Safety, health & sustainability

Hi all fellow mates,

What brand/model you guys can recommend me for astro/turf boots, i am using stud boots all my life, would appreciate if you can give me your thoughts?

And these are also not allowed incase you think its fancy

Nov 23, 2010 16:33:48 GMT 8 Raj Singh said:

And these are also not allowed incase you think its fancy

You only use those in certain parts of Orchard Road at certain times of the night, right Raj?

Hi Roy, there is a discussion of proper shoes on a separate thread, here.

Lotto do rubber-soled astro shoes. I am trying to find out which other manufacturers do so as well.

Nov 23, 2010 17:17:02 GMT 8 Rajiv said:

....
You only use those in certain parts of Orchard Road at certain times of the night, right Raj?

Lol that was funny

Peninsula has a shop on the 3rd floor selling dirt cheap turf boots or pimpled base boots. Common sizes might not be widely available but the range is good.

For those thinking of making a change from studs or blades.

Cheers!

Dec 29, 2010 11:47:47 GMT 8 Carl Ong said:

....

On a separate note, if you guys are free, you can go see this website for the latest Astro turf boots <no studs>.
www.prodirectsoccer.com/speedshop.asp?DEPT=2&DEPTTYPE=2_Astro&BRAND=9&SS=1
I believe Queensway Weston will have the stock as they are usually very quick to bring in new products. So if your current boots are giving way and you guys are thinking to buy a new pair to play on Astro turf, you can strongly consider buying stud-less boots. ;D
<no I don't work for Weston, not advertising for them, don't really like them actually cos sometimes very attitude but no choice, they do have one of the best price and latest stuff>
I think yesterday both Justin and Ben picked up some knocks. So we can all contribute to prevent more injuries.

One thing we can all do is remind everyone to read the message board regularly. There is a lot of information and reminders on it.

Dec 29, 2010 11:47:47 GMT 8 Carl Ong said:

....

On a separate note, if you guys are free, you can go see this website for the latest Astro turf boots <no studs>.
www.prodirectsoccer.com/speedshop.asp?DEPT=2&DEPTTYPE=2_Astro&BRAND=9&SS=1
I believe Queensway Weston will have the stock as they are usually very quick to bring in new products. So if your current boots are giving way and you guys are thinking to buy a new pair to play on Astro turf, you can strongly consider buying stud-less boots. ;D
<no I don't work for Weston, not advertising for them, don't really like them actually cos sometimes very attitude but no choice, they do have one of the best price and latest stuff>
I think yesterday both Justin and Ben picked up some knocks. So we can all contribute to prevent more injuries.

One thing we can all do is remind everyone to read the message board regularly. There is a lot of information and reminders on it.

I fell while playing at Sports Planet last Tuesday. It was an innocuous fall, but the astroturf burn was pretty bad.

I suggest playing in tracksuit pants.

Oct 17, 2010 10:34:42 GMT 8 Rajiv said:

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The futsal ball with reduced bounce feels harder than a regular ball. If it hits you on the face close to the eyes, it can damage the eyes. Please consider the type of goggles Look Liew wears.

We were using the futsal ball yesterday, and when Dave got hit in the face by the ball, his eyes hurt for quite a while. Fortunately, his vision was not blurred.

....

Damian SMSed me after the game on Sunday to say his vision was affected after being hit in the face by the ball, and to ask for certain contact details.

It's happened 2 or 3 times in the past year.

I spoke to him today and he said he's ok.

In response to my query, he said it was a standard football, not a futsal. I'm trying to see if the risk with a standard football is the same as with a futsal.

The discussion thread on taking turns in goal also touches upon safety:

Feb 27, 2011 11:04:50 GMT 8 Rajiv said:

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Over the years, there have been a few wrist and finger injuries sustained by players in goal.

Perhaps a discussion on how to minimize the risk of such injuries would also be useful, and perhaps address one of the concerns some players have about going in goal. Safety is always an issue.

On the other hand, I don't think the risk of wrist and finger injuries while in goal are any greater than the risk of injury while playing outfield. Any sport carries the risk of injury. The aim is to reduce the risk, even if it is impossible to eliminate it.

....

I'm not sure everyone bringing gloves is practicable. Let's see what comes out from the discussion.

Now that the majority of our games are on uncovered astro pitches, as the pitch may be wet due to rain, all the more important to have the right type of shoes to avoid slipping.

Noor has been diagnosed with knee ligament tear. Looks like he will be out for awhile. Just wanna remind all that it's just a friendly game. No need to push things too hard. Safety first yah!

Mar 25, 2011 16:19:08 GMT 8 Bryan F said:

Noor has been diagnosed with knee ligament tear. Looks like he will be out for awhile. Just wanna remind all that it's just a friendly game. No need to push things too hard. Safety first yah!

I spoke to Noor. It's a recurring knee problem. He will need to see a specialist I've asked him to keep me informed.

got to know from Noor that the medical term for his injury is Torn Anterior Cruciate Ligament.
he will be looking up a specialist.
hope to see him back in action soon.

anyway, in case you folks get the wrong impression, i was trying to say not to push yourself too hard.
in no way am i suggesting that the play was rough last night yah.

