Compression shorts

Compression shorts are undergarments usually worn by athletes. They are form-fitting garments and when worn cover the athlete's waist to mid or lower thigh. These garments are often made from a spandex-type material, similar to cycling shorts.

A major benefit of compression shorts are that they keep the thigh muscles warm to prevent muscle strain and fatigue. In addition, there is some evidence that compression shorts may enhance athletic performance.^[1] They are also used as a way to keep the male genitalia in place. Compression shorts also help to keep undergarments in place, and for certain sports, like baseball and softball (where they are also known as "sliding shorts"), come with padding at the hips to protect players from injuries due to sliding.

Another major benefit is that many compression shorts are designed to wick sweat away from the body to lessen chafing and the onset of rashes. The friction between the fabric of the shorts sliding past each other may also be less than that of bare thighs rubbing, which may also reduce chafing during things like walking or running when the thighs are adducted.

There are also other types of compression garments that serve a similar function, such as compression t-shirts, socks, sleeves & tights. Common brands are Nike, Under Armour, Skins, McDavid, Easton, Zensah and Adidas.

More recently, jockstraps have fallen out of favor with young male athletes, and garments such as compression shorts have seen an increase in popularity, arguably because of their comparable function and less embarrassing looks.^[2]

Compression shorts are also popular among female athletes, especially among those who wear skirts or kilts during games. In those situations, athletes wear compression shorts under the skirt so if they fall over and their skirts ride up, their underwear will not be exposed. This is seen particularly in women's lacrosse and field hockey (both being no-contact sports in which players often wear skirts). In this situation, compression shorts are often referred to as spandex shorts, the material they are often manufactured with. In tennis, women typically wear skirts with compression shorts under them to hold the tennis balls in addition to their more common benefits. The tightness keeps the ball in place; some recent shorts have ball pockets in them. There are also women's compression shorts for use before, during and after pregnancy. Pregnancy compression shorts supports upper and lower abdominal muscles, caesarean wounds and perineal stitches.^[3]

See also

• Compression sportswear
• Rugby shorts
• Sports clothing

References

1. ^ Doan BK, Kwon YH, Newton RU, et al. (Aug 2003). "Evaluation of a lower-body compression garment". J Sports Sci 21 (8): 601–10. doi:10.1080/0264041031000101971. PMID 12875311. 
2. ^ ""Where have all the jockstraps gone?". Slate Magazine (2005-07-22). http://www.slate.com/id/2123007/. 
3. ^ ""Women's pregnancy compression shorts". http://www.recoveryshorts.com.au/. 

This article about sports equipment is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.v · Categories: Sports clothing Protective gear Underwear Trousers and shorts Rugby union equipment Sports equipment stubs Wikimedia Foundation. 2010. Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную? Stay of execution Vous Island Look at other dictionaries: Compression sportswear — is clothing usually worn by athletes. They may be shorts, tights or underwear. They are form fitting garments and when worn cover the athlete s waist to mid or lower thigh. These garments are often made from a spandex type material. The main… …   Wikipedia Compression — may refer to: In physical science Compression (physical), the result of the subjection of a material to compressive stress Compression member, a class of structural elements, of which a column is the most common specific example Compressibility,… …   Wikipedia Compression garment — Compression garments are pieces of clothing such as socks, pantyhose, sleeves, etc, that provide support that is especially useful for people who have to stand for long periods, or people with poor circulation. The garments can come in varying… …   Wikipedia Shorts — This article is about a type of clothing. For another type of clothing, see cut off. For other uses, see Shorts (disambiguation). For more uses, see Cutoff (disambiguation). Hot pants redirects here. For the James Brown song, see Hot Pants (song) …   Wikipedia Cycling shorts — A fashion model with biking gear including cycling shorts. Cycling shorts (also known as bike shorts, bicycling shorts or knicks) are short, skin tight legwear designed to improve comfort and efficiency while cycling.[1] They: reduce wind… …   Wikipedia Boxer shorts — (also known as loose boxers or as simply boxers) are a type of underwear worn by men. The term has been used in English since 1944 for all around elastic shorts, so named after the shorts worn by pugilists, for whom unhindered leg movement (… …   Wikipedia Bermuda shorts — British military commanders Brooke Popham and Wavell in WW II Bermuda Shorts, also known as walking shorts or dress shorts, are a particular type of short trousers, now widely worn as semi casual attire by both men and women. The hem can be… …   Wikipedia Swimsuit — A swimsuit, bathing suit, or swimming costume is an item of clothing designed to be worn by men, women or children while they are engaging in a water based activity or water sports, such as swimming, water polo, diving, surfing, water skiing, or… …   Wikipedia Undergarment — Underwear redirects here. For other uses, see Underwear (disambiguation). Women s panties or knickers …   Wikipedia Jockstrap — Front, side and back view of a jockstrap A jockstrap (also known as a jock, jock strap, strap, supporter, or athletic supporter) is an undergarment designed for supporting the male genitalia during sports or other vigorous physical activity. A… …   Wikipedia 18+ © Academic, 2000-2024 Contact us: Technical Support, Advertising Dictionaries export, created on PHP, Joomla, Drupal, WordPress, MODx. Mark and share Search through all dictionaries Translate… Search Internet Share the article and excerpts Direct link … Do a right-click on the link above and select “Copy Link”