Volleyball Socks, Here Are A Few Blister Reducing Tips
Buying volleyball socks can be just as important as buying the right volleyball shoes.
Female volleyball players participate in year long volleyball seasons, starting with the high school volleyball season which goes right into the club season which usually means playing in sweaty shoes and socks continuously from August of one year to July of the next.
With very few breaks in an 11 month season you really want to know what it takes to be able to preserve your feet so that you can avoid some of the more common foot problems that can sideline you or just make it plain uncomfortable to play in a whole game or whole volleyball tournament pain-free.
Some popular (or rather unpopular) but common foot problems are blisters, infections, bunions, bursitis, toenail/tissue injuries, and all of these issues can contribute to you not being able to concentrate on just playing your best possible volleyball game.
When choosing volleyball socks there are a few tips you may want to keep in mind so that you can reduce the possibility of contracting any of the above mentioned ailments.
So, check this out...I know that cotton is normally a great fiber to have in every day walking around normal clothes but apparently because cotton absorbs moisture, which in this case would be your sweat, it's reportedly not the best ingredient to be found in your volleyball socks. And neither is wool.
Female volleyball players have active feet, an active feet can normally sweat four to six ounces of water a day...that's without being in volleyball practice. (who knew?)
So just figure that when you are at volleyball practice, you can only imagine how much more that your feet are sweating.
"In athletic activity, perspiration output on the feet can exceed one pint per foot. A large part of this moisture may actually accumulate in the feet as it is produced elsewhere on the body surface and drips down the legs due to gravity." (American Academy of Podiatric Sports Medicine)
Well, while your feet are doing all that sweating, your body is too, and a good portion of all that water is dripping right down into your shoes.
If you are wearing cotton socks, then the cotton is absorbing and holding all that moisture against your feet, which increases friction, heat and discomfort in your volleyball shoes.
So now do you know why you may have gotten that friction blister at the last volleyball tournament you played in?
According to the sock and shoe experts, the best volleyball socks will wick the moisture away transporting it to ..check this out...outside of the shoe by way of a breathable shoe texture which is standard on most athletic and volleyball shoes.
When I found this out I decided that I loved my Asics volleyball shoes even more because they are light, airy and I can tell that my feet and socks have room to breathe and places where the sweat gets wicked out.
There have been studies done that showed that when materials like CoolMax and Smartwool were added to athletic or volleyball socks they helped reduced the amount of blisters that the wearers had.
Here's another blister-reducing tip: consider looking for a double layer acrylic sock over a single layer sock since socks with the new synthetic fibers have consistently outperformed all-wool or all-cotton socks.
Not only have these types of volleyball socks with acrylic outperformed cotton fiber volleyball socks, they apparently have outlasted them.
Some studies comparing synthetic fiber socks vs. cotton socks, show that after wetting cotton fiber socks,they tended to stretch and lose their shape inside the shoe. This bunching and wrinkling occurrence was much less likely to happen to acrylic fiber socks.
After numerous cycles of washing and wearing them, cotton fiber socks were noted to become abrasive which increased the potential for irritation on the skin surface of the athlete, meaning blisters!
As far as fitting in your volleyball socks is concerned, you may want to try on both the volleyball socks that you are thinking about buying with the volleyball shoes that you think you will be playing in, so that you get the right fit.
Blisters occur when your volleyball socks are too big for your feet, or they occur when your socks are too small which keeps your toes from spreading out comfortably in your shoes. Friction is caused by the toes constantly rubbing against each other.
Just imagine the heat that is caused when you constantly rub two sticks together, now I think you get my drift.
The thickness of your volleyball socks is important because athletes who participate in sports with side-to-side movements are advised to have more cushion on the ball of their foot.
We, female volleyball players because of the types of shoes that we wear for our sport, are recommended to look for volleyball socks or athletic socks with more cushioned soles and extended heel pads to protect the Achilles heel.
We are creative individuals so of course at times we will want to wear funky volleyball socks or crazy volleyball socks because that's a team choice.
But, when possible you may want to consider buying volleyball socks or athletic socks that are authorized to use the American Podiatric Medical Association's seal of acceptance.
References:
American Academy of Podiatric Sports Medicine
Now that you have some tips on buying volleyball socks, if you are ready to buy your next pair then check out the selection available to you in the pages below.
