Foam wear on Kickers

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?

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Lukas Graser OBO Profile

Austrian mens goalkeeper Lukas Graser’s OBO profile.

What club you play for: AHTC Wien

What Country you play for: Austria

Great achievements: Indoor: Winner of the U21 B-Pool Indoor European Championships 2005, 6th Place at the Indoor World Championship 2007 in Vienna / Austria, 3rd Place at the European Championships Indoor Pool A in Ekaterinburg / Russia, Austrian National Champion 2002, 2007, 2008, 2009; 2nd place at the European Championships B Pool in Lissabon / Portugal and promoted to the A Pool 2007, Euro Hockey Championship A Pool in Amsterdam 2009, Participation at many European Cups with my club. Playing in the first German Bundesliga for the HTC Stuttgarter Kickers in 2007.

List of gear you use: OBO Robo Hi Rebound Kickers and Legguards, OBO Pants, OBO Tackle Box, OBO Chestguard, OBO HI Rebound Gloves, OBO Fatboy, OBO Carbon Helmet

Best goalie memory: Saving 3 penalties during the penalty shootout in the half final at the European Championships B Pool in Lissabon / Portugal 2007 and through that getting promoted to the A Pool in Amsterdam / Nederlands 2009!!!

How often do you train: Club practice 2 times a week, national team practice 1 a week, gym and athletic every hockey free day 🙂

International caps: approximately 32

International debut: against Scotland 2003

Any secret tips: train hard, never give up, buy OBO and everything`s going to work out 😉

Goals in life: having a job, that makes me happy, staying healthy, being able to play hockey for a long long time.

OBO Helmet Safety

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.

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The Poly P (Polypropylene) is designed to provide appropriate protection at balls speeds to 95 kph.

View the Poly P (Polypropylene) on the OBO site

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The PE (Polyethylene) is designed to provide appropriate protection at balls speeds to 120 kph.

View the PE (Polyethylene) helmet on the OBO site

FG-AND-CK

The FG (Fibreglass) or CK (Carbon Kevlar) will protect up to speeds of 160 kph.

View the FG (Fiberglass) and CK (Carbon Kevlar) on the OBO site

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.

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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.

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Find out more about OBO’s lab here

What do the F.I.H say about Helmets?

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:

New Look Faceoff

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 mnew faceoffanufacturer, 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.

Via Manawatu-standard

Keep an eye out for more information coming soon…

Tips On Using The OBO Training D’FLECTA Mat

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Product info
Balls will be hit at the D’FLECTA, which alter ball directions in both height and width. This simulates deflections and helps train reaction times and hand eye coordination of goalkeepers.

Tips on using the D’FLECTA mat

Fast ball speeds and striker deflections now play a big roll in scoring goals. The mat enables a coach, assistant or even parent to simulate deflected shots targeting high or low shots without needing to include the field players in the exercise. Its also a whole heap of fun for goalkeepers! If not being used the mat can be placed also be used within team drills to simulate defenders who can often deflect the ball.

Here is a video showing a few tips showing the correct technique for using the mat…

Tips On Using The OBO Training FLICKA Stick

flicka

Product info
This stick allows a coach, player or parent to flick the ball easily at the goalkeeper. The speed is controlled by the user and can be used softly for beginners using their hands and more power for advanced keepers simulating top level drag flicks.

Tips on using the FLICKA stick

Once mastered the OBO Training FLICKA  its really easy to simulating top level drag flicking balls speeds that are accurate and apply less stress to the body. The curve and colour of the stick have been designed to help disguise where the ball is going ensuring the goalkeeper is kept on their toes. The stick should be used softly for younger goalkeepers who are just learning to use their hands to save aerials or more advanced keepers for repetition training. Its also possible to throw some massive aerials for defenders to practice receiving aerials or just having some fun with mates on tour!

Here is a video showing a few tips showing the correct technique for using the stick…

Toni Cronk OBO Profile

Australian womens goalkeeper Toni Cronk’s OBO profile

What club you play for: South Perth
What Country you play for: Australia
Great achievements: Commonwealth Gold in Melbourne 2006
List of gear you use: Robo Hi-Rebound legs and kickers, Hi-control RHP, Hi Rebound LHP, ROBO FG Splat helmet,  skinny thing stick and ROBO BA.
Best goalie memory: every time I play for my country, it brings another special memory
How often do you train: 6 days a week
International caps: 65
International debut: October 2001 versus New Zealand in Melbourne
Any secret tips: Just be where the ball is…
Goals in life: Own several of my own business’s

Here is picture from the 09 Champion Trophy with my custom Aussie pads: