Best Type Of Protection For Sports there are a ton of products out there to protect those vulnerable part

[xenador 0]

So I was never really invovled in any sports that required me to wear any protection growing up and now I have moved off and want to start being more active and start learning new sports (football, raquet ball, soccer maybe...) so I am seeing that I will probably want to buy some protective gear and I realize that there are a ton of options that I could go with. When I did a search I found 1. compression shorts 2. jock strap 3. cup as the main three things listed. When I started searching a bit deeper I found that there are actually several different types of cups.1. I am pretty sure I will want a cup, what are the benefits of the different styles? and which cup would be the most comfortable and allow the most use (aka I dont want to have to buy different styles of cups for different sports unless I have to) 2. when getting a cup another good thing for me to know would be...what size do I need? I assume it needs to cover everything right? so what is there some type of measurement that I should take, or is this a one size fits all thing and pray that I am not an exception. 3. when buying a jock strap what size should I look for and is there any difference between the brands, or for that matter if there are different styles which one should I go with?4. what are compression shorts for? if I buy a cup and a jock strap should I get these too? if I get compression shorts what should I be looking for? and I assume these are like regular shorts on the sizes.I think that is all but if anyone has any information for me otherwise it is appreciated. **quick note...please keep it clean.

Edited November 2, 2008 by xenador (see edit history)

[jlhaslip 4]

Back in the days when I was active in Sports, it was common for me to own several versions.A 'soft' jock for 'non-impact' sports, like running, squash and the like. It was a woven material and if I recall correctly, the 'size' was based on the waistband, not the jock itself. :lol:A 'hard jock', or 'cup' was worn over top of the soft jock to protect from impact for the 'body contact sports such as Lacrosse, Hockey, Football. Since then, my activities have included being a Hockey Official. After several 'close calls', I purchased a Goaltender's girdle which includes a hard cup and foam padding around the nether regions and, believe me, there have been times when the $25.00 was money well spent.I have no experience with compression shorts.

[xenador 0]

ok so I had a little extra money lying around and I decided to try out several things. 1&2.I searched around on the web and found that a lot of people were saying there is something called a nuttybuddy out there, so I ordered one. unfortunately the first didnt fit at all, they do have a return/exchange policy so I went one size up and it fits. I tried testing it with a small metal bat and it absorbed all of the force, I would say this is the best way to go for baseball...I did note that it makes it more difficult to run so you may want to take that into account, although I am sure that this can be overcome with a little practice running with it on.3. I am not too impressed with the jock strap, again my build presented some problems. the size is based on the waistband, unfortunately the waist size that fits me doesnt hold everything, so I had to go the next up and so it slips down, I have yet to find a good approach to this, last attempt with the saftey clip didnt work so well and I do not know how to sew.4. compression shorts-these don't really do anything to protect you rather it just keeps everything in place. I have found they work really nice for running. The size is based on increments I got the underarmor ones they had two types, one that holds a cup and others that are made to be used alone. I got one of both, I find that I actually prefer the ones that hold the cup. They all wick moisture away from the skin which is a big benefit of them but the ones that hold the cup have a meshlike pouch that allows for some extra air flow. so in short it wasnt what I had expected but I think I will continue to use them.recap, for sports with speeding projectiles: raquettball, hockey, baseball I think that the cup is a must have, for any sport with running: football, basketball, track, bikking too... I would say just get a pair of compression shorts. (I have only tried that one style of cup so if others have tried different ones and found different results let me know.)