Shopping for goalie gloves? If so, you’ll want to take your time, do your research, and avoid common pitfalls. Too often, people rush into their purchases, buying the first set of gloves they find or picking gloves without looking into key factors, like their safety features and grip levels.
This guide explores five important reasons to take your time and choose with care.
You’ll Avoid Wasting Money
The No. 1 reason to buy goalie gloves with care is to save money.
Quality goalkeeper gloves are pretty pricey. They’re not the kinds of things you want to replace every other month. Nor would you want to waste cash on a set of gloves that aren’t quite right and then have to swap them for another pair after just a few games.
But that’s exactly what might happen if you rush in and buy without doing your research.
Many younger and inexperienced keepers, in particular, buy gloves based on appearance or reputation. Then, they soon find that their new gloves don’t feel comfortable to wear or may even impede their keeping abilities, so they end up spending even more on replacements.
You’ll Be Safer on the Pitch
Safety is paramount for goalkeepers. Outfield players aren’t the only ones who can get injured. Hand, wrist, and finger injuries, like hyperextensions and fractures, are all relatively common among keepers at both pro and amateur levels.
Good quality gloves help to guard against those sorts of injuries.
But, once again, if you rush in and buy without care or forethought, you could end up with a pair that offer next to no protection. They may not have the padded parts you need to absorb impacts or the built-in spines that shield against finger injuries.
By taking your time and looking through different glove designs, you’ll find those offering protection levels you require. This is particularly important for younger keepers and those at elevated risk of injuries.
Your Hands Will Feel More Comfortable
Of course, comfort is another area where goalie gloves differ massively. One pair might be a joy to put on, feeling comfy, cosy, and breathable. The next might be totally different, constricting your hands or making them feel hot, sweaty, and stuffy.
Rush in, and you could find yourself on the pitch with gloves that feel unpleasant to wear.
But if you take your time, and ideally try on a few sets of gloves before buying them, the process should reach a much more positive conclusion. You’ll feel more comfortable during games and training sessions. That allows your mind to focus on saving and stopping shots rather than being distracted by itches and pains around your hands.
You’ll Perform Better
Goalkeeper performance isn’t just about talent. It’s about the gear you’ve got, too.
The right gloves help goalies perform at peak capacity. They provide all the features that keepers need to punch, catch, grab, throw, and stop the ball, whether that be a solid backhand for bigger punches or a good grip palm to hold the ball tight.
On the other hand, poor quality gloves, or those that just aren’t suited to a specific style of play, have the opposite effect. They impede the keeper. They make it that much harder for them to make saves while increasing the risk of fumbles, slips, and drops.
You’ll Feel More Confident in Your Keeping Abilities
This last point is directly connected to many of the others listed above.
If you take your time and choose the most appropriate goalie gloves, you’ll:
- Be safer
- Feel more comfy
- Play better
All of that translates to benefits for your mental game, too. When you’re making saves, having less risk of injury, and feeling more comfortable on the pitch, you naturally start to gain confidence in yourself. And confidence is key for keepers – it’s often the “make or break” factor that sets the top goalies apart from the rest.
Don’t Rush in When Buying Goalie Gloves
So, the lesson here is clear: if you need to buy new goalie gloves, take it seriously. Don’t rush in, overlook certain features, or buy based on something basic, like how the gloves look or which famous keeper wears them. Instead, do your research, compare options, and consider multiple factors to find the ideal pair.
