Category Archives: Volleyball Gear

Nov 07

Who needs knee pads? I do!

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Day 1

Day 3

Day 5

So, I played in a women’s rec tournament yesterday. It was so much fun. Around here, we use the term “rec” very loosely. In other words, there were quite a few former DI players, including a few All Americans… and I’m not talking about old women here. Most players are in their 20s and 30s. So, we’ll use the oxymoron Competitive Rec. More about the tournament later (We had a few disagreements, if you will). Let’s talk about how bad I need knee pads… see below.

After school volleyball, it’s “cool” not to wear knee pads. I don’t know why. Maybe it’s because you want to appear like you don’t need them. “Oh, I’m so good at volleyball, I play without knee pads… that’s how good I am.” Turns out. It’s not cool. Because this bruise hurts!

I haven’t bought knee pads since high school (in college they give them to you). I don’t know which ones to get. Check out the ones below. Should I get black? or White? Tell me what you think in the comments below. If no one comments, I may have to turn this into a poll. Polls require less commitment. ;)

You asked for it!

Black or White?

  • White (67%, 2 Votes)
  • Black (33%, 1 Votes)

Total Voters: 3

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Apr 03

What’s Kinesio tape?

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So I saw my one of my heroes (Kerri Walsh) wearing this weird black tape on her shoulder in the Beijing Olympics.

I thought (along with the rest of America) “What is that? Is it a tattoo? Is it an intimidation method? Can I get her ab workout?” Ok. Maybe not the last one.

So I Googled it (along with the rest of America) and found that it’s Kinesio Tex Tape – an elastic therapeutic tape was developed over 35 years ago in Japan. Since then, it has become the standard for therapeutic and rehabilitative taping. The tape is cotton and totally latex free and you can wear it for up to 5 days. It’s like a second skin adhered to my “first” skin with a 100% medical grade acrylic adhesive.

And after I read all the details, I had to try it for myself. So I bought some from Amazon (see the link below) for my tournament today. Donnie taped up my poor, pathetic, overused shoulder and also taped his knee (torn meniscus). It wasn’t a miracle by any means, but it was really nice how it did not limit my range of motion. It’s “lifting effect” is supposed to improve circulation. Guess that’s why my shoulder wasn’t throbbing by lunchtime. Donnie also mentioned that he liked the support under his knee.

I totally thought of taking pics of our taped selves but, when I thought of the that, the tape was already in the trash. Here’s a pic from their website. It looks a bit excessive… but it is a demo.

Check out their website. There are videos that show you exactly how to apply the tape for right support.

I bought my roll of tape from Amazon about $5 cheaper than the website. Click here to buy your own
Kinesio Tex Tape.