Beta Testing Review – Bobbla.

My review of the new OBO BOBBLA.

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.

IMG_0757Pictures 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.

IMG_0750Here 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:

Beta Testing Review – Flicka.

My review of the brand new OBO FLICKA.

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.Flicka and ball.

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.

IMG_0724

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.

IMG_0721Moving 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:

Beta Testing Review – D’flecta.

My review of the brand new OBO D’FLECTA.

Throughout this year i have been given the opportunity to train with and test the D’flecta, one of the new training products that Obo is bringing out on the first of December this year. I have used it in many different drills and using it has improved my reactions and confidence in making deflection shot saves.

dflecta

In basic use the D’flecta sits on around the penalty spot area. It can face either way (one side giving more height that the other) and a field player or coach hits or pushes a ball along the ground at it. When the ball hits the D’flecta it goes in any direction, sometimes it goes up, sometimes it goes wide and sometimes it stays on its original course. You cant judge this so its all about reactions. The trickiest part of the D’flecta i found was when the ball missed the D’flecta but was still going for the goal. Often i would get caught waiting for the ball to move and forget about making the basic save. This keeps you thinking about your angles and the basics.

When i first started using the D’flecta i was astounded at how many i was missing. However this was soon fixed as i started to train using the D’flecta regularly and incorporate it into more drills. By the end of the month i had improved drastically. I was stopping most of the deflections from the mat and was playing much better. Regular use of the D’flecta speeds up your reactions and agility. It is an excellent product to both warm up and train goalkeepers. It teaches you that the ball can come towards you from any direction at any time.

IMG_0778

In this photo the ball has deflected high and left off one of the D’flectas.

The D’flecta can also be moved around the circle to simulate different deflections from different angles. It can be incorporated into drills to simulate game scenarios. E.g. a straight shot from the top followed by a push at a D’flecta mat set up around the circle somewhere simulates a save then a deflected return. These sort of drills improve agility and basic positioning.

IMG_0784This photo shows a ball recently deflected off the D’flecta, i have to move to my left to make the save.

In summary, i have found the D’flecta mat to be an excellent training product and also a lot of fun. It has improved my game in a short space of time and i recommend it to any other goalkeeper or coach out there who wants to improve. if you want to see the product in action take a look at the Obo Training Product Introduction on YouTube at the URL below .

http://www.youtube.com/user/obogoalkeeping#play/all/uploads-all/2/BGyAv6H9kdY.

OBO Training Flicka Beta Test Review

The Flicka Stick

flicka

The hollow in the stick allows better control of the ball which enables the player/coach to control the speed and direction of the shot to a greater degree than is possible with the conventional hockey stick.

When I first started to use the flicker stick most of the shots veered to GK’s left (flickers right). Many players I asked to test the stick also seemed to have the same problem when starting off. This problem was easily corrected by releasing the ball sooner than what you would do with the conventional hockey stick.

I would advise anyone using the flicker stick to concentrate on control of the ball at slow speed before trying high speed flicks as I and a number of other players experienced some difficulty with accuracy when initially using the stick. Pay attention to the area behind the goals to ensure player/spectator safety.

Once you have mastered the technique you will be able to place the ball anywhere in the goal from any position in the circle and give the goalkeeper an excellent workout.

Goalkeepers facing drag flicks at penalty corners will benefit hugely as the pace of the ball is far greater with the flicker stick than with the conventional hockey stick. This makes for improved aerial saves, overall agility, hand eye co-ordination and reflexes.

Another point in favour of the stick is that the person using it does not have to use a large amount of energy to give the goalkeeper a good workout.

The hollow in the stick allows better control of the ball which enables the player/coach to control the speed and direction of the shot to a greater degree than is possible with the conventional hockey stick.

When I first started to use the flicker stick most of the shots veered to GK’s left (flickers right).  Many players I asked to test the stick also seemed to have the same problem when starting off.  This problem was easily corrected by releasing the ball sooner than what you would do with the conventional hockey stick.

I would advise anyone using the flicker stick to concentrate on control of the ball at slow speed before trying high speed flicks as I and a number of other players experienced some difficulty with accuracy when initially using the stick.  Pay attention to the area behind the goals to ensure player/spectator safety.

