What Should I Wear To Volleyball Tryouts? [Guide]

The day that you’ve been training for has come; the day when you will be trying out for the volleyball team.

You might be physically and mentally ready for the volleyball tryouts to come, but do you have the right gear?

What you wear on the tryout day will greatly affect how you do, so you absolutely need to think about what you will be wearing.

Don’t worry, we’ll be going through what to wear to volleyball tryouts and how to choose the right ones.

Essential Gear You Will Need for a Successful Volleyball Tryout

You will need to show your best performance during the volleyball tryout and to do that you will need to wear the right gear.

Some people might think that proper volleyball gear is all for show, but that is not the case.

Here are what to wear to volleyball tryouts, and the reasons why you need them.

A Fitted Shirt

You might feel more comfortable wearing a loose-fitting shirt, but that might prove detrimental when you’re trying out for a volleyball team.

The primary reason why you shouldn’t wear a loose shirt while playing volleyball is that it might touch the net.

According to the official volleyball rules, no part of the player should touch the net, so you need to thoroughly think about what to wear to volleyball tryouts.

You don’t necessarily need to buy an official volleyball jersey, but you should wear a shirt that fits your body well.

However, the shirt should not be so tight that you can’t move the way you want to. Wear a shirt that’s comfortable and won’t get in the way while you’re playing.

The Right Shorts

As you might already know, you will be doing a lot of quick and explosive lateral movements and plenty of jumping while playing volleyball.

This is why you should not be wearing baggy pants or shorts; they will only be getting in your way.

Also, your baggy shorts might inadvertently touch the net when you jump up for a block or a spike.

Also, if you are quite modest, you need to think about what to wear to volleyball tryouts.

For instance, you can wear spandex shorts underneath your shorts so you don’t accidentally flash the coaches and audience when you dive for the ball.

Proper Footwear

For absolute beginners at volleyball, it is acceptable to wear any athletic shoe when playing. You can probably get away with wearing running shoes or trainers.

However, since you are trying out for a professional or semi-professional volleyball team, you will need proper volleyball shoes.

It is important to wear these to volleyball tryouts so you can better show off your skills, and more importantly, prevent yourself from getting injured.

This means you will need a pair of shoes that will give you enough support for movements in all directions.

Not wearing proper shoes can lead to all sorts of injuries, and the last thing that you want to happen during volleyball tryouts is getting injured.

After you’ve chosen the shoes that you need to wear to volleyball tryouts, you should then choose the right socks.

Choose socks that are thick enough to prevent the formation of blisters, but not so much that they make your shoes feel too tight.

Bonus points if you have socks that wick sweat and moisture away from the skin.

Proper Underwear/Support

Most people don’t typically think about underwear when they’re choosing what to wear to volleyball tryouts.

For women, it is important to wear a proper sports bra. Not only will a sports bra keep your feminine parts in place, but it will also help you move with more confidence.

Also, keep in mind that you will be jumping quite a lot, so a sports bra will help ease or eliminate the pain and discomfort.

On the other hand, men need to wear underwear that provides ample support.

They will need underwear that will help keep the family jewels in place while they’re moving up and down the court.

If you’re a man, you will appreciate the amount of free movement you can do when you have the proper underwear.

Non-essential Gear That You Should Consider

Now that we’re done with the essentials, let’s now discuss the optional pieces of kit that you should at least seriously consider.

Most of these suggestions are for injury prevention, which should be high on your priority list anyway.

Sports Glasses

If you need to wear prescription glasses, it is highly recommended that you wear contact lenses during your volleyball tryouts.

On the other hand, if you don’t have prescription contacts, I suggest that you go to your optometrist and have a pair of sports glasses made.

I have lost count of how many times I’ve been hit in the face by a spiked volleyball, and I can only imagine how much more painful it would be if I were wearing glasses.

If you’re wearing glasses and a ball went flying straight at your face, the least of your worries would be a serious black eye.

The lens might shatter and shards might end up in your eyes.

Headbands

In volleyball, you need to follow the ball so that you can react to it appropriately. But this can be very difficult if your hair is covering your eyes.

Even if your vision isn’t impaired, just having a couple of stray hair strands on your face during an intense game can be quite annoying.

You can prevent this from happening by wearing a proper headband.

In addition to keeping your hair out of your face, headbands can also absorb sweat so it won’t drip down your face.

Knee Pads

Some people might think that wearing knee pads for a volleyball game is just overkill, but they might be among the essential wear for volleyball tryouts.

However, this will depend on your style of play. If you’re the type who goes all-in when diving for the ball, then you will definitely need the protection that knee pads provide.

Ankle Braces

Just like knee pads, if you have a particularly aggressive style of play, you should consider getting ankle braces.

Remember that volleyball requires a lot of side-to-side movements, and they’re often done in an explosive manner, so you will be putting a lot of strain on your ankles.

Most court-appropriate shoes provide varying levels of ankle support, and if you feel like yours aren’t then you should wear ankle braces just to be on the safe side.

Sweats

Finally, when preparing what to wear to volleyball tryouts, you must never forget good sweatshirts and pants.

During tryouts, you cannot tell when you will be called into the court, so you need to keep your muscles warm while you’re waiting for your turn on the bench.

Sweatshirts are also great for when you’re warming up, as they will get your muscles loosened up much quicker.

Takeaway

Aside from preparing yourself physically and mentally for the upcoming volleyball tryouts, you should also take into consideration what to wear to volleyball tryouts.

Wearing the proper gear will not only improve your performance during the tryouts but will also protect you from getting seriously injured.

So, well before the tryout date, you should check if you already have the proper clothes and volleyball gear prepared.