Many types of football gloves are on the market, ranging from small, sticky gloves for receivers, to large, padded gloves for linemen. Many football players wear gloves because they believe it helps increase their effectiveness on the field. Whether this is true when tackling requires a closer look at two things -- how tackling mechanics work and how gloves come into play during a tackle.
Tackling Mechanics
Proper form tackling requires the use of your entire body, from your head to your legs. The first rule of tackling it keeping your head up, which not only helps you keep your eyes on the ball carrier, it also prevents you from jamming your neck and potentially suffering a severe spinal injury. Bend your knees, drop your butt down, drive your facemask into the ball carrier right between his numbers, and wrap your arms around his body. Once you have wrapped up, drive with your legs and throttle the ball carrier's body down onto the ground.
Grip
Wrapping up requires both arm strength and a firm grip. You need strong arms to prevent the ball carrier from spinning out of your grasp during your attempted tackle, and you need a firm grip to grab on to their jersey or pants so you can pull them into your body when you drive. Many football gloves come with special sticky surfaces to assist with grip during a tackle.
Support
Gloves made for linemen and linebackers typically come with a certain amount of padding for both the fingers and wrist. This helps reduce your chances of bruising these fingers during a tackle. It also provides a certain amount of support, because it slightly limits your range of motion. Without any padding, your fingers and wrist are free to move about without limitations. Tackles can become violent, and fingers or wrists can easily be bent or break because of the torque of an unnatural motion.
Considerations
While using proper tackling form is ideal, any football player knows that the opportunity to put your face mask between the numbers is seldom possible. Tackles are often made by diving and grabbing on to anything you can. Tackles are also attempted in inclement weather, which makes grabbing on to anything difficult. It's during these conditions that having a quality pair of football gloves can be a priceless tool on the football field.
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