Sliding pants have been worn by soccer players for an incredibly long time. Both pros and amateurs choose to wear them. In this blog, we answer frequently asked questions regarding these tight pants you wear under your soccer shorts.
The questions covered in this blog:
Is wearing sliding pants mandatory?
Are there any rules about wearing sliding pants?
What colors of sliding pants are there?
What is the difference between sliding pants and compression pants?
Do you wear underwear under sliding pants?
What size sliding pants do I need?
Are there sliding pants for children?
What should I look for when buying sliding pants?
Where can I buy sliding pants?
Which brands of sliding pants are there?
How long do sliding pants last?
What is the best way to wash sliding pants?
Can I tumble dry my sliding pants?
Are sliding pants also worn during other sports?
Below are all the answers to the above questions.
Wearing sliding pants during a soccer game is not mandatory. Both field players and the goalkeeper may decide whether they want to wear them.
Why some players choose to wear sliding pants can be read in our blog Why do soccer players wear sliding pants?
There is one rule that must be enforced when a player wears sliding pants. The IFAB (the organization that devises and enforces the rules of soccer) says that the color of the sliding pants must be the same as the pants of the shorts. If the shorts are black then the sliding pants must be black, if the shorts are yellow then the sliding pants must be yellow.
By the way, the same applies to a thermal shirt. For example, if a soccer shirt is white, the thermo shirt must also be white.
Sliding pants are available in an incredibly wide variety of colors. Think of yellow, red, blue and green but also in white, black and gray. This is necessary since it is mandatory that sliding pants be the same color as the shorts.
A first glance, sliding pants and compression pants look very similar. However, there are some differences.
The biggest difference is in how tight the pants are. Compression pants are much tighter than sliding pants. Compression pants are therefore designed to minimize the vibration of the thigh muscles. The less these muscles vibrate, the longer an athlete can last. This is because the vibrating of the muscles causes faster fatigue.
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There are no rules regarding wearing underwear or not under sliding pants. The choice is entirely up to you. In general, we do see that most soccer players choose to wear underwear under their sliding pants. This is because it is more hygienic, more comfortable and provides extra warmth during colder days.
Some people find choosing the right size sliding pants difficult. After all, they want them to be not too loose but not too tight either. However, choosing the right size is very simple. In fact, you choose the same size as the size of your soccer shorts. When trying on sliding pants, you soon find out whether they fit well or not. You will quickly notice if they are too tight or too loose.
Just like for adults, sliding pants are also available for children. These come in different sizes like XS, S, M, L, and XL.
There are a number of factors to consider when buying sliding pants.
Color
The color of the sliding pants should be the same as the color of the soccer shorts. This rule can be found in the official soccer rules of the IFAB (International Football Association Board)
Size
A sliding pant should not be too tight but also not too loose. Therefore, choose the same size for sliding pants as the soccer pants you wear.
Elasticity
Sliding pants should be elastic enough so that they are tight around your legs. If the elasticity is not good, the pants can be too tight or too loose.
Sliding pants are available in a variety of places. In particular, you can go to sports stores and soccer specialty stores. There are also many online shops where you can buy them. The advantage of buying sliding pants in a store is that you can try them on. The advantage of buying online is that there are often offers and you do not have to leave the house.
There are an enormous number of different brands that offer sliding shorts. Think of the major sports brands like Adidas, Nike and Puma but also brands like Jako, Stanno and Gladiator sports. Finally, there are also unbranded sliding pants available.
There is no single answer to this. There are several aspects that influence the durability of sliding pants. Factors that play a role are how intensively the sliding pants are worn, how often sliding pants are used and how often they are washed. The quality of the sliding pants also influences how long they will last.
Launder sliding pants at 30 degrees Celsius and use detergent to get out any green grass stains. When putting sliding pants in the washing machine, do not add fabric softener. Fabric softener actually takes the stretch out of the fabric. This will cause the sliding pants to no longer fit.
You should not put sliding pants in the dryer to dry them. If you do, the fabric gets too hot and will shrink. As a result, you will no longer be able to fit the sliding pants. Therefore, it is best to dry the sliding pants on the laundry line.
Many soccer players choose to wear sliding pants but what about other sports? It is not only in soccer that people choose to wear sliding pants. There are also field hockey players and rugby players who choose to do this.
In both sports it is worn for the same reasons as in soccer. Especially in field hockey, we see that sliding pants are worn a lot. We suspect that this has to do with the fact that field hockey is played on an artificial turf field.
We hope we have managed to answer all your questions regarding sliding pants in this blog. Please also read our blog Why do soccer players wear sliding pants to find out why they are worn.
Curious to learn more about safety and apparel? Then click here for an overview of all blogs on this topic.