High Compression Shorts for Soccer

By Alberto B.

The Zensah High Compression Shorts are by far my must-have piece of equipment for soccer. They help me reduce soreness and minimize the pain I feel due to a nagging injury.

Nothing else that I have tried provides similar support or fit as comfortably as these. As a player who suffers from a chronic groin injury, I do not dare to play without them.

These shorts feature the incredible Zensah fabric, which makes them lightweight yet sturdy and breathable all at the same time. Many shorts and base layers which are much thinner end up making my legs much hotter. The fabric is very soft as well so although these compression shorts are high compression, you do not feel constricted like one would think.

The other characteristic that sets them apart is the targeted muscle support. These seamless shorts (no chafing!) have ribbed areas over the quad and hamstring, which work to massage your muscles as you move. This goes a long way to help minimize soreness and keep my muscles loose.

The reduction in muscle soreness is substantial. I usually play in a very controlled environment since we can only rent the field for 60 minutes hence there is no time variance and very little effort variance (we play our hearts out most of the time) in the workout. The difference in muscle soreness I feel the next morning when I play with the shorts on is easily noticeable. I’ve done this comparison several times and even gotten some of my teammates to do so as well and we all agree we are not crazy. Some of them even wear a pair for recovery to help flush out the lactic acid, I personally have the Zensah high compression tights for recovery but I only wear those after longer workouts (weekend tournaments or more grueling activity).

Just like many of those who played soccer in their youth, my first experience with compression clothing was wearing compression shorts or “sliders” as many called them. I began wearing these as a more comfortable alternative to cotton boxers during performance since they help keep everything from bouncing around and do not ride up like a more traditional boxer brief. The Zensah High Compression Shorts are much more than that. While these shorts are pricier than the Nike or Under Armour shorts, one pair of them will do more than any number of the others would. I’ve had some pairs for close to two years and they’re as good as the day I got them.