Continuous strive to support perfection
With more than half of major European American football leagues already underway and GFL, BIG4 and CEFL opening within weeks it is hard not to be excited about football being back on the field for 2018.
As preseasons are over for some of the teams that focus on facing their next opponents and having the best possible game plans ready to get the “W”, the others, who start their game action a little later in the year (some leagues and second, third division teams) are getting back on the gridiron to get back in football shape. Regardless of where your team is at right now, the one thing is accurate for sure – practice field is getting crowded with players, who strive for perfection on the field putting in the work that will pay off on game days. And whether you are a president, coach, player, sponsor or just a fan – let’s look at a range of field equipment that has lately taken the European market by storm and could be worth considering for your team in order to make preparation more effective.
Every practice session matters and it is crucial to utilize the time you are given in the most effective way possible. Therefore teams have started to invest in high quality field equipment that helps their players develop skills and make it easy for coaches to facilitate drills that imitate real game action best. A great example of such equipment is a Pop-up dummy which is designed to safely provide full extension on tackling and release drills. Its greatest advantage is the fact that it resets itself on its own and requires no assistance from players or coaches and allows them to fully focus on proper technique of each player in the drill instead of bringing it to starting position. JAMBO Athletic is the only European-based manufacturer of such product and our 55-kilo version of it has been trusted by many. JAMBO Athletic field equipment has been used by over 130 teams in 19 countries in Europe, among which we also support National Teams, including Poland, Croatia and The World Games Wroclaw 2017 Champion – France.
Another heavy-duty piece of equipment that has drawn a lot of interest is JAMBO Blocking Sled. As more and more teams realize that football games are won in trenches they try to address the needs of developing strong offensive and defensive lines by providing their players with tools that will help them learn how to stay low, keep their feet driving and maintain leverage in order to move the line of scrimmage. JAMBO Blocking Sled can be used in offensive and defensive mode, which maximizes the benefits of practice by altered motion range, depending on which position group you would like to work with (OL or DL). You can also combine several units together building 2, 3, 4, 5 etc.-station-devices that would allow your lineman to work on their timing and sync. If you order a coach’s platform, you can have a coach take a spot on top of the sled and motivate your players to give those extra pushes that will matter on game days. JAMBO Blocking Sleds have been used by many big men across Europe, including 2017 GFL Champions Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns.
Although the abovementioned equipment is great and unique, American football is played by over 1500 teams on our continent on many different levels. While the best teams competing in top national and international leagues try to chase the training infrastructure teams have in the United States, there are many teams that lack some of the more basic field equipment. JAMBO Athletic proudly supports those teams offering a wide range of hand-shields and tackle dummies coming in different shapes and sizes to maximize the utility in practice and optimize the price for teams’ needs and budgets. Another basic and very popular field equipment is JAMBO Athletic Step Over Bag that is used by teams to improve player quickness, agility, balance, and coordination. If you order a version with a shield option, you can use one item as both, step-over and a shield, which makes it a great value for money. But not only have the small teams appreciated the good quality to price ratio of our step over bags – they have been used by the top teams as well, including most recent IFAF Europe Champions League Champion and 2016 and 2017 Polish Topliga Champion Panthers Wrocław.
Apart from selling equipment to teams, JAMBO Athletic actively supports spreading the knowledge and awareness of the game of American Football through acting as partner for various skill camps and coaching clinics across the continent. One of the two we recently participated in was the London Breakthrough Camp organized by the Podyum, which included professional coaching clinic, skill camp and professional combine. The most recent we partnered for was AFWB CAMP Portugal 2018 hosted by Algarve Sharks and American Football Without Barriers, which was a training camp for youth and adults that featured NFL Players, including Oakland Raiders Running Back Marshawn Lynch. It has been a great experience and pleasure for us to take part in such great events – naturally, the participants had a chance to try out JAMBO Athletic field equipment in action.
Another piece of equipment that has lately been a hit is JAMBO Athletic Tackle Donut. While regular dummies could only stand still and teammate tackling drills often took its toll in injuries, this item allows players to safely tackle a moving object and is wanted by many coaches on all levels, especially in organizations having junior programs, but also in the best programs in Europe, including 2017 Swedish Super Serien Runner-up Örebro Black Knights. JAMBO Athletic also offers Landing Mats, which are great for players’ safety both, indoors and outdoors.
JAMBO Athletic is also trying to go the extra mile to provide teams with all they need, therefore apart from training field equipment we are offering products that can be used by teams on game days. In order to have your team meet all safety regulations and proudly present your team colors and logo, you can use JAMBO Athletic Goal Post Pads. They are 200cm tall and the width can be adjusted depending on the size of the posts of the goals you have on your home stadium. We also encourage you to check out our Chain Set & Down Indicator – this set is a must on game day! In our offer you can also find JAMBO Athletic Equipment Bags in 3 different options – it is always easier to carry your footballs and small size practice accessories in a bag. You can also consider getting bags for your players – just imagine how intimidating it would be if you showed up on your opponent’s field with all your players carrying a team-colored equipment bag.
JAMBO Athletic has provided top quality field equipment to over 130 teams in 19 countries in Europe (Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland). We take pride in what we do and happily support our customers to strive for perfection on the field. For the full list of teams that have trusted us, please go here and feel free to take your own spot on that list.