Sports

Your Guide

Alex Waite

• The Glider Is a Soccer Ball Produced by Adidas.
• It Has a Reputation for Being an Affordable, Good-Quality Option for Everyday Soccer Players.
• Originally, the Glider Was Used as the Official Ball of the 2013 Confederations Cup Before Being Widely Distributed in 2017.

The Glider is an affordable soccer ball made by Adidas.

It is well-known for its durability and low price point, making it ideal for both TRAINING and MATCH SITUATIONS.

Often, I have either trained with Adidas Gliders or used them as a match ball.

Ultimately, from my experience, they are a great all-around ball to use those players of all abilities can use.  

In addition, its affordability is one of the big appeals for a soccer coach like me, who loses equipment all the time.

In any given training session, wayward shooting drills, loose passes, and even powerful headers can send the ball FLYING OVER THE FENCE.

To combat the inevitable missing soccer ball, I have purchased the Adidas Glider in bulk before.

Very few similar purchases have matched for quality and affordability.

Since the Adidas Glider was first introduced in 2013, it has RISEN HUGELY in popularity.

So much so that it was ranked in Bleacher Report’s top 20 Coolest Soccer Balls of the Last 20 Years. 

In this article, we outline what makes the Adidas Glider so appealing to masses of soccer fans and players.

In addition, we provide a guide on how to get the best performance and longevity from your Glider. 

Features of an Adidas Glider Soccer Ball

Ultimately, the Adidas Glider’s features are what make it such a universally good soccer ball for many players and coaches. 

It is designed to be used by casual and competitive soccer players around the world, whilst also being affordable compared to many other branded balls.

In past soccer matches I have played in, we sometimes found ourselves with poor quality soccer balls that would either burst after use or they would GRADUALLY DEFLATE.

So many times, I have seen coaches use sub-standard equipment that is cheap and of poor quality. 

Although this is sometimes a necessity due to budget or a quick fix, there is no real substitute for a good quality soccer ball, and the Glider ticks a lot of the boxes here for several reasons. 

Below are some of the key features that make the Glider soccer ball unique and user-friendly.

I) Affordability

When compared with other branded soccer balls, the Glider is incredibly cheap.

Today, soccer players pay way over the odds for branded equipment that sometimes isn’t even the BEST QUALITY. 

A lot of modern soccer is about the brand and looking the part.

Now, I coach kids who won’t even kick a ball that isn’t branded, or who come to training and matches with the latest ball on the market. 

But often, there is little difference between cheaper balls like the Glider and the most expensive soccer ball.

Unless you can strike a ball with the same technique as Kevin De Bruyne, you are unlikely to notice the difference between high-end and low-end soccer balls. 

II) Durability

Overall, durability is what all soccer players, coaches, and fans want from their soccer balls.

If a ball is durable and affordable, it is head and shoulders ABOVE THE REST.

Some important aspects of the Adidas Glider set it apart from the rest in the same price bracket.

The list of features below make this ball more durable and longer-lasting:

• Hard but Responsive 100% Tpu Cover
• Machine Stitched for Compactness
• Rubber Bladder Inner for Bounce and Responsiveness

III) Ease of Use

Lastly, the usability of the Glider makes it popular for many players. It is a ball that is easy to control and it doesn’t waver too much for passes and shots. 

Also, the fact it comes in three different sizes (3,4, and 5) makes it ideal for players of different ages learning the game.

Smaller soccer balls help to develop technique and touch, while large balls are used in more match-specific situations. 

The Football Association’s official guidance for youth football suggests the following size soccer ball for specific age groups.

• Size 3: Age 6-9
• Size 4: Age 10-13
• Size 5: Age 14-18

How to Use a Glider Soccer Ball

Even though most soccer balls are made for outdoor use in ALL WEATHER conditions, there are ways to get the longest use from an Adidas Glider. 

In the past, I have been guilty of overlooking care of my equipment, especially when coaching.

Usually, distractions such as giving a player some pointers, talking with a parent, or taking a phone call after training led me to forget proper care for my soccer items. 

While I was less precious about things like cones, fold-down goals, and bibs, having damaged soccer balls was the worst.

From not inflating or deflating balls properly to leaving the balls in poor weather conditions, there were ways I could take better care of my soccer equipment.

