Having been able to find some better photos of Holland's current number one, Jaap Stockmann, in action, I think it's safe to say that he is also now wearing Obo arm pads. His compatriot, he was the travelling reserve for the London Olympics, Pirmin Blaak has worn them (on both arms versus the "traditional" no arms/only right padded) since he took over for Rotterdam as first choice there. Stockmann previously wore just an elbow pad on his right, but it appears he's made the switch to covering more of the bare arm to protect when making a barrier block with the body (sliding, "logging" etc.). Not sure how long ago this was, so probably not the most up-to-date gear sighting! But still interesting to make a note of considering the more general slimmed down equipment approach in Holland and Belgium and Spain as well.
Here you can see him warming up with both arms (like Scanlon at HWHC does, although he removes both arm pads for games!) before removing the left arm to play, whilst in the HIL league in India last year:
Versus in his days wearing only a right elbow pad, it's interesting to make note of the switch and also in relation to the more pro-active, reaction, athletic style seen in Holland versus the blocking, percentage based approach of other countries, like Australia, potentially.
You can also see him here in his days playing for Holland U21's at the 2005 Junior World Cup, wearing Obo's prototype (their now current elbow design) at the time:
And here for Bloemendaal:
With Obo arm pads proving popular in Germany as well, with Reuss using them and other Bundesliga goalkeepers too, it's interesting to consider current trends in the modern game in terms of thinking about more/less padding for the goalkeeper. Germany seems to mix it up with a more blocking style, but Holland have always seemed to encourage active hands and a reactive mindset with their save making, so on a wider level, interesting to think about these things that might seem trifle, but have a big impact on the way a goalkeeper plays. Not sure if trends will swing back to a more protective style or a mash up hybrid of blocking and actively responding to shots, but interesting to consider either way!
Here you can see him warming up with both arms (like Scanlon at HWHC does, although he removes both arm pads for games!) before removing the left arm to play, whilst in the HIL league in India last year:
And here, wearing both arms for a shoot at a goalie clinic, akin to Blaak's set-up:
You can also see him here in his days playing for Holland U21's at the 2005 Junior World Cup, wearing Obo's prototype (their now current elbow design) at the time:
And here for Bloemendaal:
With Obo arm pads proving popular in Germany as well, with Reuss using them and other Bundesliga goalkeepers too, it's interesting to consider current trends in the modern game in terms of thinking about more/less padding for the goalkeeper. Germany seems to mix it up with a more blocking style, but Holland have always seemed to encourage active hands and a reactive mindset with their save making, so on a wider level, interesting to think about these things that might seem trifle, but have a big impact on the way a goalkeeper plays. Not sure if trends will swing back to a more protective style or a mash up hybrid of blocking and actively responding to shots, but interesting to consider either way!
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