Volleyball is not an expensive sport, but how much does volleyball equipment cost? How much do you pay for clothing and other equipment? I’ll answer that in this video. But first, let’s take a look at whether volleyball is an expensive sport.
Volleyball is not an expensive sport
I would argue that volleyball is not an expensive sport for at least two reasons. First of all, volleyball is a team sport and most team sports are among the less expensive sports in terms of equipment. We need similar cheap equipment for volleyball or basketball as we do for football. Volleyball is not an individual sport like, say, tennis, which costs tens of thousands of dollars a year if you include training and travelling.
With volleyball, you don’t have to worry about similar costs, you don’t have to worry about your parents or you having to take out a loan to play volleyball. Secondly, because volleyball is played primarily indoors and in halls, you don’t need expensive outdoor equipment or winter clothing like you would for skiing or mountain biking.
So let’s take a look at what you need for volleyball and how much each item of volleyball equipment will cost you.
T-shirt
I’ll start from the top. Every volleyball player plays volleyball mostly in a shirt or jersey, but in the vast majority of cases the club will provide the jersey and you don’t have to pay for it. If it’s cold in the hall you might see a volleyball player in a hoodie, but you won’t feel comfortable playing in a hoodie. At least I had a hard time attacking in it.
So we play in a shirt that should be lightweight, it should have short or long sleeves to keep our shoulders warm through practice. The volleyball shirt should also be long enough that our backs don’t peek out when blocking or attacking. Many companies make shirts for volleyball, but you don’t have to have a shirt specifically for volleyball, you can actually use any sports shirt. It can be a running shirt or a fitness shirt. Most of these sports t-shirts have good properties, they wick sweat away from the body quickly, they are stretchy, and can withstand a lot of machine washing before their properties or color change. But how much will a volleyball shirt cost you? Count on a price of around twenty to fifty dollars.
Depending on the brand, you can get a short-sleeved shirt from Nike, Adidas, Mizuno, or Asics for twenty-five dollars, or you can also get a long-sleeved shirt, which maybe girls use more, for a higher price. Either way, you don’t have to invest more than fifty dollars in a volleyball shirt. Rather, get a few good quality shirts that you will rotate for practices. Because you shouldn’t use any shirt for several practices in a row.
Shorts
Next, you need shorts for volleyball. The vast majority of volleyball players play volleyball in shorts. Girls and women on the other hand use elastic shorts or shorter leggings. Shorts are definitely a good choice because they don’t hinder your movement and you can also use knee pads that you don’t have to put on over long sweatpants. Good shorts shouldn’t squeeze or restrict you in any movement, they shouldn’t press on your stomach when you wear them.
They should be stretchy, made of a material that wicks away sweat. Volleyball shorts should not have a pocket, you can catch your fingers on the pocket when jumping or defending in the field. And that’s a danger to avoid. Volleyball shorts are mainly made by volleyball companies like Asics and Mizuno, but even here it is not necessary to have pure volleyball shorts.
You can find plenty of models from different companies on the market and it is up to you which shorts you get. Count on the fact that decent shorts cost between ten and forty dollars. Shorts are usually a bit cheaper than a t-shirt because they require less material. Also, when you are considering buying shorts or leggings for volleyball, think about having several pieces of shorts that you will rotate during the week for practices. I can see spending two practices a week in one shirt, but spending two practices sweating in one pair of shorts or leggings is not a very appealing idea. So change your shorts after every workout.
Kneepads
The third thing that should not be missing in a volleyball player’s equipment are volleyball knee pads. Knee pads protect your knees during falls and also keep your knees warm. Volleyball players who have knee problems also use knee braces, but I believe most of you don’t have knee problems. The market for knee pads is similar to that of t-shirts or shorts, knee pads are made by many companies.
Personally though, I would recommend kneepads from companies that specialize in volleyball rather than companies that just make them as part of their product portfolio. Since knee pads are meant to protect your knees, you want that protection to be as good as possible. And companies that know what volleyball players need will offer specialized knee pads for volleyball players.
When talking about the price for knee pads, expect to spend around twenty to forty dollars. Sure, you can find kneepads on Amazon for ten or twelve dollars from unknown brands, but I wouldn’t recommend going that route and saving a few dollars. Invest in good quality knee pads, they will last longer, protect your knees better. And if you imagine that two pairs of kneepads should be enough for a season when you train three or more times a week, it’s not a big expense.
Socks
We also need socks to play volleyball. We can’t play volleyball in shoes without socks. Socks for volleyball should not be short just above the shoe. Also the sock should help us in protecting our body and keep the achilles and part of the calf warm. Therefore, use socks that are at least ten centimeters above the shoe. For girls and women, you can also see high socks that, for example, players from the Brazilian women’s volleyball team wore at the Tokyo Olympics.
