Too Many Choices…..When I was goalkeeper in my earlier years we were not spoiled for choice when it came to anything soccer….We had limited choices in shoes, shirts, and most of all gloves. I find myself agonizing over glove choices now. There are SO many to choose from, that it almost becomes annoying trying to find JUST the right glove. In the mid 80’s to early 90’s, we really had two choices. Reusch, and Uhlsport…Sure others existed, but they were few and far between. Reusch and Uhlsport absolutely dominated the market. In the few soccer shops that did exist in the US, they all carried 2 or 3 from each brand, and that basically was your only option. Do not get me wrong, we were happy to have those choices, and I still count some of the gloves from that era (Reusch Pfaff, Uhlsport 034) as some of the best ever.
My Point is this…Sometimes we focus sooooo much on the gloves that we think will make us better goalkeepers, that we forget about the little things that make us better. Kids especially (unless they are properly trained) assume that having a pair of Adidas Fingersaves will make them better goalkeepers. I witnessed a scene in a soccer shop here in Columbus that seems very typical of young keepers today…”Mom, I need a pair of Fingersaves for indoor”…”Well, $100 seems very expensive, what about these here that are $45?”…”MOM, those are NOT Fingersaves”…..”Well why do you need fingersave gloves?”….”Because that’s what my friends told me I needed”….Of course the shop owner was more than happy to sell them the fingersaves because he also did not know better…Incidentally, the glove the Mom suggested was the Adidas Fingertip, a far better glove than any fingersave in my opinion. We tend to assume that in the myriad of gloves available, that one will grip just a little better than the other, or help us make that fingertip save, or maybe, just maybe, help us save that penalty to win the game.
Of course it is all rubbish….At last check I have counted over 100 brands of gloves on the market. Granted, some of them are junk, but for the most part, most of them are almost identical in material and construction. Good gloves have a soft latex palm, fit properly, and offer shock absorption, and that rarely, if ever, changes. Why are we so focused on trying all of these gloves, when really they are all about the same? Being one of the biggest offenders, I will say this. Coming from an era where we did not have lots of choices, and there were ONLY two brands, I can say that I get a rush when I find a new pair of gloves that I have been dying to try…It almost gives you an inebriated feeling when finding that PERFECT pair of gloves. In the last year I have used the following brands: Sells, Sondico, Puma, Reebok, HO, Jako, Derby Star, The One Glove, Umbro, Nike, Adidas, JA, and countless others….Two brands conspicuous in their absence, Reusch, and Uhlsport….There are far too many choices in gloves today. THANK GOD.
Posted
Nov 01 2006, 02:30 AM
by
ChewieGK1