American Football Gear: Why It Is Important and What to Look for When Buying

Every football player needs football gear. It’s a must. This equipment does not only serve as a set of accessories but it comes with an importance. A football player could not go to the field without wearing a gear because of the following reasons:

To prevent injuries

A football player is always at risk for injuries and head injuries are among these. To protect the head from getting hurt, a player must wear a helmet at all times, whether during practice or games. To A player, on the other hand, is also prone to contact injuries such as hitting and blocking which affect the face. With this, he needs to wear a facemask which is usually attached to the front of the helmet. Other gears such as mouth guards, neck roll, shoulder pads, knee pads, thigh pads, gloves, and football shoes are also important gears that protect the body parts from getting injured. To maintain peak performance and reduce the risk of injuries, consulting a sports physio in Sydney can be a valuable addition to your athletic routine.

To enhance performance

One of the many reasons why a football player needs to have a football gear is to enhance his performance efficiency. A gear will also add professionalism to the player and will help him perform better without getting exhausted too soon. According to experts at shocpro.com, football gloves increase the grip and help players catch the ball more effectively.

To reduce muscle stress

A football gear helps a lot when it comes to making the player develop a good condition while playing in the field. If there is a presence of muscle pain or spasm, a gear will help him ease the discomfort. It will also make him feel relaxed, making the performance better.

What to Look for When Buying Football Gear

In general, you must read reviews before buying any equipment. Make sure the gear is comfortable when worn by checking out its size. Determine the right size so you won’t be distracted while you are in a game because it doesn’t fit right.

When buying a helmet, make sure it has a polyurethane cap feature that covers the exterior. This will give more protection to your head against concussions. Ideally, you should choose a helmet that comes with a facemask as this will help you protect your face against injuries.

When choosing a facemask on a helmet, you should choose the one that suits your position in your team. If you are an interior, non-ball handling player, then you should opt for the one with plenty of bars because an opposing player may strike you in any particular part of your face. You will need a much better protection, hence, the bars.

However, if you are a ball-handling player like running back, quarterback, wide receiver, or tight ends, you will need a facemask with lesser bars. This kind of facemask gives you a wider and better view of the field.

Let’s say you are not comfortable with a facemask because you do not want it to obstruct your view. You can opt for a visor, instead. A visor can protect your eyes and at the same time, it allows you to see through everything in your view. A visor can also give you the protection that you need in your eyes. However, you need to first check out the league’s guidelines before purchasing a visor, especially the one which is tinted because there are some rules that restrict the players to wear it.

If you are buying a helmet from the United States, opt for the one that is sealed with “National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment” or (NOCSAE) as the products being labeled by them are tested and considered safer compared to other gears.

When buying shoulder pads, you have to choose less protective styles if you are a place kicker because you are less likely to encounter a physical contact during the game. However, if you are a linebacker, you need to opt for shoulder pads which have more protection because you may experience more physical contacts with your opponents.