Winter warmers (part 2): snoods!

Tip 2 for keeping warm in the cold weather: snoods!

Quite the fashion accessory for goalies (well, not catwalk like or anything!), they seem to be very popular in Italy with Buffon, Abbiati and Casillas all wearing them at some point (with Reina also, mainly when at Liverpool); Cesar wearing one in his time with Inter, and so on and so forth! And they have been seen being worn by English goalkeepers like Hart and Ruddy who have both worn them in cold morning training sessions. Although there were complaints from the media/pundits/writers and the usual smack talk from fans whinging about how sissy it looks (as you'd expect), there were a few concerns about health & safety, but with the snood being worn on the head or around the neck, I personally don't think it's a choking hazard as it can't really snag or get caught as it hugs the neck.

At the least it gives you a bit of extra warmth, which should help keeping your vocal chords from chilling up; useful for shouting at your defenders all game long without wearing your voice out! At worst it gives your team mates, the oppo and anyone else a topic of conversation, but it is an extra option for keeping cold in those wintry games when you wonder why you bothered to ever get out of bed so early on a Sunday!!

Winter warmers (part 1): inner gloves

Staying warm in winter
Tip 1: inner gloves

If you're managing to get a game in the windswept, waterlogged areas of the UK, then there might be a few options to keep your hands from getting chilly and freezing over themselves! A pair of cold hands is no good for getting a good grip or catching shape and even though you might not be expecting to get frostbite, so it's a good idea to work out a quick and easy way of keeping them warm! One easy way to keep your hands and fingers warm, is to wear inner gloves. Just like those outfielders wearing them in the nippy weather, you should be able to get hold of a pair of them quite easily.

With your hands warm, you should be able to make a strong catch when the ball does come your way, as you won't be struggling to move a pair of cold hands in the ball's direction or have trouble getting a grip on the ball. A good idea for making sure you keep your hands warm (for preventing injury/stopping an injury being worse than needed! And for making strong catches as mentioned), you could either get a pair of tight fitting gloves that shouldn't interfere with your goalie gloves or try and find a slightly larger size of goalie gloves that will fit when worn over the inner gloves. Worn under your goalkeeping gloves (i.e. put on before you put your goalie gloves on!) they should be useful for keeping the cold away from your fingers and help you get a good catch; more important than anything in slippy and windy playing conditions!!