Best Field Hockey Gloves

Field Hockey gloves have become more and more popular in the sport over the years, as the game has become faster and more competitive.

First things first, though, what are field hockey gloves, and what do they do? Gloves for field hockey players are very different from other gloves worn in sports like Ice Hockey where both hands are fully enclosed. Typically, these gloves are only worn on the left hand, but only half the fingers are covered and are padded on the outside.

Some players choose to wear gloves on both hands; however, the extra grip on the right hand is not necessarily always wanted as the right-hand needs to have the shaft of the stick twist in it smoothly when the left-hand turns the stick. This is also often why players tape the area between the gripped part of the stick and the main shaft.

The best hockey gloves have two main functions. The first is to protect the player’s knuckles from skin abrasions and being squashed while tackling or doing slap hits. You can see in the image here where Michelle Kasold of team USA is taking on a player from the New Zealand national women’s team with her Dita stick; notice how the New Zealand player‘s hand is protected from abrasion from the turf by the glove.

The other secondary benefit of using gloves is to achieve a better grip on the handle of the stick. Generally, this stick grip should take care of this. However, gloves can help out a bit too, especially in wet weather if the grip is not performing.

There are several types of field hockey gloves which can be categorized by how much coverage they provide your hand; this ranges from a full glove, half finger glove, half finger glove with no thumb, all the way down to just a knuckle guard.

Who Should Wear Field Hockey Gloves?

Any player on the field can wear a field hockey glove. You may also see them being used regularly by elite players in each different position. However, the position that uses gloves the most are defenders as they tend to be making the big low down tackles most often out of anyone on the pitch.

Something else to consider is what type of surface you are playing on. A well maintained natural grass pitch probably doesn’t warrant a glove as much as AstroTurf as it doesn’t tend to cut up the knuckles quite as bad. This being said, tough, hard, dry grass can be pretty abrasive too.

The worst surface for your hands is a synthetic sand turf; these bad boys will take the skin of your knuckles or hands as easily as cutting butter. Best-fieldhockeysticks.com would strongly recommend anyone who plays on this surface to use a glove of some description.

How Much Do Gloves for Field Hockey Cost?

Typically, hockey gloves are not too expensive and generally range from as cheap as $5 to a max of $50. The large variance in price is due to two main things.

1. The quality of materials used and
2. The number of materials used, e.g., small gloves that only cover a small portion of your knuckles are going to be cheaper than a full glove offering full padding.

Keep reading for individual glove reviews and our top picks for players.

Indoor Field Hockey Gloves

For indoor hockey players, gloves are even more of a necessity than those that play outdoors. As you might imagine, the most common surface for indoor field hockey is hard solid wood (like a basketball court) or concrete flooring with a special coating. Both of these surfaces do not have any cushion on them, so if your hand is pushed down on them hard, there isn’t going to be any give in it. Ouch!

A lot of indoor players tackle flat and down low, this means a lot of opportunities for not only abrasions from the floor, but fingers being squashed by the oppositions sticks too. This is one of the reasons that it is more common for indoor players to actually use gloves on both hands.

Best Half Finger Field Hockey Glove – with Thumb Protection

STX Stallion Field Hockey Glove

This is an excellent all-rounder glove that will give any player good protection for most situations. It has a large raised pad that sits on the back of your hand as well as padding over the knuckles, covering half the fingers. This glove also has good flexible cushioning on the part of the thumb which is nice too in a squash situation. STX has made a great lightweight and non-bulky design that still delivers great protection to the hand and fingers without getting in the way. Ideal for most outdoor field hockey players.

Pros

• Doesn’t restrict movement while playing
• Designed to protect your hand and fingers
• Velcro allows for an adjustable and comfortable fit
• Open palm and half fingers

Cons

• For use with the left hand only

Best Full Finger Field Hockey Glove

Grays International Pro Field Hockey Full Finger Gloves

This full finger hockey glove offers full finger and hand protection with its updated design. Its lycra construction allows for the best possible fit, and it also features ergonomically designed foam construction that offers a hockey player the flexibility they need while playing. The towel wrist offers a secure fit, and the Climagrip palm is all-weather and breathable.

Pros

• The updated design offers a better and more secure fit
• Designed for comfort and flexibility
• Full finger coverage
• Breathable

Cons

• Lists UK size gloves on Amazon

Best Half Finger Field Hockey Glove – No Thumb

Harrow Field Hockey Glove

Our top glove in this category is the Harrow. The main reason for this is the value you get for the money. This half finger and no thumb glove is one of the cheapest in its class while still offering good quality and most importantly, good protection. The glove partially covers the four fingers with an open hole for your thumb which has reinforced seams to ensure it doesn’t tear easily. It also offers good heat and air ventilation for your palm.