Once you have mastered the technique you will be able to place the ball anywhere in the goal from any position in the circle and give the goalkeeper an excellent workout.

Goalkeepers facing drag flicks at penalty corners will benefit hugely as the pace of the ball is far greater with the flicker stick than with the conventional hockey stick. This makes for improved aerial saves, overall agility, hand eye co-ordination and reflexes.

Another point in favour of the stick is that the person using it does not have to use a large amount of energy to give the goalkeeper a good workout.

Deflective mat

This all weather mat is made of a durable rubber compound which is designed to deflect the ball off fin-like protrusions in unpredictable directions and heights when placed in front of the goals.

The boomerang shaped mat remained secure on the turf regardless of the speed or amount of shots deflected off it.

This is a very portable and convenient piece of equipment and a great aid for goalkeepers.

Shots need to be hit flat on the surface of the turf in order to get optimum defections. Younger players had a problem making contact with the mat as they felt it was too short, this could be contributed to skills still being developed.  This problem can easily be rectified by using two mats next to each other.

Some senior players were hitting shots over the mat but this posed no problem to goalkeeper as the shots were still accurate, this also made for variations in the shot and goalkeepers had to watch the ball at all times and not focus on the mat.

The mat was also placed at various distances from the goalkeeper depending on ability/experience of individual.  Speed variations also affected the flight of ball when making contact with the mat. The mat was used in conjunction with other drills involving more players eg. One hitter from circle edge, players on either side of goal getting rebound shots.

After personal use I found that the mat performed as it was designed to do and improved my overall performance. The feedback from various other coaches and goalkeepers

who used the mat during training sessions confirmed this opinion.

This mat is designed to improve agility, deflective shot saves and reaction time of the goalkeeper.  It’s a great asset and should be considered as an essential piece of training equipmeThe Flicker Stick

The hollow in the stick allows better control of the ball which enables the player/coach to control the speed and direction of the shot to a greater degree than is possible with the conventional hockey stick.

When I first started to use the flicker stick most of the shots veered to GK’s left (flickers right). Many players I asked to test the stick also seemed to have the same problem when starting off. This problem was easily corrected by releasing the ball sooner than what you would do with the conventional hockey stick.

I would advise anyone using the flicker stick to concentrate on control of the ball at slow speed before trying high speed flicks as I and a number of other players experienced some difficulty with accuracy when initially using the stick. Pay attention to the area behind the goals to ensure player/spectator safety.

Once you have mastered the technique you will be able to place the ball anywhere in the goal from any position in the circle and give the goalkeeper an excellent workout.

Goalkeepers facing drag flicks at penalty corners will benefit hugely as the pace of the ball is far greater with the flicker stick than with the conventional hockey stick. This makes for improved aerial saves, overall agility, hand eye co-ordination and reflexes.

Another point in favour of the stick is that the person using it does not have to use a large amount of energy to give the goalkeeper a good workout.

Deflective mat

This all weather mat is made of a durable rubber compound which is designed to deflect the ball off fin-like protrusions in unpredictable directions and heights when placed in front of the goals.

The boomerang shaped mat remained secure on the turf regardless of the speed or amount of shots deflected off it.

This is a very portable and convenient piece of equipment and a great aid for goalkeepers.

Shots need to be hit flat on the surface of the turf in order to get optimum defections. Younger players had a problem making contact with the mat as they felt it was too short, this could be contributed to skills still being developed. This problem can easily be rectified by using two mats next to each other.

Some senior players were hitting shots over the mat but this posed no problem to goalkeeper as the shots were still accurate, this also made for variations in the shot and goalkeepers had to watch the ball at all times and not focus on the mat.

The mat was also placed at various distances from the goalkeeper depending on ability/experience of individual. Speed variations also affected the flight of ball when making contact with the mat. The mat was used in conjunction with other drills involving more players eg. One hitter from circle edge, players on either side of goal getting rebound shots.

After personal use I found that the mat performed as it was designed to do and improved my overall performance. The feedback from various other coaches and goalkeepers

who used the mat during training sessions confirmed this opinion.

