When you’re out there shopping for goalkeeper gloves you’re often going to see that certain options are labeled as pro gloves. Others are going to be labeled as training options. In some cases there is actually an amateur label slapped at the end of the name of the glove. This maybe doesn’t explain things as clearly as it should, so I’m going to use a real world example. We have the Training Predator Goalie Gloves versus the Match Fingersave Goalie Predator Gloves. The first picture are the training gloves and the second picture will be the match version.
The difference between the two gloves is pretty obvious in this example. When you look at the training gloves you’ll notice that they are considerably thinner than their match counterparts. If we throw in the Pro version of the gloves you’ll realize that each of the gloves is completely different. This is very typical of Adidas goalkeeper gloves. Anything slapped with a training label is essentially the lowest quality product that you can buy from that brand. Match labeled items are a little better, and pro options are going to be the highest standard for the brand. I like this Adidas example because it’s clear as day which one is better than the other.
When it comes to certain brands though the difference is not as clear. At least it won’t be to the naked eye and particularly to someone who is not well versed in the art of buying goalkeeper gloves. Not to worry though that’s why I want to help out. There are usually specific differences between pro goalkeeper gloves vs amateur or replica options. You just have to know what you’re looking for.
Key Elements That Can Help You Spot The Differences
If you’ve read through some of my articles on the site you know that I like to talk about the thickness of goalkeeper gloves. How you want the glove to be thick enough to be able to help you deal with hard shots. As we can see from exhibit A here which are the training predator goalkeeper gloves these are paper thin. Even though modern gloves have gotten a bit thinner there’s still some “thickness” if you will, particularly around the finger area. Another thing that’s maybe not as evident in the Adidas option is the entire design that goes into the contour of the glove. Primitive gloves or maybe more so what we had in the 80s and 90s were very square; there was no effort put into glove cut particularly in the finger area.
What you end up with are gloves that are just completely square with the fingers cut out of them. Almost like if you gave a kindergartener some paper and asked to cut out goalkeeper gloves for you. Most of us in kindergarten would’ve probably cut out this very basic design. Actually mine would’ve probably been worse, I’ve always been awful at these types of activities. In any case the design and the thickness of the gloves allows you to get a sense for the quality of the glove. Obviously another big difference is going to the quality of the materials that are used in both the palm and the backhand area. For the most part though, cheap gloves go to a primitive design and that allows you to see that they’re not necessarily going to help you maximize your potential.
What’s Wrong With Amateur or Replica Options?
This is an important thing to point out. There’s nothing inertly wrong with these gloves. Would I rather be bare handed or have these gloves? For the most part I’m picking these gloves. The “problem” that I always talk about particularly for young keepers is that you’re not getting the safety benefits of better quality gloves. It’s a little bit like sending your kid roller skating with smaller knee pads than he or she needs. It’s better than nothing, but it’s not ideal. You’d most likely want to make sure that you’re sending them out there with the right gear. Even if in this example I would have to admit that it’s a bit more dangerous to go out roller skating without the right gear than it is to play goalkeeper with subpar gloves.
There are actually people out there that argue that kids should start with cheap gloves. Particularly in this era in which goalkeeper gloves have gotten extremely sticky, and that has led goalkeeper to rely more on the sticky gloves than their own technique. I would actually agree with this assessment. In fact, there’s really not that many good reasons particularly for kids to get high-end gloves. There are plenty of middle of the pack options though, perhaps like the Match Fingersave Goalie Predator Gloves that I referenced above. These can provide a decent level of protection particularly against finger and wrist injuries. While at the same time still forcing you to rely on your technique to make clean catches and not just the stickiness of a glove.
Are Pro Goalkeeper Gloves Really Worth It?
It’s a yes and no answer here, and there are a few reasons why this is the case. For one not all of the goalkeeper gloves that you’re going to find out there labeled as Pro goalkeeper gloves are going to fit you. It seems like I can’t go one article without referencing my crusade against goalkeeper gloves without a wrist strap. A lot of the modern pro gloves have adopted this trend of offering gloves without a wrist strap. For me personally that puts me at a greater risk or wrist injury than I want to be. So there are going to be pro goalkeeper glove models that are not going to be worth it for me at all.
Another reason why they may not be worth it is because you’re using them for training, and you’re training in an environment that’s not overly competitive. Let’s say for example that you have private goalkeeping lessons. Those can be super valuable, don’t get me wrong, but if you make mistakes in those it’s ok. In fact, in a sense if you’re going to make a mistake it should be there. It doesn’t make sense to tear up your 150 to 200 dollar pro gloves in those training sessions. Pro gloves make sense for games and for moments when you can’t afford to make mistakes. When you need that extra grip that the pro gloves provide to throw you a lifeline.
Let’s say that you’re in a position battle with another goalkeeper during training. You’re going to want that extra grip every single day because you have to bring your best to win. Games and those situations are when pro gloves do make a lot of sense. You need a glove though that fits you.
Why Falling In Love With Specific Brands Can Be A Problem
A couple of days ago I wrote an article about Adidas gloves for youngsters and one of the things I talked about was developing a sense of understanding between yourself and your glove. So essentially building brand loyalty can be a good thing. I stand by that because what I said then is that even though models change they usually have enough similarities to where you can find a sense of comfort and even familiarity with new models of the same brand. You have to keep adapting whether you like it or not. Because a model that you wore one year is going to be hard to find in 2 or 3 years as the industry progresses. Especially if it was not a mainstream model from a renowned brand. With those you can still find them around some years down the road.
The problem with being married to one brand in this context of pro gloves is that you’re going to have to pay the premium price for the best glove. If you’re married to Adidas, Nike Reusch, or Uhlsport that’s going to be top of the market pricing. Imagine that every time you have to get new gloves. There’s life in other brands, and even in different tiers. Some brands carry a very decent middle tier glove that I would use in professional training without thinking twice about it. Again while there’s value to brand loyalty you may want to keep your options open. Particularly if you feel that the price that you have to pay for the premium glove is too steep.
When It Makes Sense To Buy Extremely Cheap Gloves
I kind of talked about this, but I wanted to go back and hit the nail on the head to not leave any loose ends. Basically the last few times that I’ve gone out and bought the cheapest gloves that I could find were times when I was away from home and got an invite to go and play. So what I did was go out to a local store and get whatever I could find. I ended up with the worst Rinat gloves that my eyes have ever laid eyes on. I said before that my thinking was this is better than having nothing on my hands, so I didn’t complain. Plus, that’s what was available to me at the time.
Other than those extreme situations I don’t think it makes a lot of sense. The other scenario would be if you’re a mother or a father of a kid that wants to play in goal. You don’t know though how long this trend is going to go for, so you go out and get them the cheapest pair of gloves that you can find. I get doing that, my dad did that a lot of times, but that was a bit different. It was done in an attempt to please my addiction with goalkeeper gloves! I was a full-time keeper from the age of 5, so it wasn’t in doubt. As I mentioned before though I would recommend even for kids to get it out of their system middle of the pack options that do provide some extra sense of protection.
