Athletic Gear: Other Garments

While a top-and-bottom pair or a piece of full-body apparel does cover the whole body, there are some other articles of clothing you may need to put on to be completely dressed and suited up.

Undergarments are just as essential as an athlete's outer garments. They perform better than usual in terms of support and protection especially when the sport one is engaged in actually causes that kind of "wear and tear." For the females there are sports bras (brassieres) with specialized levels of support for the breasts. Athletic supporters—jockstraps/jocks for the males and jillstraps for the females—protect the crotch area by incorporating tough material that acts as a shield against impact. Dance belts are thong jocks worn in ballet, ice skating/figure skating, horse riding/equestrianism, and dancing to prevent "visual distractions" as well as other accidents and discomforts. On other occasions, underwear for men need not be that tight-fitting, as seen in boxer briefs and boxer shorts.

Bodystockings are full-body garments similar to unitards (that cover arms, legs, and the rest of the body) in shape and similar to stockings in material, but are worn as an underlayer especially in cold conditions. The two-piece counterpart of bodystocking is long underwear, consisting of undergarments with long sleeves and long pantlegs. Thermal underwear is the thicker version of this full-body underwear.

Leg coverings are also an important part of several sports. Tights are indispensable part of dancing, ballet, gymnastics, even horse riding/equestrianism (jodhpurs, or riding pants/riding tights), cycling, wrestling, and running. (At one point, basketball players Kobe Bryant started to wear tights too!)

Leg warmers do just what they say: warm the legs. They are like socks and often cover the lower portion of the legs, but do not have "feet." They are often used in ballet, dancing, aerobics, and related activities and workouts.

Socks do not necessarily cover the whole length of the legs, but do so at least for the feet. They help absorb sweat, avoid frostbite, and ease friction. Lengths vary (ankle length to extra-long beyond the knee length) depending on the type of sport and the personal preference of the athlete wearing the socks.