Does anyone have any tips on foam wear of Kickers?
I have a pair of the Yahoo Kickers and have been using them for about a year and I’ve found that on the surface that touches the ground the top layer has rubber off and the foam is starting to wear down, especially on the toe. On the old pair of Grays kickers I used at school I coated the surface with a two part epoxy glue, however i don’t want to dive in and try this on my pair as they’re expensive and the last thing I want to do is folk out for a new pair because the foam melted away!
Has anyone got any ideas for something can coat the foam with to protect it from wear?
The amount of energy in a hockey ball is huge… the concussion and face injury danger to goalies if not well equipped is real. Find out all about the OBO helmets, what speeds each helmet protects to and the lab tests OBO performs.
The best … for the best. Strength, design, comfort. No comprimises, no shortcuts.
A bit of a no brainer!
In 1999 we asked goal keepers where they get injured most? Their heads they told us. The idea of amazing people getting brain injuries sent us screaming to specialists in the Czech Republic and Argentina where they make the most effective and durable helmets in the world. We then worked with them to develop helmets especially suited to field hockey. Helmets with an official CE and safety approval, all models impact tested to official safety standards.
The F.I.H. says hockey helmets should be tested, but HOLA! Hold-up! They are not. Go ask our competitors for their test certificates. (Ours is EC type – examination certificate number E-30-01488-02, CE certified in accordance with directive 89/686/EEC, standard reference EN ISO 10256:2003 (replaces EN967:1997), technical body CEN/TC-158, Reference Mkp P004357). Yes, some of our competitors sell cheaper, untested helmets (not quite made of China, but made in China). We could do this too… we don’t because while Obo as a company is all for challenging the rules and taking risks, we draw the line at doing it with our goal keepers brains! What do you think?
The amount of energy in a hockey ball is huge… the concussion and face injury danger to goalies if not well equipped is real.
OBO designs a range of goalie helmets designed for different levels of play and different ball speeds.
The Poly P (Polypropylene) is designed to provide appropriate protection at balls speeds to 95 kph.
All the OBO helmets above are safety test approved (the Poly E designed for kids under 13 years and sold only in 3 countries is not a safety tested helmet, however our lab research shows they provide adequate protection for young players.) The amount of protection a helmet offers is a combination of the materials used in the main helmet body, the foam liners in the helmet, the cage, and several other design related / shape aspects.
Regardless of the ball speeds you face, if you want the highest possible protection we suggest you use the OBO FG (Fiberglass) or CK (Carbon Kevlar). Helmet bodies made using these materials offer the most protection, and longest life. The concussion protection offered by the OBO FG and CK is up to three times greater than some helmets on the market. Check out this video of the OBO FG in action:
Some helmet bodies in helmets sold by other brands break or even shatter.
Cages are an integral part of the level of protection a helmet provides. Our cages use the highest quality steels and bend less than others.
The F.I.H. says hockey helmets should be tested, but HOLA! Hold-up! They are not. Go ask our competitors for their test certificates. (Ours is EC type – examination certificate number E-30-01488-02, CE certified in accordance with directive 89/686/EEC, standard reference EN ISO 10256:2003 (replaces EN967:1997), technical body CEN/TC-158, Reference Mkp P004357). Yes, some of our competitors sell cheaper, untested helmets (not quite made of China, but made in China). We could do this too… we don’t because while Obo as a company is all for challenging the rules and taking risks, we draw the line at doing it with our goal keepers brains! What do you think?
Finally here is a really good video about helmets and concussions. Although its about Baseball the ball speeds and impacts are very similar to what a goalkeeper will face within hockey:
I just bought a pair of ROBO kickers but every time I step my shoe rubs against the toe part of the kicker and makes a really annoying squeaky noise. Are there any suggestions to get rid of the squeek?
Great article on the new FaceOff. Coming soon to OBO.
Hey Everyone!
Here’s something i thought might interest you. Its an article by the Manawatu Standard Newspaper on the top secret, brand new OBO FaceOff mask. Its an excellent article and shows just how committed OBO is, not just to hockey goalkeepers, but to defenders and other codes as well.
Want to fire a ball at Simon Barnett’s face at 160kmh? Bring it on, says the director of Palmerston North sports equipment company, OBO.It has taken three years, a four-strong team of designers and a sum of money that he would rather not think about, but Mr Barnett reckons he has the world’s best frontal-impact sporting mask.
Called Face-Off, the mask is designed for players of sports where the danger of being hit in the face by a high-speed ball is high, Mr Barnett said.
“It can instantly deflect a ball travelling at up to 160kmh , not only from damage caused by the ball – abrasions, bruises and cuts – but by attenuating the shock to the brain.”
OBO is a sports equipment manufacturer, exporting protective gear for hockey goalkeeping to 62 countries.
For Face-Off, Mr Barnett and his team built a laboratory to determine the best materials and design to deflect frontal impact.
They tested masks by firing balls at them at speeds of up to 160kmh, videotaping the impact at 2000 frames per second.
Footage taken during these trials, and destined for the OBO website, show masks exploding in showers of plastic, cracking and bending, or sliding haphazardly off the dummy’s face.
The testing on cricket face protectors in particular was “frightening,” Mr Barnett said. “They just don’t work.”
After the team had finalised their design, they handed the prototype mask to professional sports players for their opinion.
