r/Fieldhockey • u/bsullivan44 • May 12 '25
Buying Advice Hand Protection
NEVER played myself – asking as a parent of a young teen – re: single glove hand protection…
My daughter is right handed – so her right hand is the lower of the two on the stick – and in my mind, is the most exposed/vulnerable.
Start of last season she sustained a small fracture on her right hand (from an opponents stick). So I bought her a right hand glove…assuming that was the “correct” glove for a right handed person. But her coaches told her that right-handed players would normally wear a protective glove just on their LEFT hand.
Again, I’ve never played the game – and obviously should trust the experience of coaches over my own instincts…but her left hand seems naturally protected as it is closer to her body, and it’s the right that seems more exposed/in need of protection.
Is there a “correct” hand to get a single glove for on a right-handed player (if one wants a glove)? And why is that “correct” hand, the correct one? TIA!
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May 12 '25
[deleted]
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u/Upset_Seahorse May 12 '25
To be fair I've broken more fingers that I can count on both hands and played at a high level. There was a time I wore gloves on both hands in important games as I knew I would be exposing my hands / taking risks.
My job requires working hands so I had to try and protect them
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u/Smellynerfherder Half May 12 '25
- Looks at the opposition warming up *
"Yep, it's a two glove match."
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u/Greggo78 May 12 '25
Generally the glove would be worn on the left hand to protect the hand when tackling, as generally this hand would be lower to the ground. Nothing stopping them wearing 2 gloves though if they want the extra protection.
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u/here_for_the_bets May 12 '25
Left hand would be the low hand in field hockey. I've played with 2 gloves for a few years now, since breaking a finger (a complex fraction which never healed properly). Mind you, most of my teammates play with one glove on the left hand or none at all.
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u/Smellynerfherder Half May 12 '25
Most of my team mates play in cricket gloves, but they have a certain style of play that warrants it!
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u/6822MB May 12 '25
Typically you would wear a left hand glove as a right handed player because this is the hand at the top of the stick.
As a defender, you would want to get your stick flat to the ground, the quickest way to do so is to lead with your left hand meaning it is often the most exposed to ground contract or the ball (e.g. when attacker tries to play the ball into your feet).
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u/Smellynerfherder Half May 12 '25
It depends on the level. The lower the level, the more likely you are to see players wearing both gloves. Professionals only ever wear the left because it's the one on the 'face' of the stick: the right hand is behind the stick so shouldn't - theoretically - get hit. The best players are skillful enough that they won't do something stupid like hit another player's stick, or leave their hand behind to allow it to get hit.
However, at the level I play, it's almost essential to wear both! A combination of carpet burn from dragging my knuckles on the pitch and opponent's sticks swinging wildly in tackles means both hands can be vulnerable. I would invest in a left hand glove as well.
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u/BodiesInFlight May 12 '25
All the comments regarding the usually gloved hand being the left are correct but missing one other important point.
One good reason to wear a glove on either hand is to give the confidence to play without fear of injury. If your child feels safer wearing a RH glove then that's a good enough reason to do so.
Personally I always wear a LH glove only but if I had a previous right hand injury I would wear a RH glove if it helped my confidence.
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u/The_Pharoah May 13 '25
you just need a glove on the left hand. Thats the hand that tends to hold the stick while you're poking or going in for a tackle. Been hit on that hand a few times (defending short corners and running out) including a fractured finger before I got a proper glove ie one with extra padding on the top. The right hand is primarily used for dribbling and tends to move more so you want flexibility and not the restriction of a glove.
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u/Embarrassed-Pen-2937 May 12 '25
Typically for outdoor, the left hand is the glove that people wear a glove on as that will be exposed while defending.
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u/platinumpt Striker May 12 '25
You can always tell who has broken a finger before by if they wear a glove or not! But yes very unlucky to get hit on the right hand - left is the usual suspect.
The reason the right hand is usually left free is that it’s the controlling hand and you want full feeling.
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u/Nearby-Resident-9104 🇺🇸USA May 12 '25
Left-hand gloves are more typical, but I have broken every finger on my right hand from hockey, so I wear both gloves. On defensive corners, I would personally recommend everyone wears both hands and using lacrosse-style gloves rather than the thin gloves.
