While football is such an entertaining sport, it’s also one of the most hands-on, rough-and-tumble sports one can engage in. Playing football requires quite a number of gears and most of which are designed to offer protection from the physicality of the game. Plus, sometimes the right gear is all you need to maintain your edge or improve functionality. Some of the must-have football gears that you should have:
Table of Contents
Helmet
Head injuries can be very serious, and in the past, they have led to brain damage and even fatalities. This makes helmets the most important football gears. They are designed to offer protection without compromising on play ability. Helmets use internal padding to absorb impact during a collision, hence preventing injury. Thanks to technological advancements, some helmets have pads that are filled with air instead of the usual pads with foam.
Jockstrap
A jockstrap protects the groin area. In case of severe impact, it ensures no permanent damage is done to this fragile and sensitive area.
Mouth Guard
The mouth guard is designed to protect the teeth, tongue, gums, and lips. Considering a simple hit to the jaw or lips can easily knock out your tooth/teeth, this gear must be worn at all times during play. Some mouth guards are attached to the face mask while others are molded to the player’s teeth.
Gloves
Generally, gloves are designed to offer extra grip and improve the catch. Every player, especially receivers and linemen, requires gloves to help prevent hand injuries. Receiver gloves have sticky rubber palms to aid in catching the ball while linemen gloves are lined with very thick padding to help protect all parts of the hand. Gloves come in different sizes, styling designs, and colors. Check out this football gloves review to help you make an informed purchase.
Neck Collars/Neck Roll
Neck collars are designed to hug the back neckline of the player so as to limit how far your head can go backwards, especially during a tackle. This protects your neck from complete dislocation. With all the rough and tumble of the game, these gears also ensure comfortability throughout the body. This gear is mostly useful to linebackers and defensive linemen.
Cleats
Playing football requires as much traction as possible, which cannot be achieved with ordinary shoes. That’s why you need football cleats. They provide excellent traction for just about any field condition. Cleats come in different cuts and styles, which include low, mid, and high cuts. They also come in two different outsole design: moulded and detachable stud cleats. The removable cleats allow you to change cleat size to suit the current conditions of the field. In addition, cleats can greatly impact your performance during a game. Depending on the cut, they provide maximum manoeuvrability, increased stability on the field, and extra support to reduce the risk of ankle injuries.
Training Equipment
High-quality football training equipment is invaluable to building speed, strength, and agility. Resistance training is a huge part of most players’ workouts as it helps improve speed on the field. With training aids like football sleds, pullers, speed parachutes, and harnesses, your speed will improve in no time. Agility training helps you think fast and be light on your feet while in the field. Running through ladders and over hurdles, as well as, using dummies can help build your agility. In addition, players have to work on their defensive capabilities, improve their tackling skill, build hitting strength, and train on taking hits. Training equipment like blocking sleds, tackling rings, and body shields can help you achieve all that.
Pads
Protection on the field is paramount. Equipping yourself with all the necessary football pads will give you the confidence to perform at your best. You need shoulder pads to protect your upper body, forearm pads to shield your hands and arms during hard hits, hip pad to protect the hips, tailbone, and the pelvis, and most importantly, pads along the knees and elbows to protect these body parts from being subjected to excessive force that could strain the cartilage or break the bones.
Accessories
Football accessories such as sweat towels, water bottles, black eye strips, cones, wrist coaches, skull caps, ball pumps, and belts complement the game and ensure you stay prepared for the game at all times.
Conclusion
There are a number of factors to consider when purchasing the football gears that you should have. Whatever you purchase, keep in mind that the purpose of football gears is to improve functionality and curb injuries.
