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Category: PRODUCT
With so many manufacturers, brands and product offerings – what’s the difference?
Knees Up Review By Alistair McGregor
Alistair McGregor is the current Loughborough Students and Great Britain goalkeeper. As an OBO sponsored player has requested to test out the Knees Up knee protector…here is his review:
“I have been using the knee pads for the past few months now and have been very impressed by them. I got a direct hit off them during a shooting session, obviously at the time the initial impact still hurt, however i was able to continue with the session. Having been hit on the knee before with other knee pads i have suffered a bit of stiffness from the impact. I feel that with the OBO knee pads that the stiffness from the injury was far less and only received a very small mark were the ball hit me. The foam in the knee pads seemed to dispel a lot of the impact of the shot. I fully appreciate that the thickness of the foam is difficult to get right, i feel that this is very close to being an excellent knee pad. The knee pads sit well with the shorts and the open knee area helps to keep them in place. A possible addition could be a plastic/harder thin material inside the knee pad to provide even greater protection.”
” The knee pads do hold the water quite a lot when wet, however overall I have been very impressed with the knee pads and will be using them in the Olympics. I feel that the knee pads give me that little bit of extra confidence when facing some of the hardest hitters of the ball in the world.”
Thanks for all your support,
Ali
Air Cannon Helps OBO Test its Latest Mask
CRASH TEST: The air cannon used in impact testing at the OBO laboratory in Palmerston North.
The Antipodean collider is actually a form of air cannon used in testing helmets, face masks and other protective gear developed by the Palmerston North-based sports equipment manufacturer, OBO.
OBO is now well into the design and prototype construction stages of developing a new mask, for which the company has received a boost of $217,000 from the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology.
Company founder Simon Barnett said the mask is able to take a direct frontal hit from a ball spat out by the cannon at 160kmh.
He said OBO wasn’t interested in mass- producing “one size fits all” helmets or masks, but preferred to concentrate on smaller, niche markets with equipment designed for specific purposes.
The initial focus was on face protection for players in cricket, softball and hockey and Mr Barnett and his company are high in their praises of goalies everywhere and believe the security their masks offer boosts confidence.
The new mask fits the niche market philosophy well.
For example, OBO has protective gear designed specifically for hockey goalkeepers, and for softball pitchers and cricket wicketkeepers.
“In hockey we have existing face protectors for short-corner protection and during the running phase of the game, but we wanted to improve on it,” he said.
A need was identified for frontal face protection without “the full drama and protection of a helmet that just adds weight and heat.”
Mr Barnett was particularly critical of cricket face protectors which “gave” sufficiently to allow serious injuries such as that suffered by Black Cap Daniel Flynn last year.
OBO’s new mask, being developed in association with designer Rob Whitfield, employs materials and features about which the security- conscious company is not saying much at this stage.
However, the first of the helmets should be ready for assessment by sportspeople in March next year. The company will then consider this last-minute advice in any fine- tuning before going into production.
Mr Barnett said the prototype of the mask offered good visibility – “almost complete peripheral vision” – and because of the materials used and shapes and angles of the parts, could withstand a direct frontal hit from a ball travelling at 160kmh.
The air cannon in the developmental laboratory was coupled with a camera capable of taking 20,000 images a second, allowing a detailed analysis of the actions of ball and mask under impact.
So impressive has the mask been to date that possible applications have emerged in police riot gear.
But Mr Barnett said any police application was “further down the track” and would involve designing a new helmet under the company’s purpose-build philosophy.
OBO began in 1994 with a dedicated range of equipment for hockey goalkeepers under its own brand name. Although global expansion had been rapid, OBO had not forgotten its origins, said Mr Barnett.
“Almost all of our production is still done in Palmerston North.”
Via www.stuff.co.nz
New Test Lab Tackles Sports Injuries “Head-On”
Media release, 7 May 2008, Nightside Test Design Ltd, Christchurch, New Zealand: Christchurch based company test engineering company Nightside Test Design is showcasing slow motion video clips of their latest vision and data project at the EMEX trade show currently running in Auckland, demonstrating the impact of cricket and hockey balls on standard sports helmets.
