Some Essential Pieces of Sports Gear for Hockey Players
Hockey can be the most accident-prone and intimidating sport for beginners. Novice hockey players often get terribly bruised while learning the game. As a beginner, you will need some sports gear such as skates, hockey stick, helmet, gloves, and padding. You may be surprised to know that there are many more accessories, which are as essential as the main gear.
Hockey sessions are verily incomplete without some of the secondary sports commodities such as the following:
● Garter Belt – It is an important accessory worn around the waist area and similar to the ones that support the stockings. Garter belts are worn underneath the breezers and they also help hold the hockey socks. Otherwise, the shin guards under the socks may get stuck or loosen up with no tight tension from the socks.
● Sock Tape – Sock tapes are popularly used to wrap around the shin guards over the socks, to hold them in the proper place. It prevents the shin guards from moving or rotating around the player’s legs while skating. These tapes are also called clear tapes so that the team colors can be seen even with the tape. Sock tapes are by far one of the most needed hockey gear required by every player.
● Leg Guards – Goalie leg guards are made with protective padding to safeguard your knees during game play. Goalies wear leg guards as protective gear to prevent injuring their legs from hard shots that are directed to the goal area. Best quality leg guards offer a superior level of protection and are very lightweight, so that they won’t weigh you down in any way.
● Black Tape – Hockey black tapes are used to protect the blade of your hockey stick and offer a better puck feel. This will provide good control of the playing piece (puck) when getting a pass or taking a good-aimed shot. This can help develop your skills and make the game more interesting. Standard grade materials are used for making these special tapes. A black tape is mostly used by professional players with real skills and the ability to camouflage the puck so that the opposing team players do not see it. Goalies may use white color tape on their blades as they need to locate the puck.
● Helmet Repair Kit – Hockey helmets and shields are held up with several different screws. Many of them may get loose and even fall out. You cannot pick a new helmet or shield during the play session. In such cases, you need to be ready with a helmet repair kit. They are quite inexpensive and usually contain all the accessories you may require to repair your helmet or shield. You can find J-hooks too that keep the player shield in place.
All the above-mentioned gears are affordable and can help you learn and practice the game safely and in an enjoyable manner. As a player, you can become more confident and develop professional skills without any hindrances and fear of injury.