Most of us are about halfway through the fall soccer season. Time to look into that soccer bag and see what you need to get through the rest of the season. If you are shopping for new cleats, please check out this cleats post on understanding what is going on with all the cleats out there. Also, this post on foot care is a great reminder about and how cleats and foot care interact. No matter where you are in the season, refreshing and updating your Soccer IQ with aa reading of Soccer IQ is a winning combination. check out our review here.
Soccer Ball
By this time in the season, about a third of the team has lost their ball. Pretty standard situation, so think about a ball that is “good enough” for training as that is really all you need. You can never never enough soccer balls, so think about a new one each year and that way you always have a back up in case you lose one. Also, if you player is doing a lot of wall training, they will destroy the soccer ball pretty quickly. Remember, soccer balls come in all different qualities, so be mindful of which one you buy, where they use it and keeping an eye on it. Most youth players don’t need this kind off ball.
KT Tape
As you get into the season, those little nagging injuries start to mount. I am not sure if there is any true benefit to the KT Tape, but psychologically, it seems to make a difference. Another good item to have in the kit is this KT Tape.
Socks
A good pair of socks are key to player performance and having extra socks is a good idea. Players often walk in just their socks, which creates excess wear and tear and reduces the life span. It also seems that we are always looking for socks or more particularly, a single sock. Think about having some extra socks for those occasions when you can’t find that missing sock. You never want to show up at Game Day without socks.
Moleskin – Blister Prevention
Moleskin is a miracle worker BEFORE blisters occur. It is too late once the blisters occur, but if you are breaking in new cleats mid season, then moleskin is the key to keeping feet in good shape. You need some scissors to go with the moleskin, but if you have hotspots or new cleats this is a must.
Slides
If you want to keep those socks in good shape, then slides are the way to go. After a game, players need to get out of their cleats and there is nothing better than a good pair of slides. slides come in all sorts of colors and styles – so players have lots of choices and combinations. Mismatched slides seems to be a thing right now, so two pair is better than one!
New Water Bottle
Let’s face it, kids lose Water Bottles and it seems like you never have enough water bottles around when you are getting ready for a soccer game. Additionally, these Water Bottles get pretty nasty, so inserting a new one into the rotation is always a good idea. In today’s world, kids need even more water bottles as there is definitely no sharing of Water Bottle and most venues no longer supply water. Further, kids need actually more water than most parents think they need, so a second bottle is key.
Soccer Training Aids (ladder, Parachute, Ball Trainer)
Getting kids to train on their own can be difficult. While all you need is a ball to do some juggling there are some good training aids to help players develop skills. For the younger players, this Ball Trainer is a good piece of gear as it allows for more repetition in a shorter period of time as it keeps the ball close.
For speed and agility consider using this Ladder and Parachute. I have found that with the younger kids, the Parachute is a blast as they think it is quite a fun game to run with it.
Lastly, there are full “sets” or kits with multiple training aids. If you have a couple of players or are building a training regime, think about the entire training set.
Pre-Wrap
If you player has a problem with their shinguards staying in place, give the pre-wrap a chance. My players have been late adopters to this, but it is a a requirement on game day now. You can’t have enough of this stuff around.
Soccer Shoelace Covers
These shoelace covers are typically only for the little ones, but if you are spending a lot of time with untied shoes, check these out. These covers actually work pretty well.
Head Bands and Hair Ties
Long hair is in for soccer players – girls or boys – so having some extra Head Bands and hair ties in the soccer bag will save your player from hair in their face!
Sneaker Balls (more for you!)
Soccer bag stink and Sneaker Balls can help, a little, with the smell. I would just throw these Sneaker Balls in in an effort to try and mitigate the stink.
Advil
Wish you did not need it, but this is a must in the bag.
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