Goalkeepers are one of the most important players on a team. They need to be able to make quick decisions and be agile enough to react quickly if their defence slips up.
As a goalkeeper, you know that staying warm is important. You will be outside in the cold for long periods of time and it’s important to keep your muscles loose and warm.
But what do goalkeepers wear when they’re not playing? Do they have special clothes for practice, or do they always wear the same thing? What about when it gets cold outside and there’s snow on the ground?
There are many ways you can stay warmer on game day, but one of the most effective methods is wearing layers of clothing. When playing outdoors or indoors, your body temperature drops as quickly as it rises during play.
Wearing layers allows you to adjust easily to changes in temperature by swapping out pieces of clothing without overheating or becoming cold due to sweat loss.
Staying warm as a goalkeeper
Goalkeepers are the last line of defence in soccer. Goalkeepers have to be able to stand still for an entire game, which means they need stamina and endurance.
To help them stay warm because goalies can’t move much, here are a few ways a goalkeeper can keep warm during games:
- Wear thermal gloves during the game
- Have hot water bottles close by
- Warming up before kickoff
- Wear base and mid layers to keep the body warm
- Constanstly move around the 18 yard box
- Wear a dry kit and keep a spare kit to change at half time
- Wear a snood
Goalkeepers need to be able to stay focused and on their toes at all times.
When players make mistakes, goalies have a split second to move in order to block shots or deflect balls out of bounds without getting injured themselves.
To avoid injury and remain safe during games, it’s important for goalies to wear protective gear like knee pads and elbow pads as well as helmets with face masks that can protect them from injuries if they get hit by flying objects.
Of course, wearing gloves is also essential when catching soccer balls because you don’t want your hands slipping off the ball accidentally.
Wear thermal gloves during the game
As the goalkeeper, your gloves are crucial to your performance in a game. You need to have gloves that will keep you warm and dry throughout the match.
If your hands get wet or cold, it makes it much more difficult for you to catch balls, hold on to the ball when being tackled by an opponent, and block shots from opponents.
When choosing which gloves are right for you as a goalkeeper, there are many factors that come into play such as how often do you train? What season is it? What type of weather is the training session?
All these questions should be answered before purchasing any pair of soccer goalie gloves because they will affect what kind of glove works best for you.
Hot water bottles
During a soccer game, it can be difficult to stay warm. That is especially true when the weather turns frigid and you are playing outside on an unseasonably chilly day.
But there are some things that goalkeepers can do in order to help themselves feel better during games if they get cold easily or struggle with staying warm while playing soccer.
One of those tricks is having a little bit of something warming up near them at all times so they have access to warmth whenever necessary throughout the match.
Whether it’s a hot water bottle or another object, having something to help keep them warm is important for goalies.
Warming up before kickoff
A soccer goalie needs to have their mental game in check just as much as their physical abilities.
Soccer goalkeepers need to stay warm during games so they are ready whenever the ball comes into play.
If you’re not mentally prepared and focused on what you’re doing, your performance can suffer greatly. This can then put your team at risk of losing certain matches because one player isn’t playing well enough due to being lazy about warming up properly.
With that said, here are some tips for staying warm before taking the field,
- make sure you do dynamic stretches with movement involving all muscle groups to get blood flowing properly
- take a warm shower or bath before the game starts, using hot water if possible. This will raise your core body temperature and make sure you are ready for whatever comes at you during the match.
Wear base and mid layers to keep the body warm
Even though practice might not always occur outdoors, it’s important for goalies who play indoors to still take part in outdoor training sessions from time to time.
Wearing a combination of base layers and mid-layers beneath your soccer kit will help keep you warm in the event that practice occurs outside.
By wearing layers, it’s easier for goalies to stay warm and dry during practice and during the game with different changing weather conditions.
And by practising with these different types of clothing combinations beneath their soccer kit, goalkeepers will be ready to take on any type of weather that comes their way during matches.
Move around the 18 yard box
If you are playing outside on a cold day, it can be difficult to stay warm. That is especially true when you’re standing still during some parts of the game like defending against an opponent trying to score by yourself in soccer.
As a result, it’s important for goalkeepers to keep moving around the 18-yard box during gameplay.
This is especially true when you’re defending against opponents trying to score against your team.
Wear a dry kit and keep a spare kit to change at half time
Playing as a goalkeeper in soccer games can be brutal, and it’s even worse when the weather is cold.
When the temperature dips below 50 degrees Fahrenheit (10 Celsius), you’ll need to wear a dry kit to stay warm on the field.
The best choice for goalkeepers is an undershirt with Dri-FIT technology which will wick moisture away from your skin and keep you cool and comfortable.
A dry kit will help make sure you’re able to play the game without getting too cold.
In addition, it’s a good idea for goalies to bring a spare kit with them on every soccer team that they are part of just in case something happens during a match where their first one becomes drenched and unusable.
By bringing a new jersey along as well as some dry socks, you’ll be prepared to take on whatever comes your way and stay warm during soccer games no matter what the weather is like.
Wear a Snood
A snood is a tube of fabric that wraps around the neck, typically worn as an accessory to keep one’s head warm. Many goalkeepers wear them on the field during games in order to stay warm.
Snoods have been used for centuries by people all over the world both for warmth and fashion purposes. So it comes as no surprise that they are now being adopted by athletes who need protection from cold weather conditions while still maintaining maximum performance.
The snoods come in different colors too which makes them easy to coordinate with team uniforms. Plus, snoods are great for holding back long hair.
Keeping the neck warm is extremely important because it can help keep players from getting chills that could then potentially lead to sinus and throat infections which would make playing difficult if not impossible in some cases.
So when you’re out on the field and experiencing cold conditions, pull your snood out and keep your neck warm to stay in the game no matter what.
Final Thoughts
When you play goalkeeper, it’s easy to get lost in the moment of a match and not realize how cold it might actually be outside until you step onto the field.
Any of the tips mentioned above will help keep goalies warm in cold conditions, but it’s important to remember that you’re not the only one out there who needs help staying warm.
It is also important that you remind your teammates so they can stay warm and comfortable while keeping up with all of the action during a game.
As much as they might not like hearing it, remind them that keeping warm will help keep everybody in the game and playing at their best.