Media release, 7 May 2008, Nightside Test Design Ltd, Christchurch, New Zealand: Christchurch based company test engineering company Nightside Test Design is showcasing slow motion video clips of their latest vision and data project at the EMEX trade show currently running in Auckland, demonstrating the impact of cricket and hockey balls on standard sports helmets.
Nightside’s managing director, Peter Brown, says the sports equipment test laboratory recently completed for Palmerston North manufacturers OBO is designed to reduce the number of head injuries among players of ball sports.
OBO specialise in protective equipment for field hockey goalies and have a 65% share of the world market, exporting to 61 countries.
“In the last fifteen years, the speed of balls being hit, thrown or bowled at players has increased exponentially, as a result of the improving technologies involved in surfaces and materials in bats, racquets, and hockey sticks.
“We have also seen a number of serious head injuries to sportspeople resulting from balls hitting the head at high speeds.
“Unfortunately the technology around testing to make sure protective helmets are up to par has not increased at the same speed – until now,” Brown says.
The new OBO test laboratory will start to address the issue, by providing a state of the art facility equipped with a high speed video camera and sensor equipment that captures and analyses the impact of balls shot by a high pressure cannon at up to 160km/h towards a test dummy head.
The shock attenuation of the impact is recorded frame by frame by the high speed Mikrotron video camera and other sensors at over 2,000 frames per second, allowing highly detailed analysis of the data and images around the impact zone.
To date, most similar testing has been limited to the automotive industry (using crash test dummies) and the military sector and is specific to the requirements of those industries.
Reuben Parr from OBO says the system has been very successful to date in testing a range of helmets and masks from different sporting codes, including cricket, softball and field hockey.
Results show a large difference in the performance of different products and different materials, for example, polycarbonate face masks proved to be far stronger than steel wire face masks used in a number of sports.
About OBO:
New Zealand manufacturer and exporter OBO is in the business of making protective gear for field hockey goalies. Based in Palmerston North, the company designs and manufactures a range of padding, masks, helmets, sticks and protective clothing primarily made from closed cell polyethylene foam.
OBO currently has more than 65% worldwide market share, exporting products to 61 countries.
More about OBO and their product range can be found at www.obo.co.nz
About Nightside Test Design Founded in 2001, Nightside Test Design provides independent embedded software test solutions as an alternative to having an in-house testing department. Accurate and timely testing can help streamline the development cycle while improving time to market, product reliability and efficiency. Nightside’s professional services cover the full product development lifecycle from design to production, including Software Testing, Production Testing, Embedded Development, Industrial Control, Measurement and Data Logging. Nightside is a member of the National Instruments Alliance Partner Program – an international network of consultants, systems integrators, and product developers that help bring NI technology to new applications and markets.
As one of only two Certified Alliance Partners in New Zealand, Nightside uses NI LabVIEW, LabWindows/CVI, and TestStand, along with the NI data acquisition and control hardware to provide automated solutions for manufacturing production test applications. Nightside Test Design’s range of services and products can be found at
Helmet Sizing
ABS / PE / FG / CK Helmets come in two sizes: medium and large. And as every Goal Keeper’s head is different, here are some guidelines for choosing a helmet which fits well.
There are two important measurements for helmet sizing. You’ll probably need to get a friend to help you measure them. As shown in the picture, you need to measure in a straight line:
- Width – Temple to Temple (the flat part of your skull outside your eye socket)
Length – Top of Head to Chin
We know that different Goal Keepers like to wear their helmets in different ways, so all OBO Helmets come with an adhesive foam pad, which can be used to customise your helmet to suit your own preferences.
So depending on your head measurements here are the guidelines:
- LARGE – If your head is wider than 150mm and longer than 240mm you will need a large helmet.
MEDIUM – If the width of your head is between 135mm and 150mm, and the length between 225mm and 235mm, you should get a medium.
We’ve found that heads about 135-145mm wide and 225-235mm long fit snugly into a medium helmet. Anything much over these dimensions starts getting pretty tight. So if either of your head measurements are larger than these, we recommend a large helmet with extra customised padding layers (particularly for those with short wide heads or long narrow ones – you can pad out the top or the sides as necessary).
