Equipment for Power Soccer varies from Permobiles with round plastic guards on the front to the Strike Force chair specifically designed for the sport. A Permobil with precisely a Wrap-Around Plastic guard should ONLY be used to practice chair handling or working on team rotations and positioning. The better alternative for individuals who don't have enough funds to buy metal guards or the Strike Force chair is the PS Force guard from Power Soccer Shop. The PS Force polycarbonate guard is more durable than a normal plastic guard and better designed due to its square shape. Still not recommended for tournament use, only for practice purposes (e.g., chair and ball handling, working on rotating, positioning, and shooting). The best option to get players nearly the full game experience is to buy Steel Force metal guards from Power Soccer Shop or have your local metal shop design and fabricate a metal foot guard for you or your entire team. Once metal guards are bought or built for your team, the gameplay gets safer and more exciting. Power Soccer doesn't necessarily require a player to have a Strike Force chair, but if you are dedicated to the sport, have enough money to buy it, and want to improve your game even further, then getting a Strike Force chair is perfect. Rule of thumb: do not use your Strike Force chair for everyday use or on rough surfaces (e.g., concrete, asphalt, or any other material besides a basketball court gymnasium), and do not drive on higher incline angles greater than 10%. Following these conditions will help prevent damage to your chair and prevent injury. For more information, please visit The Strike Force User Manual.
Since its release in 2012, the Strike Force chair has been the universal power chair for the sport for over a decade. Ed McGuire, a power soccer player with cerebral palsy, envisioned a wheelchair designed exclusively for power soccer to allow athletes to perform at speeds and intensities previously unattainable with existing power wheelchairs (Ability, 2016). McGuire's primary motivation for inventing the chair was to reduce the need for players to psychologically compensate for the chair's flaws, allowing them to focus on their strongest abilities and teams. He believes the impairment is gone by eliminating the need to cognitively adapt to the chair's limitations, leaving merely a "player." Despite the product having a strong positive reputation for individuals who play the sport and providing a higher level of performing gameplay than Jassy chairs were beforehand, the effort to fund enough money to buy these chairs is massive—costing from $9,500 to $15,000, depending on what you need. Various customizations can be made for different players with disabilities—contact the Power Soccer Shop customer service, and they'll help you find what you need. Power Soccer Shop also showcases past customizations they've made for players on their Strike Force custom gallery page link.
Power Soccer has evolved heavily since the launch of the Strike Force chair, but why? What's the difference between Jassy chairs and Strike Force chairs? Firsthand, Strike Force chairs are low to the ground, are designed not to tip over, and have more programmable user options—making them more versatile, viable, and safer to use in the sport. Jassy chairs are also great for the sport and can spin-kick the ball, similar to a Strike Force, but they don't have as many programmable features as the Strike Force chair and are more susceptible to tipping over due to their higher center of mass. Fortunately, no matter what type of chair you play in, whether front-wheel drive, center-wheel drive, or rear-wheel drive, the chances of tipping over are slim due to the 13-inch oversized soccer ball the sport uses. All three powerchair drive types are viable for the sport, but the real question is which option is most viable. Although the best option is rear-wheel drive chairs, a good secondary option is center-wheel drive chairs with an R-Net joystick, so you can set a power soccer profile program on the chair to get a decent chair speed overall (5.9 to 6.2mph for going forward and reverse). Front-wheel drive chairs are usually the least feasible and used chair competitively in the sport, but modifications are available to make them more suitable to play in, such as flipping the seat. Flipping the seat on a front-wheel drive chair turns it into a rear-wheel drive chair, which is way more optimal and great for beginners to try the sport. Modified forward-wheel drive chairs, center-wheel drive chairs, and Jassy chairs with R-Net joysticks are the best for beginners to grow confidence and interest in Power Soccer—never Strike Force chairs.
Wrap-Around Plastic Guard
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