Carr switches gloves

In another gear change sighting for national league goalies' set-ups this season, Oxted's Carr has switched things up with a change in hand protectors. Sporting the new D3O powered Monarch LHP rather than Obo glove, he seems to have his style a tiny fraction in letting the glove do more of the work with the greater rebound as the D3O springs back/reforms as the shot rebounds. His RHP selection is pretty much the same, sporting the RHP+ model, with the back partially removed for more wrist control and movement. You can note this in the picture with the use of the thumb strap.

Interesting to note that Monarch have worked on a strap that goes through and around the foam insert protecting the back of the wrist...

Mason switches headgear

Gear sightings wise, Simon Mason has recently switched over from the helmet/cage combo he has been wearing for quite some time, back to a mask design. Mason has worn a mask style headgear previously, as with Olympic/international action during his time with England/GB back in the day, but it is of interest that he has made the switch, for the potential upgrade in protection. The mask itself is a Wall (poorly illustrated below, but you can just about make up the lettering. Interestingly, Wall is a popular ice hockey company for ice hockey masks based in Finland so how he came about to finding one such design is out there. It metaphorically makes sense given how much of a 'wall' he is for Guildford anyway!

http://www.wallmask.fi/en/

Cortes' thumb strap?

In an actual kit sighting in the World Cup, it looks like Cortes has been using a thumb strap with his new P1 TK RHP. The mod used by David Kettle (and Tommy Alexander too previously) helps to give stability to the hand turning in for the save and it would seem Cortes has taped up his glove to enable this. As can be seen, he started out without the strapping method at the beginning of the tournament:

http://www.hockeyimages.co.uk/jm10640

http://www.hockeyimages.co.uk/jm10565

And is now using it in the final games of the series:

Gucassof's 'broom' stick

One equipment sighting that was of actual interest (am aware I !), was Jeremy Gucassoff and his interesting stick concoction. Considered to be quite the 'broomstick', the stick itself has drawn a few comments, criticism and queries and raised a few eyebrows when he used it in action during the 'shuttles' he played in. I had heard on the grapevine of the Goalies Union that the long stick is used and preferred in Australia because of its extra reach in 1 on 1's and when down in 'logs'. 38 - 42" sticks are in this range for this reason for goalkeeping technique.

Innovation is part of pushing things forward and experimentation is the only to try out certain methods, so it's good to see him having a go. And it seems that a lot of international and elite goalkeepers have considered the switch to a longer stick for the use in stick tackles and the handiness of having extra reach when playing a clearance from distance. But it is questionable how much a goalkeeper can get away with in this regard!! If the powers that be decide it is an unfair advantage, then Gucassoff will have to reconsider chopping down his twig, just as the Polish stick alteration was banned for the indoor format!

Jenniskens also back in TK rhp

It's also worth making note of Mark Jenniskens switch back to the TK rhp after dabbling with the Obo Hi Control rhp. Jenniskens joined other Dutch international goalkeepers Stockmann and Blaak in using the glove for its larger blocking surface for shot stopping. But it looks as if Stockmann is the only goalkeeper of the four (Sam Van der Ven being Obo sponsored and always using the rhp!) to be still using the glove after having made the change himself. Obviously this is Jenniskens' last season playing at the elite level so it won't be possible to keep track of his kit set-up following the Euro Hockey League fixtures he is currently taking part in!

KO16 day 2: kit sightings

With the second day of matches at the Euro Hockey League taking place, there's been a few more kit changes standing out during the action. The P1 series which is starting to finally filter out into real world hockey after previews of the new designs at Christmas/New Year, seems to be the most obvious development.

• James Bailey has made the switch to the new P1 kit, making him the first English elite level goalkeeper to do so (as far as I can garner!), having been wearing his Softs in the final games of the national league season
• Bailey has also switched to the TK P1 Plus LHP, having used the standard TK LHP for pretty much his entire time wearing TK
• Gucasoff is still using the same set-up he has been during the Belgian playoffs (for a spot in the EHL next season no less); still preferring the Soft TK Plus LHP to the new P1 version
• Cologne's Aly is sticking to the TK Softs; no switch to the P1 range just yet!
• Pinner is sticking with his specially adapted England flag style Monarch GP01 leg guards and kickers!

KO16 EHL day 1: kit sightings

With the KO16 stage of the Euro Hockey League well under way, it might as well be easier to get started with kit sightings before I attempt more in-depth analysis of goalkeeping performances so far. Even if it sounds a tad boring, even the slightest change can have a big impact on playing ability; overall peripheral vision for full eye contact (silent eye) for saves and so on.

