Basketball compression tights with knee pads are a crucial piece of equipment for basketball players who often find their knees are getting banged up during games or their sore muscles take a long time to recover after playing.
With compression applied to the legs in all of the right places, muscles get more oxygen and blood flow, helping them stay healthier and to bounce back more quickly.
When compression tights are worn during recovery after injury, they may also help speed up recovery.
The knee pads in the tights will allow you to protect your knees acutely on the court, whether that means running into other players or from impact when hitting the ground.
These helpful and versatile tights are something that every basketball player can benefit from.
This article will show you some of the best basketball compression tights with knee pads for your consideration.
Top 5 Recommendations
1. Blindsave 3/4 Tights with Knee Padding
Commonly considered to be among the best of the best, the Blindsave 3/4 Tights with Knee Padding come with many features that make them a fan favorite.
First and foremost, they are remarkably thin and lightweight, especially in the padded areas, which helps you stay active without giving you the feeling of being weighed down by clunky padding.
The padding is also different in the way its shape has been optimized as well as the positioning of the pads themselves.
Unlike a lot of other brands, the pads in these tights have a spherical shape that fits around the knees nicely and in a lightweight manner.
These tights are also known for their shock-absorbing qualities, using modern technology to reduce the amount of shock to your knees when you jump or run into another person or even hit the court.
The padding in the tights helps you feel safer when playing, which can make you more confident and, in turn, enable you to improve your performance.
The ergonomic nature of the knee pads will give you free range of motion, which makes them ideal for playing sports such as basketball where you need as much freedom of movement as possible to take quick steps and moves.
The lightweight nature of the tights makes it so that you can’t even really feel the padding, making them even more comfortable. They are quite flexible and offer a nice level of compression to further your comfort.
The fabric of the Blindsave 3/4 Tights with Knee Padding also makes it so the tights can adjust to the shape of the body and even stays in place when the temperature reaches 37 degrees Celsius.
The fabric becomes softer at this temperature, making the tights more breathable to keep you cool and dry no matter how long you play.
The Blindsave 3/4 Tights with Knee Padding are fashioned out of the highest quality raw materials that are locally handcrafted to ensure quality, while their partnership with scientific professionals helps them ramp up the technology used and take them to the next level.
This also includes using an improved level of compression that does not sacrifice the stylish appeal of the tights so that you can feel confident when wearing them.
The material allows for shape retention and comfort and also boasts quick-drying properties.
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2. McDavid 748X Teflx ¾ Length
Perfect for those who prefer three-quarter-length pants for wearing long basketball socks, the McDavid 748X Teflx ¾ Length are a great choice.
The pants are strong enough to easily withstand any sort of repeated wear plus scuffs and skids without damage, no matter what surfaces you hit against.
The material is not only strong but remarkably breathable and lightweight, which is crucial to a player’s comfort especially in the summer and their free range of motion on the court all season long.
This flexible material, known as the 9mm Hex Technology fabric, won’t restrict your movements, letting you make sharp, quick movements on the court.
The McDavid 748X Teflx ¾ Length also features hDc Moisture Management Technology that helps to not only keep you cool but also wicks away the moisture from sweating to keep you dry.
The product is especially nice for those who play indoors, as the breathable material will stop you from getting sweaty that could end up giving you painful blisters.
Therefore, if you are a person who not only needs protection from the usual bumps and bangs and bruises that befall the knees and want to play more comfortably, the McDavid 748X Teflx ¾ Length are the pants for you.
The adidas Men’s Basketball Padded Three-Quarter Tights is another well-loved pair of basketball compression tights.
They are full length tights that put emphasis on comfort, strength and high levels of performance with plenty of flexibility and lots of compression for the entire leg.
Most importantly, these tights are made to wear both in cold and hot weather, as the unique fabric is one that is able to help regulate the temperature of the skin.
In cold environments, the fabric helps to trap in body heat, which not only will keep you warm, but will promote the health of your muscles and aid in their recovery.
In hot environments, the fabric is still breathable enough for you to feel cool when you wear them.
Their ventilation properties also allow for moisture wicking that will keep you from feeling wet and sweaty.
The padding on the knee is even moisture wicking due to the mesh that has been incorporated into the padding in a unique way that other brands have not yet achieved.
