Table of Content: –
- Flag Football Helmets
- Flag Football Neck Guard
- Flag Football Mouth Guard
- Flag Football Pads
- Flag Football Shoes
- In Conclusion
Flag Football is one of the most dangerous legal games played in various countries. This game of American football needs special gear & equipment to protect players from uncertain harm & accidents.
Not only that but it is compulsory for all the teams who participate in flag football leagues to assign an equipment manager. His only job is to help players by providing a necessary & important item. Apart from that, he is also required to deal with damaged items & needs to repair them. To protect the most special element of the game ‘players’, by making them wear proper gear & equipment for safety & success.
Some of the most important equipment & gear for Flag Football Players are: –
Flag Football Helmets
Doesn’t matter which game you are playing, if it involves any dangerous situations the helmet becomes necessary for a player to wear. Perhaps in flag football, it is the most important piece of equipment that protects layers head from an injury. Considering all the violent tackles that take place in the NFL an injury is guaranteed without this equipment.
Not only that but the flag football helmet must be customized so they can be worn properly with an exact fit. The flag football helmet consists of the following pieces, shell, jaw pads, air bladders, face mask, mouth guard, & chin strap. Moreover, each of the pieces contained in the helmet is available in different sizes in the market. So, it can be used effectively by the players without worrying about their size & style.
In the starting years of flag football, it is really difficult for the coaches or mentors to guide their team inside the match. Often, at that time they shout from the sidelines or make hand signals to make players understand. But nowadays, since 1994, the league has allowed wireless communication devices in one ear hole of the player. With this small radio present inside the quarterback of the helmet, coaches & mentors don’t have t worry about guiding players according to the strategy. In this scenario, crowd noise is still a factor that can’t be changed but with the device, they can easily communicate at the time of the offence.
ALSO READ Origin & Evolution of Flag Football!
Flag Football Neck Guard
The most common injuries among all the body parts are based on the neck in flag football. So, it becomes really necessary to protect the neck from harm in this game. It develops a necessity of the neck roll as an important piece of equipment for football players.
Basically, it is made up of a foam roll that covers the whole back neckline of the player with a jersey. In a case, if a player’s head is blown by the power of tackling in this game. The neck roll can save a bone from moving back. Through this gear, there are a lot of players who survived a game-ending injury without any bigger problems.
Flag Football Mouth Guard
The mouth guard is designed to reduce injuries related to the jaw. Just by biting a piece of plastic with all your strength. Not only you can manage to get more energy in your body but you can also help yourself prevent broken jaws & teeth.
This guard is made up of custom fit & specially designed to fit in every jaw. By placing it inside hot water & allowing the plastic to get soften. Any player can get those benefits by just biting it with neutral strength.
The reason why it should be placed in hot water is to confirm the shape of the player’s mouth through softening.
Flag Football Pads
Now we all know that head is the first and most important art to protect from injuries in flag football. But that doesn’t mean you don’t have to worry about your body. It is also considered in jeopardy while playing inside a game.
Among all the major hits that occurred in the game. Mostly, all of them are on the body parts so, it becomes really necessary to protect your body while playing flag football. To protect it from those blows, a series of pads are designed to make less impact & redistribute the force of the blow.
Pads for the shoulder are made u of hard plastic material & specially designed to make the player comfortable. It consists of extra padding underneath to make it reliable in difficult situations. Not only that but the most precious thing about these pads is, that they are available for various positions. Moreover, extra padding which makes it looks like a flak jacket is useful inside the game.
Pads for the hip, thigh, & knee are also designed to protect the lower body from the collision that takes place in the game. Where hip pads are get attached around the player’s hip bone & pelvic bone. The other pads are sustainably get attached from the inside of the player’s pants.
The amount of padding a player requires depends on himself. He can wear all the padding options that are available in the team, or he can also neglect those pads which aren’t necessary for him. Avoiding some padding makes a player bit faster compared to the other players.
ALSO READ: Ways to avoid Flag Football Injuries
Flag Football Shoes
Wearing a shoe that fits your size & is comfortable on your feet is really important for the game. Wearing the wrong type of shoes not only makes steps uncomfortable but can also lead to several knee injuries.
In flag football leagues, a team needs to play both indoor & outdoor games in various climatic conditions. In these scenarios, it is really beneficial for the team to have a variety of footwear options. The team’s equipment manager has to get every player a shoe that is comfortable & beneficial for him.
In some of the surveys, it was found that an average flag football team needs to change 2000 pairs of shoes every season. It becomes more important when the playing field is Astroturf to choose the right pair of shoes. In these types of fields, it choosing the wrong style of shoes can cause players a lot of problems. Their foot becomes momentarily stuck to the surface but their body doesn’t stop moving in the opposite direction. It not only can make a loss of points in the game but can also lead a player to a dramatic injury on the field.
In Conclusion: –
In the above article, we have discussed a lot of equipment that helps players. To protect themselves from harm inside the flag football game. But there isn’t any guarantee that states there is no harm while having all the right gears & equipment on your side. Sometimes in the game where your emotions are rushing out. Not even destiny can save anyone from the harm that isn’t written.