How to make your gear more pro.
I’m stepping away from the tactics and training side of football, to talk to you about your gear. I often get asked questions about what kind of things you guys should be wearing, and how best to use them. So this week, I’m getting a little help from JayMike to talk you through how to improve your gear game.
Let me start by saying that your football gear will not improve your abilities as a player - for that you’ll need to read my other blogs (cheeky plug). But what it really will do, is make you feel more comfortable when playing - and when you feel comfortable on the pitch, you can let your true potential shine through, in the knowledge that nothing is holding you back. So if you want to step up your game, keep reading for my top 5 tips on professional level gear.
Number 5 - Apparel
This might be a bit of an obvious choice, seeing as you actually need things like a shirt and shorts to actually play football, but people really undervalue the other stuff that can really help to step up your game. Spend some decent money on baselayer and some compression shorts. Not only will you feel more comfortable playing when it’s cold outside, but your body will also recover faster between sessions, leaving you more time to practice and improve the stuff that actually matters. 100% money well spent.
Number 4 - Socks
For a number of years, grip socks were the best kept secret in professional football, but now everyone has access to them. I really can’t stress this point enough - buy some grip socks, you will not regret it. We recommend the Falke socks, or the Nike grip socks. They stop your feet from slipping inside the boots, giving you a new level of comfort, whilst all-but eliminating blisters.
Number 3 - Small bits
Get a small wash bag and put all of your smaller items in there. The last thing you want when you’re trying to focus on the game is having to completely empty your kit bag to find one small item at the bottom. Fill it with all the little extra things that are nice to have around, like blister tape and sock tape. After all, failing to prepare is preparing to fail.
Number 2 - Shin pads
Getting injured is the worst. Especially if that means having to miss a few matches. Invest some money in a good pair of shin pads to help protect your legs from clumsy defenders. There’s no need to go crazy and spend a lot of money, but you should definitely take your time and invest in some that are not only comfortable, but have a good level of protection.
Number 1 - Boots
As I said at the beginning, your equipment will not make you a better player, so I’m not necessarily talking about buying the most expensive boots here, but what is important, is buying a pair that fit your feet, and are comfortable to wear. The best advice I can always give is to buy the right boots for the surface you’re playing on. Firm Grass, Artificial Grass, or Soft Ground. Wearing the wrong boots on the wrong surface can not only hurt your performance, it can also cause you some serious injuries.
So that was my 5 tips on how to improve your equipment. I hope it makes sense and makes you think about the equipment you’re buying.
Below you will see the JayMike’s video that I talked about.
Stay tuned for more ‘How-To’ blogs in the coming weeks for more awesome #Unisportlife content.