Volleyball is a fast and extremely straining sport on your ankles and other joints. With sudden movements and changes of direction, it is not uncommon for volleyball players to suffer at least one or two ankle injuries during the course of their careers.
With volleyball ankle braces, these injuries can possibly be prevented and extend your career.
Volleyball Ankle Brace Overview
Many people believe that ankle braces should only be worn by people who have already suffered from ankle injuries, but this is a common misconception and ankle braces are designed to protect your ankles, not only help them heal.
However, there are certain ankle braces designed specifically for injured ankles to help them heal.
We have set out to find the best ankle braces to not only help your ankles heal but also protect them from any possible injuries.
But you still need to be careful, as injuries might still occur even with the most expensive ankle braces and we do not take responsibility for any unfortunate event of an injury.
Before we dive into the top volleyball ankle braces, there are a few features that you need to know about to ensure that you get value for your money and that you have the best possible protection for your ankles.
Key features to look for:
Ankle braces are generally not that expensive, but you will find a few of them that are specifically designed for protecting your ankles and also healing current injuries.
These are expensive, but if you understand what to look for in the ankle braces, you should be more inclined to find something affordable that will still offer your great protection. So let’s look at a few of the important features:
Comfort
While comfort might not be a protective feature in ankle braces, it is still something that needs to be taken into consideration. Your playing ability will be significantly hindered if you cannot move and run comfortably.
Types
There are three types of ankle braces to choose from for volleyball players and they all have a different design and also works towards a different goal:
Sock
The sock-type ankle brace is one that is designed to emphasize comfort and to make the brace easier to wear with your socks. These ankle braces are generally the cheapest as well.
Mechanical
The mechanical type has been designed for more stability and to offer much more protection to your ankles. These braces are generally much tougher and they might hinder movement from time to time, but your ankles will be stable
Gel enhanced
The gel-enhanced ankle braces are much like sock type since they are small and easy to wear with your socks. They also offer you healing properties of the inner gel and are great to move with, but unfortunately, these ankle braces are rather expensive.
Stability
Ankle braces should offer your ankle great stability, but they should not hinder the movement or your playing ability. You will need to look for the best mixture of stability and softness to get the best value.
Abrasion Resistant
Yes, the cheaper model ankle braces are prone to cause abrasions because of constant friction and this could even do damage to your shoes. Finding the best volleyball ankle brace means that you will need to look at the materials and ensure they will not cause abrasions
By going with these features in your ankle braces, you can be sure that you are heading in the right direction. The type will vary from person to person and your budget of course, but we highly recommend that you invest in the safety of your joints and ankles.
This is even more important once you have sustained an ankle injury or if you are recovering from one.
With that being said, let’s look at the top volleyball ankle braces to keep your ankles protected and help you recover from injury:
Best Volleyball Ankle Braces Reviews
1. Active Ankle T2 Rigid Ankle Brace
Brace type: Mechanical
Special features: Offers good stability, less bulky design, promote flexibility, easy to slip on and off, custom molded EVA padding, lightweight construction
The Active Ankle T2 rigid ankle brace is like the bigger more sophisticated brother of the first one.
This brace features much of the same features as the first one, but a few of them have been improved. The stabilization of the brace is much more comfortable and it uses custom-molded EVA pads to help keep your foot rigid.
These EVA pads will also mold to the shape of your ankle and provide you with more comfort.
The top of the brace also has much less bulk to allow your sock to easily fit over and your shoes will still comfortably fit with the thin strap design.
This brace offers you a quick fit to allow to take it on or off in a jiffy and the design once again promotes good ventilation.
The anatomical bilateral hinges will also give your foot back its full range of movement, thus allowing you to wear the brace for longer periods of time.
Furthermore, it is also extremely lightweight to help keep you light on your feet and moving without obstruction. It is also worth noting that this brace does have an extremely low chance of giving you abrasions.
If you are willing to pay a little extra, we recommend that you look at the bigger brother to see what better features it will give you.
This brace is recommended for all sports athletes and should be a fixture in your safety pack.
Pros:
- Offers good stabilization
- Affordable
- Promotes healing and flexibility
- Easy to slip on and off
Cons:
- A little oversized, but can be adjusted
2. Bracoo Breathable Neoprene Ankle Support
Brace type: Sock
Special features: Lightweight, breathable open design, promotes stability and flexibility, breathable neoprene material, contour design for custom adjustments
The Bracoo breathable neoprene ankle support has been designed to help athletes move freely, while still promoting great stability for the ankles.
This ankle guard features a contoured design to allow you to customize the brace to fit your specific needs.