Don’t make the same mistakes I did and follow some of the guidance below on properly caring for an Adidas Glider:

1. Deflate After Practice: If you aren’t going to be training for a week, take some of the air out of the balls after your session. This decreases the pressure on the inflatable bladder and the outer coating.

2. Store in Dry Conditions: One I have certainly ignored and paid the price for! Make sure you keep your soccer balls out of wet, cold, or too hot weather. Such conditions can cause irreversible damage to soccer balls.

3. Inflate Properly Before Practice: Make sure the balls are inflated enough so you force your thumb into the outer layer with a medium amount of pressure.

4. Don’t Use on Concrete Too Much: The odds game on a rough surface may cause some damage to the outside of your soccer ball. But playing consistently on hard surfaces will eventually burst the ball. 

History of the Adidas Glider 

Although the Adidas Glider has earned a reputation in soccer for being an affordable, high-quality ball, its evolution began at the very top. 

During the 1990s and 2000s, Adidas had a phase of producing dazzling soccer balls with different graphics and designs.

I remember seeing the brightly patterned Adidas Icon ball used in the 1999 Women’s World Cup.

Then, came the Adidas Power Orange for the 2008 European Championships, a purely orange ball used well in snowy conditions.

Lastly was the Adidas Wawa ABA.

This green, yellow, red, and black ball was the official one for the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations. 

Adidas continued to produce boldly patterned soccer balls into the 2010s.

For the 2013 Confederations Cup, the manufacturers continued this theme and the Adidas Glider was born.

As Brazil hosted this competition, Adidas created a yellow, blue, and green ball to represent the country’s flag colors. 

However, other than the replica ball sold while the tournament took place, Adidas did not mass-produce the Glider until 2017.

This is when Adidas dropped the price and created a soccer ball available to be used by all soccer players, NO MATTER what standard.

True to its original daring colors, the first Glider was lime green and intentionally visible so players could see it spinning in real-time.

Since then, Adidas has released VARIOUS STYLES of Glider balls to suit the everyday player.

Today, there are five types of Glider balls, including the Glider 2, the Tango Glider, and the Messi Glider soccer ball.

Your Guide

   Andrew Buller-Russ

Baseball like every other sport, is largely a game of strategy.

Of course, baseball is not easy, so any edge that can be GAINED PURELY by having a BETTER STRAGETY is one of the many ways players and teams can get ahead of the competition.

Some strategies are bad, and some are good, it all depends on when they are put into play.

What To Look For

Sometimes the wrong strategy can come back to bite you.

While other times, having the right strategy can be the difference between a win and a loss.

At the end of the day, if you can have a better strategy than your opponent, the odds are in your favor.

Strategies in baseball are changing by the pitch.

They also seem to change depending on what level of baseball you are playing at.

In the past number of years, long time baseball strategies have CHANGED TOO.

In the past, you would have never seen teams open a game with a relief pitcher on the mound.

Now, in professional baseball, you do.

That is just one small example of how some baseball strategies have changed just in recent years, there are MANY MORE.

Baseball is fairly simple once you have a much better understanding of the ideal baseball strategies in situational play.

These strategies can take a while to learn, but after doing so, you will a much more confident baseball player.

Knowing what to do on the field could be the difference between a starting role and riding the bench.

Though it can be simple, baseball is also very tough to play.

Once you know what you are doing, it can be very fun.

Luckily many of your peers can help teach some things to you to HELP YOU IMPROVE AS WELL.

There are also several books that deal with educating the public about baseball strategies as the game goes on.

Players and coaches can learn a great deal from these books.

There is a lot of knowledge to be gained from an informed baseball professional.

Recommendation For You – Baseball Strategies by Jack Stallings & Bob Bennett

So you may be wondering, what are some baseball strategy books that can help me?

Well, I can recommend the book Baseball Strategies, written by Jack Stallings and Bob Bennett.

Written in 2002, Baseball Strategies is a great book for anyone looking to dive deeper into the various strategies of playing baseball competitively.

Baseball Strategies was developed by a star-studded cast of coaches selected by the American Baseball Coaches Association.

There is a lot to dive into, with 360 pages of baseball strategy KNOWLEDGE TO SOAK UP.

I recommend this book for both baseball players and coaches.

Useful Links

• Our Top Recommended Baseball Books
• Best Baseball Hitting Books

• Remove the Initial Grip
• Stick the Grip at the Very Bottom of the Racket
• Wrap Around With a Brief Overlap Until Finished

   Your Guide

   Gavin Davison

Regripping a racket is a pretty important skill if you plan on playing tennis regularly.

