It is important for goalkeepers at all but the youngest levels to wear gloves. Gloves not only give you a better grip on the ball, but they offer protection and cushioning for the fingers and palms.
Glove construction
Palms
- The palm is the most important part of any goalkeeper glove because it is where most of the protection and tackiness is needed
- The grip in the palm area depends on the materials used to make the glove
- Most gloves are comprised of a smooth latex, which provides the best grip
- Dimpled and textured latex gloves are also available. They offer more durability but their grip is not as great as pure latex gloves.
- Some manufacturers also utilize different treatments to increase the tackiness of the glove
- Typically the better the latex, the better the gloves will perform
- Ironically, the better the glove, the quicker it will wear out, so many keepers use two pairs of gloves–one for games and one for practice
- The best latex gloves will begin to flake relatively quickly, but they are still usable until almost of the material has worn out
- The textured or dimpled palms provide more durability, are less expensive and better suited for practice
Closures
- There are many different types of closures on keeper gloves
- Hook-and-loop(Velcro-type)
- V-notch
- Bandage
- The style you purchase depends mostly on personal taste
Determining your glove size
- Most goalkeepers prefer to wear gloves that are a little larger than they actually need, giving them a larger surface area to stop the ball without sacrificing control
- Glove sizes correspond roughly to you shoe size, and come in whole sizes only
- If you are between sizes, always buy the larger size
Measuring your hand
Palm size
- Use a tape measure to measure all the way around the widest part of your palm, excluding your thumb
- If you don’t have a tape measure, use a string and measure that against a ruler
- Measure both hands and add 1 inch to the largest measurement
- For example, if your longest measurement is 6 inches, your glove size is 7
Finger size
- Some manufacturers also measure by finger length
- For this, measure from the base of your hand right above the wrist to the tip of your longest finger
- This is your glove size
