There is no question that goalkeepers started wearing gloves as a means to protect themselves. Not even that long ago the balls that the game was played with were extremely heavy. So as you can imagine if they were kicked with enough force putting your hand in front of them wasn’t exactly the best idea. Of course, us goalkeepers we tend to want to do things that go against conventional wisdom. The first goalkeeper to wear gloves in a professional game did so in 1952, at least that’s the accepted date. There’s a lot of controversy surrounding the date, and who it was. As we mentioned at the time the answer to “why do goalkeepers wear gloves” was simple. They were a means of protection for the guys between the sticks.
Today goalkeeper gloves are still a way to protect your hands. Although there is an argument to be made that some of the modern models out there are not great at this. I’ve been talking about this issue on the site for a while. When Nike came out with their first version of these slick gloves that have become their Mercurial brand protection was the last thing on their mind. That’s why I also contend that today the answer to, “Why do goalkeepers wear gloves” has changed. Today we are looking for gloves that are going to allow us to have a competitive advantage. Where is that middle ground though? What should you be looking for in gloves as a goalkeeper?
What Areas Of The Hand Are Goalkeeper Gloves Meant To Protect?
The obvious part of the hand that goalkeeper gloves are meant to protect is the palm. What a lot of goalkeeper glove manufacturers don’t realize though is that the impact of the ball can cause damage in other parts of the hand. Actually issues with the palm of your hand are potentially the least of your worries as a goalkeeper. However, a hard impact in that area can lead to wrist issues for example if you’re not able to mitigate the impact correctly. When you’re looking for goalkeeper gloves especially if you’re starting out or your kids are starting out you want gloves that are thicker, and are able to mitigate the impact of the ball.
Another answer to, “why do goalkeepers wear gloves?”, can certainly be to protect their fingers. As someone who’s been through multiple finger injuries can attest to this is without a doubt an important part of wearing gloves. More specifically you want to make sure that the glove fits just right. If the glove is too tight on your fingers then you’re more likely to bend your fingers when you’re diving to a low running ball. If the glove is too loose on the finger area heavy impacts can take more of a toll on you. When that happens you could look into taping your fingers before games, and training as an option. This is a good way for people with skinnier hands and fingers to be able to protect themselves accordingly. Of course, there’s always the option of wearing gloves with finger spines.
Why Do Goalkeepers Wear Gloves – Competitive Advantage
These days if you’re not wearing gloves you’re missing out on a competitive advantage. There’s really no other way to put it. Not wearing gloves is not recommended for safety reasons, and also because modern gloves have better grip than your bare hands. You’ve probably seen different videos on social media where goalkeepers advertise just how sticky their gloves are. When we talk about a competitive advantage though, is stickiness all there is too it? I’m of the opinion that stickiness is not the end all be all, of goalkeeper gloves. Would I prefer my gloves to be sticky and provide with a competitive advantage that way? Sure, there’s really no argument there.
The first thing though that you’re going to want to look into is whether the glove fits comfortably. Go over some of the safety measures that I talked about. You want to make sure that the glove doesn’t fit too tight. At the same time it shouldn’t fit too loose particularly in the wrist and the fingers. If you have to use some tape under the glove directly on your hand to protect yourself you can go ahead and do that. Through personal experience I would say tape is not necessarily a must-have for younger keepers. As you get older though, you’re going start to feel the impacts a lot more, and it’s just good practice to go ahead and use tape for the extra protection.
You Can Go Without Gloves, But Why Would You
I kind of talked about this already. You see certain guys though in futsal going without gloves, or those gloves that are like or gym gloves where they protect the palm, but leave the fingers bare. I’m not going to comment on whether those are a good idea for futsal or not. I’m not well versed in the subject, so I don’t want to give you a bad perspective. When it comes to indoor soccer, 7v7 or just regular 11v11 play there’s no actual benefit of going without gloves. There are people that would argue that they have a better catching technique without gloves. I was actually one of those for a while. It comes down to the type of glove that you’re wearing.
If you feel that you have a better catching technique with your bare hands, then may be try and stay away from the bulkier gloves on the market. Go with the Nike Mercurial gloves or the Adidas Predator models. Virtually all of the modern goalkeeper gloves are less bulky than the traditional models out there. Know though, that you may giving up some of the security features of traditional gloves if you will. Modern cut gloves can give you better grip, and fit your catching technique a lot better. They tend to fail in protecting the wrist area specifically. You may have to give all that some thought before you make a purchase.