This type of glove is very common as it offers great finger and knuckle protection but more control and flexibility for the thumb, which is critical when holding a stick, if you are not too worried about having your fingernails squashed or thumb damaged this is a great choice.

Pros

• Reinforced thumb hole
• Ventilated palm for breathability
• Provides great protection
• Extremely comfortable to wear

Cons

• Available only for the left hand
• Sizes may run a little bigger than expected

Best Field Hockey Knuckle Guard Glove

Gryphon Knuckle Guard

Knuckle gloves are great lightweight protection for your hand. They are the most affordable type of glove because they are extremely simple in design and they are, essentially, just a highly abrasion-resistant fabric that just covers half of your fingers. The beauty of these types of gloves is they do not restrict finger or thumb movement at all and are extremely lightweight.

They don’t really have any proper cushioning, however, so you aren’t protected from finger squashing or jarring, but they will protect you against most abrasions. For example, if you are worried about scraping the skin off your knuckles from slap hits on a sand turf surface, then these types of gloves would be ideal. Our top pick in this category is the Gryphon Knuckle Guard, which is a great price and very durable. It also comes in both pink and black.

Pros

• It shapes to fit your hand comfortably
• Offers flexible foam protection
• Very affordable price point

Cons

• Only protects the knuckles and offers nothing for the fingers and hand

Other Field Hockey Glove Options

Grays Skinful Field Hockey Gloves

These field hockey gloves are a lightweight and full finger glove option that features a textured grip pattern. They are ideal for keeping your hands warm in cooler conditions while still allowing you to maintain control and the best grip possible on your hockey stick as you play. It is also effective at protecting your hands against scraping and other abrasions that may occur on the field.

Pros

• Synthetic and lightweight option
• Full finger protection
• Durable
• Offers a good grip

Cons

• Slightly higher price point

Grays Exo Hockey Glove, Natural

This field hockey glove is made from Lycra and features a molded plastic inner shell complete with foam lining. It is the ideal glove for the center, defensemen, and wing positions and is also suitable for both indoor and outdoor hockey. It offers a very slim and comfortable fit that still allows a lot of flexibility with the palm grip and has a Velcro fastener to offer a more secure fit. It is a good glove to maintain control and grip during all kinds of weather conditions.

Pros

• Extra thumb and hand protection with thick padding
• Flexible palm allows for a better grip
• Good to use in all kinds of weather conditions
• Comfortable and secure fit

Cons

• Left handed glove only

Fitting and Buying Hockey Gloves

When it is time to buy new field hockey gloves, there are several things you should factor in when deciding what is best. These factors include the fit, the size, the amount of protection they offer, mobility, and also quality.

Some of the more popular brands of hockey gloves include Bauer, Eagle, CCM, and Warrior; however, these name brands also often come with a higher price tag; typically, the price point for these higher-end brands will be between $50 and $200 new.

Quality

When looking at the quality of the gloves, you are looking for an articulated thumb, extra padding on the side of the hand, a wrist cuff for more flexibility and more protection, thicker leather on the palm that is also more durable, and stronger back padding.

Cheaper gloves will only have a single density foam padding and won’t offer you as much protection as those with the foam padding as well as plastic inserts on top of the high-density foam. You will also be able to feel the many layers of the gloves when they are of a higher quality.

The palms will also be reinforced in the higher wear areas, and this kind of reinforcement is ideal for those who play field hockey regularly. The thumb should also not be able to bend backward when wearing the gloves. This offers much more in the way of protection during gameplay. However, good gloves offer the mobility and flexibility you need in the thumb and wrist.

The Fit

You will find that most hockey gloves will be measured in whole inches and will vary between 13 and 15 inches for adults. Anything smaller than 13 inches is considered junior or youth sizing. The length in inches is representative of the distance there is between the bend in your inner elbow down to the base of your fingers.

When trying on your hockey gloves, you will want to have at least a quarter-inch of space in your fingertips, and the material shouldn’t stretch too much when you make a fist. The finger breaks should also be comfortable, and everything should line up with your knuckles.

Buying Hockey Gloves Online

If you choose to buy your hockey gloves online rather than in-store, then you want to make sure that you know the size you need, and you understand how the gloves will fit. It is also important to remember that if you purchase them and find that it isn’t the fit you were hoping for, you can always return them and go for a different glove or pair.

Care and Maintenance

Finally, to ensure that your hockey gloves last you a long time, you want to make sure to dry them out after each game. If they stay wet for too long, you will find that the palms will begin to get rough and brittle, and they will even start to smell.

Other Notes for Buying

Remember with field hockey gloves; they are usually only sold as one glove. Make sure you know what hand you want – left or right (most are just left-handed) – and whether you want a glove for both hands or just one. It is really important that you check this before checkout, so you don’t end up with one when you wanted two, or a right-hand glove when you needed a left.

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