If you’re still not sure about the sizing, please feel free to contact us with any questions you have, and we’ll be happy to advise you about which size helmet is appropriate for you.
Custom Helmet Images
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Use of Brands at the 2004 Athens Olympics
This article displays a chart listing of all the goalkeeping brands at the 2004 Olympics.
Here is an table showing the use of Brands at the 2004 Athens Olympics…
Men
| Argentina | Juan Manuel VIVALDI Pablo MOREIRA |
OBO OBO |
| Australia | Stephen MOWLAM Mark HICKMAN |
Mazon Gryphon |
| Egypt | Mohamed EL MALLAH Osama HASSANIEN |
OBO OBO |
| Germany | Clemens ARNOLD Christian SCHULTE |
TK TK |
| Great Britain | Jimi LEWIS Simon MASON |
OBO Mercian |
| India | Devesh CHAUHAN Adrian D SOUZA |
OBO OBO |
| Korea | Jong Min KIM Dong Sik KO |
OBO OBO |
| Netherlands | Klaas VEERING Guus VOGELS |
OBO TK |
| New Zealand | Kyle PONTIFEX Paul WOOLFORD |
OBO OBO |
| Pakistan | Ahmed ALAM Salman AKBAR |
OBO OBO |
| South Africa | Dave STANIFORTH Chris HIBBERT |
OBO OBO |
| Spain | Men-Xavi BRUCES Bernadino HERRARA |
OBO TK |
Women
| China | Yali NIE Yimeng ZHANG |
OBO OBO |
| Argentina | Paola VUKOJICIC Mariela ANTONISKA |
OBO OBO |
| Australia | Rachel IMISON Toni CRONK |
OBO OBO |
| Germany | Louisa WALTER Julia ZWEHL |
OBO OBO |
| Japan | Nami MIYAZAKI Rie TERAZONO |
OBO OBO |
| Korea | Ju Young LIM Yong Sook PARK |
OBO OBO |
| Netherlands | Clarinda SINNIGE Lisanne de ROEVER |
TK TK |
| New Zealand | Helen CLARK Beth JURGELEIT |
OBO OBO |
| South Africa | Grogyna ENGELBRECHT Caroline BIRT |
OBO Grays |
| Spain | Maria Jesus ROSA Maider LUENGO |
OBO OBO |
Totals
| Men (24) | Women (20) | Total (44) | ||||
| OBO | 17 | 71% | 17 | 85% | 34 | 77% |
| TK | 4 | 17% | 2 | 10% | 6 | 14% |
| Grays | 1 | 5% | 1 | 2% | ||
| Gryphon | 1 | 4% | 1 | 2% | ||
| Mazon | 1 | 4% | 1 | 2% | ||
| Mercian | 1 | 4% | 1 | 2% | ||
OBO Goalkeeping Gear is Amazing!
You can also check out statistics from other competitions and leagues here; brand use.
Hi-Rebound Kit Report
SP Kit Report by Jimi Lewis of the GB Mens’ Team
SP Kit Report by Jimi Lewis of the GB Mens’ Team
– SP Pads.
The new design of pads is absolutely wicked – it combines the ultimate in protection, movement, comfort, technology and last, but by no means the least, STYLE!! I think this design is a giant leap forward, not just for OBO as a company, but for us GK’s too. Although the original style pads were groundbreaking and revolutionised hockey goalkeeping they needed updating and modernising. I found with the old style pad that shots across my body would tend to skid off the pad when I was full stretch, not anymore they don’t, now the flat edge of the pad not only blocks the ball but also guides it away safely to the side. Whoever thought of making the pads half HR and half HC is an absolute GENIUS!! Shots across the body or to side can be deflected away in a totally controlled manner and yet I still get the power and pace off the inside of the pad for the shot that comes down the middle of the goal, you know the 1 that goes through your legs sometimes and makes you look like an idiot!! The new SP pads have even stopped me getting nutmegged so often thanks to the new straight-lined shape of the inside. I’m naturally bowed legged (only slightly) so this coupled with the in and out design of the originals led to me letting a few shots through my legs and cries of “shut those taxi doors” from my team mates, but thankfully those days are long gone and now those shots go out faster than they came in!! Now that’s what I’d call modernisation!!!!
