All footballers have a preferred way of how they want to wear their socks.
Some prefer wearing their socks high, some prefer wearing their socks as low as possible. And others prefer wearing socks that are cut at the the bottom.
However, it seems like the new trend with socks includes cutting holes at the back of them.
There are various ways that players are cutting their socks.
Some players cut a big single hole in both socks, whilst others cut several smaller holes. Some players even try to diversify by cutting unique shapes and designs into the back of their socks.
But the main question is why are footballers choosing to do this? Is it for fashion? Is it related to their performance? Or is it purely just for their comfort?
The truth is its actually all to do with the calf muscle and polyester.
Polyester in football socks
Polyester, has many advantages. The material is very tight fitting which is helpful for as footballers need to keep their shin pads in place.
On top of that, polyester doesn’t retain water which is beneficial for footballers when playing in wet and rainy environments. But despite these advantages, some players can still find them restrictive, particularly players with larger calf muscles.
Calf muscles affected by tight socks
Some players also believe that reducing pressure on the calf muscles can help performances as there is now more blood flowing in the active leg muscles. Ultimately, this would result in a reduced risk of cramp and injury.
Is this really the case?
However, this logic seem to be unconfirmed.
According to Dr Raj Brar (Via Tifo Football), a doctor of physical therapy, he claims that there are no real medical facts that support these claims.
He even added that:
“One way of medically reducing pressure on calves is by using higher pressure compression socks in between games.”
“Besides footballers get more than enough activity through their calves to not worry about circulation.”
So ultimately, the hole cutting epidemic that’s going on in professional football could possibly be a comfort mater rather than a scientific matter.
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