Did you just finish watching a basketball game? Wondering why the basketball players were wearing tights underneath the shorts? They have various uses and benefits for the basketball players and are actually very helpful during strenuous games.
Could it be that compression tights improve the player’s performance? Could it be that the tights are a fashion statement? Despite what it looks like, the tights – also known as compression pants – are more than a fashion statement.
Let’s find out what are the benefits and uses of compression tights & how are they helpful for professional athletes.
Benefits of Compression Pants for Basketball Players
1. Increase in Blood Flow
A huge benefit of wearing compression pants is the increase in blood flow. Let’s understand the importance of increased blood flow when it comes to our health & safety. If there is increased blood flow, the heart can easily provide oxygen-rich blood to the limbs quickly.
When our muscles get oxygen, the performance level that we can get from them increases as well. Moreover, an increased blood flow improves the health of cells and internal organs. The long-term benefits of increased blood flow include the ability to fight off certain infections and diseases as well.
Additionally, there is a medical condition known as deep vein thrombosis. In this disease, blood starts to clot in the veins, which is highly dangerous. However, if the blood is flowing well, the likelihood of clot formation is decreased.
Pretty amazing, right?
2. Keeps the Muscles Engaged
Muscles tend to get cold if you are sitting on the bench or have been standing around for a while. If the players are wearing tights, the muscles will be engaged and this will ensure that they are ready for any action on the court!
Wearing tights helps the effects of stretching the muscles last longer as well. The compression tights support the leg & thigh muscles by adding pressure to keep them steady. They also reduce vibrations which in turn reduces muscles soreness.
The tights maintain your body temperature and thereby keep the muscles warm. This encourages effective blood flow and reduces muscle tightness. We often see players doing warm-up exercises and stretches before a game to avoid muscle tightness.
Nothing has more importance than your physical well-being, Athletes have to undergo a rigorous training routine and by wearing compression tights, they can achieve high levels of fitness easily.
Wearing compression tights in your daily workouts will ensure that your muscles remain engaged, your blood flow gets increased, and you remain physically fit. There are a few things that you need to keep an eye out for while buying compression tights such as durability, breathability, budget, etc.
Beginning to see the importance of compression tights for basketball players, right?
3. Reduces the Chances of Injury
Compression tights are highly helpful in reducing any injuries sustained during the game. With the help of the tights, the muscles remain in position and aligned. This assists in avoiding strains, sprains, pulls, etc.
The tights support the muscles, which feels very comfortable during a strenuous and tiring game. Along with keeping everything in place, compression tights additionally keep the players safe from impact injuries as well.
The tights provide a barrier between the court & the player’s skin, which in turn saves them from several nasty burns & rubs.
It is better to ruin your tights instead of suffering a nasty bruise on the leg, right? Moreover, some compression pants come with additional padding that protects the players’ knees, hips, and other sensitive body parts from damage.
This padding can even be life-saving during hard falls. In contact sports, compression tights are very beneficial against injuries as a result of hard falls. As basketball athletes dive on the court, it is likely that they will make harsh contact with the ground and injure themselves.
If they are wearing padded compression tights, their fall is cushioned and they will sustain little to no injury. Obviously, players will sustain injuries even while wearing compression tights, but the tights will reduce the chances of sustaining injuries at the least.
4. Helps to Absorb Sweat
When you are playing any game, sweating is essentially par for it. Even if you are shooting a couple of hoops all by yourself in the driveway, you will definitely sweat a bit. When athletes play professional games, they sweat profusely which is quite annoying during the game.
Compression tights wick away sweat and moisture away from the body as they are made from breathable material. This keeps the players cool during the game and thus, they can focus on playing better instead of the sweat running down their bodies!
5. Makes the Players Look Fit
We have discussed the health benefits of wearing tights, but let’s face it – the players look really good while wearing them. Tights come in various colors and fits – players can match them or contrast them with their uniform as well.
If one looks good, he feels confident as well and we all know that confidence is highly important during professional sports. If you look good, you will feel good, and this will affect the way you play!
6. Provides Relief for Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness
Professional basketball players go through rigorous physical training every day even when there is no upcoming game. Apart from the training, some players have to play up to 3 games a week during basketball season.
All this stress can adversely affect the players’ muscles over the passage of time. After strenuous physical activity, athletes feel soreness in their muscles. This soreness can be alleviated by using compression tights.
Muscles undergo minute tears when they are strained, compression tights are used to tone down this phenomenon. If the athletes wear these tights, the muscle recovery time after a long strenuous basketball game will be fast and quick.
Related Read: Why do NBA Players Wear Arm Sleeves?
Final Words
We have seen several professional players wear tights underneath the shorts in basketball games. More often than not, we have been left wondering why the players wear them. From an increase in blood flow to acting as a style statement, there are various benefits of wearing compression tights.
After reading this article, we hope that it has become clear to you why compression tights matter to professional basketball players. Even if you are not a basketball player, you can wear compression tights during workouts and exercises and reap their benefits yourself!