The Psychology Of Sports Equipment: How Does Gear Affect Your Team?

As the old adage goes, sports are 80% mental and 20% physical. A player’s mentality plays a major role in how they perform, as a clear mind allows athletes to focus on the task at hand.

While you don’t have the ability to read your players’ minds or remove distractions from their personal lives, there is one thing you have control over: their team gear. It may seem like a minor factor, but uncomfortable, ill-fitting sports equipment has the ability to get into an athlete’s head and distract them on the field, court or ice.

So how do you use your team’s athletic equipment and apparel to your advantage? It’s as simple as thinking about your own wardrobe:

1. Comfort Is King

Think of the last time you had an annoying tag in your shirt. It probably drove you crazy, making it hard to even concentrate on simple tasks. It’s difficult to take your mind off of something that’s physically making you uncomfortable.

Well, imagine what your players are going through when a piece of their equipment doesn’t fit properly or keeps moving out of place. That has the ability to distract them badly and truly inhibit their performance.

Your players should be thinking about their game plan and responsibilities, not fidgeting with a mouthguard that’s uncomfortably floating around their mouth after every play. Your team’s gear should complement your players and elevate their game, not bring them down.

2. Style Is Intimidating

Unless you were a trendsetter, you probably recall what it’s like to be behind the fashion curve and how embarrassing that could be.

Have you ever noticed your players watching a rival team getting off a bus in nice, new personalized uniforms or matching team warm-ups? If your team’s gear is in need of an update and doesn’t hold up against that well-dressed team, your players may feel inferior and intimidated.

What are your players’ thinking before a game when the other team looks like they mean business and your team looks like they are wearing 3 year old hand-me-downs? Chances are this could be hurting your players’ mindset, and that’s hurting their play.

3. Style Is (also) Imitable 

If clothes make the man, then in sports, the uniform makes the team.

While the cohesive look of another team may be intimidating, the opposite may also be true. There is tremendous gain to be had from being the team that has the great gear; and it could be your team doing the intimidating, rather than vice-versa.

Psychologically speaking, self-esteem is a major factor when it comes to performance. With nice, custom team apparel, your players won’t just look like champions, they’ll feel like champions. And feeling like a champion is the first step to actually becoming a champion.

4. Confidence Is Key

If you were given a leather helmet and shoulder pads from the 1960s, would you go out onto a field and try to hit people? Probably not; how could you possibly feel confident wearing antiquated equipment.

When your players are wearing athletic equipment that is outdated or doesn’t fit well, it’s very hard for them to have confidence that the equipment they’re wearing is going to keep them safe. And that leaves them open to miscues and unnecessary injuries.

The athlete who hesitates is the athlete being left behind and often getting hurt. If your players have confidence in their equipment, they’ll have confidence in themselves and that means they’re performing at their peak.

Get the most out of your team by putting your players’ minds at ease with custom mouthguards from Gladiator Custom Mouthguards, the industry-leader in custom mouthguards.

Ease Your Players’ Minds

Author Bio

Bobbie Quinn, co-founder of Gladiator Custom Mouthguards, played both lacrosse and field hockey as a youth and went on to play Division 1 women’s lacrosse in college. Bobbie continues to play women’s league field hockey and enjoys watching her son play various sports.