Reasons Behind football Players Wearing Turf Tape & What is it?
Unlike in past eras, today’s football players from high school through the NFL are seeing taped up from the wrist to the back of the triceps. Known as Turf Tape, it is designed to help prevent skin abrasions and burns when a player contacts the playing surface. This trend of applying turf tape onto your arms sky rocketed after NFL superstar Alvin Kamara made this popular.
Turf Tape for Arms
The tape used to protect arms from impacts on both natural and artificial turf is designed differently than athletic and kinesiology tape. Note that turf tape won’t help protect athletes from separations and muscle injuries.
The high impact collisions between players and falls to the turf can be devastating to the skin. In fact, skin burns, and infections to the skin are possible. Therefore, anything that can be used to reduce this risk is a necessity. Turf tape can help reduce pain, scars, and lower risk of infection.
Be sure the tape is made of a combination of nylon and cotton. In addition, the tape must be elastic in nature and needs to contain a medical adhesive, The proper tape will enable it to remain in place during repetitive motion in all weather conditions.
What Turf Tape Does
Professional football players use turf tape for protection but also for style. Not only is turf tape worn on the arms, but also on exposed areas of the legs susceptible to turf burns.
The most common positions benefiting from using turf tape are skills position players on offense (running back, wide receiver), as well as defensive backs and linebackers. Any player can wear turf tape, because it doesn’t hinder in performance and will offer protection.
Turf burns are so commonplace in contact sports such as football, the left untreated could lead to infections of the skin. To avoid this, turf tape is worn over the ankles and knees, the two most common areas to hit the playing surface.
How to apply Turf Tape onto your skin
Cut the desired length needed to apply the Turf Tape to the desired location (usually starting from the upper triceps area, down to the bottom of the wrist). Peel off the application barrier, which protects the medical adhesive and apply the sticky side of the Football turf tape directly onto your skin. If done correctly, this should create a tight, yet elastic type feel on the area of the body it was placed on.
Additionally, here is a video that will walk you through the Turf Tape application process:
