Football cleats and gloves are pivotal parts to any football player's equipment. However, there are many different options for you to use depending on your position and what you want. Cleats and gloves also provide you with protection to keep you safe.
Function: Cleats
Football cleats are a special kind of shoe made specifically for football. The main purpose of football cleats is to provide traction on different types of surfaces whether artificial or grass, wet or dry. This is accomplished by the cleats or studs on the bottom of the shoe. The studs come in two different forms that are molded or detachable, according to Dick’s Sporting Goods. With molded cleats, there are more studs and therefore more points of contact with the ground, making them better on dry surfaces. However, these cleats can wear down and the shoe may be rendered useless. The other type of cleat available is detachable studs. These are better in wet conditions as they have less points of contact and do not become clogged as easily with dirt and grass. As well, like the name indicates, they can be detached and replaced as they wear down.
Function: Gloves
Football gloves can help players on offense and in the defensive secondary catch and hold onto the ball. The inside of the gloves are treated with chemicals that provide a sticky surface, which allows the players to grip the ball in many different weather conditions. Also, football gloves provide padding and protection for your hands. For other defensive players and offensive linemen who use their hands to block or shed blocks, the protection is important to prevent cuts and bruises. Typically these gloves also have some portions of sticky surfaces to provide better grip.
Anatomy: Cleats
Dick’s Sporting Goods states that football cleats are typically made of two different types of materials. The first is real leather, which is durable and allows for the foot to breathe. A downfall of leather cleats is that they are generally more expensive. Synthetic football cleats generally cost less. These cleats do not allow for the foot to breathe as much but are a quality option for those looking for an inexpensive cleat. Cleats are also made in three different cuts depending on your need for ankle support. The three options are high cut, mid cut and low cut, with the high cut providing the most support and least mobility, and the low cut providing the least stability and most mobility.
Anatomy: Gloves
Football gloves are made in a variety of ways. Often the glove covering the back of the hand is made of synthetic material, according to Nike, but the best gloves have ventilation areas that allow for the hand to keep cool and dry. The gloves are secured on your hand by Velcro straps. The front of the glove often differs from glove to glove. Some gloves are fully covered with leather and the sticky substance called tack. Others have mesh areas, which allow for the hand to breathe and have leather and tack in the most important areas like the palm and fingertips. Other types of gloves have padding mostly on the back of the glove and some have padding on the front on the palm.
Considerations
When buying football cleats and gloves, you need to buy what works best for you. Different positions need different types of cleats and gloves and that will dictate which gloves you buy. Low cut cleats are good for receivers and defensive backs to allow for maximum speed and mobility on the field. High cut shoes are meant for the players in the trenches, both offensive and defensive linemen, to provide maximum stability when blocking. The type of gloves you need changes depending if you are catching the ball, blocking people or shedding blocks.
Member Comments