Overdoing it w/ equipment in ball hockey?

[Hab]

Wow....great to know I am not the only fool to spend dollars on good quality ball hockey gear. I too have gradually upgraded my gear from my kids old street hockey stuff to medium quality gear. I wont list here what I have but I do have a question on a problem I have with my most recent purcahse.
I just bought a set of Itech 7.8 Vamps. They are great pads and felt wonderful in the store. HOWEVER, they do JAM when I try to move, especially side to side when someone is behind the net. The problem seems to be that they are too close to the floor (no skate blade on sneakers!). This particular pad has a fairly large protrusion over the toes so maybe that is why. I love the pads otherwise & can't return them now. Just got them last week & only used them once so far so maybe I will get used to them. Anyone else have the same problem or ideas on how to fix it?

[Pokey47]

I play ice and ball/floor hockey. I have a set of D&R X6 Magnums (34 inch) and a pair of Mckenney 851 gloves that I wear for floor hockey. I also wear my Coveted ice hockey mask. For the rest of the protection I wear players equipment, pants, shoulder pads and elbow pads (and jock). I do make sure that I wear my bulky ice goalie jersey over top of it all though. I just can't stand the heat of wearing all the ice gear without ice under me to help cool me down. It's hot enough wearing the players stuff, i can't imagine what the poor dude at the other end must feel like wearing all that bulk ..and still losing to the skinny goalie at the other end

[BigDawgT]

My 2 cents is that if you have to ask or think you have too much equipment then you probably do. I played years ago in a "AA" division in Toronto, those guys can shoot, but you don't need anything near what you need in ice hockey. Think about the other players, very few guys wear any sort of equipment. When I eventually started playing wing I wore soccer shin pads, my helmet and elbow pads, that's it. I took some huge bruises in the thigh but a ball isn't going to break a bone like a puck might. There's no reason you need pro level stuff to play in. I do remember one time when the opposing goalie passed out due to heat stroke, that was scary, he just dropped like a ton of bricks. The heat was always the biggest issue for me playing ball hockey.

[az]

I play ball/dek on a rare occasion...

if I'm getting a set of gear together and grading the pieces by the level of quality, here's what I do:

Pro quality--
mask
throat protection (either dangler/collar)
cup

Never get cheap on protection for these areas, even for ball hockey. The danger here is not necessarily getting hit by the ball, but by other things, like wild sticks, players falling on you, etc.

Senior/mid-level quality--
c/a
gloves

The reason not to go pro quality with the c/a is simply heat retention. While a ball may sting or even bruise, catching a shot on your shoulder or ribs will not leave serious damage. I've played ball hockey with minor pros who all had cannons. The worse I've ever gotten is a couple red marks or a bruise. However, even an amateur ice hockey player can seriously hurt you with a puck if the puck hits in a totally unprotected portion of the torso. Also, it's easy to half-block a ball; if you just get a small bit of a shot with your shoulder or elbow pad, the ball will usually ricochet off you and away from the net wildly. This is not the case with a puck, which is heavier. A more substantial c/a is needed to get those deflection-type saves with a ice puck.

You could go low quality with gloves, however, usually super-cheap gloves are just completely horrible to use. At least with a mid-level glove, you should get something somewhat comfortable for your hands and that will enable you to block shots without fear.

low quality--
pants
pads

No matter how hard a ball is shot, it will not hurt your leg through any leg pad. For ball hockey, I use the lowest-level Tour street pad. It is more than sufficient to protect my legs. Plus leg mobility is at a premium for ball hockey and the light weight pads help with stamina (especially in the heat). Note, I'd wear pro-quality knee pads to supplement the nonexistent knee protection offered by cheap pads. Hell, I would play ball hockey in those old-skool Mylec pads with no problem.

As for pants: go cheap to reduce heat retention.

[spidergoalie]

I used to use cheapo gloves...until I had a stick drive my index finger back into my hand. I was playing keyboards in a band with a house gig the next night. I taped my hand until I went on stage, played in pain, drank to numb the pain, finished the night, taped my finger until the next weeks gig. I did this for about 4 weeks.

I decided then that good quality gloves are a nesessity for me.

I agree though..in ball hockey the most dangerous things are not the ball.

The other reason I prefer better quality stuff aside from protection is durability.

For the poster whos vamps are jamming on him, I suspect it is still about the material of the pad and the surface you play on. strategicaly placed duct tape or velcro might solve your problem.

[dukes]

I still use my koho 580's which is way more then what I need for ball hockey, but I originally got them to be a pad I can use on ice as well since my old Itech 4.8's weren't cutting it. Plus these 580's fit me better and help seal the fivehole better then my undersized 4.8's. I actually slide okay depending on surface, not as great as my 4.8's but not terrible unless the weather is humid and hot...I'll probably go between both pads.

The only place I cheaped out was my C/A since I needed it to be light and breathable (I use a 4.8) as well as an RBK 6k glove, but even the Canadian Tire CCM glove is suffice.