In brief the pads have more surface area to save shots with, no more shots skidding off the pad when at full stretch, I’d like to say ‘no more’ but I‘ll have to be honest and say ‘less’ shots going between the legs (it still happens occasionally, no more blaming the pads now though), a mixture of HC and HR (genius) and still I get the comfort and range of movement that you only get with OBO pads.
– SP Hand Protectors
Although the change to the left hand glove is only to turn it from HC to HR I’ve found that it makes a hell of a difference to how I’m able to clear the ball to safety. Whereas before I either had to play my hand towards the shot to get enough rebound off the glove to direct the ball to a safe area now all I need to do is angle my hand towards where I want the ball to go and glove does the work for me. This makes my job a lot easier as we all know the speeds shots can travel these days (especially with the introduction of composite sticks into our game – whoever thought of that has a lot to answer for!!) which means our reaction time is less so just being able to get your hand to the shot is a hard enough task, let alone then trying to play at it to clear it to safety. So the new left hand glove allows me to concentrate solely on saving the shot safe in the knowledge that the HR design will do the rest for me.
Don’t know if I should mention say what I’m about to say on this site or not, but here goes anyway – I’ve always been a big fan of the TK right hand glove, I’ve always thought it’s design to be almost perfect, it’s only downfalls are you can’t get any movement with your wrist or hand and also when you put your hand to the floor the stick points up to the sky. Not the greatest angle for your stick to be when you’re trying to keep out a 100mph PC strike!!
So it’s with great pleasure that I can tell you that the new OBO SP right hand glove has neither of these design faults and has helped me to save shots that I couldn’t with the old style glove. I like to try to use my stick as an extension of my arm (i.e. keep it at the same angle as my forearm so when I reach for a save with my stick it’s like trying to save with my right hand but only about 18 inches longer. This I feel improves my hand eye co-ordination and reflexes) which means with the new SP glove I now have a big flat surface area to save the ball with and as I don’t where any arm/elbow protection the glove now covers most of my forearm, which is a godsend because it means no more big black and blue bruises up my arm!! The stick angle is very good too and I have no problems getting my stick down to low hits or flicks at PC’s or when smothering 1v1. If you’re a die-hard fan of the old style glove and you’re thinking of changing to the new SP then theirs is only 1 slightly negative factor that I can comment on – hand/wrist movement. Although the SP isn’t in the (here’s that word again) ‘TK’ league of non-movement it is more restrictive than the old style OBO right hand, but given a bit of time/practise (or a swish or 2 of a Stanley Knife) then this problem will soon become no more and leave to enjoy the confidence and ability to save a whole manner of shots with you’re new goalkeeping accessory!
In brief – the right hand gives more surface area to save shots with, more confidence and protection to make those saves, (forgot to mention this – it’s much lighter for quicker hands), but offers a little less movement than the old style.
The left hand gives much more rebound so you can concentrate on getting your hand to the shot and not worry so much about trying to control it to clear or clearing it 1st time.
Enjoy your keeping,
Kisses Jimi Lewis X
Suggestions For Using The Hi-Rebound RHP On The Ground by Roland Löwe
The robo SP right hand protector has been designed for an upright style of play however it can still be used successfully for ground defence. Roland Löwe outlines techniques for effectively using the new hand protector on the ground.
There are two major positions for using the SP RHP on the ground:
1. Long forehand slide or penalty corner defence:
– as the glove contacts the ground the glove is able to rotate to the most suitable position for play on the ground.
– the longer you stretch your arm the more the glove rotates right into the final position as seen in the picture.
– inside the glove your hand rotates left into the opposite direction to keep the stick in the right position.
– if you stand up again the glove and stick rotate back into the normal position.
2. Sliding backhand tackle:
– for the sliding backhand tackle you use the the sliding part of you glove.
