Sports bras for football

Why a sports bra?

Your breasts don't have muscles, they consist of tissue. While playing football you're constantly moving and your breasts sometimes take quite a few knocks. Muscles absorb these knocks, tissue doesn't. Because your breasts don't contain muscle, the impacts aren't cushioned and the tissue can get damaged. There's a chance your breasts start to sag, and once that happens it can't be undone. On top of that, your shoulders and neck come under a lot of strain. Prevent this and wear a good sports bra!

Type of sports bra

The level of support differs per sports bra. There are sports bras offering low, medium, high or extreme support. Football is an intense sport, so it's recommended to choose a sports bra with high support. Make sure you wear the right size so you can make the most of the supportive features. A sports bra fits tighter than a regular bra, but it shouldn't be too tight. If you feel pressure while breathing, the sports bra is too tight.

There's a difference between sports bras with cups and sports bras without cups. We recommend women with larger breasts choose a sports bra with cups, so the breasts stay properly in place. Women with small to medium breasts can also comfortably wear sports bras without cups. A sports bra without cups consists of a single panel that presses your breasts against your rib cage. This gives your breasts less room to move while playing football. Sports bras almost always have a reinforced chest band, which offers support. This band replaces underwire.

The shoulder straps also affect the level of support. Wide shoulder straps give more support than narrow ones. Crossed shoulder straps absorb shoulder strain better than straight straps.

Then there's also a difference in closures. There are sports bras both without and with a closure. The closure can be at the front or the back of the sports bra. This makes little difference when it comes to support. Here you can choose whatever feels most comfortable to wear.

Moisture-wicking

Sports bras are made from material that's able to wick away sweat. Some brands apply a special technology to enhance this feature. Nike calls this technique Nike Dri-Fit technology. It's also important that the sports bra is durable and hard-wearing.

Washing instructions

Make sure you wash the sports bra according to the washing instructions. These instructions are on the label on the inside of the bra. Wash your sports bra as soon as possible after playing football. That way sweat gets as little chance as possible to soak in, preventing a persistent unpleasant smell. It's best to wash your sports bra by hand. Use lukewarm water with a detergent for delicates. Don't use fabric softener. Don't leave the sports bra soaking too long, as it can then lose important features. Rinse the bra thoroughly, no soap residue should remain.

No time for hand washing, or find it a hassle? Then wash the sports bra in a special wash bag in the washing machine. Set the machine to a delicate wash programme. Let the sports bra air-dry on a drying rack. Sports bras with underwire shouldn't go in the washing machine.

Tips

The product descriptions tell you what level of support the sports bras offer. When trying on a sports bra, make sure to move around and jump too. That way you'll notice how the sports bra feels during movement. Also raise your arms in the air for a moment. If the bra rides up, you need a sports bra with a smaller band size.

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