 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Equipment Sports Equipment
|
Football Equipment
Football is a rough, full-contact sport requiring properly fitted equipment to protect the players from serious injury. Even with all the equipment, trained professionals in peak condition receive injuries. The sport is that tough. Which goes to prove how important it is for youths to be properly trained and equipped. One of the most quickly recognized pieces of football equipment is the helmet, including the face mask, mouth piece, and jaw pads. Next you have the shoulder pads to protect the shoulders, chest, and back. More pads are needed to protect the thighs, knees, ribs, and extra padding called shock pads for the shoulder, chest, and back. Add to that receiver gloves, lineman gloves, a neck roll, and cleats, and you have a lot of bulk a player has to pack up and down the field and still appear light on his feet. Multiply all that equipment by a team, plus an assortment of footballs, hand-warmers, first aid equipment, and jersey's and the team's equipment manager has his hands full keeping inventory. Of course, not everyone is a NFL pro linebacker. In a friendly game of flag football, which doesn't allow tackling, you can get away with a bunch of friends, no referee, a Nerf ball, and a couple of trees designated as goal posts. However, if you are signing your child up for peewee league, plan on purchasing a full set of protective equipment. And since children grow so rapidly, buying used may help insure you get your monies worth out of it before it is too small. Check with other league parents, discount shops, and consignments stores for bargains on cleats and pads. Your ability to shop cheap will serve you well all the way through your child's high school years. One piece of equipment you may not want to buy used is the helmet. Often calipers and inflation bulbs are used to customize the fit to the player's head. Be thrifty. Shop around, but remember to keep the safety of the player as top priority. Football safety equipment is not the best place to cut corners. |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||