You would often see soccer players cutting their socks during or before matches, and the primary reason for this stands to promote blood flow. You would be wondering, how is cutting socks related to blood flow? Let’s answer your question and explain how soccer players counter this problem.
Keep Legs Cool
One forgotten reason soccer players cut their socks is to keep their legs cool. You would know that soccer players must wear a uniform in the field of play, including knee-high socks. These socks are mostly made of nylon and are pretty thick and warm.
Soccer players often have to play in summer and humid environments where the body heats up more than usual. Cutting socks to allow air to pass through is a sensible option you can opt for, to increase stamina and endurance during the game.
As you know, soccer is a long-format game, and playing two halves of 45 minutes straight causes extreme physical exertion. The last thing you might want as a soccer player would be your calves burning from exhaustion and fatigue.
As soccer players flop a lot on their toes along with the ball, it puts severe pressure on the calves and causes them to heat up. To avoid such a situation, soccer players cut the socks from the calves to allow air to pass through and keep the calves cool.
Create Room For Shin Pads
Another reason soccer players cut their socks is to create room for the shin pads. Nylon socks are often very tight, and placing something inside them can be challenging. Creating any room for shin pads without cutting the socks is impossible. Hence, resulting in the risk of injury on exposed legs.
Moreover, players sometimes wear double socks, especially when playing in winter. As they can’t wear full trousers because of their dress code, players tend to double their socks for extra warmth in the muscle. Doing so can provide ample fuel for soccer players while running and decrease the chances of muscle fatigue and spasms.
In such situations, it is suitable to cut the socks so they would stretch and expand more and create room for the shin pad or the extra pair of socks.
Promote Blood Flow
The primary reason for cutting socks is still to promote blood flow. As mentioned earlier, soccer players put their calves under constant tension while playing. Resultantly, they develop muscles in the calves, causing them to grow bigger.
As we all know, bigger muscles require more nutrition to work properly and tight socks can constrict vascular movement and leave the muscle exhausted and prone to injuries.
The nylon socks that soccer players use are very thick and tight. Compared to the over-exerted, large calves of soccer players, it is sure to block blood flow. Hence, players cut the socks from the calves to give room for the muscle to expand and for blood to flow freely.
If they don’t do this, the players would be welcoming muscle pulls and sprains, and unlike the time you see soccer players faking injuries, they can face serious medical issues.
Final Thoughts
Soccer players need to cut their socks for various reasons you might not know. We hope you found this article helpful and that you try this technique!
