It looks quite weird when you see a volleyball player wearing leggings, it just don’t feel right! Yet, still some players wear them. It has even become quite a trend in the last few years …
Indeed, more volleyball players wear leggings while practicing and during actual games to help prevent some kinds of common stains as well as to stimulate muscles by increasing oxygen levels getting though them. It also helps reduce soreness especially after very intense games or practice sessions.
In this article, I breakdown those reasons even more and I also include few other types of leggings that might have some positive impact on your overall performance.
5 Reasons some volleyball players wear leggings?
Leggings are a piece of sports gear that is not limited only to volleyball. You will often see sportsmen from other disciplines wearing leggings.
Below the main reasons why:
Compression
Leggings, just like compression shorts and other similar clothing are used for their ability to compress the muscles which holds them in place firmly. When the muscles are in place they can recover faster during a game.
Recovery time is shorter during a game by just holding the muscles in place.
Strain prevention
Strain prevention is tightly connected to the compression part. By compressing, leggings do not just hold the muscles in place but they also help them by preventing strains.
Well they do not prevent strains 100%, but they still somewhat help in preventing them and also aid in the strain recovery process.
That’s why leggings are an excellent solution to athletes prone to sport related injuries.
Oxygenation
Leggings increase the oxygen levels your muscles receive by increasing the pressure and support they receive.
With more oxygen your muscles are prone to recover faster, and that in turn can benefit you on the court and it can benefit your muscles even more after the game, since recovery time after the game will take significantly less time.
Reduce risk of soreness
Athletes in general are prone to sore muscles after a hard game or an intensive round of practice … Leggings help reducing the discomfort and sometimes completely stopping the soaring.
Prevention of deep vein thrombosis
This might be the most important reason on our list. DVT is a medical condition that causes blood to clot in your legs and lower thighs.
The discomfort caused by DVT is that the area of the leg that is affected by DVT is of higher temperature than the rest of the leg.
Leggings just like arm sleeves help the blood flow of your legs thus preventing DVT or other circulatory issues.
Recommendation: Those Sports Leggings are one of the best in the whole market and will help you reap all the benefits I’ve just talked about.
What does Regulations say about leggings?
As far as wearing leggings on court during a volleyball game is concerned, the N.C.A.A. rules have known some changes as of 2020.
Indeed, players on a team are allowed to wear leggings but under the condition that all the teammates who do so, wear the same color, by matching them with the uniforms.
The regulations of the N.C.A.A. also state that teams can get a red card if the leggings are not the same color, or standardized if you want.
When the team gets the red card, the opposite team gets points that places them in the lead by one whole set, making it 1:0.
So leggings are not prohibited but they just should follow the rules I’ve just stated!
What about spandex leggings – are they useful for volleyball?
When it comes to wearing spandex volleyball players often wear them out of a number of reasons and those are purely tied to the gameplay.
Spandex are worn in many occasions ranging from the gym, across regular walks in the park to basketball and volleyball.
For volleyball, spandex are useful in a way that they do not restrict the movement of the legs, but they instead tightly fit the legs, resulting in better movement.
There are regulations in volleyball that state that the player must not touch the net by any means necessary, body or clothes.
When wearing loose shorts you are more likely to touch the net while playing, ultimately getting fines from the referee and harming the team.
Spandex do not have benefits like leggings when it comes to health benefits:
- They do not help the blood circulation
- They do not help the muscles recover
- They do not hold the muscles in place.
Players use them out of comfort and out of the tactical advantage they provide, that I’ve mentioned earlier.
In fact leggings have steadily started replacing spandex because of the advantages they provide, and they are recommended by volleyball coaches and players alike.
Finally, you can learn more about volleyball spandex clothing …
What about beach volleyball?
When it comes to beach volleyball legging are not so common among players, and that is the only reason we do not see them during games, they are not prohibited though!
By the accounts of players who play beach volleyball professionally, wearing long sleeves and leggings can sometimes be irritating towards the skin.
What irritates the skin while wearing long clothes is not the clothes themselves but the sand that gets in between the skin and clothing.
However leggings can be used by players when it is cold or when it is raining, also there is always this option.
Other sports where players wear leggings.
Leggings are present in many sports, and they mainly serve the same functions that I’ve listed earlier. For example …
Basketball players wear leggings the most. Nearly 50% percent of players on court wear leggings during a game.
NBA players wear tights that cover the whole leg and are made from a stretchable material.
One more thing basketball players are looking out for when choosing leggings to wear is the sweat absorption ability. The more sweat they absorb the better for the player.
Besides sweat absorption they chose them by their ability to resist some odors and for their overall quality material.
They relieve the discomfort the players experience because of the sudden moves they make during actual games.
Leggings are also prominent in American football, the reasons are obvious. Football players suffer extensive physical contact during practice or during a game, so they need to recover muscles longer.
Leggings in football are a must, because of the advantages they provide, and because they can help a lot, even if it does not look like it.
Regarding other activities, leggings can provide all those benefits when used during recreational running, gym practice, jogging or just plain walks in the park.
Can you wear leggings to volleyball tryouts?
Yes, you can wear them, there is pretty much nothing that would prohibit that!
Volleyball tryouts are usually the gentler side of the game, where you practice your skills and your abilities …
But also you can start getting used to leggings during practice, so that they do not feel unusual during actual games, just like with arm sleeves.
When the tryout session is over (especially if it was rough one) your muscles will need to relax a little bit and start recovering. But with leggings the recovery process will start even earlier, with every brake you make.
So you can wear leggings to practices or tryouts if you want, that is exclusively your choice!
Some people ask the same question about make-up. Indeed, you can learn about when you can & can’t use make-up in volleyball!
Final Thoughts …
Considering all the legging benefits I’ve shared above, I highly recommend that you use them not only during actual volleyball games, but also while practicing …
This will allow you to tolerate even more intensity while practicing. Also, you can use them in other sports (if you are involved in other disciplines), why not! You will still reap those same benefits.
If you are the only one wearing them on the court and some of your partners make fun of you … I mean, who cares?! They will soon realize the difference … That you are more immune to fatigue, injuries and soreness!!
Finally, you can learn more about volleyball clothing! You will find that really helpful …