Thinking about starting to play ice hockey? Well there is a large amount of equipment that you need to play hockey so start collecting it now. This article will give you a good list of the most important hockey items that you will need. The first and most important items you need are your hockey skates. Without good skates you will have a harder time skating and your feet might not be as comfortable. If you new to hockey you need to know that there are big differences between figure skates and hockey skate so be sure to get the right one. If you live in the United States, you will also need to get acquainted with a different shoe sizing system. A size 9 street shoe doesn't translate to a size 9 hockey skate. Hockey isn't hockey without a hockey stick. Ice hockey sticks come in a very large range of choices. Start off with a wood hockey stick and a relatively mild curve on the blade. You don't want a big curve on your blade when you are first starting out because it makes receiving a pass backhanded very difficult and you won't learn the proper shooting techniques. For stick number one it is all about getting a basic model and then growing your skills before choosing your second stick. Next come all of the protective gear. Starting from the top down you will need a helmet and visor or face shield, a mouth guard, chest protector (there are female versions), elbow pads, hockey gloves, hockey pants and shin guards. Not only does this gear keep you safe from fast flying pucks and errant hockey sticks, it is also great to wear when you are leaning how to ice skate. If it doesn't hurt when you fall, you will be more willing to push yourself and learn faster. Clothing comes next and there are under garments and outer layers to get. The under garments include skate socks, a hockey jock or jill, and an under shirt. Outer clothing include hockey sock that go over then shin guards and a hockey jersey. It is pretty standard to need both a white jersey and a dark jersey so players are easily dividable into teams. There are a bunch of extra accessories that you will also need. First there are two kinds of hockey tape. Shin guard tape goes around your shin guards to hold them firmly in place. The second tape is cloth tape that is used to wrap you hockey stick blade for a better grip on the puck and to make a better grip and the handle end of your hockey stick. Other accessory items include hockey pucks, a mouth guard, a hockey bag for all of your equipment and a water bottle. Once you have all of your gear and you start using it you will soon realize that it gets wet and smelly very quickly. Best practice for keeping your gear clean is to take it out of your hockey bag and air dry it after every game. Many rinks also have special hockey gear washing machines. Use them! If you don't take proper care of your gear it becomes a breeding ground for germs and bacterial. Get into the habit of good gear maintenance right from the beginning and you won't have to fight bigger problems down the road. Yes, there is a lot of gear required for you to play ice hockey! Once you get your first round of gear together you can swap out one piece at a time so the costs won't be so bad. One other thing to note is that it is very important that this gear fit correctly. Use the folks at your local hockey shop if you have any concerns about getting the right fit. Have fun and skate all out!
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