Thanks Bryan.

There's a post on the old FIOFAFI blog dated 20 September 2009 on "Sleep, Rest & Food". The following is from that post:

A reminder not to over-extend yourself, thereby increasing the risk of injury. Remember to get sufficient rest between each session/game.

The older we get, the more we need to rest between sessions/games. I am currently avoiding playing more than twice a week, and never two days in a row.

As for my playing on Thursday:

Mar 24, 2011 23:16:01 GMT 8 Rajiv said:

... I played for Reds, thereby making an exception to my personal rule of not playing two days in a row.

....

Although I have come out of it reasonably ok, I don't see myself playing two nights in a row again .

The link in the above quote is to earlier post on the old FIOFAFI blog, dated 4 September 2009, on injuries. It is worth quoting extensively from that post:

The stated aim of FIOFAFI is to provide opportunities to participate regularly in sport and other physical activities, in particular, indoor football.

As has been cited before, the American College of Sports Medicine and American Heart Association recommend that “all healthy adults ages 18 to 65 years need moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity for at least 30 minutes on five days each week or vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity for at least 20 minutes on three days each week”.

On the other hand, we do need rest. Sport can become an addiction. From one website:

Individuals with an exercise addiction are characterized by their compulsive exercise behaviors, an overinvolvement in exercise, and the presence of an activity disorder—meaning they exercise at a duration, intensity, and frequency beyond that required for sport.

Also, “… addicts may be driven to work out despite exhaustion or injury. Intense exercise addiction can lead to permanent physical damage, as the body is not allowed to recuperate between workouts.”

Our routine indoor football sessions can be quite intense, placing a strain on knees, ankles, hips and lower backs. Knee and ankle injuries may be more common, but hip and back injuries can be more serious.

Varying the sport or activity can help – if the sport or activity involves other muscles and joints, it allows those that bear the brunt of playing football to rest, while working other muscles and joints that may not be used as much. The blog can be used to organize other sport and physical activity as well.

....

Warming up and warming down are important. As we get older, the more time should be spent on warming up and warming down. ....

While the rules and principles we play to are, amongst other things, aimed at reducing the risk of injury arising from bad tackles or overly physical sessions, they can’t militate against strains resulting from lack of warming up or over-exertion. It helps to pace yourself over the course of the session, rather than start of at an intense pace, and then struggle to keep up towards the end.

....

If you are injured, allow yourself time to recover, and see a doctor or physiotherapist if you need to. Age also slows down recovery from injury. The older you are, the longer it takes your body to recover.

....

Injury, and recurrence of injury, are best avoided. Not only do they diminish or extinguish the enjoyment you get from playing, it also means you are not able to participate for the period of the injury. Rushing back from injury risks causing a recurrence, thereby prolonging the period of non-participation. The aim is sustainability.

....

The post was written more for older players who were the focus of the blog, but it applies to younger players as well, especially as they will be older some day.

It's worth reminding ourselves of these things from time to time.

Sivaraj has a recurrence of a hamstring injury in last Saturday's game, and it flared up again when he played on Tuesday. He thereafter withdrew from the Wednesday and Thursday games.

For the Saturday game, there was a player swap, but not of the injured player.

I believe Sivaraj continued both times, and both games ended up being fairly one sided, in favour of the opposing side.

If the injured player has to drop out of the game, and one side continues a player short, the side with the extra player is restricted in their scoring.

If the player who is injured continues in a limited capacity, and the other side takes or maintains a big lead, at some point in the game, the injured player should be swapped to the winning side.

A couple of players on Wednesday had trouble keeping their footing on the wet surface as they were wearing flat soled shoes. As quoted above, "If you are playing on an all-weather surface, such as astroturf, then special shoes with multiple rubber pimples are the best choice."

Carl has previously provided information on where you can obtain astro shoes:

..., if you guys are free, you can go see this website for the latest Astro turf boots <no studs>.
www.prodirectsoccer.com/speedshop.asp?DEPT=2&DEPTTYPE=2_Astro&BRAND=9&SS=1
I believe Queensway Weston will have the stock as they are usually very quick to bring in new products. So if your current boots are giving way and you guys are thinking to buy a new pair to play on Astro turf, you can strongly consider buying stud-less boots. ;D
<no I don't work for Weston, not advertising for them, don't really like them actually cos sometimes very attitude but no choice, they do have one of the best price and latest stuff.

In SMSing over the past couple of weeks to try to fill the less popular games, I've discovered that several players are out with injury.

Most of the injuries were picked up playing in non-GIFFA games or playing other sport, but a few were picked up in GIFFA games, including the recurrence of old injuries. In our games, pace yourself and play with care, especially if you know that you have an old injury that could recur.

We have quite a few knee injuries about. Anyone care to recommend a good specialist? Not for me, but for one of our regulars.