Fred Perry, a tennis and sportswear legend invented the tennis sweatbands which became an instant hit. The headbands for tennis became widely used in sports’ events especially tennis and its purpose was to absorb sweat. Since its inception, sport personalities have been wearing them in tennis matches and it is common to find great tennis players like the William sisters with a pair.
Tennis matches are known to require intense activity that span hours. When you factor in the sun shine and the paved court outdoors, then you finally start to understand why wrist bands are a vital part of a tennis match.
Today, they are designed with different materials and are available in different colors which make them attractive. Plus the chosen color can match the uniform one is wearing when playing the game.
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So, why do tennis players wear wristbands?
1. Prevent sweat around the palm
Tennis players use a lot of speed and energy not only to strike the ball but also to move around the court. It is difficult to keep up the momentum without experiencing any sweating. Sweat is an indication that body is undergoing an intense activity. Furthermore, it is part of the body system that helps it stay cool and also eliminate waste products as a result of the energy spent and fat being burned.
Tennis racquets are the tools used by tennis players to accomplish their goal – enjoy the tennis game and finally defeat their opponent. The racquet is held at one end by the palm while the netted end is used to hit the ball. As said earlier, the body does sweat especially around the arm pits and along the hands. This flows along the arms and finds its way onto the palm of the hands.
For a tennis player who lacks a wrist band, sweat can be a disastrous factor. Why? It could result in the slipping of the racquet from the hands causing one to lose points and give the opponent an advantage. This is why tennis wristbands are widely used around the wrists as they help to absorb sweat flowing along the arms from finding its way onto the palms.
2. Wipe sweat from the forehead
If you have been engaged in any sports be it bodybuilding, running, jogging, cycling or even walking, then you know how much one sweats. The body triggers sweat glands with the purpose of cooling it, especially around the forehead.
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Sweat traps heat from the body and when the wind blows around the forehead, it cools it by evaporating the sweat. While the body tries its best to ensure that the body stays cools, sweat produced can be overwhelming to the individual especially when you factor in the amount of heat and water in the body.
One thing that you need to know is that sweat carries waste products from the body which are mainly composed into salt. This is why sweat tastes a little salty when it comes into contact with your mouth. When it comes into contact with your eyes, it results in a different experience.
The salt in the sweat results in pain which can be distracting and interfere with the player’s vision temporarily. This causes one to keep shutting their eye(s) or using the back of their hand to wipe it away.
Tennis wristbands make the job much easier as most are made from cotton or another material that is absorbent. They can be used to wipe the sweat from the forehead eliminating the distracting factor during a game.
Read:
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3. Promote a brand
Tennis players both women and men command a lot of clout not only in their respective sport but also around the world. Just the mention of the following names – Serena, Venus, Rafael, Roger, Maria, Novak and Pete will immediately switch your mind to tennis even without the mention of their second names.
They are widely renowned around the world for their prowess in tennis and the amount of media attention they command makes them a hot product for sporting goods manufacturing companies.
In short, they help to promote sporting companies. A wrist band does not leave a lot of space for placing a lot of content in relation to advertising a brand. This is why you will find tennis players with wrist bands that have been imprinted with the company’s logo.
4. Fundraising and creating awareness about a cause
Wristbands have performed dual roles just like their counterparts, the tennis sweatbands. Today, wrist bands have become more than sweat absorbers or sporting company promoters. They can also be used to raise awareness for a cause.
When discussing wristbands for fundraising purposes, one has to go beyond silicone wristbands. By sticking to the same models used by tennis players today, wrist bands can be used to raise awareness.
For example: Wrist bands can be colored pink to create awareness about breast cancer. When worn by women tennis players like Serena and Venus Williams, the cause will be highly publicized as the media’s attention will be on them during a game.
Furthermore, sporting companies can still pledge a certain amount of money towards the fundraising of a certain cause thanks to the wristbands being worn by tennis players in a game. This can also be applicable to the tennis players too. Can you imagine selling an autographed wristband to fans with the purpose of raising funds and creating awareness about a certain cause?
5. Reinforcement
Apart from the legs, the eyes, hips and hands, the other parts of the body that endure intense activity when one is playing tennis are the wrists. Every hit or backhand made places a lot of stress around the wrist. The wrist is composed of the carpal bones which are eight bones that form the proximal skeletal segment of the hand.
The ligaments that connect the wrist to the hand endure a lot of stress as said earlier and the wrong move could lead to muscles being torn. The carpal bones which are eight in number may experience what is referred to as carpal fractures.
This is not great for a tennis player as the wrist plays a major factor during a game. Modern wrist bands are not only made with material that is absorbent but material thick enough that provides the much-needed support to the wrist.
During the game, this helps to provide reinforcement to the wrist and prevents damage, especially from the wrist bending too far. As said earlier, this would result in injury to ligaments and tendons connecting the wrist to the hand.
Final Thoughts
Wristbands have become widely used since their inception, especially in tennis. This does not mean that they are not widely used in other sports. In tennis, they can help to improve one’s performance as well as be useful in other terms.
Tennis players can use wrist bands to wipe sweat off the forehead. This helps to improve vision. They also help to prevent sweat from flowing to the palms of the hand. Furthermore, they are used as promotional items by sporting companies and non-governmental organizations looking to create awareness about a cause.