Can You Get In Trouble For A Having A Glove That’s Too Sticky?
This is something that I actually looked into rather recently for the Glove Glu article. The best way to describe it is that it’s complicated. Technically in the rule book there’s nothing that clearly bans the use of external substances that make your glove stickier. If your gloves are just naturally sticky out-of-the-box then you’re in even better shape. Why do I say that it’s complicated though? Well essentially the rules are going to be interpreted by the referee of each game in the way that they see fit. In the hypothetical scenario that they catch you adding Glove Glu or any similar substance to the gloves in an effort to make them stickier they could potentially interpret that as an unsportsman like conduct.
Within the rules they could book you like they would on a dive play for example. The ref would then technically have to ask you to remove your gloves or something similar to that. Just to be clear this is not necessarily something that I’ve seen happen, but knowing the rules if again the ref caught you doing something that they deem unsportsman like that could be the punishment. As I said there is nothing directly in the rules that talks about how sticky goalkeeper gloves can be or not.
If you’re someone who has had good results with products like Glove Glu then may be your best bet will be to apply it at home or anywhere, but right on the field before a game. I don’t consider it cheating, at the end of the day the rules, and even the equipment like the ball itself have all evolved to benefit offensive players. This is one of the only things that we have going for us as goalkeepers. Don’t feel bad about taking advantage of it if you want to.
Finding The Glove That Fits Your Needs
The glove that fits me is not necessarily going to be the glove that fits you. There are a lot of different things that come into play when choosing a goalkeeper glove. For example since I was always someone who had long but thin hands some of these modern gloves don’t provide the type of protection that I need in the fingers or the wrist. If you have thicker, and stronger hands though, that may not be an issue for you. In some cases you may have hands like mine, but you like the grip you have on the ball with the thinner glove. That’s ok as well, I would recommend using a lot of tape even for training.
Goalkeeper gloves also come in different price ranges. If you’re new to the game that’s probably something that’s going to surprise you. What I would recommend is looking for a glove that features elements that are important to you. I do feel that you’ll be able to find an option at any price range. That’s not to say that you’re going to get equal performance out of the cheap glove that you’ll get out of the expensive one. What you’re looking for though is something that feels comfortable. As I mentioned I do believe that you’ll be able to find something that feels more or less comfortable at any price range.
Gloves Don’t Always Prevent Injuries
Injuries can happen with the perfect on a dumb play when you least expect it, and that is part of the game. The biggest issue that I see is that glove manufacturers in my opinion have gone all out on creating gloves that look cool, disregarding virtually all of the safety aspects that a glove should feature. Really we don’t have as goalkeepers a united voice that seems to be even telling these companies what we are looking for. It is a real shame in my opinion because finding the right gloves particularly for young keepers can be a tough ask. They have very limited spaces that they can turn to for help on something like this.
Because I believe there is little content out there, I actually decided to create this site, and talk about this topics. As I’ve said before injuries are part of the game. The best way to avoid hand injuries is through proper catching, and deflecting techniques. Also, proper diving, and getting up motions. If you stick your fist in the ground and put your whole body weight on it, don’t be surprised if you get hurt! I’m saying this because putting all of your weight on your closed fist is a recommendation some people make to help preserve your gloves. I’d rather have ripped gloves than ripped knuckles. Proper technique is your best ally against injuries, finding the right gloves also helps.
Why Do Goalkeepers Wear Gloves Conclusion
Why do goalkeepers wear gloves? At this point in the history of the game it’s smart, and convenient to do so. You have to keep your hands as safe as you can between the sticks. I don’t know a goalkeeper who doesn’t have crooked fingers, but gloves certainly help goalkeepers have better hands long term. I know some guys that played back in the 60’s and 70’s, and their hands are just all torn up. Gloves really do help with that.
Ultimately the point that I’m trying to make is that the type of glove that you wear is going to matter. Not all gloves are going to fit your hands in the best way possible. As is the case with virtually all goalkeeper gear the key is to find what fits and what works for you. While most of the add-on gear if you will, like elbow pads, knee pads, and plastic helmets are optional gloves are no longer optional. Technically you could play without gloves there’s no rule mandating that you wear them. You’re only hurting yourself if you don’t!
