Box Lacrosse Goalie Gloves for My Ten Year Old?

Question:

Jonathan, my ten year old son has started playing goal in box lacrosse and is looking for a good quailty glove for this position. I can find field gloves or very expensive eagle gloves. Is there a make and model you would recomend?

Answer: Mike the challenge at this age is that you need a glove that will protect from the shot, but inherently that means the glove is so stiff and bulky it's hard for the goalie to move his hand. Kids at that age can shoot hard enough to hurt a goalie with a soft glove, and because in box the shots come from so close I'd be wary to go with a field glove that is soft.

The Eagle gloves, in my opinion, are very protective but might be restrictive for a small hand. You can look for a used pair that have been beaten up in the palm and are easy to bend, or you can buy a new pair that he will probably get a few seasons out of and just work the heck out of them. Twist, pull, bend, warp, whatever. This way you will still have the protective outside but they will be more bendable. It all depends on the strength of your sons hands.

Couple years ago I was getting my hands really beaten up in field lacrosse. I actually found a pair of Nike hockey gloves at Sport Check that had a thumb with a hinge on it. They worked great. Hockey gloves in general tend to be more protective on the outside. They just don't hinge real well to cradle the stick. You may be able to find a really nice pair of hockey gloves with a short enough cuff that you son can throw and catch easily enough in box.

Bottom line: Any brand. Short cuff. Hard outer shell. Work them to see if the body of the glove is flexible enough for your son to close them and cradle the stick, a bit.

Hope that helps Mike. Let me know what you go with. I know those Eagle brand gloves are "cool" and all to the young guys, but personally I think they are great for the pro's who have strong hands and guys shooting at them at 160Kph. But for the little guys, there are other options.

Good luck and keep me posted. Where do you live? I spend most of my days between Calgary and Massachusetts.

Jonathan - The Goalie Guru

www.lacrossegoaltending.blogspot.com
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