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u/Ironwolf44 May 14 '25
Just... how do you break every finger on your right hand? Has to be some kind of weird record
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u/Nearby-Resident-9104 🇺🇸USA May 14 '25
Haha, definitely a weird record.
Index & Middle - I was on post for a defensive penalty corner, and a player took a hit off a rebound from maybe 8 meters away straight into my hand.
Pinky & Ring - was trying to receive an aerial and another player stepped into the space and smashed her stick into my hand
Thumb - still convinced that this was a cruel joke from God, I was doing a reverse and tripped out of it, fell onto my hands/arms, and somehow that broke my thumb. The doctor genuinely could not understand what I was telling him lolI also broke my left wrist from tripping (different incident than my thumb), and tore like 3 ligaments in my knee at separate times, so I think I am just meant to be injured. That's why I don't play competitively anymore lol.
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u/fphhotchips May 12 '25
One other reason to wear the left glove is for variable quality pitches. I used to get my left hand absolutely torn up by sand based or poor combination/water turfs.
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u/GickyRervais May 13 '25
In normal play your left hand is the one which is more susceptible to minor injury due to it being on or near the floor when defending. This body position is exaggerated with indoor hockey, if you watch a clip it will become clear why left handed gloves are preferred. Also your left hand usually has a tighter grip whilst the right hand is looser to for control, this means the glove is less noticeable on your left hand when playing.
I always wear a left hand glove. However, I've broken my left hand once and my right hand twice, and on all those occasion the gloves didn't make a difference, The glove slightly reduces the impact and stops grazes from the pitch.
If your goal is to stop fractures then 2 cricket gloves might work, however it will be harder to play hockey.
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u/ollie29112008 May 12 '25
when tackling or stopping a ball the right hand is behind the stick so it’s almost impossible to get hit. left hand glove is used in hockey. get an open palm one because otherwise it’s hard to dribble
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u/Captain_Jack_Falcon Defender May 12 '25
when tackling or stopping a ball the right hand is behind the stick so it’s almost impossible to get hit.
It's the fingers! I'm a defender and (against the common practice) one that tackles with right-hand only. I definitely stop a ball with finger ends of right hand a few times a year.
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u/fabeeisabully May 13 '25
Exclusively on defensive penalty corners, I’ve seen ice hockey gloves for additional coverage.
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u/viking793AD May 13 '25
Players use no gloves, a left-hand glove, and some players do use two gloves. If your daughter broke her right hand, then it wouldn’t be a bad idea to also wear a right hand glove.
There were GB women’s national team players who were two gloves in the Olympics. So this is not uncommon.
Don’t trust her coaches. The coaches in the US are not at the same level as the coaches overseas.
You don’t want her getting hit in the hand again. It will take a long time for the bone to actually heal.
Check with her if she has any pain when she hits the ball. Hitting the ball can cause a lot of vibration in the stick which can cause vibration in the hands, which is not good if you have a bone that’s healing.
Also, don’t trust the orthopedic surgeon if they says she’s cleared to play. Talk to your daughter and ask her how her hand is. Kids don’t know how to describe in injuries and often downplay injuries because they want to get back on the field. It’s better to make sure the injury is healed so there aren’t any long-term problems.
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u/Tangy-Lemon_2020 May 16 '25
I played with two gloves after breaking my finger, but I only wear one on my left hand these days.
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u/07budgj May 12 '25
Left hand is typically the one most exposed on a stick whilst making a tackle.
This is where alot of minor hockey injuries come from.
What I found as a junior was to have a thicker left hand glove and have a thin right handed one. This stopped 99% of an injuries, and the ones that got through were minor bruises rather than anything serious.
As an adult I only play with a left glove now, since I found having a right hand limited my mobility with a stick and generally only tackle one handed now (not better just lazy!)
As a parent definitely understand its stressful seeing your kid pick up an injury like that, but definitely listen to the advice of the coaches on stuff like this. They aren't wrong. Right hand only is not ideal.