Football Accessories You Can Add to Your Bag This Preseason

Football boots are the most important objects in your bag, or at least they should be, but that doesn’t mean they should be the only occupants. In this article, I take a look at a few accessories you might want to think about adding to your collection this preseason. If I’ve missed anything that you think is worthy of inclusion, please let me know by commenting below.

Shinpads

An absolute must in any bag, unless you are the epitome of a money saver (aka Santiago Munez from the movie Goal when he uses garbage as shin pads), you might want to think about investing in a good pair of shinpads.

GL Sports Carbon Fiber Shinguards

One of our testers, Isaac, has actually just received the GL Sports Carbon Fiber Shinguards, and was fortunate enough to be able to customize them. While it will set you back a whopping $96 USD to buy a pair of these personalized shinpads, what you get for that is a very strong, durable, and lightweight shinpad made of carbon fiber, along with the exclusivity of customized shinpads. With that said, we understand that the MSRP is a staggering amount for many and might rule these out as a possibility.

C6 Agility Shinpads

As long as we are on the topic of expensive shinpads; step up C6 Agility Shinpads! Our resident PEP Talk columnist, Jon Nicholson, had the opportunity to test out these $150 USD (that is not a typo…) pieces of hardware, and in short, he loved them. Not one to shell out compliments casually, this is what Jon had to say about the pads.

I genuinely don’t think I’ll be able to go back to another pair of shin pads, and comment positively on how lightweight they are after using these, and that is a true testament to their quality. The lightweight, fitted nature of the C6 Agility shin pads makes them an absolutely joy to wear comfort wise.

So for $150 USD, you get arguably the best shinpads on the market, and if not the best, at least the lightest, and using Jon’s reasoning, if they last you at least 5 years like he predicts, you’ll only be spending $30 USD a year. Check out the full in-depth C6 Agility Shinpads review for more information.

EvoShield PX2 Shinguards

For $26.99 USD, this is a much more affordable and realistic option for many of you, and for the quality on offer, you should seriously consider the EvoShield PX2 Shinguards. Above is our ‘unboxing’ and molding video of the pads, and I recommend you watch it to get a better idea regarding these particular pieces of equipment.

They come as a soft gel like guard, and within 15 minutes of removing them from their special casing, they completely mold to the contours and shape of your legs. I have been using these for the better part of the past year and I would definitely recommend them as they offer a snug fit around your legs while at the same time offering a high level of protection. One thing to note before purchasing them though is order a size down as they fit big.

Compression Gear:

The world of athletics and sport is constantly changing, and something that has become a big part in this evolution is compression gear. You would be hard pressed to find an athlete today that doesn’t have some sort of compression products as part of their gameday wardrobe, and consequently it warrants its own category in this particular article.

Body Science Compression

While James is currently testing out the BSC compression gear lineup, we can give you the company’s claims which seem pretty fantastic.

The only sports garment to use ‘Targeted Compression’. Made up of panels that target and support individual muscle groups, to improve circulation, increase oxygen delivery, aid in the removal of lactic acid, reduce muscle soreness and diminish the likelihood of injury. Recover quicker, train harder and reach your performance peak faster.

Everyone has their Nike Pro, Under Armour, and adidas Techfit, but how many people do you know own Body Science Compression products? With that said, there is a reason people gravitate towards the aforementioned companies’ products.

110% Kick Back Quad Sleeves

You can find compression shorts at almost any athletic store with relative ease, but the reason 110% make it onto the list with their Kick Back Quad Sleeves is that these truly seem to be an innovative product that offer something different. They are sleeves for your upper legs that can be slipped on with convenience (convenient because you can put them on without totally stripping down), unlike your standard compression shorts. But what really makes them stand out is that while they do offer compression targeted for the quadriceps and hamstrings, they also have pockets designed to allow the user to slip ice into them to make the whole icing and recovery process a convenient thing.

We are currently working on obtaining a pair for testing so we can give you a full in-depth look and review of the 110% Kick Back Quad Sleeves.

2XU and Zensah Compression Socks

How often do you see a player in the dying stages of the game be rendered unable to carry on due to cramping in the calves? The answer is probably quite often and two companies we’ve decided to highlight in this article offer product(s) designed to help prevent that from happening to its user.

For $50 USD, 2XU offer a very comfortable product that does indeed work and serve its purpose (at least according to Jon’s 2XU Compression Socks Review). It is a more compression focused and looking product, whereas the Zensah Compression Socks, which Jon was lucky enough to receive, do in fact look like actual socks with compression qualities.

Tygerpaw

When you spend $200 USD on a pair of boots, you should be expected to take care of them and a product that will help you do this is the Tygerpaw. For $15 USD you can buy the ‘brush’ that will help clean your boots and remove mud from small creases and crevices that would otherwise prove to be tough to get rid of. In his Tygerpaw review, Jon absolutely loved the product and highly recommends that every player add this to his gameday bag.

That’s just a short little list of products you should consider adding to your wardrobe, and if there are any you think we missed, please comment below and give us a reason why you think they should be included. Also, if you have any questions regarding the products listed above, please let us know via comment!