Equipment

Nike Sunglasses Review

I like the line of Nike Sunglasses that are available for active people. In many cases, these sunglasses are perfect for people who play beach volleyball.

Let me review a few of these sunglasses made by Nike and show you why I think they are great for volleyball players.

Nike Cadence Sunglasses

Nike Sunglasses - CadenceThe first sunglasses I wanted to review were the Nike Cadence sunglasses. I like these sunglasses for a number of reasons.

First of all, they are designed for people that are outside and active. As a result, these glasses will not fall off when you are moving and diving for balls in the sand. I have played with some sunglasses that fall off when playing and it is really annoying.

The lenses are specially crafted to optimize vision from all angles. This is important for when you are using peripheral vision to see the blocker as you are hitting the ball.

The lens has a scratch-resistant finish (which is also great for sand play).

Based on the needs of a beach volleyball player, the Nike Cadence Sunglasses are a great choice that will be durable for your needs. You can pick up a pair here from Amazon.com: Nike Cadence Sunglasses

Nike Supreme Court Sunglasses

Nike Sunglasses - Supreme CourtThe other pair of Nike sunglasses that I wanted to review were the Nike Supreme Court sunglasses.

This pair of sunglasses has many features similar to the Nike Cadence sunglasses. They offer the optimized vision from all angles, scratch resistant lenses, and UVA and UVB protection.

This pair of glasses also are impact resistant. For playing on the beach, this is important to me. There are times when I go up to block and I spread my arms too far and the ball goes through the block onto my face.

I do not recommend getting hit in the face with the ball, but you do not want to have a pair of sunglasses that will break when taking a hit. This pair of Nike sunglasses will take the impact and keep on going.

This pair of volleyball sunglasses is available here: Nike Supreme Court Sunglasses

Mizuno Volleyball Shorts Review

The Mizuno volleyball shorts are a good option. Mizuno is a leader when it comes to volleyball apparel.

Mizuno Volleyball ShortsThis particular pair of volleyball shorts is a viable option for volleyball equipment. The Mizuno shorts are very comfortable.

The shorts feature Mizuno’s Drylite technology. This technology will help with moisture control. I love this kind of fabric as it does help with controlling sweat and fitting tighter to the skin. I like the tighter fit because there is not loose clothing hanging off of the skin. I like the streamlined look that they provide.

These shorts also are tagless. There is nothing like the tag showing through a tight-fitting pair of shorts. It just looks tacky when the tag shows.

The one thing that might turn some people off on these shorts is that the inseam is shorter than most of the competitor’s shorts featured on this site. Usually, the inseam is 3-4″ in length. Although not a huge difference, these shorts only have a 2 and 3/4″ inseam. It really has to do with your comfort level on the court if you want to wear these or not. I know some people that are more conservative and they prefer the longer inseam shorts as opposed to these ones.

If you would like to pick up these shorts, you can get them from Amazon.com here: Mizuno Low Rider Volleyball Shorts

Adidas Volleyball Shorts Review

Adidas volleyball shorts are another good piece of volleyball equipment. Yes, we all need to wear shorts when we play, but how do they rate against the competition shorts on the market?

Adidas Volleyball ShortsThese volleyball shorts are actually some of the better ones on the market that you could purchase. These shorts have it all…

Brand Name – Adidas is a good brand name. They have a great reputation in the marketplace and produce good items.

Quality – The Adidas name and quality are one and the same. These shorts are extremely well put together as you will see when we get to the features.

Durability – These shorts will last a long time. In fact, this will probably be one of those pairs of shorts that you will hate to replace when it is time because of the comfort.

Features – There are a lot of great features on these shorts:

  • There is a 3″ inseam
  • Mesh inset across the back heat zone. This allows more heat to escape and keep you cooler as you play.
  • Lined saddle gusset
  • Climacool logo as these are Adidas Climacool shorts

Price – Based on what they offer, you would expect to pay more money for them. However, they are actually quite a few dollars cheaper than the competitor’s shorts.

As you can see, I highly recommend the Adidas shorts. With the Climacool technology, you really cannot go wrong.

You can pick them up from the trusted site Amazon.com here: Adidas Climacool Shorts

Asics Volleyball Shorts Review

The Asics volleyball shorts are some of the best on the market and the most popular. They would serve any volleyball player very well for casual or competitive play.

Asics Volleyball ShortsAs far as comfort goes, they are made with this aspect in mind. They are made with a soft fabric and seam stitching. It will move comfortably on your body as you play. For me, comfort is one of the most important aspects of athletic clothing. If I am not comfortable while wearing it, it will affect my play because I will have other things on my mind.

Durability will be high with these shorts. Whether you are diving, sliding, or jumping, these shorts are built to take it.