A volleyball sock should be comfortable. It can be made of cotton or elastic material. It should definitely not make your foot slip in the shoe afterwards. The color of the socks is often chosen according to the color of the shoes, but this does not play a big role in functionality or price. Normal sports socks that are suitable for volleyball cost five to twenty dollars. Count on your socks to last you several months, some even years. Still, don’t rely on one or two pairs of socks for volleyball and get at least 5 pairs. Socks should be changed after every practice. Thinking that you need to wash your socks after every other practice so you can practice again is something you don’t want to think about, so have multiple pairs of socks available for your practices.
Volleyball shoes
One of the most important pieces of volleyball equipment is undoubtedly the shoes. In normal life we use many types of shoes, from sandals in the summer to tall warm boots for the winter. For volleyball we need specialized shoes, shoes designed specifically for volleyball. We can’t use shoes for running because running is different from moving on the volleyball court, where we often jump, land, do quick sideways steps. I’m strict with shoes, and I really recommend using good quality volleyball shoes for your practices and games, mainly to protect your health.
Using other types of shoes puts you at risk of injury and subsequent weeks or months without volleyball. Mizuno and Asics are the most specialized brands in volleyball shoes. With them you will find the largest selection of volleyball shoes for both little kids and professional volleyball players, from low shoes to ankle shoes. You can also see shoes from Adidas or Nike on volleyball players.
Don’t choose a volleyball shoe primarily by its color, but by the features it offers. A good volleyball shoe will cost you fifty to one hundred and fifty dollars. Fifty dollars will get you a decent branded shoe that is mainly for recreational and amateur players. Even this shoe will do you a good service if you practice or play volleyball once or twice a week.
If you are more involved in volleyball and have several practices in a week, I would recommend looking more at a hundred to one hundred and fifty dollar shoe. This shoe will have better qualities than the basic models, it should be softer, cushion your impact better, but at the same time hold your foot well and not slip in the hall. One or two pairs of shoes will be enough for one season depending on how often you practice and play games. Make sure you don’t use the same shoes twice in one day, they won’t dry out after a morning training session, they will be damp in the afternoon. In this case, have two pairs of shoes available.
Personally, through my professional career I have used two pairs of volleyball shoes per season, sometimes they lasted me the whole season, sometimes I needed an extra pair.
Volleyball
Every volleyball player should have their own ball. We need our own ball for our individual training sessions, for pepper or play with a friend or with our parents. Having your own ball is also good to have if you want to do wall exercises.
The most famous volleyball companies are Mikasa, which is used to play the world tournaments in indoor volleyball or beach volleyball, or Molten, which is strongly represented in American volleyball competitions. You can also find volleyballs from Wilson, Tachikara or Spalding on the market. A volleyball costs an average of thirty to fifty dollars and should last you more than just one season.
Bottle
A drinking bottle is another indispensable piece of equipment for any volleyball player. Our volleyball practices usually last anywhere from an hour and a half to three hours, during this time we cannot stay without water.
You should not go through a practice without a drink. That is why we need a bottle and drink during every practice, which should have a minimum of zero point seven liters. I don’t recommend you to drink water bottled with bubbles at training sessions, you will put unnecessary strain on your body. Lightly sweetened drinks are ideal, water alone is also not a bad choice.
A drinking bottle will cost you around ten to twenty dollars. Make sure that the cap seals well so you don’t have a bottle tipping over and leaking. It’s also a good idea to make sure the bottle can withstand transport to your workout in your backpack so it doesn’t leak.
Backpack
Speaking of the backpack, it is also an integral part of volleyball equipment for our practices and matches. We carry and transport all of our stuff in our backpack to practice. Therefore, the backpack should be big enough to comfortably fit our shoes, clothes, knee pads and bottle.
Ideally, the backpack should have a separate shoe pocket so that the dirty soles of your shoes don’t come into contact with your clean training clothes. It’s also a good idea to separate wet items after training, a few plastic bags or pouches will do. Separating things will prevent bacteria from multiplying and creating an odor.
Be sure to remember to take things out of your bag after practice or a game. It’s not very pleasant to go to practice and have to put on a sweaty jersey or wet kneepads for two days. You can find a lot of backpacks on the market, some people prefer a back pack, others prefer a hand bag. Expect a sturdier backpack to set you back twenty-five to fifty dollars. Or you can also reach for a lightweight gymsack, which has less capacity but may be suitable for someone with smaller shoes.
So from my review of how much volleyball equipment costs, you can see that volleyball really isn’t an expensive sport. If you want to play volleyball you only need for clothes, knee pads, shoes, bottle, ball and backpack expenses averaging between hundred seventy and four hundred twenty dollars for complete equipment. This equipment will usually do you good service for several months and sometimes years.