The brace also has an open design which will promote ventilation and clear up moisture.
Having a lightweight brace can be crucial when playing volleyball and since you have already chosen high-quality volleyball shoes, this brace will perfectly compliment them to keep you flexible and moving freely on the court.
The neoprene material in the design also reduces any risk of abrasions to ensure that you can play more comfortably.
Furthermore, the brace is also very flexible and extremely affordable, thus giving everyone the opportunity to buy one, regardless of your sport or activity.
Since the brace does not cover the entire foot, they can also be worn all day long to ensure that your ankle is protected from injury.
We highly recommend this ankle brace to any sports athlete, but it will be very beneficial to volleyball players because of the weight and the flexibility it provides.
The customizability is also great and you will be able to use it for almost any sports purpose:
Pros:
- Really affordable
- Customizable contour design
- Promotes stability and flexibility
- Lightweight
- Great ventilation
Cons:
- The brace is not made for swollen ankles and you will have to wait for the swelling to die down
3. ASO Ankle Stabilizer
Brace type: Mechanical
Special features: figure-eight strap for maximum support, the bilateral design fits both feet, elastic cuff closure promotes the fit and adjustability, durable nylon construction
The ASO ankle stabilizer has been designed for people suffering from severe ankle problems. This ankle brace features a mechanical design structure and it has been constructed from durable nylon to give you an everlasting ankle brace.
Volleyball players with constant ankle problems should look into getting one of these as they are also lightweight and the elastic cuff will promote customization until you have the perfect fit.
The brace is also open and will allow good ventilation to get to your ankle and it will also fit over your socks easily. The thin design will also comfortably fit in your shoes and not allow any abrasions.
Furthermore, the ankle brace features a bilateral design, meaning that one size not only fits all but also both feet.
Should you have one ankle that is bugging you, you will only need one of these braces and if the other one also causes problems after the first one has healed, the brace should work for both.
We highly recommend this ankle brace for the value and multifunctional use it provides.
The brace could become an essential part of your household medical equipment and you could quickly stabilize a sprained ankle before going to the doctor.
Pros:
- Extremely flexible
- Really affordable
- Offers maximum stabilization
- Abrasion-resistant
Cons:
- Does take some time to put on correctly
4. BioSkin TriLok Ankle Support Brace
Brace type: Mechanical
Special features: Easy to strap on, lightweight, offers good ventilation, offers great arch support, thin design
BioSkin product has been promoted by various different sports teams and the Trilok ankle support brace has been used by many of them as ankle injuries are very common in most running sports.
The Trilok brace features an extremely durable, but also easy to put on design with no braces, thus meaning that it an easily be slid on your foot and taken off.
The thin material used in the construction will allow you to comfortably wear your volleyball shoes over them and with the much-needed ventilation; your feet will not become a sweaty mess.
The brace is also thicker at the bottom to help promote shock absorption as you walk and reduce even more strain on your ankles.
Furthermore, the brace also features a bilateral design, thus promoting the value and ensuring that one will fit both of your feet.
It is lightweight as well, which will allow you to move around and jump in the air to spike home that winning shot with no pain or irritation at all.
We highly recommend this ankle brace for the multi-functionality it offers and the fact that it is trusted by multiple different sports teams.
The brace is available in multiple sizes and we believe that the price justifies the healing it will bring to your ankle.
Pros:
- Offers multifunctional use
- Easy to slip on and off
- Provides great comfort and flexibility
- Has good ventilation
Cons:
- It is expensive
5. Active Ankle T1 Rigid Ankle Brace
Brace type: Mechanical
Special feature: Offers good flexibility, strong rigid design, lightweight, bilateral design, can be easily adjusted
The Active Ankle T1 rigid ankle brace is one of the more sport-specific braces and it has specifically been designed for sports played on the court.
A lot of the unnecessary strapping has been left out to reduce weight and also offer you much more flexibility in movement.
The ankle brace is really stable and with less strapping, you will have the opportunity to customize the fit to your specific needs.
The bilateral design means that one brace will fit both of your feet, but you will need to look at sizes to ensure that you have the correct size that offers adequate protection for your ankles.
Furthermore, the brace will also work on sprained ankles and since the bulk of the brace is around your ankle and not your feet, your shoes should fit comfortably and no abrasions will be caused by friction.
The brace is also really affordable and will provide you with near-perfect ventilation.
This brace is recommended for volleyball and tennis players who struggle with ankle problems, but love to continue running around on the court.
The brace will be great with almost any shoe and also a great addition to your sporting safety equipment.
