options that J4K has in the market today are traditional cut gloves that are thicker than most of the modern options that are out there. These types of gloves are perfect for kids in my estimation. When you’re 4 years old up until your around 13 or 14 years old you are going to want to use a glove that has a bit more protection. I’m not talking about a hard backhand area or anything like that. I’m talking about a thicker palm, and a wrist strap that allows you to feel that your hand is stable within the glove. From there chose a finger cut that feels right. There are different cuts. Some of the modern looking ones may not be as ideal. Since they don’t really adapt to the shape of your finger.
Back to the thicker palm idea though, I recommend this because kids need more help dealing with hard shots. Even if they’ve been in training for years, just the natural strength levels that you’re going to have may make it more difficult for you to deal with harder shots. Modern cut gloves fit as if you put a sock puppet in your hand. That can give you way more control with your own hands. That means catching may become much easier. You’re going to feel more impact though on hard shots because they have a thinner palm area. Even with the shock absorbent materials that they claim to feature. These are all things that you may want to take into account before picking a glove.
Goalkeeper Gloves J4K – Why It Makes Sense To Try Them
Why is it a good idea to try goalkeeper gloves J4K offers? This is the part about quality gloves at a decent price that I’ve been wanting to get to. The problem with some of the top of the line goalkeeper glove options is that they cost a ton of money. When it’s all set and done they wear out at about the same rate as mid tier gloves do. Sometimes they can even wear out much quicker than some very expensive gloves. I would always recommend that you have gloves that can be considered decent at all times. Everyone’s financial situation is different, and my intention is not to put anyone down. The fact of the matter is though, that playing with ripped or just poor quality gloves is a negative handicap for that player. Finding mid priced decent gloves is a great idea.
That last statement is exactly why I believe that these gloves are worth a shot. Even though, many of the models that they offer seem to be very similar to each other, there are quite a few options to chose from. If you find a cut that you like on a glove that’s going to cost you around 40 dollars, that means these types of gloves can be perfect practice gloves. Paying that type of money every 3 months can make more sense than having to go out and spend over 100 dollars on practice gloves within the same time frame. Particularly if you’re going to be able to extract similar performance benefits from each option.
The Bad Part About The Rebranding
Overall, I’m very much ok with the fact that the goalkeeper gloves J4K offer have taken a step forward. Now they are bring more professional looking models to the table. They are trying to appeal to an audience that is already into goalkeeping. In my opinion some of the earlier models that I can across seemed to appeal to that parent that never played the game or played between the sticks. So he or she went and got the first goalkeeper gloves that popped up on Amazon. Without necessarily trying to figure out if those types of gloves were going to help their kids or not. The issue now though, is that they’ve entered a very competitive market. Fighting brands that are overall better recognized by the public.
For me the price range that these gloves are living in makes sense. As I mentioned before that mid level price range makes them an option that is worth trying. When I played professionally I would go out and buy gloves that were around 20 dollars at the time. I would use those as my practice gloves. I knew that since I had to use them on a daily basis they were going to get worn out quickly. Yet, it wasn’t a big deal if I had to pay an extra 20 dollars every month to get a new pair. I probably wouldn’t have been able to afford a monthly pair of 80 dollar gloves. Yes, lower ranks in the pros in my country in those days didn’t pay well! The price range that these gloves are in is highly competitive now.
Is The Easy Access To Spare Parts A Good Idea?
For me really this is something that’s gimmicky. Maybe that’s just because I’ve been brought up in consumerism! Actually that’s not accurate, my goalkeeper pants for example, have been in service for over a decade in some cases. When it comes to gloves though, if you’re really using them to the point where they can start out to wear out and you’re going to need replacements to the finger spines for example, that probably means that palm is worn out as well. If you’re going to need to perform a full replacement surgery on the glove to keep it going, does it not make more sense just to buy a new pair? It’s “nice” to have replacements available. There are freak accidents that happen, and you don’t want to have to throw out good gloves.
In my book though, it just does not make too much sense. Here’s another way to look at it. The gloves that typically take less of a beating are kids gloves. Mainly because the shots are not as hard, and you’re not hitting the ground with as much force when you dive when you’re little. So you won’t be dragging the palm across the ground. Kids though are going to grow out of their gloves after every season until they are around 14 or 15 years old. Some kids may even continue to grow out of their gloves until 18 or 20 years old even! The need for spares, at least in my experience is not extensive. When you come to that situation full replacement may make more sense.
How They Stack Up Against Other Brands
There should be no shame for J4K in admitting that their price tags make them a desirable option. They have traditional cut gloves that are great for people who are starting out playing the game at very reasonable prices. From 33 to around 47 dollars depending on the model that you want to buy. The options that many of the main brands have in that price range don’t feature the quality cut glove that J4K is offering. Also you can find more modern cut goalkeeper gloves J4K offers at around 50 plus dollars. Modern cut gloves from some of the main players in the industry can go for at least 80 dollars. Most of the options that you’re going to find go for over 100 dollars. As was mentioned the price tag really makes them a glove that is certainly worth trying out.
Goalkeeper Gloves J4K Conclusion
If you’re someone who is training every single day or every other day, any schedule that seems to put a ton of strain on your gloves, you want to consider getting a pair of these. Especially if you want to cut down on spending. You can have game gloves that come from other brands, and maybe cost you a ton more. If you can find though a J4K model that lines up with what you’re looking for you may have well struck gold. This is going to give you reliable training gloves that you can switch out when they wear out. Even if that happens in a month or two. As a bunch we goalkeepers tend to be superstitious and feature some loose screws upstairs.
If you’re like me you feel that grip can go even if the glove is not ripped. The counter argument to that is that you should rely on your technique and not on the latex. That’s true, but if you’re able to bring in new gloves, and that impacts your confidence in a positive way because you know you’ve got grip, and they don’t cost you that much, you’ve totally won the day. What many people fail to understand is that when you’re fighting for a roster spot or a starting role you can’t afford mistakes in training. At least as a goalkeeper you can’t. Always having great grip on your gloves is one of the ways that you can build up your confidence. In this case being able to do that without breaking the bank, again, to me is a massive win!