– the glove stays in the normal position.
– rotate the stick to the left to get into the backhand postion.
– press the top of the stick on the ground so that you do not lose contact.
– this kind of tackle allows you to play the ball with your stick or glove.
Product Review by George Pinner
George Pinner is a sponsored OBO player. In this review he provides his feedback on the Hi Rebound gear and his painted helmet.
George Pinner is a sponsored OBO player. In this review he provides his feedback on the Hi Rebound gear and his painted helmet.
Hi Rebound Kickers
OBO are the first and only company that make kickers that fit my size 12 feet properly. All other companies just increase their kickers length ways rather than the whole dimensions like Obo. Therefore the Obo kickers offer better protection and fit me better too. The Kickers are also a lot more hard wearing, my previous kickers were made by gluing foam together and so after only 3 training sessions they were starting to come apart. The rebound of my new Hi Rebound kickers is much more consistent than I have ever experienced, the rebound on my previous kickers used to vary from day today and was never as strong. Another great plus point about the Kickers is the straps. It’s the first time I have ever been able to do my kickers up really tight and have them stay like that for a whole game! I am also delighted at the way the Obo kickers sit flat to the ground, my previous Mercian kickers had about a inch gap between the kicker and the ground so it was very painful if I got a ball near the end of the kicker. The new softer tongues also caused no problems to my shins. I just taped them down over night and they were fine the next day.
Hi Rebound Legguards
The main thing I love about the Hi Rebound legguards are the wings. Being a goalkeeper that in the past has suffered the ill fate of collapsible wings I love the way the wings stop the ball when logging for shorts. I am also a big fan of the tongue system, which means the pads don’t twist. My previous legguards used a strap to join the legguards and kickers but it still lead to a bit of twisting, which was annoying, as I had to keep twisting them back after every slide. The other great thing about them is on my old pads I regularly got balls stuck between pad and kicker, the new Hi Rebound’s don’t let this happen, the ball pings back out to safety instead! I also like the new shape of the pads, they are a more rectangular shape which I am a fan of. It did take a while to get used to sliding in them but they now work extremely well. The smooth surface they have means they slide very easily, unlike my old pads, which had designs on the front that meant sliding wasn’t very good. The new shape Hi Rebound’s also mean I can slide much easier and can slide in the new L shape position much easier and get to my feet quicker. The legguards also fit me a lot better than other companies do. They come up above my knee, which is great, as before I had to wear kneepads but the Hi Rebound’s mean I don’t! They are also a lot harder wearing, the foam doesn’t get chunks taken out of it really easily like my Mercian stuff did. The new two-type foam is also great as I get great control when sliding out and logging, but get good quality and constant rebound when I make a Legguard save! The softer foam where your calf sits is also great as this was something in the past I had preferred on other brands kit, but obo have obviously seen this and added it to their new pads.
Hi Rebound Left hand Protector
I love it, what more can I say! It covers my lower arm which me previous gloves never did, this is great as I wear elbow pads so this means I only have a tiny gap between my glove and elbow pad. I also love the powerful rebound its fantastic for clearing those lifted shots. I also find I have much greater movement than I did with my old glove which is a really important factor.
The thing I love most about the new Hi Rebound range is that it does everything I want it to do as a goalie. I want my kickers to give me large amounts of rebound so I can clear shots really fast, the new Hi Rebound kickers do this. I want legguards to offer a really big surface area yet still be able to move freely, I also want high rebound but at other times great control, yet again the new Hi Rebound’s do this. The left hand glove also gives me great rebound so I can save shots as quick as they come at me!
CK custom helmet
I love my helmet, its about one year old now but is still as good as new. I previously used the bauer helmets and the slazenger one, neither can even compare. The obo fits my head really well, it covers my whole head offering great protection but is still just as light as my old one. I have had a 90 mph ball in the visor and it just pinged right off it. No headache no nothing! Having undergone rigorous shots to all parts of it, it hasn’t weakened in any way; it’s a great helmet. The graphics are also great on the custom painted helmets, as we all know looking great is important!
