Introduction:
It is obvious that taping your fingers in volleyball safeguards tendons, ligaments, and bones of fingers from injury. The very first lesson that my mom taught me in volleyball was to tape my fingers. I asked my mom, ‘Why should I tape my fingers? It’s just a ball that I have to throw.’ My mom answered, ‘ Prevention is better than cure. These tapes will protect your delicate fingers. You will eventually learn it with time.’
Her fundamental teaching has helped me throughout the years and made me an excellent volleyball player with perfectly healthy fingers. Today, in this article on ‘Why do volleyball players tape their fingers,’ we will discuss these tiny white tapes layering around our knuckles and fingers, their importance, how to wear them, etc.
Why Do Volleyball Players Tape Their Fingers?
There are some important reasons behind taping the finger in volleyball. As a volleyball player, hands, fingers, and fingertips are the most important asset for the game. I have explained the reason behind the taping of fingers in volleyball games below:
1. Adds Strength:
Taping makes fingers firmer and stiffer to bear the pressure of an attacking ball/ spike. Players can hit the ball harder for attack, dig, or smash with the help of taped fingers. An equal layer of tape adds more strength to our fingers.
Especially in digging, the players need more strength and energy to dig the ball. Naturally, our fists and forearms have higher strength. But, fingers are soft. Taping helps to fulfill the needed strength for excellent and powerful digging.
2. Prevent Bending Of Fingers:
Our fingers have many important tasks to attack, block, counterattack, spike, etc. The finger bones are softer than the bones of our arms. It is our job to protect their fingers.
Blockers and hitters tape their fingers more because they return an attacking spike. Such a speedy ball can damage the fingernails, bones, and edges if we are not wearing tape.
3. Protect Nails from Damage:
A broken fingernail hurts more than a scratch or bruise. Many players break their nails while hitting or blicking the ball. Excess pressure on the nail tip causes it to break from the base. It may swell the place of injury or cause infection.
Taping is a preventive measure to keep off the nails from unnecessary breaking and tearing. In a non-technical way, if any female player has done a manicure, the taping will protect the shine of her polished nails.
4. Helps For Top Spin Serves:
Top spin is the most important skill in professional players. If a player needs to topspin the ball while serving, his fingertips play a major role. Adding a layer of taping over the nail and fingers helps to add more friction to the ball. As a result, it helps to spin the ball more effectively.
Additionally, your fingers also stay protected without getting rubbed due to friction. This helps to keep their fingers moist and soft throughout the game.
5. Avoid Fingers From Cracking and Dryness:
Bare fingers tend to lose moisture when we play volleyball for a long. Our skin tends to become more dry in the winter season. It also adds up the dryness on the fingers more while playing volleyball.
The friction, stress, and physical tension on hitting the ball suck the moisture out of the fingers. Taping helps to retain moisture and prevent the skin of fingers from drying and cracking. It keeps our fingers soft and firm. This criterion is important for volleyball hitters and blockers. Their fingers get into friction more than other players.
6. Protects From Injury:
Volleyball involves defending, blocking, quick passing, and hitting the ball powerfully. There are many possibilities that you may get bruises, cuts, or small injuries on your fingers while playing the game. Such bruised fingers are called ‘jammed fingers’. Taping safeguards your fingers effectively without blocking your serving motion or style.
Tapes add the preventive layer which acts as a defensive mechanism to keep the fingers away from injury. Even if you are a beginner or a professional player, you must tape your fingers before the game.
How To Tape Fingers:
If you are a regular volleyball player or enthusiast, you must have heard of buddy taping, kinesiology tapes, etc. These athletic finger wraps are valuable to save a player’s skillful hands and fingers from abuse and damage. For reference, I have shared a few basic steps to tape your fingers properly below:
- Fold a piece of gauze to make it into a strip.
- Place your non-dominant hand on a plain surface.
- Insert the gauze between the two fingers that you want to tape.
- Wrap these fingers with an athletic tape. Start from the base of your fingers to the top.
- Tape the nails and edges too to avoid damage and injury. Add a verticle and horizontal layer of tape around the nails and fingertips to prevent accidents.
- Fold the tape two to three times to make them firm and stiff.
- Taping should not be so tight. The blood should circulate between the taped fingers.
- You can add a second layer of tape in the first and second joint of fingers. It adds strength and support to your finger joints.
- Now, tape your dominant hand. If you cannot do it by yourself, you can ask your teammate or coach to help you with taping.
- Try to flex and contract the fingers, open and close the fist, and bend the fingers to test the taping. If you can move the fingers with support without any strain, then your taping is perfectly done.
Watch this video to learn how to tape your fingers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avdpIVl5Q9k
FAQs:
- What is buddy taping in volleyball?
Volleyball players get their fingers injured due to hard hits or blocks. In such situations, the injured finger is taped with the healthy/ non-injured adjacent finger with the help of athletic tape and gauze. It is called buddy taping. It adds support and strength to the bruised finger with less pain.
- What Tape would you use for fingers in volleyball?
An athletic tape, thumb brace off (helpful for sprained thumbs), duct tape, jako tape, or a strip of cotton cloth is used for taping in volleyball.
Final Thoughts:
I hope this guide on ‘Why do volleyball players tape their fingers?’ has helped you learn the basics of safety and the importance of fingers. Whether you are a blocker or hitter, a finger tape can always safeguard you from sprain, swellings, strains, and pain in your precious tips! What kind of finger tape do you prefer, let us know in the comment section.