This mat is designed to improve agility, deflective shot saves and reaction time of the goalkeeper. It’s a great asset and should be considered as an essential piece of training equipment.

nt.

Review of Robo Elbow Guards

After a long August, I have finally had the time to write my review of my Robo elbow guards I won during the Review Your Kit Competition. I will divide the article in four sections:

  1. At first sight
  2. First time using them
  3. Tech specs
  4. Overall impression

So…read away.

At First Sight

When my elbow guards came in the mail, It was wrapped in a printer cartridge box, so, I came to the conclusion that the package was for my mom. On my way to the basement, I realized that it had been sent from New Zealand and thought “Isn’t that strange? I didn’t know they made printer cartridges in New Zealand. I then saw it was addressed to me and instantly connected the dots. I grabbed the closest knife and cut off the tape. As soon as the box opened I was extatic. Wrapped in their mesh bag gleaming white, I have never had a better July 30th.

If you ever thought that the elbow guards looked, well, thin, than I can tell you you thought wrong! I had that thought upon seeing the photos during the Beta testing era, but not any more! The elbow guards are possibly the solidest Upper body product ever created by OBO (aside from helmets of course) As they seem to be made of steel compared to my Cloud body armour. The Velcro straps looked solid and the design looked very fitting.

First Time

I received the parcel the day before my Nationals tournament so I did not get to try them in practice before hand. The first time I used them, They felt somewhat itchy but comfortable never the less.  I decided to use them without the forearm cover to make the more breathable. Therefore, the velcro strap that ties the plasticky section with the mesh section was left exposed to the inside of the joint.This proved to be rather uncomfortable while I was sitting on the bench during the first half but not so much of a nuisance while I was playing. Trying them on with the forearm cover, this problem did not occur.

Inner joint pinch

The middle strap pinches when flexing for a long time

I didn’t know the full strength of the velcro straps and at first, it appeared to be glued on! I didn’t have this problem with my body armour so I thought that something might have been wrong. I later found out that you just have to pull really, really hard to rip it off. Kudos to Obo for designing it this way or else it would probably fall off in wet weather (Unless I got an Obrella ;))

The inner padding was comfortable but very breathable and I found my sweat to stick to my arm a lot. They’re now somewhat smelly – and I have no plans to wash them – but nevertheless quite comfortable and move with the body giving great protection and movement at the same. I always thought giving great protection and movement was a challenge to most hockey goalkeepers and the previous chest pad I had used (ice hockey) was clearly meant to be bigger and thicker than increased mobility. Obo seems to have two and two together with the elbow guard and the mix of protection and mobility is superb.

Teck Specs

When I first broke down the elbow guards into their separate pieces, I found one word: confusing. It seemed as if there were infinite possibilities on how to customize the elbow guards. I turns out there were about eight (both arms). The elbow guard is comprised of three pieces:

DSC_0552

The core

DSC_0551

The inner pad

DSC_0554

The outer pad

These three segment provide many different combos on each arm to optimize the protection you want. There are several different types of foam incorporated into the design with a possible hint of plastic. The two I will point out are the two black pads on the outside and the other that covers those important blood vessels on the underside of your wrist.

The first is the perfect material that allows you to log, slide, and dive with ease while “Going Dutch” and offers optimal protection to your elbow while logging on a corner.

DSC_0553

Possibly the greatest part about the elbow guards 🙂

The latter, gives the ultimate protection flow between your HPs and the elbow guards so as not to get injured if the ball goes beneath your HP.

Overall impression

Another fine product Obo! I believe you guys have surmounted the challenge combining both protection and mobility. I am very pleased with my elbow guards and always enjoy keeping while wearing them. They have given me confidence where I was doubtful of my protection and allow to play a much better game. Perhaps a suggestion for v2 of the guards is to make the strap around the joint more of a slip on like the Nike Bauer ice hockey guard. Thanks for my prize. This shit really works!