These shorts also have a finished waistline so that they will look smooth and clean when worn. There is nothing worse than wearing spandex shorts and seeing bumpy seams in the shorts from where the fabric is sewn together. You will not have that with these shorts.

The Asics Baseline shorts are the most popular version of all the Asics brand shorts. I have always been a fan of dark shorts as they aren’t too transparent and it will have you looking great on the court. The fact that they are dark also make it so that sweat marks will not show either.

Asics is one of those name brands that is known for quality when it comes to their volleyball products. You will not be disappointed with them.

I highly recommend these volleyball shorts. These shorts are available from Amazon.com here: Asics Baseline Volleyball Shorts

Kinesio Tex Tape Explained

Have you ever seen athletes wear tape on their bodies and it was placed on them very strangely? That is Kinesio Tex Tape. I want to help you understand how it works and what benefits it provides to athletes.

What can you expect when you use the Kinesio Tex Tape? The tape provides pain relief, support, and improved circulation. What does that do for volleyball players?

Many volleyball players use the Kinesio Tape to provide added circulation and pain reduction in their shoulders. Depending on how the tape is applied, it can stimulate or relax various muscles too.

Kinesio Tex TapeI know I tend to get quite a bit of muscle soreness in my arm and shoulder after playing volleyball from swinging at the ball. As I have gotten older, the pain has gotten greater. Understanding how to use the tape can reduce those pains.

There are many stories out there where people are claiming that they experienced near immediate pain relief after wearing the tape. There are others that state they had chronic pain of some kind and are now able to resume normal physical activity after using it.

The Kinesio Tape also is made of a very stretchable material which does not prohibit movement like many other tapes do. The movement that is allowed actually helps promote the additional circulation and healing.

For such a small price, the Kinesio Tape is a great investment. Anything you can do to remove the pain and enjoy a better lifestyle is worth it.

I highly recommend the tape for anyone that is looking for an alternative way of dealing with pain and without limiting their range of motion.

You can pick up some tape from Amazon.com here: Kinesio Tex Gold Tape

Finger Supports Review

This review is all about finger supports and how they can protect your hands from injury. As a middle blocker, my fingers would frequently be injured from blocking the ball. If the ball would hit a certain way off of your hand, it could bend your fingers back and mildly hyper-extend them. Would these braces help?

Finger Braces

Finger SupportsThe first type of finger brace that I will review is the Tandem finger sleeves.

These are just like bandages that will slip on over the joints of your knuckles and act like finger braces.

They are constructed of elastic material and they just slip on over the knuckles of the finger. One box has ten finger bandages in it.

One of the biggest complaints about this particular product is that they are quite small in size. People would put them on their fingers and because of how small they were, it would cut off the circulation on their fingers.

When I am looking for a brace of any kind, I want it to be tight but I do not want it to be a tourniquet. Comfort is a key factor (besides protection and support) and most people complained about the comfort level of this product.

I wouldn’t recommend it. You can read more about it here on Amazon.com: Tandem Finger Supports

Flents Finger Sleeves

Flents Finger SleevesThis product is much more useful than the finger supports listed above.

One box contains 12 finger sleeves for your use.

These braces will provide the same support and protection during play as the ones above. However, there are two major differences with these supports.

First of all, they are more comfortable. Most people find that they do not restrict their movement and do not cut off their circulation. The other thing that people like about these braces is the price. They are less expensive than the ones listed above.

For me, these products are all about keeping my fingers safe. When I jam a finger, there is quite a bit of swelling and pain in my knuckles for quite a while. Depending on the severity of the sprain, it can really limit my range of motion and what I can do with my hands. For a few dollars, I can protect my hands and avoid that pain and discomfort.

You can pick them up here on Amazon.com: Flents Finger Sleeves

Jump Soles Review

How well do Jump Soles work, if at all? That is the whole point of this review is to see if people are really able to increase their vertical jump using this volleyball training tool.

This vertical jump training tool can help people increase their vertical jump. But, let’s face it…like most training tools, this is only as effective as the amount of use people give it. There is not some magical potion that will make you jump higher just by taking it. The Jump Soles will require work to see the results. If you do not mind putting in the work and effort, then read on…

Jump SolesHow do they work? The whole point of this tool is to get you on your toes more often. By doing so, you isolate the muscles in your calf used for jumping and specifically your fast twitch muscles.

When you workout using these shoes, you can strengthen very quickly the primary muscles used for jumping and increase your vertical jump over a short period of time.

The biggest drawback is that the soles are not actually shoes. It is something that straps on to your existing shoes. Because you are strapping them on, it can become loose during the workout if they are not tightened properly.

While they do provide a great opportunity for people that want to increase their vertical jump, the straps do take away a little bit from the effectiveness of what this tool could be.