As for the Vamps, could be because of strapping I'm guessing? But yeah you can try putting something on the boot so it doesn't catch, I don't have that problem w/ either of my pads but try duct tape or velcro as said above.

[Hab]

The main problem I have with the Itech 7.8 Vamps isn't sliding so much as just the lower part of the pad grabbing the floor when i try to move side to side quickly. Maybe it is just where I am used to a pad with a much narrower & smaller toe cover so hopefully I will get used to them. They feel great otherwise but just seem so square & boxy & close to the floor, if you know what I mean.

[spidergoalie]

Originally Posted by Hab

The main problem I have with the Itech 7.8 Vamps isn't sliding so much as just the lower part of the pad grabbing the floor when i try to move side to side quickly. Maybe it is just where I am used to a pad with a much narrower & smaller toe cover so hopefully I will get used to them. They feel great otherwise but just seem so square & boxy & close to the floor, if you know what I mean.

hmmmm
What are you doing with regard to strapping, especialy the boot strap?

[Hab]

It wraps around a nice little arch in my sneaker & I have it fairly tight but loosening it dosen't make any difference. Saw postings here on running it around the back of the foot but no better there either. I even left the toe straps on & tied them different ways but still no help. I have only used these pads once & am hoping it will get better as I get used to them but any suggestions are VERY welcome.

[spidergoalie]

I think it is probably more a case of getting use to them then. Were they new or used? If they are new then all the more need to just play in them more. I think if you've played in them 3 or 4 times you might find the issue is solved, or at least have a better idea what the cause is.

Also if you get a chance the next time you play, make the move before the game or during breaks and see if you can see exactly what is happening. It could still be material grabbing the surface, or something else.

Do you have a place at home with a floor you can put the pads on and move around?

[Hab]

At home is never quite the same, if you know what I mean. When you really have to react in a game situation that's when you discover things. They were bought new & I have only played one game in them so hopefully its's just a matter of getting used to them as you say. They are boxier (squarer) than my OLD DR's with very little give in them, and larger at the bottom. Also, they are the fist pads I have used that you can actually butterfly in so I am getting used to that also. Everything I used up to now would just flatten out so that I would be kneeling on the pad so that alone is different for me. Anyone else out there use Itechs for ball hockey?

[VCH]

My opinion: Don't use toe ties or boot straps. Really not needed for ball hockey.

[dukes]

Originally Posted by Hab

At home is never quite the same, if you know what I mean. When you really have to react in a game situation that's when you discover things. They were bought new & I have only played one game in them so hopefully its's just a matter of getting used to them as you say. They are boxier (squarer) than my OLD DR's with very little give in them, and larger at the bottom. Also, they are the fist pads I have used that you can actually butterfly in so I am getting used to that also. Everything I used up to now would just flatten out so that I would be kneeling on the pad so that alone is different for me. Anyone else out there use Itechs for ball hockey?

Sounds to me like you just need to get used to a new type of pad and the shape of it. I've never used the vamp's but I've used the 4.8 x-factors which I believe is the model after (someone correct me if I'm wrong). The boot was slightly rounded on the inside so I've never had a problem. Weird question, but are the pads sitting too low? If possible Hab post a pic of you wearing your pads at home or in a game so we all can determine once and for all. But to my guess it's just a matter of getting used to the pad or adjusting to its structure.

And for the comment directly above, I use both toe ties and bootstrap in ball hockey but have a specific method of strapping them so they work great. There's a thread about this somewhere in here.

[Aaron]

I just bought some old Vaughn 3500 pant shells. They just have padding in the thigh area and that's it. Felt nicer than my Brown 2000's out there, and much cooler as well. For our Sunday ball hockey, the Vaughns are plenty good enough.

I've been using my CM9 Miller for about 9 years now. It's not overkill for ball hockey but it's so broken in, I can't get rid of it.

[brain42]

I know my post is a couple months late, but I just happened to run across it while browsing around.

I wear a cheap Mylec C/A I modified for extra protection but not heat (which is a big enemy in the outdoor VA heat & humidity). I simply duct taped some extra foam padding under the shoulder protectors, and wear an ancient baseball catchers chest pad (sized smaller than usual) underneath it for extra protection for the chest and belly. I used to use a custom vintage style mask I've since sold (wonderful but hard to see out of and hot as hell) and use (kinda) the Osgood type setup now. Pads and gloves are all eBay specials (Xceed blocker, CCM pads, Cooper catch), Koho 250 street hockey goal stick, and players pants. The above posts hit several good points: too much $$$ gear makes you look like a chump, but choose what makes you feel confident. You may not need all the bells n' whistles of a new set of pro pads, but seniors would be a great way to go. I played ice for @ 8-9 years before recently switcing to ball, and gear is just one of the many adjustments I've had to make (and am still making) but in some ways I like it better...maybe it's just a new challenge....