Most volleyball players wear knee pads during games and even practice sessions. Mostly to protect their knees from potential shocks and injuries …
However, to ensure maximum protection you need not only to choose the right knee pads that can provide such levels of protection, but also you need to wear them properly so they can stick to your knees throughout the game.
In this article, I breakdown these concerns, hopefully this will help you to maximize your knees safety as much as possible.
Right way to wear volley knee pads …
There are players who wear their knee pads below their knees, and this is one way how you should not wear knee pads in volleyball if you are inexperienced.
When you put your knee pads on your knees, you need to make sure that you feel cozy in them. This is one indicator that they fit you well.
There are different types of volleyball knee pads, there are those that have the system of Velcro, meaning that you can take the pads off and put them on with ease. There are also those pads that are intended to be pulled through your legs (Check my favorite knee pads Here at Amazon).
That being said, it is up to you to decide which model you like more and which one fits you the best.
Knee pads need to fit your knees perfectly, not to be too tight neither too loose.
How tight should volleyball knee pads be?
Knee pad numbers are represented in a chart, which is located in almost any sports store. You get the number by measuring your knee in a special way, and adding and multiplying numbers so that you get the number of your knee.
Knee pads need to fit well in order for them to last longer. Also, if they are larger than they need to be they will be falling off all the time and impacting your gameplay.
If the knee pads are tight however your circulation can be cut off and that can have some serious consequences on your legs, meaning that they might swell up or start getting cold.
Also make sure that they cover the knee, and that they do not slide from one side to another.
One more thing, you can learn about these simple tips to choose your volleyball knee pads!
What if you’ve got a bad knee?
If you have a bad knee, or if you are recovering from an injury, there is another piece of equipment that can help …
I am talking here about knee braces. They are good protective pieces of volleyball equipment that have the role of holding your knee in place, and essentially making it stronger.
Knee braces are usually prescribed by the doctor for the player if the player is in the late phases of recovery from an injury. It is not advised to play volleyball if you are in the first or middle phases of recovery.
As we can see, knee braces are usually worn in the late phases of recovery. However, they can be used when the player has finished the recovery process.
Knee braces help to hold the knee in place, and by doing so, they can prevent the knee cap from dislocating, or from moving from one side to the other. However, knee braces can help you even with muscle and ligament injury.
There are 2 types of knee braces:
- The ones that have additional metal or hard plastic frames, that go along the side of the knee, in combination with the polyester part that goes directly on the knee.
- And the ones that do not have the frames around them. They are basically like a sleeve, but made stiffer and more resilient, since they have a different role to play.
So the first type of knee braces has additional support for the knee, because it is intended to help players that had serious injuries, while the second type of knee braces does not have additional support because it is there to reassure the knee and strengthen it.
What about knee pads for kids?
When it comes to the safety of kids in volleyball parents and coaches alike need to be extra careful in order to minimize potential injuries, that is why there are knee pads that are adapted for kids use in volleyball.
When choosing knee pads for your kids, the principle is the same. There are charts in some sports stores with numbers that represent the adequate knee pads for each person.
It is important to note that it is recommended especially for kids, to choose knee pads that will not fall off or that cannot move in any direction. It is important that they fit perfectly and that they are not too tight.
Why do volleyball players wear knee pads under their knees?
Sometimes volleyball players can be seen wearing knee pads under their knees, that is, below them. There is a practical reason for this, but it is not advised that newbies or amateur players try this.
The reason why they do so is because they find it easier and more practical to use the knee pads in that way.
Some players tend to put they entire lower leg on the ground when receiving or passing a low ball. They put down their entire length of the shin and a part of the knee down.
That is why they tend to wear knee pads below their knees, to prevent bruises and cuts to the shin and the lower part of the knee.
What about elbow pads?
Elbow pads are essentially the same thing as arms sleeves (Check them Here at Amazon), but with added protection. Elbow sleeves are a mix of an arm sleeve and a protective part for the elbows.
There are, however many different types of elbow sleeves that a player can choose and use. There are long elbow sleeves that protect the entirety of the hand and the elbows and lower parts of the arm.
There are elbow pads that protect just the elbows, the entirety of the elbows and nothing else, while there are arm sleeves that have the goal to protect the parts above and beneath the elbows, and that cover the rear of the arm entirely.
Now, the principle is the same as for the knee pads. Arm pads/arm sleeves need to fit perfectly on the arm. If they are too tight they may cause the blood flow to become irregular, and if they are too loose, they might fall off regularly.
You can learn more about Elbow pads for volleyball to better understand how to maximize your protection while practicing!
Final Thoughts …
I am kind of happy that you are wondering about how knee pads should fit and how you have to wear them. Guess what, most beginners don’t care about these details and this usually costs them unnecessary injuries that they could of avoid just by following the best practices.
Also, when it comes to choosing knee pads, I really recommend picking a quality model. You safety always comes first!
One last thing is that I would love you to check the list of equipement you need for volleyball as well as the normal clothes that volleyball players usually wear!
