KEEPERS RESOURCES
Thermals
Along with baselayers, which are great for wicking away sweat as I’ve written about some time back, thermals can be pretty useful when playing in the winter months (whichever side of the globe you’re on, the earth spins on an axis after all!). In fact, there are some thermals that do that as well, so you can get rid of built up sweat (as you play well and build up a sweat, as they say in ice hockey, “working up a sweat out on the ice”!) and stay warm at the same time. Pretty useful, “killing two birds with one stone as the phrase goes”, goalkeeping wise! I currently have a pair of thermals that I also wear when skiing or maybe, eventually, snowboarding (if and when I get the rare opportunity to do some snow sports!) that are a pretty quality set that also wick away sweat, for warming the legs! Personally, I’m not a fan of British weather. I know it’s not the coldest place in the world (I’ve seen some awesome pictures of Canadian hockey goalies – I think they were – warming up outside in the snow!) but it can never make its mind up, so those dreary, cold and wet days when you’re playing in the damp that can get through your kit and the chill that gets to your bones, it’s handy to have something to keep you warm!
Theoretically (need to prove it somehow!), what thermals do is essentially ensure your muscles keep warm so that when you stretch out you don’t tweak something or risk injury; turning or twisting unexpectedly etc. Where you may go long periods of time during a match with inactivity, you may be called upon to make an unexpected save as the play finally comes into your half and then D. Keeping your muscles warm actually means that when you do go to make a save, say lunging and extending with a split, you’re not endangering yourself injury wise. As opposed to making such a save as reflex when you are cold, where theoretically speaking (need to check the sport science!), it could cause you to tense up more and then pull something (I think, that’s how it works!). So ultimately, it does offer an option of keeping you and your muscles warm, without having to stretch continuously to keep warm, although I’d do that regardless just to make sure!
So, thermals are something you may want to consider. You get the usual thermals or the wicking baselayer thermals depending on your preference. You can get them on online sites or even Ebay (I did and can recommend them!) and potentially in stores that sell snow sports gear and such. Cold gear compression baselayers are what they call them, something like that, or search for snow sport baselayers!
And for evidence of a goalkeeper, here’s Hamish Coates just before a game with HWHC against East Grinstead, coming over from Australia and getting used to the somewhat rubbish climate in England (although admittedly he wasn’t wearing them in a game against Beeston, maybe because of him benching at the EG game?)!
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