Volleyball arm sleeves are seemingly more and more popular these days.
Now you may be asking yourself just why volleyball arm sleeves are becoming more popular.
Well to be honest there is a variety of reasons.
Volleyball arm sleeves serve the following purposes
- Prevent friction burns when diving or pancaking
- Offer support to the elbow area
- Offer protection to the arms from bruising
- Keeps muscles warm for better performance and reduce the risk of injury.
Let’s look at these Sleeves in a bit more detail
Table of Contents
Prevent Friction Burns in volleyball
We have all been there.
A very important point in a tight fought rally and in a last ditch effort to keep the ball alive you throw yourself across the floor.
In the process of doing this you feel like you just set fire to your elbow with some of the worst friction burns you have ever experienced.
Well more and more people are turning to things such as arm sleeves or compression sleeves to prevent this from occurring.
The Sleeve although quite thin and very flexible can be a fantastic way to reduce the severity of these friction burns
Support Elbow
The next reason that I have seen these being used is to offer elbow protection.
In fact a few weeks back I was playing a game and the opposition hit an extremely hard and quick middle.
I put my arm out in reaction to the ball and I must have locked my arm as I straightened it.
The ball went up and we continued play but the second the ball contacted my forearm I felt my elbow jar.
For a couple of weeks after this every time I played a ball out of my body line I could feel the weakness or pain in my elbow.
It is quite common to damage the elbow area through hyperextension and as such elbow sleeves can be a great way of providing some support without getting a specialised elbow support.
By opting for something such as the arm sleeve you get access to that elbow support as well as the other benefits listed above.
This is another common reason I hear more and more people opting for the volleyball arm sleeve.
Impact Protection
Perhaps one of the most common reasons for why many players choose to wear volleyball arm sleeves are for the impact protection.
Now I must admit I came to play indoor volleyball after first playing beach volleyball for over a year.
The first few times I attempted indoor volleyball it felt like I was passing a cannon ball.
Of course over a two week period I very quickly got used to the firm indoor volleyball and soon stopped developing bruises.
With this in mind I can see why new players, younger players or just people who are prone to bruising are choosing the volleyball arm sleeve.
The thin material can be quite comfortable, doesn’t hinder performance and offers another layer of protection.
Keep Muscles Warm
Now I don’t know if you ever experienced this but straining a muscle in your forearm can be very painful and extremely inconvenient.
You don’t realise how much you rely on forearm muscles to do everyday things.
I remember when I strained my forearm, I struggled picking up things, I struggled to bend my wrist.
Even Driving became a struggle.
One of the best ways to prevent muscle injury is by sufficiently warming up and more importantly keeping them warm.
This is where things like arm sleeves can be great.
The sleeves are tight and offer a gentle compression to the area. This naturally creates a therapeutic heat which helps keep the muscles warm whilst reducing swelling etc..
Aesthetics
The last reason that someone might want to wear an arm sleeve is because they simply like how they look.
There are lots of people who think that compression sleeves simply just don’t do anything.
However, if they think the style looks good then people may still opt to wear them.
You can get volleyball arm sleeves in an extremely wide variety of colours these days and therefore maybe people want to wear them to match their shoes or other accessories.
What Are Volleyball Sleeves Made Of
Volleyball arm sleeves or compression sleeves are they are sometimes known as designed to offer impact protection, support and remain in a comfortable position.
Because of this fact they need to be elasticated whilst maintaining good durability to ensure they do not split or tear when diving or sliding for a ball.
The materials that most compression sleeves use to achieve this is a combination of the following materials
- Polyester
- Polyurethane
- Nylon.
Now what percentage of each they use will drastically defend on the brand and manufacturing process.
However to give you an idea The Mizuno Volleyball arm sleeves which you can see by clicking here.
Use the following
- 91% Polyester
- 5% Polyurethane
- 4% Nylon
How Much Should You Pay For A Volleyball Arm Sleeve?
Now the answer to this question really depends on how phased you are about buying reputable brands.
If you want to go with someone like Muzino which I liked above you are likely spend around $25.00.
However if you are happy to try out some unknown brands you can pick up a pair of Volleyball arm sleeves for around $12-15.
Recommended Sleeve
When it comes to what products I recommend, it is always difficult as everyone has their own preferences.
With things such as compression sleeves it really can vary drastically.
For example you might not need elbow protection at all and as such you may want to go for a compression sleeve that stops below the elbow.
Alternatively you may have seen the new arm sleeves available that have a padded elbow section built in and think they are a great choice as it means you want to get elbow pads as well.
To be honest we don’t strongly recommend these all-in-one pads as the materials tend to not be the best quality and the padded sections splits, breaks and sometimes simply just falls off.
When we purchase things like Arm Sleeves I personally opt for reputable brands and more importantly I look at products with great reviews.
Due to this fact we actually do recommend the Mizuno Volleyball Arm Sleeve.
It is a reasonable price, it is sold as a pair and for the most part has gleaming reviews.
So if you are looking to get a compression sleeve we would suggest looking there first.