Furthermore, even the strong padding of the adidas Men’s Basketball Padded Three-Quarter Tights will absorb the shock if you are knocked against the floor of the court or the other players, making the tights a great choice all the way around for both comfort and protection.
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4. Jellybro Men’s Compression Pants
Jellybro is a brand that is known for their one-of-a-kind fabric that provides both ample compression and elasticity.
The result of this is the ability for the player to easily move while they play, giving them the ability to make sharp movements and to move unencumbered to perform at their best.
This also provides you with plenty of compression from top to bottom, helping to improve the flow of blood that will have the muscles feeling loser and more comfortable.
The fabric is fashioned out of high quality polyester material with Eva emulsion, which is responsible for reducing odor caused by sweat that will keep you feeling fresher.
Because the fabric boasts wicking technology, it also keeps you dry, no matter how long you are playing and regardless of the weather you are playing in.
The odor resistant fabric of the Jellybro Men’s Compression Pants is also antimicrobial to go one step further toward keeping you clean and fresh.
The material that is used for the padding in the Jellybro Men’s Compression Pants is waterproof as well, helping to reduce sweat and to lessen the chance of blisters forming.
The fabric is lightweight though it is as thick as 10 millimeters to still give you the protection that you need.
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5. COOLOMG Basketball Pants with Knee Pads
Kids need good compression pants just like adults do, and these COOLOMG Basketball Pants with Knee Pads are arguably the best for kids and young adults.
The fabric is fashioned out of 85 percent polyester and 15 percent spandex, providing you with the perfect mix between durability an elasticity, making them perfect for kids who tend to play hard and come away with a lot of bruising or are known to just be rough on their clothes.
They are three-quarter length, allowing kids to wear their favorite basketball socks as well.
The padding has ergonomic flat seams that won’t rub against young players to prevent irritation, and it will also stop the formation of pressure points and abrasions against the skin.
The 3D flexibility of the fabric allows them to easily move without restriction, and the wide waistband will help to minimize all of the tension around the body in order to keep them comfortable during and after the game.
Finally, the padding on the knee of the COOLOMG Basketball Pants with Knee Pads won’t easily slip around, staying in place no matter how active the player is during games.
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What’s the function of these basketball compression tights?
Full court basketball games put a lot of physical demands and strain on the body, and those demands are best met with equipment designed to lessen some of the strain.
So, these tights compress the legs and put extra protection around the knees to protect the player from damage especially when they are known to dive and move erratically.
Not only this, but they could speed up the process of healing from a previous injury.
Compression tights often provide foam pads that cushion the knees, while the elastic sleeve helps to hold the pad to the knee.
The flexibility of the elastic allows for greater ease of motion so the player can enjoy the feeling of compression and the protection of the pad without restricting their range of motion.
The material is also typically quite breathable in order to ensure your comfort no matter how long you play and wear them.
It is important to note that the functionality varies a little from sleeves and braces that sit around the knee.
These knee pads are specifically designed to support a player’s knees by softening the blow when the knees clash with other players or the hard surface of the court, which could add to their sense of security to make more daring moves on the court.
Benefits of Compression Tights
Increased Power and Jumping Capabilities
Compression pants are thought to be able to improve a player’s ability to jump and will help them land more comfortably on your feet so they can bounce back up quickly.
The compression of the tights is what is responsible for this, able to push and contract to absorbsome of the shock and help protect the knees.
Increased Protection
The main benefit of wearing these compression tights is that they protect your legs and knees specifically against injury, as your knees and thighs are among the most common places to experience injury when playing and these types of tights are geared directly for those parts of the body.
Furthermore, the knee pads also provide greater levels of stability to the tail bone.
Hasten the Healing Process
Compression is known to have many benefits for the body when applied in the proper place, and one of those benefits is healing.
Injuries to the knee can be remarkably painful and can take longer to heel since you are constantly walking around and putting stress on them.
Compression pants will compress the area around the injured knee, which can reduce some of the strain and accelerate healing.
They also help by keeping the muscles of the legs and knees in close alignment, which can aid in healing while increasing the flow of blood around those specific muscles.
Help Maintain Body Temperature
Tight-fitting compression tights are thought to be able to regulate the temperature of the skin to keep you feeling comfortable in any weather.
These kinds of pants are typically fashioned out of special fabrics that help to keep the muscles warm, something that can reduce the pain and reduce the risk of injury.
