Finding Perfect Lacrosse Gloves

Lacrosse gloves are very similar regardless of the brand, style, or price. Although some gloves claim to be produced with the most advanced technology available, the vast majority of all gloves provide similar protection, ventilation, and wicking. While a few gloves may wick a tiny bit more sweat off a player's hands, claims about "far superior technology" and "triple-gel padding" are mainly just empty sales pitches that companies use to inflate the gloves' prices and increase the company's profit.

There are two important characteristics that vary slightly among glove brands and styles: mobility and the material on the palms of the gloves. Here are two factors you can use to determine which gloves are best for you.

Mobility of the lacrosse glove

Mobility varies among gloves, and it is important to consider the flexibility of the glove at the joints in the fingers and wrist. When you're wearing the glove, are you able to move your fingers and wrist with virtually the same range of motion as when you are not wearing the glove? This is important to many players as gloves that allow for increased mobility will allow players to have better control over their stick. Most players prefer for the padding and wrist protection to lessen the impact of a stick check while also allowing free range of motion. It's important to note that most gloves will "break in", and the player's hand and wrist mobility will increase over time as the glove's padding becomes more worn.

Material on the palm of the lacrosse glove

The material that the palm of the glove is covered with directly affects the ability of a player to "feel" the stick. The material on the palm of the glove is extremely important, as it lies between the palm of the player's hand and the shaft of the stick. The two main materials used on the outside of the palm of lacrosse gloves are mesh and soft leather. Neither material is definitively better than the other, but most players prefer to use gloves with the same material as the gripping ability is similar among gloves using the same material.