Football Equipment Essentials
While many types of football equipment are required by the rules, some gears are made for specific position. Nonetheless, the majority of the gears are made for protection. Here is the list of the gears required when you play the game:
Head and Face Protection
- Helmet – The most important gear that the player must have. Serious head injuries can be prevented while wearing a helmet.
- Mouthpiece protects the teeth from crashing blows. Players can prefer to attach it to the facemask or not.
- Facemask protects the player’s face from accidental contact. The styles of facemasks depend on the position of the player.
- Chin straps are used to secure the helmet to the head.
- Jaw pads are attached directly to the helmet, which provide cushioning between the jaw area and the helmet. Many players mistakenly treat these as ear pads.
Body Protection
- Shoulder pads provide protection from the impact during contact with the shoulder. Some shoulder pads are designed with rib pads and neck roll.
- Shock pads are worn under the shoulder pads to provide extra cushioning from the impact during the contact with the shoulder.
- Rib pads are used to provide protection on the rib area during contact. Some designs provide protection of the lower back from a blind side hit.
- Elbow pads are used to provide elbow protection.
- Arm pads are used to provide forearm and wrist protection.
- Receiver gloves are worn to improve the catching ability of the player.
- Linemen gloves are special gloves that are designed to protect the linemen’s knuckles during contact, particularly when their hands are caught between two shoulder pads or helmets.
Leg Protection
- Football cleats can either come with screw on tips or non-screw on tips. Cleats with screw on tips are great for quick changes depending on the field’s condition. One major drawback, however, is that it wears out pretty quickly. The non-screw on tips commonly referred to as “turf” shoes may be artificial or natural.
- Knee pads and thigh pads are designed to protect the knees and thighs respectively. These come along with girdle, which are secured by the football pants. The pants are designed to be tight to keep the pads and girdle in place.
- Tailbone and hip pads are designed to protect the tailbone and hips from contact. They are made from lightweight foam and are held on a girdle to maintain them at the right position on the body.