You will see a lot of professional and amateur basketball players wearing different types of gear on the court, but the one that you will commonly see on almost every player is the leg sleeve. The basketball leg sleeve is a type of basketball equipment that is worn from the lower part of the thighs to the section below the knee of your legs, although the sleeves can come in a variety of lengths and sizes. So, why do basketball players wear leg sleeves? Are there any advantages to wearing them? Let us find out as we read about the benefits of basketball leg sleeves.
They Retain Temperature
One of the main benefits of basketball leg sleeves is that they retain your leg’s temperature, which can help in preventing your legs from overheating or being too cold that they will go stiff. The temperature between your upper legs and the leg sleeves would remain consistent, as it isn’t affected by any outside elements like heat and cold. If you are playing outdoors and there is cold weather, then wearing leg sleeves would be very beneficial for you, as you can stop your legs from becoming too stiff due to the cold temperature.
There is a common misconception that all leg sleeves will feel too warm on your legs, but that is not really the case, as there are some leg sleeves that provide breathability to prevent soreness and muscle inflammation due to overheating. However, keep in mind that you should buy a leg sleeve that is in the correct size, which means that it should fit comfortably on your leg so that it wouldn’t be too tight or too loose.
Promote Better Blood Circulation in Your Legs
Another benefit of wearing basketball leg sleeves is that they promote better blood circulation in your legs. The compression that your legs will feel from the sleeves is beneficial in allowing the arteries in your legs to have better blood flow. Having better blood flow in your legs would then help in reducing soreness and inflammation, as well as lowering the risks of injuries.
The compression that leg sleeves provide is called “pressure gradient,” which is a kind of focused pressure that targets the arteries of your legs, and this targeted pressure forces the blood in the arteries to push up instead of clogging down to the bottom. So, this pressure gradient is effective in promoting better blood flow from your legs’ arteries to your heart and vice versa.
Can Help in Muscle Recovery
Because of how well leg sleeves promote better blood flow in your legs, they can also aid in muscle recovery. The recovery of your muscles is reliant on different factors, and one of these factors is getting a fresh supply of oxygen, which is replenished through the bloodstream. So, when your legs have better blood circulation, then it would be much easier for your muscles to get oxygen for recovery.
Without leg sleeves, you will most likely already feel fatigued and sore after the second quarter. With better and faster muscle recovery thanks to leg sleeves, you will be able to perform at your best for much longer during a basketball game.
Of course, the leg sleeves can only help in reducing muscle soreness on your legs and not on your feet. If you want your feet to feel as comfortable as your legs, then you will need to wear the best basketball shoes that provide the best comfort, support, and protection.
Can Protect Your Legs to Prevent Wounds
Besides better blood flow and faster muscle recovery, leg sleeves are also beneficial in protecting your legs from scratches, cuts, and other types of minor wounds. On the basketball court, it is almost inevitable to get hurt, as you constantly have to bump against other players or dive for the ball to get a steal or to pass it to one of your teammates.
So, in order to have better prevention from wounding yourself on the court, you should wear all the necessary pieces of protective gear, and these include the basketball leg sleeves. In addition to providing protection against scratches and cuffs, basketball leg sleeves are also effective in protecting your legs against harsh sunlight, which has UV rays that can damage the skin on different parts of your body. If you are playing outdoor basketball under the heat, then you will need items and pieces of gear that can help protect your skin, and these include sunscreen, arm sleeves, and leg sleeves.
Play Better for Much Longer
As we have mentioned earlier, because of the faster muscle recovery that leg sleeves offer, they will enable you to play better for much longer. As you play basketball for plenty of minutes or hours, you will eventually feel pain and soreness in your legs, but with the help of leg sleeves, you will be able to reduce the amount of pain you will feel after playing for long periods of time.
Leg sleeves would prevent your legs from swelling too much, which can cause discomfort and sharp pains. So, if you want to play at a high level, even during the third and fourth quarters of a basketball game, you can wear compression sleeves on your legs.
And these are all the benefits that wearing basketball leg sleeves can provide. Aside from leg sleeves, you may also want to wear arm sleeves so that your arm would also have better blood flow and faster muscle recovery.