Youth soccer - get equipped for spring
For the kids...
With spring soccer looming, we should be sure our little soccer players have the right equipment.
Cleats: Fit and comfort should always be the most important factors when picking out shoes - seems obvious but there are a bunch of fun colors out there and kids (even us older kids) are sometimes swayed by fashion.
As the player advances, they'll want a more snug fit -- so the shoe construction should be flexible. My son started off in plastic, (but a good fit) from a local discount shoe store. Now that he's "serious," I buy him an intermediate cleat - I make sure it fits well and he's still able to find some funky colors...he just outgrew some shiny orange cleats.
Soccer shoes: I included these because they're soooo comfortable, even though you won't need them til indoor soccer. My son has been through about 4 pair in the last year and a half because he won't wear anything else (and his foot's grown about 4 sizes). I looked at some for myself but my kids rolled their eyes and said I had to pretend I didn't know them if I wore "soccer stuff" to a game or when I picked them up at practice :)
Balls: The size of the ball is dependant on the age group -
- size 3 - 8 and under
- size 4 - 8 to 12
- size 5 - 12 and up
The ball should be firm (9 psi) and the outside should be a little soft. I put a link on this page to the ones I get for my son - very reasonably priced ($14 at the time of this writing) and my son (who, as you've figured out, is very picky about soccer stuff) loves these.
Shin guards: As a good soccer mom, I wanted shin guards to cover/support his ankles, and go all the way up to his knees. No such luck. The fashion is to have these small tiny pieces of plastic just big enough to get by the ref. They're held in place by athletic tape wrapped around the leg above and below the shin guard. I made a deal with my son that his had to be bigger than what he wanted, but smaller than what I wanted ...I suspect he's snipping away at the sides when I'm not looking.
Water bottle: I actually found a water bottle that's a bottle wrapped in an insulated cover but with a pocket. He doesn't like taking a whole
knapsack but the pocket in the water bottle wrap holds his cell phone and athletic tape (for his shin guards). I'll post the picture as soon as I find it.
Gloves: For those games in the brisk weather it really helps to have a pair of gloves to keep you hands warm. Unless you're a goalie, there are no special requirements for these gloves, I usually wait for those thin one size fits all gloves to go on sale and then buy a bunch (my kids are always loosing them - one at a time).
Compression pants: These are thin pants made from elasticized fabric, usually a lycra blend, designed to provide the legs with compressed support. These are worn under player uniforms to support the leg muscles and to help prevent injury (or further damage to an existing muscle injury). My kids wear them in the colder weather to keep their legs warm and to prevent the ball slapping against their cold skin on their legs - ouchie.
For the grown-ups...
After you outfit your soccer player, you should also throw some stuff in your car:
- First aid kit...especially band-aids and ice pack for the couple of scrapes and bruises and turned ankles. Don't count on your coach having the proper medical equipment in the case of injury.
- A warm jacket or blanket - it's always colder than you think standing on the sidelines.
- A fold-up chair - it's nice to have a seat.
- Magazine, or craft; something to occupy yourself while waiting for the practice to be over.
I put links to Eurosport - where I buy most of my soccer equipment. Many of the items are on sale and I always love it when they have free shipping.
If you want to suggest a particular topic for me to cover, share an experience, or make a comment shoot me an email at webmaster@kasoccer.com.
