If he’s age 7 or older and plays a vigorously athletic sport, he probably needs an athletic supporter, according to pediatrician quoted in Long Island Newsday.
Athletic supporters (“jockstraps”) protect the testicl*s from injury. Usually, athletes wear a solid plastic “cup” inside the jockstrap; the cup covers the testicl*s and penis and deflects or absorbs the impact of a hit.
The greater your son’s risk of getting hit or kicked in the genital area, the more he needs protection. So boys who play football, baseball, hockey, lacrosse and karate should probably wear a cup and athletic supporter. Protection is not as necessary for basketball, though some boys might prefer to wear a jockstrap or compression shorts during play for comfort.
Compression shorts, by the way, are far more common today than traditional jockstraps. Some compression shorts contain a built-in cup. Others havea pocket or space where you can insert or remove a cup.
Compression shorts and jockstraps are sold according to waist size. Some come in sizes small, medium, large, X-large and XX-large (remember, that refers to “small” or “X-large” waist sizes). Others are sized like pants — 28, for instance, means a 28 inch waist.
At first, your son might need to be reminded to wear protection during practices and games. You may also need to remind him that compression shorts, jock straps and cups need to be washed on a regular basis.
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4 Responses
I appreciate that you explained how kids who play contact sports should be wearing athletic supporters. My son was tapped to play for their school’s football team and I want to be as supportive as I can be. It would be ideal if he can enjoy the sport without suffering any injuries but knowing how physical football can get, it’s only due diligence that I provide my son everything he needs to keep him safe. Thank you very much for this informative read!
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I see this article on jockstraps is an old, but an important topic for boys health. Unfortunately, jockstraps for the most part dead. Most guys wear boxer briefs for support, even though a traditional jock is 1/3 the cost and actually works better. The more critical piece of equipment we need boys to wear in contact sports is the athletic cup. For many reasons, boys are embarrassed to wear cups (bulge in uniform, uncomfortable, hot and having to bring up topic involving protection of testicl*s with parents.)
As a father, our town’s youth hockey association is good about requiring boys to wear protective cups whenever on the ice. Little league can be lax on cup rule when boy’s are playing in the outfield, even though there are plenty of risks to injury while in the batters box.
My experience playing contact sports as boy and as an adult has taught me that eventually you are going to be in a situation that you cannot react fast enough and the protection of a cup will be worth every penny and will be much less painful.Reply
I agree.my son in high school baseball wears a cup in his compression shorts.jockstraps were more popular I guess when I was coming up. But a cup is so neccessary in contact sports!
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My son is 18 and plays rugby, baseball and soccer. He says he never plays contact sports without protection. This summer it was really hot and he wore his jockstrap and cup over his compression shorts to avoid chafing.
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