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Broomball Equipment
Basic Equipment
You can start playing broomball for about $35. Purchase a cheap
broomball stick and ball and you are ready to play. A stick will cost $15-20 and
a ball will cost $20-25. Most players will also wear broomball shoes. These
provide better traction when running on the ice. Brooms, balls, shoes, gloves
and pads. You'll need them all if you're a serious broomball player.
Specially
designed Broomball
shoes which have about an inch of soft rubber on their sole are the basis
for the unique traction on the ice. The ball, of similar
material to a basketball, but about 5 inches in diameter. The stick,
originally a straw broom, dipped in water, and frozen to provide stiffness,
has been progressively replaced over the years with high tech rubber, paddle
shaped sticks, with either a wooden or aluminum shaft. Ice
Hockey helmets are used to provide protection to
the head and temple region and are mandatory. Knee
and elbow pads are used to provide protection for
these extremities upon contact with the unforgiving ice surface. Some players
use padding around the hips and rear, to provide
additional cushioning. Protective gloves, less bulky and
specifically designed for broomball are worn to provide protection for the
fingers and wrists. Genital protection is worn by
both male and female players to protect those sensitive regions.
www.midwestbroomball.com
Steichen's Sporting Goods
Balls
Online
D-Gel
Forest Ice
Future Sports - STX
Hockey
Professionals
Shoes
Shoes are recommended for better traction.
Broomball equipment manufacturers create two different types of shoes. Outdoor
shoes are made with divots in them to collect snow during harsh winter games.
Indoor shoes are made for better traction on indoor ice. Order online at these
sites:Red
Rock Sports, STX.
 
 
Broomball Stick
Every player must have a stick.
Forest Ice, D-Gel and STX all make good sticks. While wooden sticks tend to
break, aluminum sticks will bend. Pick your poison. Many players like the light,
aluminum sticks for stick handling purposes. Many players like wooden sticks
because they're cheaper.
Broomballs
There
are four types of ball available for varying conditions and uses. There are
only two manufacturers (D-Gel
& Baden leather ball]), but Forest Ice
have one currently being evaluated in some locations.Indoor
tournaments and leagues usually require a rubber broomball, while outdoor play
requires a handsewn broomball. Our league uses the Baden leather 322 ball shown
shown at the right.
Knee Pads
 Like
gloves, there are innumerable types, styles, sizes and protection levels.
Rather than describe makes, we'll just describe the various styles. There
are four main styles. Again within these individuals styles there are various
models and sizes offering varying degrees of protection.
Plastic Knee/Shin pads - (Ice Hockey style)
Traditional shin guard, designed with thick felt, strong
cotton sling suspends pad off shin, knee cushion. Strong plastic outer
Excellent coverage of knee and calf area. Some designs offer excellent
protection to the side of the knees. Varying strap styles, or none. Some
models offer protection to the top of the foot and to the ankles (in which
case this will need to be trimmed off, if the equipment is to be worn
underneath the clothes, and it certainly will not fit inside a pair of
broomball shoes, broomball shoes offer ankle and toe protection as well,
some pads may not fit comfortably over the broomball shoes) Excellent
protection. Can be heavy, difficult to strap, subject to movement unless
strapped correctly. Often expensive, but very durable. These pads
typically last 3 or more years. Often used in conjunction with the foam
knee pads to offer additional knee padding. As the padding on these is
sometimes deficient/insufficient. Make sure you buy ones that will perform
well in cold conditions. And are not already stiff or brittle, these type
are usually designed for Motocross. Ensure that the ones you choose are
not too heavy as they will triple their weight by the end of the game (or
you are just getting old :-).
Plastic knee pads - (Skateboard style)
These pads offer no protection to the shins, purely
covering the knee area. The quality and price of these pads varies
greatly. Ensure that they will not become brittle in colder temperatures.
These pads offer good protection, are of light weight and usually come
with a velcro tab to attach them. They will require tape to strap them as
they age. Usually last quite a few seasons (if you get the right pair) and
maybe as long as the full pads. These pads will leave the shins exposed.
But perform well and if used in conjunction with field hockey shin pads,
offer protection on par with the full shells.
Shin pads - Field Hockey
There are a couple of styles of field hockey shin pads.
These offer no knee protection. But they offer varying degree's of shin
protection.
