If you are anything like me, playing soccer is always at the top of your “to-do list.” If your desire to actually play also is similar to my idea that a game or practice should occur no matter what the weather conditions, then you need to get the extra gear to make sure that can help you be a top-performer no matter what. A player who is too cold in the colder months of the year is a player that will need the first fifteen minutes of a game to even start feeling their feet, but a player that enters the game prepared against the cold weather is a player that can dominate the whole ninety.
First, keep your upper body warm. You need to have something underneath your kit to make sure that you are warm. For me, I stay away from the bitter cold by wearing the Nike HyperWarm fitted mock. It fits tight to your skin, feels incredibly thin (despite being made to keep you warm), and wicks away the sweat like any other performance top that you would wear under your kit. The sleeves on the HyperWarm top are also long so that they keep your entire arm warm and there is also a slight collar making sure that it stays snug and prevents any cold air from sneaking in via a loose fit.
Second, keep your legs warm. Sure, your legs may be the most important thing to keep warm considering the sport that we love, but just doing some decent pre-match warm-ups can provide that. But, just to make sure you are already warm the second you arrive at the game, there are a few additions you can make to your wardrobe. First, get a pair of undershorts that provide a slightly warmer feel than the typical compression short. You can find these by looking specifically at what some compression shorts offer, and the options are plentiful here. The second thing you can do is to break down and order a nice professional level pair of soccer socks. The material used is sewn better and it is a bit thicker than the typical soccer sock. A different sock may seem like too little of a change, but after you use a great sock a few times in really cold weather, you will not be able to go back to thin, cheap socks.
Lastly, take care of your hands and ears. A pair of field player gloves will keep your hands nice and warm while you see all the other players on the pitch constantly rubbing their hands and attempting to get their hands to keep from turning blue. Currently, my first-choice field player glove would be the Puma Performance Touchline glove as it keeps your hands warm and allows you to interact with your cell phone without removing the glove. As far as keeping your ears warm, a simple beanie or earmuff will always suffice. Our friends over at SoccerPro.com even have a Manchester City beanie available for all those Manchester City fans hoping to stay warm in the winter.
The winter for soccer fanatics are just more months that can be filled with soccer. Make sure that you make the most out of every soccer opportunity by having the equipment available to make every soccer outing perfect. Plus, it is always fun to be warm and comfy as you celebrate a goal while noticing that the other team is still shivering in the cold. Take advantage and get outfitted today.
at 16:36
I will be playing Winter Football ‘soccer’ after a long time and my first time in Vancouver. Although the snow is not that much but here its the ‘Cold Rain’ rather than the usual ‘Monsoonal Showers’ that I was used to back home. But that said I will be playing a couple of games outdoors and then shifting the focus indoors. Great Article and I will be following your suggestion for the Compression Top , not the shorts because I don’t like those hugging my thighs and glutes too tightly.