What do you wear under a wrestling singlet?

If you’ve just started wrestling, then you will be well aware of the singlet. This is the most commonly used piece of clothing used to wrestle in and is a legal requirement at practically all wrestling competitions and tournaments. That is, you can’t just turn up in regular clothing and the singlet is basically the only thing you’re allowed to compete in. Of course, in general training, this isn’t the case and many people will wrestle in a t-shirt and shorts or shirtless. However, a commonly asked question is often what do you wear under a wrestling singlet?

What is worn under a singlet?

In a competition, the only thing you should really be wearing under your singlet is underwear. Often, athletes claim that compression shorts are ideal as they keep everything tight and are naturally comfortable. Really though, it’s up to you and your own choice of underwear is down to your individual preference. Having said that, if you did wear boxer shorts for instance, it may look a bit odd if they climbed up over the singlet. Whilst this may be legal, you may be laughed at a little.

Are cups allowed under the singlet?

Generally, cups aren’t allowed under singlets when competing. However, the likelihood is that you could wear one and get away with it. Is the ref going to check? Probably not, so it’s more of a technicality than anything. Nonetheless, if you’re really paranoid of the rules then it’s probably best to avoid wearing a cup.

The reason for this is that potentially, a cup could give you an unfair advantage. Yes, this is actually a thing. For example, imagine trying to pin your opponent in a position where your cup is digging into their eyeball. Now, imagine that cup is made out of steel. This could seriously injure your opponent or force them to concede the position. UFC commentator Joe Rogan actually once commented on this, saying that in combat sports, the steel cup allowed for people to execute armbars easier for obvious, painful reasons.

In short, there’s not much need to wear a cup anyway. Typically these are worn in striking martial arts, whereas the likelihood of getting hit down there in wrestling is very slim. Instead, you should be more worried about getting damage to your face or mouth.

Are t-shirts allowed under the singlet?

In a gym environment, old t-shirts are very much the norm in wrestling training. In some ways, they’re perfect as they’re cheap, replaceable and go through a lot. However, like cups these are mostly illegal in wrestling competitions. The reason for this is that they’re deemed as pointless compared to the singlet. For instance, if you try to take someone down but get your finger caught in a baggy sleeve, you could break your finger. Similarly, the t-shirt could drag on a hand and slow a move down.

Basically, the singlet removes this issue and makes sure there are no inefficiencies and that everything is done as fairly as possible. This means, there’s literally no space for limbs to get caught on clothing and the match is done as smoothly as it can be within the rules. As a result, under most rule sets t-shirts are not allowed under a singlet.

Are spats allowed under the singlet?

Typically, the singlet will cover down to just above your knees. However, in some cases in training, people may wear spats below the knee. The reason for this could be due to wanting to keep your legs warm in the cold, or if you have skin issues such as eczema. Again, in competition rules though, spats aren’t allowed.

The reason for this isn’t really that clear and unlike the previous two examples, has no practical reasons. In short, it’s traditional reasons as to why spats aren’t allowed to be worn in wrestling competition. In terms of getting in the way or giving an unfair advantage, they don’t. Nonetheless, don’t expect spats to be allowed in competition any time soon.

Can women wear sports bras under the singlet?

When it comes to wearing clothes under a singlet, sports bras are legal in competitions and are actually recommended. This is because without a sports bra, your breasts may be exposed otherwise. Obviously, there’s no reason for sports bras not to be allowed in female wrestling. Like spats, the sports bra is not invasive and won’t pose a threat to anyone’s health or athletic performance.

Thankfully, sports bras a very cheap these days and easily available. If you’re a female wrestler, you’ll probably own a few sports bras which come in very handy when on the mats.

Can you wear jewelry under a singlet?

The answer to this is a resounding no, either in training or in a competition. Basically, the issue is that jewelry can lead to ‘degloving’ which is as gruesome as it sounds. Also known as avulsion, this is when your skin is literally ripped off, and sometimes exposes the bone. For example, you may see people have entire arm skin ripped off during a car crash. This too can happen if you wrestle whilst wearing rings which can rip the skin of your finger off.

Similarly, chains and bracelets can also be dangerous. As mentioned earlier, if you wear a baggy t-shirt, it’s possible to get your fingers stuck and bent back. The same can happen with a chain or necklace that can catch and trap the fingers and bend them. If done with enough force, then this can lead to your fingers breaking which isn’t nice.

Unlike certain clothing items being banned from competition, the banning of jewelry is very appropriate. Whilst injuries from jewelry may be rare, it’s still something that does happen from time to time and can be easily avoidable by banning jewelry whilst training. Most schools are very strict on this rule and won’t even allow it to be worn even whilst drilling.

Conclusion

Usually when wrestling, there are certain things that you can wear in the training room that you can’t get away with wearing in competition. As seen, some of these items of clothing can be prohibited due to tradition, whilst other pieces of clothing have far more serious consequences. Overall, if you are planning to wear a singlet, you should wear the appropriate underwear underneath it with no other piece of clothing. With this done, you’ll be able to safely compete with peace of mind or fear of getting disqualified.

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