Plastic Wrap around - These shin pads off full
length shin protection. They have a plastic shell that is under laid by a
thin foam cushion. They are a plastic shell that is heated, and then
formed around the calf molding to shape, they still need to be held in
place beneath a pair of socks. They offer reasonable protection and they
are light. They may need some taping but that will be an individual
preference. Use in conjunction with other knee padding to offer full
knee calf protection.
Traditional Field Hockey style
- These pads require placement beneath socks or taping, otherwise they
will move (no straps). They have a thin vinyl coat over a soft metal
plate which follows the shin line. Underneath which is a 1cm foam
padding. They offer ankle protection (but the ankle protection will need
to be cutoff for broomball shoes) but no knee protection. The protection
level is quite good, and are light enough not to impede running. Use
with knee protection though.
Shin pads - Soccer
These pads often are nothing more than a thin layer of
foam inside a durable covering. Some offer a slightly higher level of
protection with the inclusion of ribs either of wood or plastic. They
usually are not full shin length (usually half shin height) and are not
recommended. You would do better to purchase some field hockey pads if
this is the level of protection you require. Or at least use them in
conjunction with other pads.
Foam Knee pads
Personally I would not recommend these by themselves, but
many a player has and still do wear these with no problems. They offer
little protection, are still relatively expensive and may last only a few
seasons. However, they are light, easily attached, and must offer some
other attractions, as plenty still use them. Ideal for those who don't
fall over. If you do use them I would recommend that they only be used as
additional padding underneath other pads.
Elbow Pads
The elbow pad comes in two basic styles, the skateboard type, or the foam
block type, with every variation in between. These two types offer vastly
different protection levels, and consequent price differences.
Vinyl Pad - (Ice hockey Style)
These pads (see photo) are often, nylon covered foam, with
thick rubber cushion giving protection to the elbow. These pads usually
offer varying degrees of protection to the forearm and often have a
plastic insert or shell to offer extra protection to both the point of the
elbow, and the forearm. They are durable, and expensive, but offer the
highest degree of protection, particularly the pads that have the plastic
inserts (Some leagues do not allow plastic shell pads). These pads will
last several years without maintenance. They usually come with elastic,
velcro straps which allow a reasonable range of adjustment. The selection
of the right size with these pads is critical to their effectiveness.
Foam Block Pads
These pads much like the knee pads offer minimal
protection, but many a player has and still do wear these with no
problems. They are still relatively expensive although cheaper than the
vinyl type and may last only a few seasons. However, they are light,
easily attached, and must offer some other attractions, as plenty still
use them. Ideal for those who don't fall over or have lost all sense of
feeling in their elbows.
Plastic Pads - (Skateboard style)
These pads offer a good alternative to the Vinyl style.
They are cheaper and offer almost the same protection. They do lack the
protection to the forearm, but offer excellent elbow protection. the
straps are not as durable as they could be and will wear out well before
you're ready to throw them out. The hard plastic outer shell covering the
elbow, can in certain models become cracked or brittle, however if the
shell is nylon (rather than plastic), they should last extremely well.
Helmets (Required)
If you spend five minutes at broomball you will see a variety of
helmets types and shapes. However not all helmets are designed for the
extreme conditions of the ice arena. Amongst these are lacrosse, bicycle,
canoeing, football (American), etc. To ensure maximum protection, helmets should
be designed with either broomball in mind and offers a protection level similar
to other ice sports such as hockey or ringette. There are many other styles of
helmet which are available, such as Bicycle Helmets, canoeing, Lacrosse Helmets,
Football Helmets, etc. NONE of which are recommended. They can
become brittle in the extremes of the rink, often do not offer temple
protection, or offer insufficient protection to the eyes.
Visors
Visors
offer protection to the player in a varied number of forms, the clear plastic
visor, the wire screen and not used here is the molded face mask (ice hockey
style which is not sanctioned for use in broomball). The visor and wire
screens come in many styles and sizes and have their own idiosyncrasies. Note:
not all helmets will take a visor.
Broomball Gloves
There
are innumerable gloves that can be used for broomball. And in fact there are
at least 4 makes that are manufactured specifically for broomball. Forest
Ice, D-Gel,
Cooper and DR gloves all of which work well for the job they were designed for.
Many league players just wear ordinary winter gloves.