KanuckKeeper

Review of Hi-Control RHP

hmmm so i got this Little piece of kit back in 2006 , and honestly it was not my 1st choice, i wanted the hi control robo RHP, but my current glove( yes those good old leather ones) didnt work at all and my local supplier was out of the robo hi-control ones, so i ordered the hi-rebound.(SP then)

robo-hi-rebound-rhp
At 1st after a few practices with it i really did not enjoy using it , i am a keeper who likes to slide and am rather agressive. the glove made slide takling with the stick  hard  and  logging.
That all changed after a went onto the obo site and wached some video’s or was it looked at some pictures( it was a while ago) and they explained how you need to change the style of play for this little beauty, i also found out that the inner pieace right by your hand can come out.
After removing the innner pieace and trying this new technique i was blown away…
the glove works just as well on the ground as the hi-control, but it also has the hi-rebound characteristic.
its also alot larger and on a few occasions has helped me make some awesome top right drag saves.
The glove may be large but its not a replacement for the LHP as you dont have as much controlle and you feel a hard hit ball through it alot more than the left, having said that it comes in handy (no pun intended) for those quick reflex saves.
ITs a very durable glove too iv had it for 3 yrs of constant battering and only now has the top opening started to tear. easily fixed with some glue though .

In generall its an awesome piece of kit, it takes some getting used too ,but once you know how to handel it it works really well and i more than happy with it.

ROBO Bodi Arma Review

Hi Amazing Guys and Girls

I’m going to keep this short and sweet, just like me 🙂

I’m the proud owner of Obo ROBO Bodi Arma, well let’s just say when the parcel arrived I was like a small child at Christmas, and was soon bouncing about in my new toy.

Why do I think it’s so great???

1) When I’m wearing it I don’t look like a midget sumo wrestler!!! ( that’s because it’s super slim lined).

2) Those occasional blows to the chest dont’t feel like bullets and take my breath away; rendering me useless and the goal open to those goal hungry forwards.

3) I can move and jump around without it getting stuck on my shorts, (making it hard to get up fast from a slide), riding up (not covering tender parts) and twisting, which my previous body armour did (not sure about the make and model it was one I lent off my club).

4) It looks good with or without a a smock, also lets me have more choice on the smock front (well we all know how us girls love clothes). No need for super baggy or boring, I can becomne an individual with awesome designs :).

What’s not so great???

I have a real problem with the shoulder pads, they seem to rub and dig into my skin, especially if I’m not wearing a long sleeved top. They seem to over lap the main body of the Arma. I’ve tried to bend and mould them to no joy :(.

I think the main reason for this is that I’m a girl, which means I have those things men don’t have but love lol. This seems to push the Arma up and out causing gapping around the area (see pictures) meaning that the shoulders don’t sit in the right place.

But hay I think I can get over this small niggle.

Maybe Obo could think about making a Bodi Arma just for us girls????

Enjoy 🙂

My Robo Bodi ArmaMy Robo Bodi Arma
Side View of Bodi Arma
Side View of Bodi Arma
View from shoulder
View from shoulder
Gap between chest and Bodi Arma
Gap between chest and Bodi Arma
Better view of the gap
Better view of the gap

Obo Robo Hot-Pants Review

Yes yet another review from me!

This time however I’m going to review my Obo Robo Hotpants!!!

2007_obo_robo_hotpants_2001

Before I got these pants I was using my clubs (So ice hockey brand that I can’t remember)

And will if I may they were RUBISH! (Compared to the hot pants)

They were heavy, loose around the thighs, the system for tightening the waist loosed and even when it was tight enough to stay up, it hurt!

They only offered protection to your thighs leaving your hips and parts of your groin that the cup doesn’t cover open.

This though is a thing of the past with my Hot-Pants!

They first few things I noticed when I took them out of the box was the same nifty buckle on the belt as is on the leg guards and robo kickers meaning no more loosing!!!!And plenty of padding between you and the belt (One problem solved instantly!)

77767064-100x100-0-0_2blackplasticsidereleasebuckles50mmwebbing

I also noticed the Velcro straps for the thighs meaning you could tighten them eliminating the annoyance of them flapping about and getting caught as you run out to cream somebody.(Yet another problem solved)

leg-straps

And the big cup like pads for your hips meaning lots of protection from shots and less pain when sliding and diving.( all four of my major problem with my old pants solved)

pants-hips

On further examining I found that the inner leg which is often hit was also covered!

