Five considerations to define your sports clothing choices

When you're looking to buy sports clothing, it can be hard to know where to start. After all, there is a wide range of sports and workouts you might get into and each one has very different specific needs.

Read on to find out more about the key factors to consider when choosing your sports clothing, and why getting these decisions right is so important.

Why do I need the right sportswear?

Sports are all about marginal gains. A win or loss in a game of cricket can be decided by whether or not you hold onto a catch, a rugby match can swing on whether you can get the extra yard of pace over a tackler, and a football match can be defined by the slightest change of a passing angle.

By making sure that you have the right equipment you can play comfortably without your equipment dragging you down or affecting the way you play.

1. Skintight or loose

Although most sports will allow you to have loose clothing, you can gain an advantage wearing fitted clothing.

For example, a footballer might prefer to have tighter clothing than a cricketer since a footballer's shirt being pulled can have a big impact on performance.

This isn't really a worry for a cricketer, but a footballer player would be best served by going out onto the pitch in a tighter top.

2. Comfort

You also need to take the length of the game in question into consideration. A village cricketer doesn't want to be going out to field for the next three hours in an itchy shirt that doesn't quite fit right.

By thinking about the amount of time you need to spend in the clothing, you can ensure that you're not standing around for hours on end wishing that you could get the game over and done with so you can take your shirt off.

3. Warmth

Fine motor skills are decided by a range of factors, and this includes how warm you are.

In sports such as rugby where you need to flick the ball out of your hands just right to make the perfect pass, keeping your hands warm means that you won't be affected by the frigid cold weather.

This applies to all of your joints, but avoiding becoming too warm is also key. Finding the clothes that keep you in an ideal temperature window can be great for maximising your personal performance.

4. Flexibility

Although you may have settled on skintight clothes that are thick in order to keep you warm, you may not have considered the flexibility of the apparel.

In the world of sports, you need to be ready to move at all times, and if you have running shorts that don't allow you to get off the mark quickly enough you could find yourself falling behind the competition to a severe extent.

Practicality is vital when picking sports clothing, and should be a major factor you account for.

5. Durability

Some sports can be violent and lead to a lot of wear and tear on your clothing, so you need to account for this.

A rugby shirt that falls apart after three tackles isn't any good, so make sure that anything you wear is right for the durability it needs once you get out on the pitch. If you're interested in a range of gym apparel or sports clothing, get in touch with the Flow team today to find out more about the quality range of sports and gym apparel we have to offer.