This trend has Kitmen (equipment managers) all over the world pulling their hair out. Some people think it's a fad, some players think it's useless. BUT - some of the best players on the planet all utilise these sock tips, and for good reason.
What do Saka, Bellingham, Walker, Wan-Bissaka and Neymar all have in common?
They all cut holes in the back of their socks.
SOCK HOLE SECRETS
Cutting holes in the back of your team socks is becoming all the rage in 2024 - but it began 5+ years ago with Danny Rose, Gareth Bale, and Riyad Mahrez.
It's not absolutely clear at first sight why some of the best players have taken to customising their gear this way - and many players have different reasons.
But we've done some digging, spoke to some of our athletes, and got the inside scoop from Kitmen in the Premier League.
HOLES ALLOW THE CALF TO EXPAND OVER 90 MINS
Modern footballer anatomy, modern kit, and modern materials has led to a clash in biomechanics and comfort.
The stronger, fitter, more powerful athletes become the more we're seeing larger, more muscular calves not built in the gym but built by speed training, agility work and explosive power.
Alongside this, large kit companies are trying to find the best way to create more defined, lighter, slimmer kits to improve performance. Hummel (Everton Kit Sponsor) admit “This is often because some brands knit their socks very tightly to improve the visibility and clarity of their logos, which can result in a snug fit that some players find uncomfortable.
We also saw this with Manchester United kit issues at the start of the 2023/24 season with numerous players complains about the tightness of their sock. How could Adidas get it so wrong?
The Athletic wrote a comprehensive piece on modern sock customisation in 2023 - but they might have missed the point. Kit is normally designed for athletes at static state NOT mid-game state.
As players play a match their calves expand and swell and blood flow increases, muscular contractions go through the roof, and this can cause tightness. Cutting holes in socks ALLOW for this calf expansion.
At APEX we're created the world's first sock sleeve - Apex AERO 1.0 - with integrated mesh zones to allow calf expansion without cutting holes in your sock.
CONFIDENCE, RITUAL, LUCK
Pro footballers are a funny bunch. Having played the sport for years and years, they take shin pads, socks, boots, undershorts, underwear everywhere for their whole career. Throwing them away would be sin. The only reason they are pro is because of their lucky gear.
The combination of confidence, ritual, and luck should not be underestimated.
The ability to customise their gear is a confidence control method. The desire to use the same gear, in the same style, worn in the same order is a simple ritual they are comfortable with when preparing in the changing room. Finally luck can determine sock customisation for years - win a huge game with cut socks, means you have to wear the same setup the next game.
If you've ever seen any of Amazon's behind the scenes All Or Nothing series, you get an inside view into changing room behaviour. And it's odd, from Sunday league to Champions League. So there's very good reason players do weird stuff to their socks on a daily basis.
It might seem to be placebo. But if placebo drives you to the pinnacle of the sport. Then is it even placebo? 90% of the pro game is in the head - at what point do we understand that elite gear leads to an elite mindset?
CUT SOCK SECRETS
Remember the 2004 version of Ronaldo with his separate white socks and sock sleeve combo strutting around Old Trafford? 
He led the charge for the benefits of customising your football gear for your own needs. Whether anatomy, biomechanics, or comfort, it's become a staple for pro players across the world.
We've already discussed that 72% of pro players wear a form of grip sock and sock sleeve combo - but there are 2 camps. The athlete that just wear a separate white sock AND the athlete that wears a grip sock. Let's jump in a little deeper:
WEAR SEPARATE WHITE SOCKS
Primarily for Fit and Comfort:
Wearing one long football sock can hold water when it gets wet, stretch over the length of a game, and provide less than sufficient grip (See Maguire falling over). Instead using a separate white sock means they can personalise the sock to their preference (where as with a team sock it's ALL the same style, cushion, and material).
These preferences include:
- Thickness of the socks?
- How soft the socks are?
- How much cushioning on the toes and heel?
- Do the socks hold water or sweat?
WEAR SEPARATE GRIP SOCKS
Primarily for Fit and Comfort and Stability:
All the benefits of a separate white sock, but with added stability, grip, reduce chance of blisters, improved speed, and confidence. But their are other secret reasons players wear grip socks:
Injury Prevention:
- Being able to trust that sharp twists and sudden directional changes are going to be supported by your footwear - boots and socks
- 20% of all football related injuries (source) are ankle or foot derived. This on top of the fact that 74% of injuries come from direct player-to-player contact, means you want all the biomechanical security you can get
Performance vs Cost:
- If you do the maths Grip Socks work out to be ~£1 ($1.50) per week depending on the durability and number of games you play in a pair of grip socks.
- If you're striving to get to the next level, play academy football, or make it pro, grip socks are a small outlay in comparison to your boots.
Trevor Prior, a podiatric (foot) surgeon: “Let’s say the foot moves inside the boot when you’re running or taking a kick, you’re going to increase the friction, which causes blisters,” he explains. “If you can reduce the friction, you reduce the risk of blistering and there are two or three ways you could do that: having good-fitting boots, wearing two pairs of socks or, in theory, using grip socks.”
At APEX, we've spent 3 years optimising and developing our latest grip sock - the Apex PRO 3.0 - engineered for lightweight comfort and all-weather stability game in, game out.
SUMMARY
It's clear that cutting and customising your grip socks and sock sleeves absolutely has a place at the top table. Scientifically and performance wise - but much like boots, you must make good decisions (like pro players) on your gear. Try different grip socks, sleeves, socks, shin pads and anything until you nail down the gear for you. It could make the 1% difference to maximise your potential.
