How to Buy Field Hockey Equipment

While ice hockey garners its fair share of attention from the news media, the traditional game of field hockey goes largely under the radar compared with its ice skating counterpart. A club-level and Summer Olympic Games sport, men and women's field hockey has more in common with soccer than with ice hockey. This is reflected by the required equipment for the men's and women's games. Selecting the appropriate gear coincides with a budding player's desired position of play.

Instructions

    • 1

      Determine what position you or the player you are buying for will be playing. Offensive players (forwards and halfbacks) and defensive players (fullbacks) use the same gear of full-length shin guards, sticks, and optional (although sometimes mandatory) mouth guards, gloves and eye goggles.

    • 2

      For goalies, donning a full set of gear (leg guards, helmet, hand pads, boots, chest protectors, male/female groin protector, padded shorts and sticks) can be quite expensive. Some beginner's teams usually have a set of goal gear in reserve for those players interested in playing the position, thus preventing any unnecessary initial expense.

    • 3

      After the player's position is confirmed, determine the level of play. As with nearly all sports, gear is priced from beginner to professional level as well as age-appropriate. For forwards and defensive players, check with the coach or league officials to find out about gear requirements.

    • 4

      Goalie leg guards (and all related goalie gear) are measured in small, medium and large. Keep in mind that the guards must cover the entirety of the shin and be slightly above the knee. If possible, try on several sets of hand pads in the desired price range to determine the fit.

    • 5

      Player sticks are straight or have some curve deviations to the shaft, so mostly it's about preference. If possible, try several sticks before buying. Goal sticks have no curve and are slightly beefier in the lower shaft, so selecting the right stick is about weight management and desired length, which ranges between 34 to 36 inches.