Broomball Pants
D-Gel
The pants offer a thin foam block stitched (quilted) down each (outer)
side of the legs, from the hips to the lower calf with a break at the
knee, to allow easy knee movement. Additionally there is a block sown
into the seat of the pants, to offer some rear protection. They are made
of a light, but durable material, and feature a wide white stripe down
each leg. The waist band is elastic, with a tie cord, for additional
adjustment. If you are a slider, then get the wife/husband,
mother/father, or girlfriend/boyfriend to sow in some extra knee patches
(slightly to the inside of the knee) of a durable leather before you
take them out as these will wear through very quickly. Particularly if
you play on a resurfaced ice arena or outdoors.
Forest
Ice
The pants offer a thin foam block stitched (quilted) down each (outer)
side of the legs, from the hips to the lower calf with a break at the
knee, to allow easy knee movement. Additionally there is a block sown
into the seat of the pants, to offer some rear protection. They are made
of a light, but durable material, the waist band is elastic, with a tie
cord, for additional adjustment. If you are a slider, then get the
wife/husband, mother/father, or girlfriend/boyfriend to sow in some extra
knee patches (slightly to the inside of the knee) of a durable leather
before you take them out as these will wear through very quickly.
Particularly if you play on a resurfaced ice arena or outdoors.
Hydragreen
Inc
The pants offer a thin foam block stitched (quilted) down each (outer)
side of the legs, from the hips to the lower calf with a break at the
knee, to allow easy knee movement. Additionally there is a block sown
into the seat of the pants, to offer some rear protection. They are made
of a light, but durable material, and feature a wide white stripe down
each leg. The waist band is elastic, with a tie cord, for additional
adjustment. If you are a slider, then get the wife/husband,
mother/father, or girlfriend/boyfriend to sow in some extra knee patches
(slightly to the inside of the knee) of a durable leather before you
take them out as these will wear through very quickly. Particularly if
you play on a resurfaced ice arena or outdoors.
Other Protection
Jock Straps
American style (they come in styles for both male and
female, suitably adapted of course), they offer a good level of protection
and don't move around too much. They are not used much at all in
Australia. The straps and ties will wear out before the cup does and
should be replaced fairly frequently. A must for female protection, but
males may well prefer the box style.
Chest Plates
Several styles are available. probably the best is the
foam plate usually used for goal tenders. It's light (they can be bulky)
and can be easily attached. they are ideal for goal tenders but tend to
bee too bulky for general play (some leagues prohibit they field use
anyway). However there are one or two plate type vests that are available
that would suit a female player. You will need to shop around though.
Blockers
A plethora of blockers is available in every color,
shape, size, material, cost and style. Most of these are made for Ice
Hockey. There is a style that is used in field hockey, which is a flat
glove offering exceptional stopping on the forehand, but does not allow
the goal tender to grip the stick, nor does it allow very good
backhand/cross body stopping. The more traditional blocker is better
suited to Broomball as stick handling is such an essential part of the
players game. The blocker is generally a flat or curved plate attached to
the back of a glove. Look for a glove that is made of leather (not vinyl
as these will not last). Has both good protection on the blocker itself,
but also to the fingers and thumbs when the hand is exposed. Additionally
check the attachment of the glove itself to the blocker and determine if
this is likely to be a weak point, as some will tear at the point of
attachment. (Tip: if you have one that has become detached near the
palm of the hand, purchase some Velcro, wrap it tightly around the
blocker, and tape it in, none on the palm though. This will keep the glove
remarkably tight, and extend the useful life of the blocker considerably.
Check this is allowable in your league though.)
Mouth Guards
Mouth guards come in a couple of styles, usually ones that
can be attached to a helmet such as football style, and some that
run free. Most offer the ability to mould them to your personal dental
specifications, thereby offering a tight and comfortable fit (ignore those
that don't). However not everyone likes them, if you don't then buy a
helmet visor with chin/teeth protection. All sorts of colors and styles
are available and are recommended if you don't wear a visor (preferred
solution).
Tape
Tape is critical to the way many players play. It prevents
if used correctly the movement of pads, or straps legs and ankles together
to see out another game. I've used several tapes over the years having
long ago settled on a packing tape as the personal favorite. Masking tape
is too easy to tear and is not particularly strong when wet (or even dry).
Electrical tape is cheap, abundant, and relatively strong, but I find that
it stretches too easily, so that pads tight at the start of the game flop
helplessly around by half time. Clear packing tape or sticky tape works
well, until it comes time to take it off. Cloth tape is also very good,
however for weekly use it's just too expensive and is better used for
taping the stick or your ankle.
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