Pros:
- Really affordable
- Provides good ventilation
- Easy to strap on
- Stabilizes the ankle perfectly
Cons:
- Bulky upper design will require you to wear shorter socks
6. Neo G Airflow Ankle Support
Brace type: Sock
Special features: Soft breathable material, extremely flexible, FDA class 1 medical device approved, dries extremely fast, great ventilation
While volleyball is a sport that requires you to move a lot and you will obviously be sweating a lot, the Neo G Airflow ankle support has been designed to make all of these requirements possible.
The ankle brace is a sock type, which means that you could wear it underneath your sock for comfort and it has also been constructed from soft breathable materials. This will ensure that your ankle still has great ventilation.
The brace has also been approved by the FDA as a class 1 medical device, thus ensuring that you will have value when you purchase it. Furthermore, the ankle brace feature top moisture-wicking fibers to help evacuate moisture in a jiffy.
This ankle brace has been specifically designed to help stabilize the ankle and since it is predominantly used by runners, it should be a great fit for volleyball players as well and it will mostly provide comfort and flexibility to ensure that you could move freely and stabilize your ankle during harsh landings.
This ankle brace is really affordable and we recommend it for people suffering from constant ankle injuries, but not severe enough to need a mechanical brace.
The ankle support will also be great for players moving a lot from the back to the front as it promotes flexible movement.
Pros:
- Really affordable
- Comfortable design
- Great moisture wicking ability
- Extremely flexible
Cons:
- Not recommended for wearing more than 12 hours at a time
7. McDavid 195 Ankle Brace with Stabilizer Straps
Brace type: Mechanical
Special features: no lace, fully adjustable on the fly, provides good ventilation, durable polyester construction, padded lining to reduce abrasions
The McDavid 195 ankle brace has been tested by various sports athletes and they were 3 times less likely to have an ankle injury while wearing this ankle brace.
The ankle brace does not look all that sophisticated, but it does offer a strong six-figure strapping design to improve stability.
There are also no laces present on this ankle brace, thus making the adjustability easy on the go and the weight has also been kept down to a minimum to ensure that your feet do not feel like it is stuck to the ground.
The strapping design obviously promotes great ventilation and your feet will be able to breathe as well
The downside for us was that even though it has been constructed from durable polyester, the brace is quite thick and this might not make it the best choice for all athletes and you might need to switch your shoes.
Other than that, the straps are good for preventing and healing ankle injuries.
We highly recommend these braces for people suffering from current injuries or taking a break to let an injury heal.
These braces can be kept on for extended periods of time as well, thus meaning that you could go about doing your everyday things with them on.
Pros:
- Really affordable
- Sophisticated, but stable design
- Good ventilation
- Abrasion-resistant
Cons:
- Bulky design might be irritating
8. Sleeve Stars Plantar Fasciitis Foot Sleeve
Brace type: Sock
Special features: Lightweight, easy to put on and take off, offers healing properties, won’ stop blood flow, extra compression straps for even more support
While not specifically designed for volleyball, the Sleeve Stars Plantar Fasciitis foot sleeve does offer good multifunctional uses.
It is mostly a sock type ankle brace, but the compression straps can easily be added to help add more stabilization to your ankle.
The thin design should be perfect to fit underneath most socks without any hassles and you will be able to play without anything in the way to irritate you.
This foot sleeve also promotes flexibility and there are no bulky strappings or anything to obstruct the blood flow to your feet, thus meaning that they could be worn all day long without problems.
Furthermore, they are also fairly inexpensive and one sleeve will be great for both of your feet, but at that good price, you might even consider buying two of them.
Aside from also being extremely lightweight, these straps are 100% machine washable as well and that gives them a little edge over the mechanical straps when it comes to keeping them clean.
The only downside is the lack of breathability in the construction materials.
While this ankle brace might not necessarily help your ankles to heal, they are recommended for preventing injury. We recommend them for volleyball as the silent hero to keep your ankles safe at an affordable price,
Pros:
- Slip-on feature
- No abrasions or irritation
- Does not feel bulky at all
- Added compression straps for extra support
Cons:
- Does have a lack of ventilation
Conclusion & Recommendations
Keeping your ankles and knees protected and avoiding common volleyball injuries can go a long way in extending your volleyball career and with these ankle braces and knee pads you can be sure that you will be protected.
We recommend any of these braces to volleyball players or any court sport for that matter that involves a lot of jumping and potentially awkward landings.
We would like to thank you for reading this article and we hope that you have a better understanding of volleyball ankle braces and that you could find the best ones for your needs.