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.
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).
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