How to choose goalkeeper gloves How to care for goalkeeper gloves

A. How to choose goalkeeper gloves

1. Glove palm

The palm of the glove is used together with the fingers to grip the ball, so having a good grip is an important indicator of a goalkeeper's glove. Premium goalkeeper gloves generally have a strong grip and a thick palm made of top quality materials. The types of glove palms include smooth, dimpled and textured. Textured or dimpled palms are more durable and better for practice.

2. Wrist Strap

The wrist strap of the glove is mainly used to hold the glove in place. Goalkeeper gloves usually have an elastic, adjustable wrist strap that can be used to tighten and loosen the glove and usually have a vent to help keep hands cool and dry. The wristband of the glove resembles a medical bandage and has a certain amount of elasticity to hold it firmly around the wrist. Bandage style wristbands wrap well without slipping and are also the choice of most goalkeepers.

3. Fingers

The fingers are the key to gripping and protecting the ball. The cut and size of the glove will determine how well it fits. Some goalkeepers prefer a looser fit for more freedom, while others prefer a tighter fit for easier control and security.

4. CUTS cut

The cut of the goalkeeper's glove is of paramount importance to the goalkeeper, as it affects comfort and control of the ball when making a save. The goalkeeper's glove has evolved into a variety of cuts, from flat seams, internal seams, tube fingers and mixed cuts.

Flat seam: The most traditional way of cutting a goalkeeper's glove, the flat seam consists of two main parts, the palm and the back of the hand, which are sewn together using an exposed seam, giving you the most traditional goalkeeper's glove wearing experience.

Inside seam: The inside seam is a much more advanced look than the previous style, as the glove still consists of two parts, the palm and the back of the hand, but the seam is hidden inside the glove, which has the advantage of allowing the fingers of the glove to fit better, enhancing dexterity and ball control.

Tubular: The tubular glove is the cut that gives the most direct contact between the hands and the ball, this is a cut where the latex is wrapped around your fingers like a bandage, it gives the glove a greater area of contact with the ball and allows better control of the ball when tackling, the disadvantage is that it is not as flexible and breathable. Currently, the tube finger glove is supposed to be the most popular with goalkeepers.

Hybrid cut: As the name suggests, this is a combination of all three cuts in one glove, but the aim is to make the glove more comfortable to wear and to further improve control of the ball when tackling.

5. Palm grip

Why does the price of a pair of gloves vary so much? The biggest difference is in the grip, generally speaking the more expensive the glove the better the grip. Cheaper gloves are more durable and less costly, but the grip is poorer and more suitable for youngsters or beginners, where the focus of learning is more on the basics and tackling, and glove adhesion is not as important.

6、Finger guards

Finger guards are tools inserted into the back of the goalkeeper's glove to protect the fingers and are more popular in the junior and amateur game. There are two main types of finger guard: the rigid finger guard and the flexible finger guard.

Rigid finger guards bend forward, but not backwards, to prevent excessive finger flexion, which is the most common method of finger protection. Flexible finger guards can be bent forwards and backwards, providing support and shock absorption while maintaining finger dexterity. For goalkeepers with injured or injury-prone fingers, I recommend the use of finger guards. Finger guards are as good as leg guards to protect our fingers from injury.

Two, goalkeeper gloves maintenance

1, rinse gently and carefully with water, the water flow is not too large, so smooth some good, after washing put in a cool place to dry, remember not to dry or sun dry, not to bake dry, or too high a temperature will damage the leather of the glove, easy to wrinkle fold broken.

2. Wash your gloves immediately after a match or training session. The temperature of the water should not exceed 30 degrees Celsius. Use a sponge to remove surface dirt, but do not abrade the palm gel. Detergent must be used. If the field is particularly slippery, use old gloves for pre-match practice and replace them with new ones for the match. It is worth noting that old gloves can be used for training and replaced with old or new ones before the match, depending on the conditions of the field and weather conditions, or according to your preference.

3. Make the palm of the glove moist before the match to help improve the catching effect. When there is a direct or indirect set-piece danger in front of the penalty area, or before the opponent is ready to send a penalty kick, the goalkeeper is used to spitting some spit on the palm of the glove to moisten it, to enhance friction and resistance, to control the power of the ball and the strength of the block, to protect the fingers, to reduce the degree of injury to the hands, and to better complete the defence of the ball. When playing in rainy weather, the goalkeeper must bring a towel with him to wipe his gloves to protect them and keep them clean when his side is pressing up to attack or when he is free midway through the game.