On the soccer field, every single piece of apparel impacts performance. This is especially true at your feet, where comfort, precision, and maneuverability are vital. Even the smallest choices can make a big difference—right down to the socks you wear. 

Taking the soccer world by storm, grip socks are the next generation of interior footwear for serious athletes and recreational players alike. 

So, what are grip socks—and what do they do for soccer? In this guide, we have your answers.

What Are Grip Socks?

A long-time staple in hospitals and yoga studios, grip socks are a special type of sock made with grippy material on key contact areas, like the balls and pads of the feet. This material increases the amount of friction between the sock and the surface it touches, helping to prevent the wearer from slipping. 

Beginning with increased balance on otherwise slippery surfaces, grip socks have since shown to have a host of additional benefits across a wide range of activities. Over time, new types of grip socks have been developed for athletes in a wide range of sports—including soccer. 

Now, big brands are getting involved. It’s easy to find high-performing black Nike grip socks or white Nike grip socks to fit any kit—but what, exactly, are those performance advantages?

What Are the Benefits of Grip Socks for Soccer?

In soccer, grip socks have a number of performance benefits that make them an attractive choice for athletes who are serious about their play. From increased precision to increased circulation, they prove that big benefits really do come in small packages. 

Read on to learn more about the many advantages that are making grip socks part of more than a few athletes’ soccer equipment bags.

1. Improved Traction—and Improved Precision

Just as grip socks help stop slipping on floors, they also help stop slipping in shoes. While this slippage is much subtler, it can have major, adverse effects on performance. 

Many soccer athletes swear by the improved traction that grip socks give them, seeing benefits in speed, maneuverability, and precision with the ball. 

It makes sense: when the foot moves less inside the cleat, the two work as one. Micro slips inside the cleat waste time and reduce control—grip socks eliminate these occurrences for a tighter, more seamless playing experience.

2. Blister Reduction

Micro movements inside cleats also contribute to blisters. By greatly reducing these movements, grip socks can also help reduce the occurrence of blisters.

3. Injury Prevention

Blisters aren’t the only injuries caused by slippage. In fact, they’re among the most benign. Excess slippage can lead to wear and tear on bones and tendons in the feet, as well as larger parts of the leg like the ankle, Achilles tendon, calf, and even the knee. 

Adding extra grip and stability can help reduce this wear and tear to keep you injury-free.

4. Circulation Improvement

Poor circulation in feet, a relatively common condition, can come with a number of unwanted symptoms, including numbness, swelling, cramping, and general pain. By providing gentle compression around the feet and increasing support overall, grip socks can help improve circulation and alleviate some of its unwanted symptoms.

5. Extra Warmth

Going hand-in-hand with improved circulation, extra warmth is yet another benefit made possible by grip socks’ grippy fit. It’s especially good for goalkeepers, who spend large segments of the game standing relatively still (and sometimes trying to stay warm).

Shop Grip Socks and More at SoccerPro

Ready to get a grip? Here at SoccerPro, we’ve got you covered. Shop our selection of name-brand grip socks and other high-performance soccer apparel to complete your uniform.