we have dealt with shoes, rackets, grips, strings, etc, etc. little time have been spent examining what is the *proper* socks to wear to play badminton. personally, i find that as socks do wear out over time, i buy the US$8 / 3pair socks from sports stores. the ones that i use quite good, medium thickness, medium density. they have a towel-like feel initially, but as they wear out and fiber get stripped away, they starts to be abrasive and that's the end to the socks. but i tend to find them quite ok. especially for the price. they are good. however, Cheung gave me a pair of socks before, and they are Yonex badminton socks. the socks are very different, thick, not as thick as hiking socks, but thicker than the normal ones. but what makes it different is that it is very very dense. like higher thread count, and the texture of the socks are smooth, not towel like where you can see the individual thread. but it is more like a very very fine, very dense and very soft soft carpet. the feel of this pair of yonex socks are quite luxurious, very comfortable. but what about other types of socks? are thin socks appropriates? or should we wear very very thick hiking type socks? what type of socks are *proper* badminton socks? or is it down to personal preference?
here's a very thorough discussion about socks: http://www.aapsm.org/socknov97.html Personally, I find the section on "The fibre story" being most relevant to my badminton games concern, here's a short extract for those of you who wonders what's this website is all about: " During initial activity, moisture absorption from the feet becomes a desirable feature. In athletic activity, perspiration output on the feet can exceed one pint per foot. A large part of this moisture may actually accumulate in the feet as it is produced elsewhere on the body surface and drips down the legs due to gravity. Nonetheless, this volume of fluid far exceeds the absorptive capacity of any sock product. Therefore, to minimize moisture accumulation on the skin surface, the sock must set up a wicking gradient to the shoe. "
smelly socks Maybe its a bit of preference and comfort. I've tried brands such as thorlo-really thick socks! nike's-just above average thickness and oakley's-i love these! I'd prefer thin socks such as oakley's. They don't feel as heavy as the thick thorlo's and thinner one's dissipate the heat from the foot much faster, just from my own personal observation. Unique cross-bones logo on the side makes it look like a killer, aside from the killer smell!
I wear the tennis or squash Thorlos. They seem pretty good. *shrug* I can't wear normal cheap "sports socks". Anything thin will give me callouses and make my feet hurt.
I love the yonex ergosocks.. great comfort and added cushioning. I don't like thin socks for badminton , it gives me blisters.
I tried Thorlos Tennis version, but it lacks an arch and ankle elastic band to prevent dropping and slidding. Yonex socks are the best so far.
I like Yonex and Nike socks only. Especially there is a center support, which is something that makes the center of the socks more ribbon and thicker in support. Yonex socks is cheap in Taiwan, usually, the store will give you a free one when you buy shoes there. Or you can ask for a free one when you buy a new racquet there.
Yonex socks seem really thick and tight at the very beginning. It gives me comfortness and grip. The downside is, kinda expensive (US$8+) I think. I was lucky to receive 2 pairs as gift from a friend.
I never seen anyone wearing Yonex socks or badminton socks! Plus it would be hella embarrassing if people see me staring at their socks........
what's more embarassing is that when people see you wearing argyle socks for badminton. somehow feeling preppy. bring back the 80's look!!!
For badminton, I use ankle socks. It looks much better than those knee high socks The brands I use are adidas and dunlop. The adidas is ok, somewhat thicker than ordinarys socks. They also retain their elasticity very well. The dunlop socks are much thicker, thereby giving a fuller feeling when I wear my shoes. I prefer this since this this prevents my shoes from twisting within when I make sudden dashes. The downside is that it makes the shoes less breathable, thus after a game it is soaking wet Since alot of you guys are saying Yonex socks are good, maybe ill try them out soon
Looking better is one thing, does it feels better? I has always wore the "normal" type, the ones where it past the ankle but way below the knee Back when I started badminton (seem like only last week! ) all the guys wear those. Back then, almost all ladies wore ankle socks, but no guys. But now I am seeing guys wearing ankle, and even shoe cut (those that reach the top of your shoe only) socks.. Does any professional men players wear ankle socks...just curious. Kwun, you should do a poll as to what type of socks the BF'ers guys wear.. Shoe-cut Ankle 4"-6" above ankle (Normal) <---this is my normal, no offense to anyone Knee high
Whilst I'm with you as to normal socks, and I wear them too, but I have been thinking, just exactly what use is that extra 4 inches of sock? It's extra weight, it makes me sweat more, I roll them down towards my ankle anyway, which means my leg just above the ankle gets really hot, so is there any reason against ankle socks, besides the fact that they look gay ;P
i prefer to wear ankle socks. usually from adidas or nike, leaning more towards adidas socks more than nike. I havent tried the yonex ergo socks, but i saw a pair at the store and it was very intersting how they moved the seams so that they dont disturb the sides of the feet at the toe area so much... however, i only feel that problem with really old, about to die socks, so its ok.
i dun really have "special socks" when playing badminton! i think socks really play an important role during the game. cuz' i've worn a pair of thin socks before and it really, really hurts! it's like my toes are burning or something now it makes me think to buy a good pair of socks j/ for playing!