They are also usually breathable, so you won’t feel sweaty when you wear them, no matter how long you are playing. Moisture wicking technology is usually a part of these fabrics.
Reduce Skin Irritation
A common reason for wearing basketball compression tights is that they can reduce the amount of irritation the skin experiences when playing basketball in loose shorts.
Shorts can cause a lot of chafing, especially between the thighs, which can make playing and even walking very unpleasant.
Compression tights prevent this irritation by keeping the area free from moisture, which is what is usually responsible for chafing while also helping to keep oxygen and blood moving through the legs.
With increased blood circulation, you may also be able to minimize the soreness that you experience after playing, which can have you feeling ready to get back out on the court sooner rather than later.
By removing muscular oscillation while playing, you may also experience better performance in the game.
Transport Oxygen More Easily
Muscles need a good amount of oxygen in order to function at their best, and compression pants tend to increase the lymphatic fluids that flow to your muscles, which in turn increases the level of oxygen in those same muscles.
This helps reduce muscle fatigue and will keep you more active on the court.
Maintenance
Much like any other valued personal item, you’ll need to make sure that you’re taking the best possible care of your tights to make them work for you for as long as possible while maintaining their durability and helping them last longer.
Washing
By washing the tights regularly, not only are you keeping them clean and free from odor, bacteria, dead skin cells and oils, but you are also helping to keep the elasticity present in the fabric so they continue to perform at their best.
You can wash your tights either in a machine or by hand. If you choose to wash them in a machine, be sure you put them in a mesh lingerie bag as not to damage the fabric or stretch them out too much. Wash them in a gentle cycle and use cold water.
If you’d rather hand wash them, do so gently without aggressive movements to avoid stretching.
Use cool water when washing and then gently squeeze out any excess water by rolling them dry in a towel and then allowing them to air dry the rest of the way.
What Detergent Should You Use?
It is best to use a mild soap or detergent to prevent damage to the elasticity or integrity of the fabric. You will want to look for detergents that are free of additives and fabrics softeners, and bleach could damage the fabric and should be avoided.
How to Dry
Drying these types of pants outside in the sun or in a hot, rough dryer may cause them to stretch out too much, ruining some of the stretch of the elastic in the pants.
Instead, it’s better to avoid direct sunlight or any other direct sort of heat and just dry them in a cool place first using a towel to sap up most of the water before allowing them to dry flat on a towel or a drying rack.
Things to Consider Before Purchasing
Length
It is important to pick the appropriate length of the compression tights between either three-quarter length pants or full-length pants depending on your needs.
Three-quarter length pants will leave space for those who enjoy wearing basketball socks when they play and will simply cover from the shin to the upper thigh.
They won’t bunch up and are thought to be more stylish than full-length tights.
Still, benefits of the full-length tights are plentiful, doing everything from compressing the entire leg in the right spots while also providing extra warmth both for comfort and pain reduction.
Material Type and Strength
Many pants that are made for this purpose are crafted out of 90 percent polyester and 10 percent spandex, and those that have the most elasticity from Spandex are going to provide you with the most compression, so consider how much you are really looking for before you buy.
Picking a thicker fabric will help keep your legs warmer, while choosing a fabric that is thinner is going to give you a more breathable feel.
You’ll also want to look and make sure the seams are durable so they won’t rip and tear when you are playing.
Size
Size is important to figure into the purchase just like any other clothing items.
Compression pants are going to fit a bit tighter than most pants because of their elasticity, so you may need to get a size larger than you might otherwise choose.
You want them to be tight enough that you will get the right level of compression without being too tight and restricting the flow of blood.
Be sure to measure yourself before you choose your size to be sure you have a comfortable fit right out of the box.
Summary
Taking care to protect your knees goes a long way toward how quickly you recover after a game, in how comfortable you are when you play and in reducing the chance of injury while increasing your performance.
If you notice that your knees are achy and sore after you play a game, even if you wear comfortable basketball shoes, compression tights are probably going to serve as a life saver for you.
If you need to help the healing process of an existing injury to the knee, using the tights will be just as beneficial to you.
In this article, we have outlined a few of the most popular and effective basketball compression tights and provided a buying guide that should help you make the most informed decision for your next purchase.
With tips on what to look for in a pair of these tights and even tips on how to maintain them after you have purchased, you’ll be playing at your best for many games to come and won’t have any painful, bruised knees to show for it.
