We have to be extremely clear with this before answering why do goalkeeper gloves have spikes. Not all goalkeeper gloves are going to have spikes. In fact, I would make the argument that it was actually Reusch goalkeeper gloves that started with this trend. For the most part, other brands haven’t necessarily followed along and embraced the trend all that much. However, Reusch has doubled down and continued making models that feature spikes in the palm of their gloves. I actually own a couple of pairs of these gloves. When I saw the question of why do goalkeeper gloves have spikes being asked out in the world I felt that I could provide a very detailed answer. Also I want to address some of the main concerns that many people have before buying these types of gloves. I had many of those same concerns.
As I mentioned recently, not many other brands besides Reusch have incorporated this type of design on the palms of their gloves. In fact, being honest about this ordeal, if it was another brand that was trying to sell gloves that featured spikes I would’ve probably labeled that as a cheap gimmick. The fact that it was Reusch gloves that really got me intrigued precisely asking, why do goalkeeper gloves have spikes? One of the things that I thought was going to happen rather quickly was that the spikes were just going to start fading. At the end of the day you were going to be left with a slick glove. I took my Reusch speed bump gloves to some pretty rough fields, and they for the most part held up pretty well.
Why Do Goalkeeper Gloves Have Spikes – The Manufacturer’s Explanation
What Reusch, who is a big proponent of these gloves, is saying is that the spikes are going to allow you to take the edge off some of these shots. That’s why they call their model the speed bump. The idea is actually an intriguing one, you’re potentially able to have “more surfaces” if you will contact the ball. The spikes could potentially apply some pressure to different sides of the ball that you wouldn’t necessarily be able to do with gloves that feature a smoother surface. As I mentioned before it’s an interesting concept, but one that maybe in reality isn’t necessarily executed to perfection. We’ll get to that in a bit though.
What is interesting about what the manufacturer is trying is to combine different materials on the palm of these gloves to accentuate the grip levels. There are other types of gloves that have tried to replicate this concept. They wouldn’t necessarily be great examples of “why do goalkeeper gloves have spikes?” since the glove that comes to mind doesn’t have spikes. However, the Mexican brand Rinat has hybrid turf gloves that they sell. The palm of those gloves features their regular latex glove with the middle being made from their stronger turf material. Again, as a player you appreciate the effort to try and innovate. Results are mixed at best though.
Why Do Goalkeeper Gloves Have Spikes – The Player’s Explanation
I want to be very clear about this, because it’s really going to dictate the rest of the article. I already have a review up on the Reusch speed bump gloves, and no matter how you want to phrase it, what I keep coming back to is that these gloves are a gimmick product. If the combination was so great, you would’ve seen Reusch pivot most of their efforts to these gloves. Something that really hasn’t happened. In fact, the high end glove that this brand offers has what they call their pure contact palm. When you look at that you kind of realize that even they figured out that the product maybe wasn’t the Golazo (I was going to say homerun, but this is a football blog after all) that they were expecting.
Now, even though in general I do believe that most people would agree that the true answer to “Why do goalkeeper gloves have spikes” is that they have them as a marketing gimmick. I also have to acknowledge that many people did in fact like that blend. In my experience I like how sticky they are originally, and the spikes they do their job to some degree to particularly take some spin off the ball. My issue though was that the glove itself was too thin. So you’re actually feeling the shot the whole way. I had to get home and ice my hands after wearing these gloves. You could make the argument that that’s a me issue, and that people with thicker wrists, and stronger hands will do just fine. Then again, that’s exactly the point I’m trying to make. It’s a very small niche product at best.
Gloves Made From Different Textures
This is a topic that I was recently referencing. If you’re looking for something outside the box then these gloves with spikes can be right up your alley. Even the palm isn’t necessarily made from that typical latex that you’ll get with around 90% of the other options on the market. In many ways these different types of materials do provide a bit of finger movement. In fact, if you’re someone who is convinced that the grip comes from technique and not the palm of the glove then these types of gloves may just be what you’re looking for. You can get better movement and you’ll have the spikes to help you take the edge off some of these shots that come in still twirling a bit.
