If you as a parent have never been a goalkeeper yourself, it will probably be a lot harder to help your child make the right choice in his or her search for the right pair of goalkeeper gloves. You most likely already entered a sports shop with your little sprout looking for new goalkeeper gloves, but were hardly helped or didn’t get an explanation about the differences between the goalkeeper gloves they had in the shop?
All of us have experienced it before, even with parents who know how to assist their young goalkeeper (star) in choosing the right goalkeeper gloves. Unfortunately, the number of shops where you can get enough explanation to make the right choice is limited, due to the lack of knowledge about these materials. Soccer shoes are bought by so many more people that they are obliged to be familiar with the materials and for which type of pitch or foot a certain type is more or better suited. Unfortunately, as a goalkeeper you are only 1 out of 11 on the pitch and therefore in the serious minority, which makes it less interesting as a shop to get acquainted with these materials.
Why is it important to choose the right goalkeeper gloves?
Younger goalkeepers can now also appear on the pitch well-equipped, with goalkeeper gloves specially designed for young goalkeepers. The gloves are of course smaller, which ensures a better fit. The gloves are often equipped with special foam that wears less quickly, making the glove last much longer. Because of this, they are often cheaper than the larger sizes, but you will also experience that the grip is not as good as the big brothers.
Today there are also goalkeeper gloves for your child that are equipped with the latest techniques and are not inferior to the adult version. Would you like to try this out for yourself and find out how you can quickly discover the differences? Take for example a size 5 or 6 and compare them with a size 9 or 10. When other materials are used, you’ll quickly notice this when you put both models next to each other.
Is there a difference between children’s and adult sizes?
With the smaller sizes you will notice that the top of the glove sometimes feels more like plastic than with the larger sizes. Also at the palm of the hand you can quickly see and feel the difference. Also, the difference is sometimes only 1 or 2mm in thickness as a goalkeeper, you can feel this immediately.
One last difference you can quickly see is the difference in height of the wrist closure. Not so surprising, of course, as bigger guys can kick harder on goal, but still something to look at when you’re a bit older anyway, but just don’t have big hands.
Choosing your kid's gloves, how do you do that?
So don’t ask which goalkeeper gloves the apple of your eye likes or would choose, but compare small sizes with large sizes. So don’t let your child’s goalkeeper or any other person who says he or she should play with finger protection, they shouldn’t play with finger protection or you should take that mark. The choice is up to your child and no one else. Only as a goalkeeper can you feel which goalkeeper’s gloves make you feel best, because when they feel good, they will radiate more confidence and thus stand in goal with more peace of mind, ready to perform those tasty saves that you as a parent are proud of.