This was invaluable, Mr Barnett said. English wicketkeeper Matt Prior loved the mask, but said it was uncomfortable when sweating and made hearing difficult. So OBO inserted a layer of padding, and modified the side panels for the finished design, Mr Barnett said.
The mask’s launch is in its final stages, with buyers being sourced and marketing beginning in earnest.
A boost of $217,000 from the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology helped in the making of the mask but Mr Barnett “wouldn’t like to think about” how much money he had spent. He expected enough interest in the product to see a return within three years.
Face Off is one of nine inventions from around the country featuring in the HotHouse exhibition at Lower Hutt’s TheNewDowse gallery until February 14.
Here at OBO we want you to get as much use as you possibly can from your kit. We often get asked whats the best glue to use on foam…we used to advise contact adhesive, but we have just discovered a great glue made by Loctite for “hard to bond materials”. Its called Loctite Plastic Bonder and bonds to OBO foam like a bad boy! The consmer pack contains an activator and glue and bonds to OBO foam superbly. You should be able to get this product from your local hardware store..here is a link to product on the Loctite website. If you cant find this the Loctite code is 770 primer and 406 glue.
A video showing how to repair your foam to get as much use as possible from your kit.
Hey guys. Here’s my final report on the last of the three products in Obo’s new training product range, the Bobbla. To be quite honest, when i first started using this unusual product i was not very impressed with it. I thought it a little simple and not as valuable and relevant as the Flicka or D’flecta. However after using it for a bit longer and talking with my coach about the use i discovered that skills used with the Bobbla were actually more relevant than either of the other two training products.
Pictures of the Bobbla. The egg shape gives it its trademark bobble.
When using the Bobbla, the idea is to look at and practice the basic kicking techniques which are essential to goalkeeping. The Bobbla is rolled at the goal and the keeper kicks it away from the goal. Just like in a simple warm up. However the Bobbla makes each part of that ‘simple’ warm up much harder. Instead of staying on the ground as an ordinary hockey ball would, the Bobbla bounces and spins as it rolls giving an unpredictable bobble as the keeper goes to kick. This means the keeper is forced to concentrate much harder on their timing and basic kicking technique. By using the Bobbla my coach was able to pick out that my left foot was not as skilled as my right foot at kicking, a common problem for a lot of keepers, i have since corrected this and both feet are fairly even.
Here is a beautiful picture of the Bobbla in action. The egg shape has made the ball bounce up as i am about to kick.
The unpredictability of the bobble also speeds up the reaction time of the keeper and keeps them focused on the ball. Because the final direction of the ball was always uncertain i found that the best strategy was to wait until the last minute to kick. This improved my reactions, foot-eye coordination and my timing. Because the ball was traveling slower and moving about i had to focus on the ball the whole time and this improved my concentration. A weakness of mine has always been the slower, bouncy shots and the training with the Bobbla was perfect for erasing that problem from my technique.
From my experience, i found that the Bobbla is most useful for correcting and reinforcing the basic goalkeeping kicking techniques. The flaws in my technique have been somewhat ironed out and the constant repetition has improved my kicking muscle memory and confidence. I believe that this product has a lot of potential for coaches and goalkeepers everywhere. I found it extremely beneficial to my game and was able to make much better use of my coaching sessions.
To see the product in action check out the product information video:
As part of the Beta Testing Program i have been training with the Flicka extensively and have a range of feelings about it. I found it most useful for increasing my hand-eye coordination and my ability to track the ball through the air at different rates. The Flicka is designed to simulate aerial saves such as flicks and dragflicks. The ball is caught in the hook and flung so that the ball flies off towards the goal. Its a lot harder than it looks but when you get it it works great.
I found the Flicka a very good training product for increasing my confidence and ability when making glove and stick saves. Focusing on clearing the ball wide also improved my basic save technique and skill as a keeper. The Flicka was not as much use to me as it could be to others. I am already technically proficient and i was able to handle most of what the Flicka could throw at me. I found it more useful for creating muscle memory for getting to the ball, saving the ball and clearing the ball wide. I also found it very useful for increasing my skill with stick saves. By standing off to my left and trying to use only my right hand to save the flick i very quickly increased my stick save confidence.
Moving to make a stick save.
I think this tool would be most useful for improving younger, less experienced goalkeepers who perhaps have slight flaws in their technique. The Flicka is better than a player flicking as quite often the player telegraphs which direction the flick is going. With the Flicka this is impossible to judge and so makes the save purely reactionary. The emphasis on making the save and clearing the ball also incorporates a degree of muscle memory which further enhances the keepers technique.
I also think the Flicka would be very useful for goalkeeper coaches. The coaches ability to control the speed and direction of the flick would greater allow them to control the training of the goalkeeper because sometimes field players cannot quite understand what the coach wants. This would allow the coach to individually tailor each flick to get the desired effect and get the desired reaction.
Moving to my left to make a glove save. Notice the technique involved in using the Flicka.
If you want to see the flicka in action check out the product information video:
I think this bag is the best which was ever been created by OBO.I really love the colours.But in my opinion it should have more pockets to seperate things like hockeyshoes, the throat protector or the shirt, from the smelly stuff.
anufacturer, exporting protective gear for hockey goalkeeping to 62 countries.
Pictures of the Bobbla. The egg shape gives it its trademark bobble.
Here is a beautiful picture of the Bobbla in action. The egg shape has made the ball bounce up as i am about to kick.
Moving to my left to make a glove save. Notice the technique involved in using the Flicka.