WHAT KIT DO YOU NEED TO START PLAYING FOOTBALL?
WHAT KIT DO YOU NEED TO START PLAYING FOOTBALL?
What I'm not going to do here is state the obvious and tell you, "To play football you need a ball, boots, shorts, etc."If I did, you might be tempted to say something like, "What a genius. You need a ball to play football? I'd never have guessed.Don't worry! I've got other things to share with you and I hope they'll be useful for you.
WHAT DO I MEAN BY "STARTING FOOTBALL"?
First of all, I should clarify what I mean by "starting football". I'm talking about people who've decided to launch their club career. I'm not counting players who could be described as "recreational" and for whom specialist kit really isn't so important (I've chosen to exclude these players from this article, but there are still some stumbling blocks for them to avoid so I'll deal with them at a later date).
Now that we're clear about the type of player we're talking about, let's get down to business…
ARE YOU A BEGINNER? GET BEGINNER BOOTS!
If you're starting football in a club, I recommend finding a boot that's suited to your standard of play. There's no shame in going for a pair designed for beginners. On the contrary, it'll make you feel more at ease as you learn, so you'll improve faster. Too many footballers get caught up in aesthetics or just look for something eye-catching and, as a result, will be really uncomfortable and/or will get injured because they aren't wearing suitable boots.
Aesthetics should be something you don't really need to think about because so many beginner models are now really attractive. For example, the Agility 100 adult and the Agility 300 kids' boots from Kipsta are testament to the effort the team has put in to the design.
LIGHT, DURABLE KIT
When it comes to clothing, you're going to need lightweight kit that won't hamper your movements and that will let you focus on your game. You don't want to be readjusting your shirt every couple of seconds, like a tennis player between points (know what I'm talking about?).
Your kit also needs to be durable. As a beginner, you're not exactly going to be training with Premier League players, so your shirt is going to suffer plenty of wear and tear during drills! And irrespective of the level of play, it's common to see a lot of contact during matches. If you get something sturdy to start with, you won't constantly need to buy a new shirt!
SHIN PADS WITH OR WITHOUT ANKLE GUARDS?
Some shin pads come with ankle guards, which are popular with some players and looked down on by others. The best advice I can give you is to opt for a model with removable ankle pads. That way, you can try playing with and without them to see what suits you best.
TEMPTED TO SKIP TRAINING BECAUSE IT'S COLD? GRAB SOME BASE LAYERS AND HEAD OUTSIDE!
It's half 6 on a Thursday night, you've got to go to training and it's about 0°C outside. Surely, you say to yourself, you'd be better off staying home, grabbing a takeaway and watching the match on the telly?
Don't even think about it! Pull on some base layers and get down to training. Kipsta's Keepdry 500, for example, is designed to keep you warm during matches and training sessions while also wicking away perspiration, so you won't have to play in a damp shirt. If you tend to feel the cold, there's also a lower-body version so you'll be ready for any weather.