There is a gap for your cup, making them more comfortable.

cup-hole

They offer Brilliant protection and I must emphasise BRILLIANT!!

And I have proof.

One day in training one of the coaches (David Hobbes 120+ Ireland International. Still playing)

He was warming me up. We had done the pushing, flicking, slapping and were about to move on to hits. I had just kicked the last of the balls over to him and was waiting for it to begin. I had just said Okay Go!

When one of the bungle out field players calls me to pass them a ball,

As is natural I looked over to see who it was and WHACK!!!

I get a full force strike from the man himself straight into the thigh!

As I was off balance I fell back onto the ground much to the amusement of the other goalie and some of the outfielders.

When I had come back to my senses I noticed it DIDN’T hurt one bit!( thinking back to it now I was lucky I didn’t have my old ones as the ball would have probably gone through my leg! haha

And so ends my story.

I’ve been hit in the leg a few times with no pain whatsoever but this one sticks in my head.

All in all Robo hot pants are Amazing and if you’re willing to spend a bit extra.

Do as I have never had a single flaw.

Please leave a comment!

Thanks

James

OGO Kickers Review

OBO OGO Kickers

After writing a review about the leg guards, I thought I should make one about the OGO kickers as well – because (as I said with the leg guards) OGO is sadly misunderstood…

In my other review I covered four major subjects; weight, rebound, protection and drawbacks.  I’ll try to do the same with this review.

OGO Kickers
OGO Kickers

Weight:

Being one of the smallest pieces of your kit, it has always seemed to me like kicker weight makes practically no difference to a keeper’s game. Well, so far I’ve played around 15 games with these kickers and I think now I can safely say I’ve changed my mind.

Kicking is arguably the most important part of goalkeeping and I believe that, no matter what level you play, there is always room for improvement in this area.

Because of my OGOs’ light weight, I’ve noticed I’m actually growing substantially more agile on my feet, allowing more controlled foot saves and quicker, easier running.

Rebound:

Well, what can I say? I remember on my very first save with these kickers I was amazed by their great rebound, which sent the ball away from the goal with almost the same speed as it came in with.

Needless to say, good rebound is an extremely helpful aspect of foot, leg and hand saves because it means that clearing a moving ball does not require a whopping great kick/punch.

Protection:

I play under fifteens, and during a club game I have never once been hurt through the kickers. I say club, because to tell the truth I have once or twice experienced a bit of pain from the occasional shot during southern and state training. But hey, that’s part of goalkeeping. Let me know what you think about this…

With my old kickers, I would often find (usually after running) that the strap at the back would slip down underneath my foot, allowing the kicker to slip forward, and expose my ankle. I can remember numerous times when I have been hit in the ankle due to this.

Well, I don’t know why, but this has never happened with the OGOs… Whether this is because of some amazing technology, or simply because they fit me better, I can’t tell you how much more confidence this has given me in the goal.

Drawbacks:

One problem I’ve found with the kickers (which, after reading other reviews, I know other people are familiar with as well), is that after a bit of action the front strap will slip in between the kicker and my shoe, actually raising the kicker high enough to expose my toes.

I asked OBO in NZ if there was anything I could do to stop this from occurring, and they got back to me quickly with three great suggestions, one of which is working beautifully (Figure eights).

figure 8
figure 8

I love this integrated locking system, although one problem I’ve been having is that the tongue tends to digs into my foot, which can be a bit awkward and sometimes slightly painful.

One solution for this is to wear shin pads underneath your leg guards, which I like to do because it makes my leg guards in general more comfortable. Another solution involves over-bending the tongue forward, holding it forward with tape, and blowing hot air on the inside of the tongue.

-Detailed instructions on how to do this on second page of PDF. [Link]

In conclusion, I’d like to say that some people will like these kickers and some people won’t (I think most people will). Personally, because I prefer to play a more agile, attacking game, I like them.

I hope this review has changed your perspective of OGO, like one training session changed mine.

Cheers,

Ozzie