So here are some more obvious sightings of kit that the top level goalkeepers in Europe have made to their set-ups (or not!):

• Grunwald Poznan's starter Chyla is still using the TK Plus LHP and softs range
• Manu Leroy is using the new TK Platinum/P1 gloves, with their D3O for extra rebound
• Mulheim and German international Reuss has made the (so far) permanent switch to a helmet and cage combo from the TK mask he had been wearing for quite some time. All I know of is that he was wearing his new 'bucket' at the Indoor Championships and has been ever since then
• Kampong's David Harte has not yet made the switch to the new P1 range but is still using the top range TK mask with titanium cage (quite a new addition in comparison to other masks made by hockey companies) and the dangler he was using in the HIL

Kit sightings: both of Ireland's GK's in Obo

With the Ireland - England game over and done with on Thursday, it was interesting (if only slight!) to pay attention to what Ireland's goalkeepers were wearing. And Obo seems to be it, which actually put the the three out of four goalkeepers (including both choices for each team) in Obo; Patrick Smith also being sponsored by Obo, wearing almost the exactly same set-up as Fitzgerald actually as both prefer the Mercian Ultimate rhp for its hybrid technical uses (as this photo illustrates link).

West was in TK softie leg guards and kickers a while ago so the change to Obo is worth making note of. Both Irish goalkeepers were also wearing Obo's elbow guards; the current ones as opposed to the ones Kyle Pontifex was using at the London Olympics and others have been trialing.

http://www.hockeyimages.co.uk/3a46896

Great photos to demonstrate what's just be written, by none other than Peter Savage as ever. Wasn't able to get to the game myself, so only able to go by photographic evidence!

Cachia making use of ice hockey 'dangler'

With a few goalkeepers now wearing them in the national leagues globally, it's interesting to see Jamie Cachia as the only goalie in the British national league system to be wearing an ice hockey goalie 'dangler' that attaches to the mask and cage, offering extra protection to the neck area. After a potentially catastrophic injury whilst playing in the Hoofdklasse, David Harte has also been seen wearing one (although not sure if it is/was unrelated to the incident) in the Dutch elite league. Australia's George Bazeley, who has made the switch to Obo sponsorship and foam from Mazon, was wearing one whilst wearing a helmet/cage style combo, and is now also wearing one with an Obo mask. I was mucking around with one about fear seasons back, taking the idea from my ice hockey playing days (I get around as a goalie!!) to the dismay of Reevsey at Surbiton! But it's another option for us goalies other than foam padding around the neck so long as you don't mind the clanging, although a bit of noise pollution is worth it if you ever have any hairy (scary) moments involving shots to the neck area for those more protection wary.

http://adykerry.photoshelter.com/gallery-image/EHB-Picture-service-2013-2014/G0000WDa_LRS.izM/I0000wCXR0htaoNI

Harris still using current style Mercian lhp

I managed to catch (well, watch!) the HWHC versus Fareham game yesterday (match report to follow at some point when I have some more time spare) and one thing kit wise, whilst novel, was noticing that Harris was still wearing the current Mercian LHP. I'm not sure if he was experimenting with using the prototype that Mason has been wearing since last season (with a more square and thinner profile), going on action photos, but all the same has a different look to it than the one that he was pictured in early on this season. The other glove pictured before had the red 'M' lettering, which isn't present on the standard LHP. Not groundbreaking (as usual!), but I guess if this was football or ice hockey, goalie fans would be making note! Interesting to know the reasons if he was using the prototype, and why he made the switch back to the glove he's used to wearing.

Forrester's shiny new kit at Old Loughtonians

Having made the journey down south from Scotland, and making the switch to the English national league from Inverness, to ply his playing trade with Old Loughtonians in the East conference, Edinburgh graduate David Forrester can be seen wearing a new colour combo in his Obo foam. A yellow/pink number it's quite bold, helping him stand out from the crowd. Quite dashing and overtly "swag" they look pretty snazzy with the all black top/shorts set-up he has got going on. Seems like the most interesting colour set-up in the leagues, with others pretty dull in comparison!

Below you can see the kit in all its glory, via the links, courtesy of Peter Savage's photography:

http://www.hockeyimages.co.uk/sn33610

http://www.hockeyimages.co.uk/sn33864

http://www.hockeyimages.co.uk/sn33514

Mason goes retro...

Kit wise that is (as Mason's style is pretty old school, but works and makes him difficult to beat as hard to read how he'll react, so can't see there's any problem with that!)!

