In this article, I breakdown important equipment and gear you should wear during practice sessions. This will help ensure a minimum of protection and a lot of comfort.
I also address some elements that you should avoid wearing, some of them could represent some danger for you and others are just not allowed by the rules.
Without further ado, let’s dive in!
What should you wear in volleyball practice session?
1. Shirt
It is by far the most common and essential element of your volleyball outfit. It not only protects and covers your body but also gives you an identity in the team.
A person can opt for both short and long sleeve shirts … each has its pros and cons. A short-sleeve shirt gives more mobility to your hand, whereas a long sleeve shirt saves your arms from floor burns.
One thing which a person must consider while buying a shirt for volleyball is the material of the cloth. The cloth must be quick dry and lightweight.
2. Shoes
Volleyball shoes will definitely affect your performance to a great extent.
Volleyball requires very rapid and sudden movements. This is the reason why volleyball shoes are extremely lightweight!
Another element that differentiates normal running or walking shoes from volleyball shoes is the grip of the shoe.
Volleyball shoes have a very strong grip. This helps the player to stick to the ground and helps to avoid any slip injuries.
Important Tip: While choosing volleyball shoes always make sure the grip is good enough. Don’t hesitate to test it on the ground and check whether they cause slippery or not while moving. For example these quality volleyball shoes have one of the best grip capabilities out there.
3. Socks
Socks help increase your comfort during the game. There is no specific length or type specified for socks in volleyball.
A person can choose an ankle-length sock or even a knee-length sock according to his preference. One thing that you need to keep in mind while choosing socks is the used material.
You shouldn’t opt for socks made of cotton or any other similar material as they’ll absorb the moisture. This will in turn make your movements slower and affect your performance. Instead you should rather opt for synthetic material socks which dry quickly. However, if you are allergic to synthetic materials, then you have no choice but using cotton ones.
4. Tank Tops
Tank tops can be a great option for a casual weekend game. Though you cannot opt for these during official matches, these can be used during pre-match warmup.
Tank tops are by far the most comfortable clothing which one can wear during practice or casual matches.
These allow the player to achieve maximum arm mobility. A con of these is the lack of protection. There are high chances of arm burns and scratches while you wear this.
5. Finger tape
One of the most painful and common injuries in volleyball is finger injuries. Hitters, setters, and even blockers suffer from this quite often.
This can be very painful at times and affect your game severely too for a long period. To avoid this, almost all players use finger tapes (Just Like These) …
These are by far the most effective ways of protecting your fingers from getting hurt. There are different styles in which you can tape your fingers.
This depends on the position you play and your role in the team.
You can learn more about why pro volleyball players tape their fingers!
6. Knee Pads
Volleyball is all about keeping the ball off the ground. To make this happen players need to dive and save the point which increases the chances of getting bruises in your knees …
That’s why you really need knee pads (Check this example Here at Amazon) as they provide cushion support to the knee and absorb the impact during a fall.
This also gives confidence to the player to dive and give in his 100% without being really afraid of injuries. That’s why some people use volleyball knee pads for other sports like soccer.
7. Arm Sleeves
This is a blessing for people who prefer wearing half sleeves jerseys. Since this jersey leaves the arm part uncovered, it becomes prone to scratches and injuries.
Arm sleeves (Check this exampe Here at Amazon) help support the muscles as well as the elbow joint. These can also help the player to keep his arms warm during the winter season.
Learn more about the importance of arm sleeves for volleyball!
8. Sport Bra
These are indeed the best and most helpful articles for women. On one hand, normal bras lack support and do not help with the sweat, these support the breast more firmly.
So, a player must opt for a sports bra over normal ones during practice and matches as well.
9. Warm-up Suits
A player must have an intense and productive warmup session before any practice or tournament match.
This ensures the player’s flexibility and efficiency during the game. The attire during such warmups should be light and comfortable.
A player cannot wear his match outfit during warmup sessions. He must go for lightweight track pants, a tank top, and a sweat jacket if the weather is cold.
One thing which a player must keep in mind while choosing his warmup outfit is the cloth material. He must avoid any material which absorbs sweat and go for synthetic materials.
10. Leggings
It is yet another element that has become famous in recent times. Nowadays people prefer leggings over shorts.
The obvious reason is protection. Leggings offer much more protection to the player when compared to shorts. This saves the player from floor burn injuries. But one thing which all the players must keep in mind is color coordination.
No matter whether you wear shorts or leggings, the color of the article must be the same for the whole team. If there is a mismatch in the same, then the team is penalized and starts with a trailing score of 1-0.
Things you should not wear
1. No zero rule
Players are not allowed to put a zero in front of their numbers. For instance, if a player’s number is, 8 and his jersey says 08 then the player will be termed an illegal player and will be removed from the court.
In such situations, the captain and the coach must make sure that there is no 0 in the jersey of players numbered 0-9.
2. Different attire
The players of the team need to maintain coordination in their outfits. Starting from their socks to their undershirts, everything must be of the same length and color.
For instance, if a player on the team is wearing a full white undershirt, then every player on the team must follow the same outfit.
The administrative community of the tournament assesses the outfit of each player. If there is no color match, then the whole team is penalized.
In such a case, the team starts the match with a trailing score of 1–0.
3. Jewelry
No ornaments are allowed until and unless it is worn because of some medical or religious purpose. The player must remove all types of accessories before entering the court.
These include any type of ring, chains, earrings, or bracelets. If there is some accessory that gives an undue advantage to the player or comes as a potential injury threat to other players then it must be removed.
Any player illegally wearing an accessory is removed from the match. Apart from this, wearing jewelry can be troublesome for the player as well. For instance, wearing a ring can increase the chances of finger injury.
4. Gloves
Though wearing gloves is not illegal, players should not wear gloves during a match. Many players tried wearing gloves and reported that they faced a lack of control over the ball. Gloves do protect the player from getting injured.
Finger injuries are one of the most common injuries in volleyball, gloves help to avoid them to a great extent. But there is also no doubt about the fact that you may face problems in controlling the ball with gloves on.
5. Wrong footwear
Your footwear must always be on point. Good shoes can help you scale up your game to a great extent. If a player wears their usual running or casual shoes, then he might slip and get badly injured.
The volleyball shoes are made in such a way that they are lightweight in nature and grip aggressively to the ground.
It helps the player to move swiftly around the court and play at his maximum efficiency.
Final Thoughts …
Finally for the elements you should wear that I’ve mentioned above please note that you don’t need to have all of them at the beginning. You can start with a minimum like shoes and knee pads, and then you might start expanding to get more gear as times goes on as far as your budget allows you to do so …
However, the gear I’ve mentioned that you should not wear if definitely something to avoid as much as possible.
