New and Great 2008 Volleyball Products

Here are a few of the new and great 2008 volleyball products. With the overload of information you probably receive about volleyball, it can be pretty hard to keep up with some of the new products out there. For all that changes out there, much of it will remain the same.

I will include a link here along with a brief synopsis of an article so you can decide to read the full article. If you have been coaching volleyball for a long time, you have undoubtedly seen your share of ankle injuries. There was actually a study completed just recently. To start off the discussion, it is estimated that 36% of injuries in volleyball are ankle injuries. At the University of Pennsylvania, it became a requirement to wear padded ankle braces on both ankles in practices and matches. As a result, the University of Pennsylvania players only had one ankle injury over seven seasons. Compared with results compiled over the NCAA, the number of ankle injuries decreased significantly. If your team has been struggling with ankle injuries, this may be a good way to go. The end of the article does link you to a website where you can check out ankle braces and see if this may be worth an investment of time and money on your part.

If you are a fan of Mizuno, there were new shoes that were sent out around April 1st of this year. It is the Mizuno Wave Tornado for both men and women. Here is a picture of the shoe. If you are unclear on what volleyball shoes you want to get, look into Mizuno as it is one of the best producers of volleyball products you can think of. You can seldom go wrong with Mizuno and if you talk with friends who are knowledgeable about volleyball, they will probably steer you in the same direction.

The new product that everyone is raving about is the Funkadelic Sports Shorts. The basic black, red or navy spandex are a thing of the past, you can now get spandex with zebra print, tye dye and many other combinations. These are the new craze in our volleyball world. Show your style at practice or in a team uniform.

If you want to buy volleyball products, visit my online volleyball pro shop, http://www.volleyballproshop.com/.

Fashion, Fit and Function

As quoted in "Sporting Goods Dealer"..... Trends in volleyball apparel and footwear target performance and style. It's a category with skyrocketing participation and a consumer base filled with players and parents willing to purchase the best for volleyball.

Trends in volleyball are moving toward tight-fitting uniform tops and short spandex. Performance fabrics and more fashionable silhouettes and colors are also driving the market. In warm-ups, styles with hoods, iPod pockets and Capri pants are also entering the mix. "Players want to look good" They want to look stylish and fashionable and the fabric story is about comfort and moisture wicking. This is noticeable with the Mizuno Techno Volley II. The tops are spandex- the tighter the better. Jersey styles have gone from a boxy fit a few years ago to a streamline and fitted look. "Teams are looking to set themselves apart".

The fashion and performance fusion is also evident in the volleyball footwear category. Players have tended in the past to wear running shoes on the court, and volleyball vendors responded by creating volleyball shoes with style that incorporated running shoe features, while also offering stability and lateral support. Mizuno's Tornado and Wave Lightening volleyball shoes reflect this trend. The shoes offer support and durability, yet also feature visible technology and a running silhouette.

In addition to apparel and footwear, accessories are an important volleyball category. Knee pads are a necessity and ankle braces are worn by the majority of the players on the court, as well. Many players have taken to rolling or pushing down their knee pads to improve leg movement and Mizuno has designed a knee pad, called the LR6, that can be worn just below the knee cap, to mirror this trend. The padding is at the top of the knee pad.

(Sporting Goods Dealer - Oct/Nov 2007)

If you are looking to find Fashion, Fit and Functional volleyball gear then Mizuno brand is for you. Be the best while wearing the Best......