Four Steps To Choosing The Right Football Gear

If you are planning to join the high school or college football team, you have to be prepared to protect your body from physical injury. The only way to do this is to pick out the right gear.

Of course, joining a football team means that all your needs will be taken cared of for you especially when it comes to the uniform and gear. However, this does not mean that they can make the choice of gear for you. You still have to pick out what is right for you so that they can prepare your gear and uniform. Here are a few ways to pick out what is right for you when it comes to football gear.

• Shirt and pants – Picking out a shirt and pants uniform is easy to do but you also have to be aware of your body size. You might be small now but your body could develop over time and get large especially if you are in your teenage years when growth is quick.

When choosing the right pants or shorts, make sure that these fit snugly but not too tight. As you grow, the pants will stretch anyway. Just pick the right size that you feel you will grow into. The shirt is usually big to accommodate for any extra padding that you will use to protect your body. Don't pick too big a shirt though or else you will be restricting your body of movement.

• Shoulder pads – Shoulder pads are very important. These are probably the biggest thing in your gear that you will be carrying around. But this does not mean that the bigger they are, the safer your shoulders are.

To pick the right shoulder pads, fit into pads that are not too small and not too large. The shoulder pads have to rest properly on your shoulders and not slip off because these are too heavy. These should also cover your shoulders properly, not too short and not too long and protruding.

• Helmet – The helmet is the most important decision you will make. It should not be in any way loose that it can be knocked out of position. To be safe, you might want to look into investing in an air helmet instead of a suspension helmet. The air helmet's inner lining can be inflated so that it fits your head properly. It can be deflated a bit to make it more comfortable or inflated more for a tighter fit if you need it. The important thing is that the helmet is not too tight.

Suspension helmets have a cushioned lining that basically do the same thing as the air helmet except that it cannot be adjusted. For a suspension helmet you will need to go through a fitting and you should decide well if the fit is something you can work with.

• Cleats – Football cleats are important because you need to be able to move around the field properly. If these are too loose, even by half an inch, you might be tripping all over yourself on the field. Find a pair of cleats that are exactly the size of your feet. These should be like second skin to you. Keep in mind that you will wear socks which will add a little to the size of your feet especially if the socks are thick.