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All About Goalie Gloves

Goalie gloves are not required for a soccer game, but they are a good thing for a goalie to have. When a goal-keeper throws a ball to her teammate, or when she’s going to block a ball from going into her territory, she wants to do anything she can to keep the ball from slipping and heading towards exactly where she doesn’t want it to.

Goalie gloves can help prevent this. Goalie gloves provide goalies with a better grip on the ball. They also help cushion the goalie’s hands from impact with the ball. Some of those balls are shot at awesome speeds that could really injure a goal-keeper hands if he tried to block it. Goalie gloves cushion and protect the goalie’s palms, joints, and fingers, lessening the chance of injury.

Before buying goalie gloves, first make sure that they comply with team and league rules. Beginning goalies may just want to share a pair of gloves with teammates (to avoid high costs), but for anyone who wants to purchase his or her own, he or she should look for gloves with thicker palms for added grip and protection. For younger children (until about 11 or 12), lower-end gloves are just fine.

It may also be a good idea to buy different goalie gloves for different weather. Some gloves perform better in wet weather than others. Just check the tags of the goalie gloves to see which sort of weather they work best in.

A player may also want separate sets of gloves for practice and games. Another reason for buying multiple pairs of gloves during a season is that higher-end players may actually wear out multiple pairs during a single season.

Also, the technology of goalie gloves is still developing. Newer, more recent goalie gloves may be better at preventing hand injuries by allowing the fingers to bend forward but keeping them from bending backward.

For added comfort and to absorb moisture, sprinkle baby powder on your hands before putting on your goalie gloves. When your gloves get dirty, you should wash them by hand – don’t stick them in a washing machine. Don’t use soap, and don’t dry using a machine or radiator.

Besides throw-ins, field players never really get to handle the soccer ball. Goal-keepers, on the other hand, handle the ball at any opportunity they get. That is why goal-keepers should wear goalie gloves.

Anne Clarke writes numerous articles for websites on gardening, parenting, fashion, sports, and home decor. Her background includes teaching and gardening. For more of her articles on soccer, please visit Soccer Gear and Info.

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