Most of the football gear are worn by players for the purpose of protecting themselves. Though most of the pads worn by players are required by the laws of the game, some of them are made for players in specific positions. Given below are the main equipments used. They can be divided into 3 sections: Head Protection, Body Protection and Leg Protection.
Head Protection
The helmet is the most integral equipment as it provides plenty of protection for the head.
1. Mouth Piece – This protects your mouth and teeth from being injured by tackles from the opposition. The mouth piece is put into the mouth. Mouth pieces are usually attached to the face mask, but some players don’t like to do so.
2. Face Mask – The face mask saves the face from potential damage. Face masks differ according to which position the player is playing in.
3. Jaw Pads – A lot of players confuse jaw pads with ear pads, but the jaw pad acts as a cushion between the helmet andFairly jaw. These are attached to the helmet.
4. Chin Strap - This helps to keep the helmet firmly to your head.
Body Protection
There are numerous equipments designed to provide protection to various parts of the body.
1. Neck Roll – Protects the neck from injury.
2. Shoulder Pads – Shoulder pads act as a shield when the player tackles with his shoulder. Some shoulder pads have the neck roll and the rib pad built in.
3. Shock Pads – This serves to provide additional cushion against impact when making contact with the shoulder. It’s generally worn under the shoulder pads.
4. Rib Pads – As the name suggests, rib pads serve to protect the ribs. Some rib pads protect only the rib, while others, in addition to this, protect the lower back to protect from blind side hits.
5. Arm Pads – Protects the wrists and forearms. Some pads also have a feature which protects the hands through webbing.
6. Lineman Gloves – These gloves protect the lineman’s knuckles, mostly when his hands get stuck between 2 helmets or shoulder pads.
7. Receiver Gloves – These gloves serve to improve catching. These are designed to increase comfort and increase the ‘feel’ for catching the ball.
Leg Protection
1. Hip pads and Tailbone pad – These are made from lightweight foam and is used to protect the hip and the tailbone. These are held in a girdle so that they can maintain their position on the body.
2. Thigh Pads and Knee Pads – These protect the quadriceps and knees respectively. These pads secure their place with the help of the football pants, which are worn tight for this purpose.
3. Football Cleats – There are two types of cleats, the ones with screws on tips, and the ones without them. The ones with the screw tips are helpful in that you can quickly change the number of studs according to the condition of the playing field. However, a big disadvantage of this is that they wear out quickly. The non – screw ones are known as ‘turf’ shoes. These shoes are used mainly for artificial turf, but there are some which are designed for natural turfs as well! |
