Protecting Your Knees On and Off the Court

Athletes have among the highest incidence of knee injuries in the world because of the constant strain they place on their joints. For volleyball players, especially the ones that are all over the court, knee protection is vital. Are you protecting your knees properly?

There are three elements to protecting your knees while playing competitively. The first is to care for your joints off the court. Never work out cold, even in the off-season. Cold muscles lead to muscle strain and potential ligament damage, which can lead to permanent knee damage if you’re not careful. Wear good shoes that support your legs properly, and change up your off-court exercise routine to throw in plenty of low-impact strengtheners that will protect your knees.

Running on cement is terrible for your knees, although most athletes don’t feel the effects until they’re much older. Mixing up your exercise routine and running on grass or sand whenever possible will do wonders for the lifespan of your joints and provide your muscles with a more diverse workout than you'll find hitting the streets every day.

The second element of caring for your knees is to protect them during training, and the third is to ensure they’re properly padded and protected when you hit the court. These two usually tie together. As with your off-court exercise routine, always make sure you’re warmed up before playing, running or doing anything that’s going to place strain on your knees.

Be sure there are some basic joint strengtheners like squats or plies in your training regimen. If there aren’t, now is the time to add them. Strong muscles injure much less frequently.

Always have your knee pads on when you hit the court. There are hundreds of options out there for knee pads for volleyball players, but the most important thing to remember when making your choice is protection. If you’re constantly hitting the court with bare knees it’s not going to be too long before they start to feel the strain-a strain that could take you off the court permanently.

Check out our huge supply of protective gear for game time at http://www.volleyballproshop.com/.

Knee Pads: Protecting the Body

According to volleyball magazine, Mizuno Gear is designed specially to help you be the best volleyball player. If you coach junior varsity and have new players, this may be a good recommendation for them: LR6 Knee Pads. Other than shoes this is one of the most important item for volleyball players. It may be a good idea to stock up on some before the season begins if you have a great deal of new players.

When you are looking for knee pads, this can depend partially upon what you are looking for. You want to make sure that the knee pad is comfortable to wear, given that you want no clothing distractions during your matches. When looking at knee pads these days make sure they have a Dri-FIT fabric which has added support on the side of the knee pad. This can help anyone who may have problems with their knees. Mizuno has a wide variety of knee pads and it is important to read through the description for what you want.

All of Mizuno's pads are built with half an inch of dense foam to protect your knees. That are five different padded areas so that you know your knee is protected whichever way your body may be going. Mikasa also has a few knee pads you can look into as well if you are passionate about this particular brand.

When looking at these, prices could vary from as low as $4.06 to as much as $25.99. That should give you a better idea regarding prices and variations on knee pads if you need to buy new ones for your upcoming 2008 season. Just remember that the best in the nation wear Mizuno..................