The Proper Way to Wear an Athletic Supporter

An athletic supporter, also identified as a jockstrap, is worn by boys and men to protect their genitals during sports, such as football, hockey, lacrosse, karate, baseball and other games where injury to the genitals is possible. An athletic supporter must be put on properly to ensure adequate protection.

Sizing

You need to try on the athletic supporter of your choice to ensure a proper and comfortable fit. If the athletic supporter is too tight or loose, choose another variety to ensure adequate protection. Some males prefer wearing a jockstrap, while others feel more comfortable in compression shorts that have a plastic protective cup inserted into the pouch of the shorts or that is already built into the compression shorts' design.

Positioning

There are two types of cups: triangular-shaped and banana-shaped. The triangular cup offers more room in the upper portion of the cup. How you position your genitals inside the cup is based on comfort. The cup should be snug and not move around. If you get hit in the region of the genitals and the cup moves around, you can experience tremendous pain and potential injury.

Choosing Your Style

There are different styles of athletic supporters from which to choose. Some are attached to straps that are fitted around the body, and others are created so that a cup slips into a pouch in a pair of shorts. To determine what style of athletic supporter is right for you, ask yourself if you will be comfortable with one that covers your buttocks or one that does not. Some males prefer the extra privacy that compression shorts offer. These shorts can be slipped on like a regular pair of shorts, and they can be worn underneath a uniform or sportswear for protection of the genitals; a cup section can also be positioned in the front over the genital area. You might feel more comfortable in them, since they offer full area coverage, whereas other athletic supporters only hold the cup into position with straps and offer little coverage of the backside.

Hooking Up Straps

Swim-style, slingshot and thong athletic supporters have straps that you must adjust to wear them. After removing your pants and underwear, you can slip on the athletic supporter like a pair of underwear and ensure a snug fit of the cup (if the straps are already intact). When you have an athletic supporter with straps that have to be attached, position the cup pouch in front of the genital area and allow the leg straps to hang down. If you have a swim-style athletic supporter, put the two hanging straps between your legs and clip each strap to the backside of the supporter's waistband. The straps are elastic and stretch with ease. Alternatively, a thong-style supporter has a single strap hanging down that is later brought between your legs and buttocks, and snapped to the backside of the supporter's waistband.

References

• KidzWorld on Wearing an Athletic Supporter
• JockstrapCentral: History of Jockstraps