And I must make a confession here – I didn’t learn to regrip my own rackets until I was about 15/16 YEARS OLD.

Until then, my father used to regrip my rackets for me, which isn’t something I’m overly proud of!

However, it’s actually amazing how many people still don’t know how to regrip a racket.

And until you learn, someone else will always need to do it for you, which is far from ideal.

This is especially true when you need to regrip a racket DURING A MATCH!

There is nothing more embarrassing than having to leave the court to ask someone to regrip a racket for you, TRUST ME.

With that said, of course, there are both replacements and overgrips that you can use.

But regardless of which type of grip you use, the method for regripping them remains the same. 

Below, I’d like to highlight exactly how you can regrip your racket from start to finish.

So let’s get started.

Regripping Your Racket – Step by Step

Once you have regripped a fair few rackets in your time, you will usually be able to do this in around a minute or two.

Like anything, it just takes an INITIAL UNDERSTANDING of how to do it and then a boatload of practice.

But the first element is what I’ll be focusing on here, starting with the very first thing you must do:

1) Removing the Grip on Your Racket

People don’t regrip their rackets just for the FUN OF IT!

The main reason for regripping your racket is because the one you are currently using is either worn out or you just don’t like it.

So on that note, the first thing you need to do is to remove the current grip on your racket.

This is actually the easiest part of the regripping process.

All you need to do is tear off the tape attaching your grip to the handle (should be at the top of the handle), and then unwind the grip.

The one and only exception to this is if you are simply putting an overgrip over the top of your current grip.

But in the vast majority of cases, you will want to remove the current grip before you go and put on THE NEW ONE.

Make sure you discard all parts of the previous grip, including any parts of the grip that stick to the handle, as these can make the new grip somewhat BUMPY and UNCOMFORTABLE. 

2) Attaching Your New Grip to the Bottom of the Handle

Once the previous grip has been removed from your racket, it’s time to start putting on your new one.

All grips come with two main parts of extra packaging you’ll need to take care of first.

The first of these is the plastic wrapping that coats the grip to maintain that STICKY FEEL.

This must be removed, and then you’ll see a small sticky tape on the inside of the grip.

You must remove this as well, as this is the part of the grip that you use to stick to the handle to begin regripping it.

And as it happens, this is the very first thing that you need to do.

Make sure that you stick the grip to the very bottom of the handle, leaving no parts of the previous grip or handle exposed.

Personally, I like to let the grip hang over the bottom of the handle slightly, as I find it more comfortable.

But with that said, this is all a matter of personal preference.

3) Wrapping the Grip Around

Starting the wrap around is the most delicate and difficult part of regripping your racket.

In this stage, I recommend stretching the grip as much as possible, without tearing it, of course.

That’s because it helps to ensure that the grip fits tightly around the handle, removing any annoying bumps or gaps in the grip when finished.

Keeping THIS PRESSURE, you can start to wrap the grip around the handle, trying to very slightly overlap the grip on each turn of the handle.

The overlap should be no more than a fingernail’s length, as anything more might mean that you run out of material as you get to the top of the handle.

This actually presents an interesting decision.

If you have a two-handed backhand, you must regrip the racket and cover the entire handle.

But if you have a one-handed backhand, this isn’t strictly necessary.

Check out how Richard Gasquet does his racket regrip to see what I mean: 

As you’ll see in the video, he only regrips half of the handle, as that’s the only bit of the grip that he uses.

Bonus – Making Sure You’ve Done It Correctly

Before you actually put the sticky tape on top of the grip when finished, you might want to take a moment to investigate the job you’ve done.

While keeping the pressure on the grip, you can look back to ensure that the overlap is consistent all the way up the grip.

If there are any gaps or inconsistencies, you can simply unwrap the grip to that point and correct it.

That’s why I recommend that you don’t put the sticky tape on the grip prior to checking out the job that you’ve done.

But once you are satisfied that you’ve done things correctly, you can then stick the tape on and finish things off.

You’ll also notice that your racket has a small rubber tag at the top of the handle.

I like to slide this down to cover the sticky tape used to attach the grip to the handle.

This ensures that the sticky tape won’t peel off, and from an AESTHETICS POINT OF VIEW, I think it looks better – not that this really matters!

Let me know if these tips help you to regrip your racket correctly in the comments!