Another loose connection gear sighting wise for the season, is with Guildford's well known starter and ex-Olympian veteran Simon Mason, who has changed his set-up for the new season. I managed to get along to their home game this weekend to have a look see. Mase has gone for white pads and kickers over the traditional Mercian blue he normally wears. The umpiring/ruling body has forgone the limitations on colour, with white having been removed from possibilities, with goalies around the national league now able to wear white again!

Apparently the set is a one-off set just for him, with the foam based on the Academy mould but to a protection level and foam density of the Xtreme range. But it's fun just to see more goalies with differing gear styles to add a little colour/flavour (whatever's a better metaphorical analogy?!!) to the league as an observer and goalie geek.

Pirmin switches to TK Plus left hand glove

In Holland, another kit sighting for the season so far, for switched kit/changes, is Pirmin Blaak using a new TK Plus lhp rather than the Brabo one he switched to previous (presumably using the Brabo after international training sessions and competition involvement with Stockmann). Interesting to see as it seems to be a glove that's more easily available in Germany, with Reuss and Weinhold and co. using them. With all three of Blaak, Stockmann and Jenniskens all having used the Brabo left hand quite recently, it's interesting to see the change, even if it's not a huge scale! Not totally insignificant, as these style of gloves are seemingly harder to come by these days (although Kindler is using one over in Canada!) and offer different saving properties to the generic square shaped TK lhp. But it will be interesting just to see over the course of the season whether or not he will stick to the equipment change, or whether he'll change his mind! Obviously with Stockmann being sponsored by Brabo and  presumably as well (assuming!!), would be interesting to know if it's also due to the saving style offered (more rebound, more downward direction on the rebound due to inner curve), although they are all still using the Obo hi rebound rhp for its blocking properties, which says something about its advantages and the Dutch style of patient, upright goalkeeping and their reactive approach to save making.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/janlelie/9763140795/in/set-72157635543916143

Cachia switches to new Monarch GP01 rhp design

Just a quick post about an equipment sighting, possibly one of the first for the new season. You can see more on Hockey Images; I had hoped to get along to the East Grinstead home game but in the end life conspired against me, so no such luck to use some photos of my own!

So, it appears that Jamie Cachia of Sheffield Hallam is trying out the new Monarch GP01 rhp (right hand protector/glove) given its crossover qualities, merging the flat held stick with the Obo hi control and other tube style gloves and the new blocking rhp with a larger surface area for save making opportunities, in a different style than Mercian's new cross-continental shot blocking one. It's an interesting conceptual design given what it offers in comparison to its competitors in the goalie kit industry. He used to wear the TK rhp for its ground work capabilities and hybrid options for getting more behind a raised shot at hand or more height, as David Kettle does, but then switched to the Obo hi rebound last season (I think! Having experimented with it at international level practise games). This could be given his Obo sponsorship possibly, although a lot of companies are relaxed with their approach to kit allowances to suit the goalkeeper's style and needs, as is a gift really for elite level athletes looking for financial etc. sport given the cost of hockey kit, in a bespoke sort of way, as Nick Brothers and others have played in). And this allows him to play in a strong hybrid style that is appropriate to the way he plays, and has come to define how he plays and thus plays so well (not fixed in a particular system of playing or thought).

http://www.hockeyimages.co.uk/sg37952

The new rhp design is based around a glove that can block like the Obo hi rebound, but also one that can be used for strong stick tackling and stick clearances, when diving in or sliding along the pitch to get the ball off an attacker. This then allows more of a hybrid style, making it easier to "log" or go down for barrier saves, but also to block from the glove from a standing position away to the right, without having to bring the left hand across or possibly over rotate with disastrous consequences. It offers the best of both worlds potentially, that goalkeepers want to be able to do everything possible technique and saving wise, otherwise requiring a distinct change in technique, which is difficult for those "old dogs" that don't want to learn new tricks and are used to making saves automatically in a certain sort of way! It will be interesting to say what it plays like (will try and get my hands on it at some point to review it!). And given its stylistic features that offers the goalie these things.

Following link is a great vlog style review from Josh Olphin (who is a Monarch sponsee) who is at Sheffield Hallam (and might be the missing link as to this change: who knows!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGuUi2Mlwj8

And you can find more info and images on the Monarch site:

http://www.monarchhockey.com/default/gk-range/gcp01/gcp01-gloves.html

It will be interesting to see how things progress over the course of the season in terms of what use Jamie plays in and the use and technical approaches can get out of the new glove versus what he is used to, and see how it gives an extra dimension to his game. Chris Hibbert at Southgate quickly changed back to his Obo hi rebound rhp after making the switch to all Mercian foam and didn't go back. So it's food for thought and will be interesting to keep tabs on over the course of the new season.