When it comes to football gear, the right pads, helmets and cleats all play an essential part in keeping players safe and on their game. But it’s not just the top-tier kit that helps teams achieve success – socks can also have an impact.
A good pair of sports socks can help prevent blisters, keep players comfortable and increase their performance. They should be breathable and have enough compression to support the foot while staying in place on the calf. Some are even designed to provide a little extra protection, with reinforced toes and heels for added durability.
There are even socks that have special features, such as grip socks that feature black silicone chevrons or spots underfoot. These are intended to stick to a football shoe’s insole and reduce slipping, improving stability. They’ve become a regular feature on the feet of some pro players, like Aston Villa’s Jack Grealish, who has become one of the most marketable English players since David Beckham.
But does the benefit of having grippy socks actually work? In order to find out, researchers asked a group of professional footballers to run through a football-specific movement course on a Uni-Turf Embossed PVC Vinyl surface while wearing either a standard athletic sock or a grippy sock (CEP GripSocks Men). They were then asked to rate their perceived running speed using a 150 mm visual analogue scale. The researchers found that the grippy sock significantly reduced the amount of time it took the participants to complete the course. sport socks football