What volleyball equipment does every volleyball player need and what to focus on at individual parts? How to choose the right shoes, socks, knee pads or ball? We’re going to see that in this post. Let’s go.
Volleyball players know what equipment they need for volleyball. However, I still think that it’s important to say a few words about each part of it to know what to focus on to use the volleyball equipment correctly so that it did its service at its best.
Let’s start from the bottom.
Shoes
Which shoes should you use for volleyball? I don’t recommend running or stylish shoes that you wear in the city. Just like for any other sport, for volleyball, you should also wear shoes made specifically for volleyball. At volleyball shoes, you have a guarantee that it was made for you, your practice and game.
Such shoes are for example these from Mizuno. They’re flexible and fix the feet well. They have a good pattern on the sole and don’t slip in the hall. Good volleyball shoes are made by Mizuno or Asics as they specialize in volleyball. Many players also use basketball shoes from Nike.
Socks
The second thing you need are socks. Forget about volleyball in common socks. Forget about ankle socks. For volleyball, you need high sports socks which protect your Achilles tendon and partly the calf as well. They should end approximately 10 centimeters above your heel. Girls and women often use also sports knee socks.
Kneepads
Most players use kneepads for practices and games. Why are they important? They protect your knees in at least two ways. They protect you when you fall, you don’t rub or burn yourself on the floor. It’s also important that they keep your knees warm and help reduce the risk of their injury.
Kneepads should fit your knees well, they mustn’t slip when you’re playing and they mustn’t choke you either. The perfect kneepads are those which you don’t even realize wearing during a practice or a game but you can fully rely on them any time.
Shorts
We play volleyball in shorts or girls and women in spandex. Choose shorts without pockets. Your finger may get stuck in a pocket during an action and you don’t want this. Also, if your shorts have no pockets, there’ll be nothing inside your pockets and you will be able to focus on the game.
T-shirt
The fifth part of volleyball equipment is the T-shirt. Again, I mean a sports T-shirt. You can wear a light or warm T-shirt, it’s up to you. I would rather recommend the light one, long enough so you don’t show the back when you jump.
If you are in a colder hall, a thermal under T-shirt will help you. Your volleyball T-shirt should have a short sleeve to keep your shoulders warm.
Bottle
You need to drink during every practice, ideally water or just slightly sweetened drink without gas. Forget Coca Cola. Mineral waters in PET bottles aren’t a good choice. Bubbles have nothing to do at practices. You can’t open a PET bottle immediately, there’s also a risk of closing it poorly and then a ball can hit it and spill the water. Nobody likes to wait while you’re mopping the floor.
Use sports bottles. Many companies produce them. They usually have a volume of 0,7 or 1 liter. They should have a quality seal which doesn’t leak when you turn it upside down.
Ball
Every volleyball player needs a ball. Obviously, there are many balls at practices but you’ll find having your own ball convenient for exercising at home or outside. You can get volleyballs in many shops or on the Internet. The most popular manufacturers of balls are Mikasa and Molten. A ball with average price and quality is enough for practicing at home. If you want to use the ball outside, on grass or for other sports, also a cheaper ball from Amazon will do the service.
That is my basic advice on volleyball equipment and what to focus on when choosing stuff for volleyball.
