Why Volleyball Players Tape Their Fingers?

It’s a common sight that volleyball players tape their fingers. There are many reasons for this behavior. For volleyball players, this is essential for them. Because it can protect their fingers, help them recover, strengthen their power, and so on. This article will explore the reasons why volleyball players tape their fingers.

The Purpose of Finger Taping for Volleyball Players

Health Reasons

Taping fingers is good for your skin and nail health. It provides direct physical protection by stabilizing the base of nails and preventing the surrounding skin from impact. This reduces the risk of swelling, infection, friction, dryness, and painful cracks, keeping both nails and skin healthy for play.

Injury Prevention

● Extra Support

Taping fingers offers additional support to joints and soft tissues. Volleyball players should frequently hit the volleyball with their hands, while the volleyball has a fast speed and a huge impact force. According to the data, more than 57% of fractures in volleyball are caused by fingers. So many volleyball players tape their fingers to gain protection. Tape provides extra support for fingers, so that they can disperse external force, lowering the risk of bruises, sprains, or fractures.

● Reducing Impact

If there isn’t an appropriate protection, the huge impact makes it difficult for your fingers to bear. By taping your fingers, excessive joint movement will be restricted, so your fingers won’t be bent by the volleyball forcefully. Additionally, this can provide cushioning for fingers and protect the more fragile finger bones.

These are common injuries in volleyball games. While providing protection, tape doesn’t hinder the agility of fingers. It serves as a flexible guard for your fingers, allowing players to freely make attacks and block.

Recovery Reasons

If your fingers get injured, you can tape the injured finger to an adjacent one. This method makes it a natural splint, providing you with extra stabilization. And the stabilization will limit the spread of pain caused by intense exercise. This can also protect the joint and surrounding soft tissues directly as well. What’s more, the reduction of stress on the injury allows the tissues to recover and ensure a safer exercise.

Function Reasons

● Strength

The tape provides extra support, making fingers firmer and more resilient. This allows players to hit or dig the ball with greater strength. As a result, they can improve their performance in attacks, blocks, and defensive plays by taping their fingers.

● Moisture Retention

Taping helps the skin to retain moisture, preventing fingers from drying and cracking due to friction with the volleyball. This will keep fingers soft and reduce uncomfortable feelings, especially in cold and dry weather.

● Topspin Control

The topspin technique is essential in volleyball, since it is the foundation of powerful spikes and jump serves, which can maximize offensive speed and control. Tape enables extra friction at the fingertips. This enhances grip and spin on the volleyball while protecting the skin from rubbing and irritation during competitions.

● Confidence

With the protection of the tape, players gain confidence to compete more freely and daringly. This psychological support helps them focus fully on the competition without the fear of injury.

Fashion Reasons

In addition to enhancing the performance of athletes, tape also plays the role as fashion accessory. Many volleyball players tape their fingers to express individuality and team spirit, even though there is no finger injury. Nowadays, the tape style has become a symbol of volleyball, which is accepted by majorities of volleyball players.

How to Tape Fingers for Volleyball?

Buddy Taping

The buddy taping technique is best for mild sprains or jammed fingers, which can help your injured fingers recover quickly. For this technique, you need to place padding between fingers to prevent irritation, then wrap rigid tape around the bases and tips. Moreover, you should ensure the flexibility of the middle joints to hit and grip the ball freely during the competition.

Protective Wrap

The protective wrap technique is best for hitters, which helps add grip strength and prevent blisters. To begin with, you need to select elastic or kinesiology tape. Then you are supposed to wrap them from the base towards the tip in a spiral motion, and end just below the nail. This provides a “second skin” that prevents your fingers from friction burns and cracks.

X-Taping

The X-taping technique is best for blockers, since it can enhance joint stability and prevent hyperextension. This technique starts with a foundation wrap at the finger’s base. Then you need to crisscross the tape over the knuckle in an “X” pattern. This structure reinforces the joint’s stability against powerful hits. Meanwhile, this allows necessary forward movement for setting and spiking.

Tips

Though many volleyball players tape their injured fingers to help recover, you need to consult a doctor before taping a swollen finger. Additionally, while taping your fingers, you’d better be careful. You need to wrap them in a spiral pattern and gradually reduce pressure from the base to the tip. It’s essential to stop immediately if you feel uncomfortable. Because this is the warning that the tape is too tight.

FAQ

What Are The Different Types of Volleyball Finger Tape?

There are four types of volleyball finger tape. The first one is rigid zinc oxide tape. It provides maximum stability for finger joints, which secures injured joints perfectly and prevents hyperextension effectively.  Blockers use this gear the most. The second one is elastic kinesiology tape. Its fabric imitates the elasticity of the skin, which enables players to maintain precise control of their fingers, and players like setters often use it to prevent skin cracking and blisters. The third one is a cohesive self-adherent wrap, which is ideal for players with sensitive skin or those who perspire heavily. The last one is specialty finger sleeves. They are convenient for daily practice and an alternative to traditional tape, since they provide quick compression, consistent support, and prevent minor abrasions.

What Does Finger Taping Do in Volleyball?

There are many advantages finger taping has in volleyball. During this fierce game, finger taping plays an important role in protection. It enhances your joint stabilization, giving you support, reducing impact force, and so on. It also improves players’ performance, especially for setters and blockers.

Final Thoughts

There is no doubt that finger taping plays an important role in volleyball games. It is the best partner for volleyball players. Nearly every player has their customized finger tape. This little finger tape not only protects players, but also gives them power for both physical and psychological reasons.

Goaluniform is a professional sportswear supplier. We have advanced technology and high-quality fabric for you. If you want to purchase volleyball finger tapes, we can be your best choice. Don’t hesitate to contact us and ask for a quote right now!