These tight undershirts that footballers seem to love...

[Lady Whistledown]

...is there any scientific merit in them whatsoever, or are they just another pointless fashion trend, a la lycra shorts, Breathe-Right nose strips, that will disappear over the horizon within a year or so?

Every football, cricket and rugby match you see now is guaranteed to have at least a couple of players poncing around in their skintight, fitted "performance base layer". And looking at a sports gear website, there now seems to be an entire section devoted to such items, so somebody's making plenty of money out of them:

Skins™ is body-moulded compression performance equipment manufactured from the finest Lycra and Meryl Microfibre, scientifically engineered to provide support and muscle alignment to the smart-fabric covered area of your body. Skins™ will definitely change the way that you train and play as well as speed your recovery. You will feel fresher after heavy bouts of exercise and delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) will be minimised.


Nike, meanwhile, claim their garments will make you feel "empowered, for enhanced athletic performance".

And from adidas: Enhanced Protection:
Controls muscles vibration - less vibrations lead to less muscle tears.

Enhanced Compression:
Spatial Awareness - increase of skin receptors firing. Heightened sense of body position through an increased number of skin receptor triggering.

Possible aid to post exercise recovery:
Minimises the effects of delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) during consecutive training days.

They're just shirts, FFS. Any scientific boffins care to enlighten me as to whether these claims are remotely credible, or is it just a load of marketing shite, designed to persuade 15 stone pub players to fork out £45 for a piece of figure-enhancing polyester composite in which to strut their stuff?

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

They're just the football equivalent of cyclists love of gaily-coloured lycra next to the skin IMHO. Highly suspect

 

[empire]

i see what your saying,my son who is 10 plays footy at a good level and for a academy and he was ADVISED that these Do help,your meant to wear them during the game,after match ,have a ice cold 3 min bath,then put the garments back on and wear to bed,in the morning you are fully recovered!!.He has the tops and shorts,you tell me if they work but its what the experts say,chelsea players follow this routine as the director at the academy coaches their also.I know one thing,they aint cheap.

 

[bristolseagull]

er, just keeps them warm, tis cold out on that park you know.......

 

[Lady Whistledown]

adidas also claim in the promotional material that their Powerweb clothing enables an athlete who runs the 100m in ten seconds (which presumably equals approximately 0.000000000001% of the world population) a metre faster.

How would they even test that?

Still, you can really SEE that extra metre when you watch (adidas model) John Terry play, can't you?

 

[federicoed-up]

Simple reason, they are all gayers.

 

[Napper]

Called Skins , keep you warm, cool you down when hot. Proved to improve performance.

I've used them for intense excersise and they are the bollocks.

Place in Brighton sells them , about £50 for a short sleeve top

http://www.bournesports.com/Public/Skins_Sport_Short_Sleeve_Top/13284.htm


the official site for skins is best

 

[federicoed-up]

They're sort of like Mithrel.. in a way..

 

[Lady Whistledown]

i see what your saying,my son who is 10 plays footy at a good level and for a academy and he was ADVISED that these Do help,your meant to wear them during the game,after match ,have a ice cold 3 min bath,then put the garments back on and wear to bed,in the morning you are fully recovered!!.He has the tops and shorts,you tell me if they work but its what the experts say,chelsea players follow this routine as the director at the academy coaches their also.I know one thing,they aint cheap.

Fair enough, though I'd imagine that most of the Premier League players wearing the things are paid to do so, or at the very least, given the gear free. Unlike long suffering parents.

If your lad's supposed to wear the things, bath, then put them back on again, either you're spending a fortune on kit for him, or your washing machine is on 24 hours a day

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Called Skins , keep you warm, cool you down when hot. Proved to improve performance.

I've used them for intense excersise and they are the bollocks.

Certainly SOUNDS like bollocks

 

[empire]

Fair enough, though I'd imagine that most of the Premier League players wearing the things are paid to do so, or at the very least, given the gear free. Unlike long suffering parents.

If your lad's supposed to wear the things, bath, then put them back on again, either you're spending a fortune on kit for him, or your washing machine is on 24 hours a day

your not wrong,he has to have the nike ones,went all the way to the nike shop in pompey to get the size,mind this was last year,they seem common now and i think jjb do them,the winter compression ones are smart best to buy in summer,the summer ones best to buy cheap in the winter,esp if you want a name like nike or addidas

 

[Simon Morgan]

I wear one when running, they definitely help with the general temperature if anything else. Got an umbro one from sports world for about a tenner, recommend them.

 

[Theatre of Trees]

I've got a Canterbury sports cold base layer for those freezing nights up Stanley Deason and they are great, they'll keep the heat in, and help with circulation. I wear them when out walking on the Downs in freezing weather too as well as the odd sub-zero game at Withdean!

I'd highly recommend them.

 

[thedonkeycentrehalf]

I got some of the UnderArmour warm gear and when coaching kids at 9am in the morning it works very well as an extra warm layer.

 

[Freddie Goodwin.]

Think that's what my lad has just bought & will be wearing in the half marathon tomorrow.

It's a Nike and customised with his name & number (year of birth) and is in black. When he opened the envelope, well, i had seen bigger knickers but he somehow got it on. Christ, if they did these in shorts it would be indecent! Every lump & bump becomes clearly visable.

Makes me wonder though, would, would one make me look like an athlete?

 

[Leekbrookgull]

Dwain Chambers,swears by it.

 

[ManxSeagull]

I got some of the UnderArmour warm gear and when coaching kids at 9am in the morning it works very well as an extra warm layer.

I wear the UnderArmour warm gear whilst playing golf.

On a cold day like today (8'C), I was able to play in a long sleeved UnderArmour plus just a thin polo shirt instead of a polo shirt and jumper.

I find they really keep your upper body warm withour resticting any body movement.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

the winter compression ones are smart best to buy in summer,the summer ones best to buy cheap in the winter

Don't they do a spring and autumn collection? Or afternoon and evening versions?

I think they are missing a trick. And our youngsters are being denied the opportunity to achieve their true potential.

 

[dougdeep]

Certainly SOUNDS like bollocks

And very slightly poofy.

 

[Freddie Goodwin.]

If you're watching, or running, in the half marathon tomorrow then look out for Alex in his black Nike tope with his name and a red 83 & skull.

I'll give you a 'comfort report' on it after the event. Cold day, will it prevent jogger's nipple?