Many people have reported that the Jumpsoles were effective for them to increase their vertical jump. There is no question that people receive results when using them with their workouts.

Volleyball players that have a higher vertical jump have such an advantage on the court. They are able to hit over the opposing blockers and have better court vision when hitting because of their viewpoint. There are so many advantages to jumping higher that you really should consider this option if you need to increase your jumping ability.

You can pick them up here from Amazon.com: Jumpsole – Increase Your Vertical Leap

Volleyball Spike Trainer Review

This review will focus on the volleyball spike trainer equipment and how it can benefit a volleyball team in training.

Spiking is one of the hardest skills to learn and master when it comes to volleyball techniques. There are so many moving parts to the skill. You have to do the approach correctly, you have to jump the right way, you have to focus on the ball, and also be aware of where the defense is at.

When you think about it in those terms, there is a lot going on every time a player jumps up to hit the ball. And that is one of the reasons that I like this piece of volleyball training equipment so much.

Volleyball Spike TrainerThe volleyball spike trainer keeps the ball in a static position so that players get to focus on the fundamental skills of getting their footwork for their approach correct, they can focus on jumping when they are ready, and hitting the ball correctly.

I remember when I was just learning how to play volleyball, our coaches will have us do drill after drill after drill where we would do our approach and they would toss us the ball at the net. In the beginning, it was so frustrating to get the footwork wrong, the timing wrong, sometimes their tosses were off the mark and so the drill was not as effective as it could have been. 

This equipment can improve the learning curve on how players hit the ball. They can focus on getting everything else on their hitting technique correct.

The spike trainer can adjust from 7.5 feet to 10.5 which is the perfect range for any kind of hitter. You can use this training equipment for any age and any team.

The plastic base can be filled with sand or water for stability. There are also wheels on the base to make it easy to move to the desired location and for storage when not in use.

You will also not waste time chasing down the volleyball after hitting. Since the ball stays in place, it is like getting the perfect set every time. The players are able to do more hitting drills rather than chasing a ball. Your training efficiency improves dramatically with this tool.

I highly recommend this training tool. It will make a tremendous difference in the hitting of your team, or it is also great for personal use at home. You can pick it up here from Amazon.com: Volleyball Spiking Trainer

Volleyball Training Equipment

There are some very high quality volleyball training equipment that is available today. This particular tool is one of my favorites because of its many potential uses.

The tool is the Tandem Sports Volleyball Target Challenger. The whole purpose of this tool is to give an accurate tool for setters and passers to hone their skills and get instant feedback on their performance.

Volleyball Training Equipment Here is how it works: The target is attached to an adjustable pole that can be set either vertically or horizontally. That means that it can be adjusted for both setting and passing drills.

There really isn’t anything else that compares to this as far as teaching players accuracy and placement. I have found it to be extremely valuable for setters so that they get immediate feedback on how they did with the set. There isn’t a need to tell them to set it higher, or lower, etc.

This training tool has a 30 inch target with a net that is attached to retrieve the balls. That means you will not have to spend your time chasing volleyballs (assuming they are hitting the target).

You can also use this very effectively with your passers by setting the target where your setter would run the offense and have them pass to the target. There are so many passing drills that you could use this with.

Make sure you check out the passing drills and setting drills for ways that you can use this tool effectively to improve your team’s abilities.

You can pick up this amazing tool from Amazon here: Tandem Sports Volleyball Target Challenger

Mizuno Knee Pads Review

The Mizuno knee pads are another great choice for volleyball players. Although Mizuno makes different kinds of volleyball knee pads, this review is going to focus specifically on the Mizuno T10 knee pad.

Mizuno is a well-known maker of volleyball equipment. It is one of those name brands for volleyball that you cannot go wrong with.

Mizuno Knee Pads

I really like the Mizuno T10 volleyball knee pads because they provide great padding, they are comfortable, and they do not restrict movement.

There is a really fine line when it comes to knee pads. You need to find a balance of a knee pad that will provide enough padding to protect you while not being too bulky to restrict your movements.

Volleyball is a sport of agility and how quickly you can move to the ball. So, when you are shopping for volleyball gear, you want to find the lightweight equipment that will allow you to move.

The sliding knee pad is also longer than most sleeves. Many sleeves for knee pads are 7" in length. This knee pad is 9" offering a little extra protection. There is also a slim profile with 5 separate padding panels around the knee.

This is one of the best made knee pads on the market. I highly recommend this if you are in the market for knee pads.

Best Value Knee Pad

The Mizuno T10 knee pads are an incredible value.  They're great because they don't restrict your movement, they're comfortable, and have great padding.

You can pick them up at this link from Amazon.com and they are a few dollars cheaper than most of the major retailers:  Mizuno T10 Volleyball Knee Pad

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