In the other example that I put forth, I’m not going to be able to say many positive things to be honest. The grip levels aren’t necessarily all there. What you’re getting is a glove that is supposedly meant to last longer, you can make the argument that it does. However, there’s no real benefit to having it last longer if the grip levels aren’t great to begin with. Again, it can be a new experience and it can be worth a shot. As I’m writing this I’m dealing with a finger injury and I’m looking into trying out a new type of glove to help me cope. You may find yourself in a very unique situation where it can make sense for you to go out and try some of these gloves that you would otherwise consider a bit gimmicky.
Do These Types of Gloves Last Long?
I would go out on a limb and say that they last longer than most people are going to expect them to last. When I got my Reusch gloves with spikes I fully expected them to wear out rather quickly. After all the spikes are just like little rubber peaks in the glove. When you look at them, at least in my experience it just didn’t look durable. I wore them around for quite a while in some of the worst fields that you can think of and the gloves actually held up rather well. I have to be completely honest and say that it was an outcome that I wasn’t expecting.
There was something that I felt wore out and that was the stickiness of the glove. The thing is, I don’t feel that you can necessarily blame that on the spikes themselves. The glove came with a sticky palm, and after a while that just wasn’t something that I felt was sustainable. Now, with the type of materials that the palm is made out of, at least with the Reusch option you could definitely benefit from using some of those chemicals that they use to be able to keep gloves sticky. It may not be ideal to be using those types of chemicals, but then again new gloves tend to be stickier than older gloves so with that in mind, things may even out.
Can You Get The Same Benefits In Gloves Without Spikes?
For the most part the answer here is yes. I’m probably going to repeat some of the things that I’ve already mentioned. It’s just that I don’t necessarily see the spikes on these gloves being a major benefit. It’s a nice idea. It was executed more or less ok. When push comes to shove though, do I think that the spikes make a ton of difference? That answer is clear now. Why do goalkeeper gloves have spikes then? I don’t want to say the idea is a bit of a failed marketing gimmick … but. Ok, I can say it’s a marketing and development idea. It hasn’t necessarily caught on a global trend though.
The rubber spikes do a fine job for very specific situations. For example, they can take the spin off a ball in a way that I hadn’t necessarily seen happen with other options. It’s not just about the ball sticking to your glove, but what other benefits does the product really provide? As I mentioned before, the fact that a big brand like Reusch isn’t necessarily embarrassing the idea wholeheartedly should tell you something. That fact alone keeps thinking that as a goalkeeper coach or just someone who is around keepers you can’t in good conscience go out and promote the use of these types of gloves. They don’t necessarily bring anything mega special to the table.
Why Do Goalkeeper Gloves Have Spikes Conclusion
At the end of the day the inclusion of spikes on gloves seems to be more of a marketing gimmick than anything else. I found the idea interesting, and I felt that there was some value to the goalkeeper gloves that I’ve used with spikes. What I never loved was the fact that the glove didn’t necessarily reduce the impact. In my experience the Reusch gloves with spikes are a bit “thin”. What happens with kids or people like me with thinner hands is that you’re likely to feel the shot a lot more. In many ways that negated some of the benefits that I was supposed to be getting from the spikes that are more or less meant to kill the spin on the ball.
Would I fall for the gimmick again or do I think there’s value to these types of gloves? I do feel that you do have the benefit of killing the effect on the ball a bit better. If that’s something that you’re struggling with particularly if you want to be able to catch more balls cleanly exploring this option is not the worst idea that you can have. Having said that, are these gloves a gimmick or not then? I’m still on the fence as you can probably tell by reading this far out. Ultimately if what you have isn’t providing the solutions that you’re potentially looking for, trying these types of gloves may not be the worst idea. As far as these types of gloves becoming the norm, I think that’s clearly something that is not going to happen.
