Athletic Gear: All your sports needs are right here! (NEW with Plexo!)

Athletic Apparel:

Typical athletic clothing include shirts (sleeved or sleeveless), sweat suits, jogging pants, and shorts. But for certain sports such as taekwondo and other martial arts, the attire isn't as common.

The collared shirts that we often associated with preppiness and the country club look are derived from the attire of tennis and polo players. A similar shirt is worn by rugby and football players.

Athletic shorts are particularly necessary in sports like volleyball, track, walking, swimming, swimming and cycling. As with special types of athletic tops, athletic bottom wear must fit the player well to allow full range of movement---whether the garment is tight-fitting or not.

Another important characteristic to consider is how clothing protects the body from the elements, be it the coldest of winters or the hottest of summers. One must inspect insulation and sweat absorption properties of the garment material.

Bags
The most common types of athletic bags include backpacks and duffel bags. They usually carry the garments and equipment needed during an activity. They may also need to withstand extreme conditions especially if such bags are used outdoors.

Headgear
Headgear such as caps, hats, and helmets provide protection from the sun's damaging and glaring rays as well as other weather conditions. Athletic headgear that are more sturdy are able to protect its wearer from unexpected accidents, such as a ball hitting him/her.

Eyewear
Glasses, goggles, and shades can perform similar functions to headgear, as they can protect the wearer from the elements and any unfortunate accidents. They can also be convenient for athletes that require prescription glasses: special glasses or goggles can have correction lenses custom-built into them to ensure optimal vision during a game.

Gloves
Gloves, including fingerless gloves, mittens, mitts, and webbed gloves have become part of several sports uniforms provide convenience and comfort for those who use it.

Belts
Belts, as we all know, hold up pants in place, but they are also useful for other things like displaying one's achievements (even as a trophy!) as in taekwondo or wrestling. Some belts are also specially made to carry weights.

Bands
Many different bands, usually made from terry cloth, are worn on different parts of the body (e.g. the head). They support these body parts and can even absorb sweat.

Pads
These cushioning materials are designed to absorb the impact applied to certain body parts when they hit certain surfaces unavoidably, especially during games.

For more information about athletic equipment, click here to read Athletic Gear: Athletic Equipment.

Here's a handy guide when buying athletic gear:

Purpose. Figure out what you're going to use that athletic shoe or jogging suit for. Also find out what other considerations you wish to factor in, such as the overall aesthetic of the product (maybe you just don't care?).

Fit. Highly physical activities such as sports requires the perfect fit from head to toe for the best performance possible. Try out the gear as best as you can. Flex, stretch, and run around in it for a better idea.

Shop. It's a good idea to check for deals online, but the main disadvantage is that you can't try on the product beforehand. A good option would be to visit an offline version of the shop to try things out, then surf the web for better deals.

I made a cool slideshow of photos on Flickr tagged with "athlete". A great way to discover wonderful Flickr photos!

View the slideshow here! Have fun!