Choose and Wear a Protective Cup for Sports

Many men choose to leave themselves vulnerable by not wearing a protective cup while playing sports. This is likely a result of cups being considered uncomfortable and restrictive. This article will explain about the two different styles of cups and about how to wear a cup so that it is comfortable and non-restrictive.

Steps

  1. Always wear a cup in a cup-jockstrap, cup-brief, or cup-sliding short that's designed to hold a cup. The jockstrap, brief or sliding-short will have a pouch to house the cup. There will be elastic, metal snaps or a Velcro closure to keep the cup in place in the pouch.
  2. A cup (inside a cup-jockstrap, cup-brief, or cup-sliding short)should be worn without anything underneath (don't wear underwear underneath). This maximizes their protectiveness by completely encasing the male genitals and allowing the genitals to be held tightly against the body. However, if you want to wear something underneath, only a thin pair of nylon/spandex briefs should be worn. EXAMPLE: Under Armor Compression Shorts.
  3. For a cup to work properly, it must fit tightly and firmly against the body. A loose fitting cup will allow the impact of a blow or hit to slam the cup into the testicles, causing pain and possible injury. If your cup-jockstrap or cup-brief does not hold your cup firmly and tightly against your body you can wear a pair of tight fitting nylon/spandex athletic briefs over them.

Put on the Cup

  1. Step into cup-jockstrap and pull elasticized leg straps up around legs, and the waist-strap firmly around waist with the hard cup at the front of your body and over your genitals.
  2. Insert testicles into bottom and narrower end of cup.
  3. With triangular-shaped cup, lift penis up and lay across inside top of cup. With banana-shaped cup, allow penis to hang down.
  4. The cup should obscure genitalia.
  5. Remove when finished and clean. Jockstrap can be washed in machine but should be air-dried to not damage elastic. Cup should be washed by hand with warm water and soap and never in machine.

Tips

  • A man should never feel embarrassed in the locker room because he is putting a cup-protector on, even if some of the other athletes are not putting one on. He should always feel proud that he knows he should protect his genitals from injury when he is playing sports.
  • The new "Nutty Buddy" cup, tries to make the best of both worlds by fully encompassing the genitals while allowing the penis to point up yet still contouring to the body. The cup is available in different sizes so fitting is not a problem. When worn under tight fitting nylon/spandex sports briefs, the Nutty Buddy reveals the natural outline of the male, so men do not need to feel embarrassed in the locker room because they are wearing a cup-protector.
  • The "traditional" cup would appeal most to men who prefer their penis to be held upward and laid across/inside the wide top part of the "V" shaped cup. Conversely, the "banana cup" is designed so that the penis dangles downward, which is more comfortable for some men. Not all "traditional" cups have enough capacity for some men. It is important when selecting a cup to buy one that has sufficient capacity and adequate rubber or foam padding on its edges. All cups, both the "traditional" and the "banana" cup, must fit firmly and tightly against the body to work properly. Some of the cup-jockstraps, cup-briefs, or cup-shorts that come with cups do not hold the cup firmly and tightly against the body. If a cup fits loose, an impact to the cup will just slam the cup into the testicles, resulting in almost as much pain and injury as if the man wasn't even wearing a cup. For a cup to work properly, it must be able to transfer the energy of a blow or impact through the cup and into the rubber or foam padding and against the body but not against the penis or testicles. Tight fitting nylon/spandex athletic briefs can be worn over a cup-jockstrap to hold it firmly and tightly against the body.
  • Generally, there are two different styles of cups, the first being the "traditional," older style of cup. It's shaped like a "V" and some brands of this design have part of their capacity at the bottom to encapsulate the testicles to protect them. It's also somewhat flat on the side that fits against the body, although some brands contour somewhat to the body and provide room for encapsulating the penis to support and protect it as well. The other style of cup--commonly referred to as a "banana cup" because it's curved like a "banana" to contour the body--is also narrower at the bottom, and its capacity is intended to encapsulate a man's genitals in their natural "hanging down" mode.
  • Which of the two styles of cups is most comfortable for a man to wear depends on his unique body shape and on the brand of cup he wears -- not all "traditional" cups and not all "banana" cups are the same. Some men feel that the banana cup is much more comfortable than the traditional cup since not all traditional shaped cups conform properly to the body. However, having said this, it should also be stated that some of the traditional shaped cups are very comfortable to wear and are very good protectors. Make sure to buy a cup that will hold all of you. If not, the cup can tend to float over the genitals, sometimes pinching them on impact and not providing the intended protection.
  • Do NOT use an actual cup that you would usually drink out of, it does NOT work TRUST ME.
  • There are many different types of cups that are intended for their specific sport application. Hockey goalies (ice or roller), boxers, soccer and baseball players should wear a cup designed for their sport. However, remember that years of sales promotion can not provide your needed protection! Have you even seen a boxer go down because of a "low blow"? That's because he was not wearing a tight fitting Nutty Buddy! Loose cups result in pain! Big leather "no-foul" protectors don't protect adequately if they don't fit tight!

Warnings

  • Men should consider shaving or trimming their pubic hair on the scrotum and around the base of the penis before wearing a cup. This ensures the cup does not pull on the hairs and cause unexpected pain.
  • As with any protective gear, you can still get hurt! But remember, if your cup is damaged, just think what might have happened if you didn't have a cup on at all!
  • Once again, remember to always wear your cup "tight-fitting" to your genitals. If a cup fits loose, an impact to the cup will just slam the cup into the testicles, resulting in almost as much pain and injury as if the man wasn't even wearing a cup.

Things You'll Need

  • A goalie cup features extra padding around the cup holder, and also on the front side of the waistband. Goalies facing fast and hard slap-shots should double-cup. Either wear a banana cup underneath the goalie cup or purchase a goalie cup that features a "double cup."
  • Boxers wear a cup that have a wide, padded waistband all the way around, to protect the kidneys. They are worn over or under shorts. However, better protection will be delivered to the groin wearing the cup under the shorts. Some manufacturers of "no-foul" boxing cups are now realizing that their boxing cup-protector must fit real tight against the body to provide 100% protection. A boxer should never go down in pain because his "no-foul" cup-protector didn't protect him adequately. Currently, it is likely that the big leather no-foul protectors are being re-designed to provide for a very tight fitting cup-protector which will completely eliminate the impact of a "low blow" to a boxer.
  • Some soccer and basketball players prefer to wear a "soft" cup, that is made of a pliable plastic. It's not as protective as a hard cup, but allows for some protection applicable to less-risk sporting games. However, if you feel you need more protection when playing these sports then you will want to wear a hard cup.

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