Pickleball socks

Wet cotton holds about 3 times the moisture of acrylic and 14 times that of CoolMax, a polyester fibre. It also swells: 45% when wet, against under 5% for acrylic. A wet, swollen sock rubs, and rubbing makes blisters.

Polyester, nylon and olefin dry fast, and most court socks are built on them. Merino wool wicks and smells less after a long session. A few percent of elastane (spandex or Lycra) gives the stretch that keeps a sock in place. Sweaty hands have the same problem: see the overgrip guide.

One caveat: a lab study found the knit mattered most for dry friction, and the fibre seemed to make no difference to it. So the fit and the build count as much as the label.

No-show socks hide in the shoe but slip unless they have a heel tab or a deep heel pocket. Quarter socks cover the collar, so the back of the shoe can't rub your heel. Over the calf is mostly for compression.

Selkirk says the height matters less than whether the sock stays up. If yours keeps sliding into your shoe, go one height taller or get a heel tab.

Pickleball loads the front of your foot: split steps, quick stops, push-offs. Look for padding under the ball of the foot and the heel, and over the toes if they jam into the front of the shoe.

Thick socks run hot and take up room. If you wear insoles or a snug shoe, go thin. As one player put it: "I wear insoles so I can't wear socks that are really thick."

Heat adds up too: the inside of a shoe can warm by 15 to 30°F within 20 minutes of play. On summer courts, light cushion beats max.

An arch band is a snug ring round the middle of your foot. It stops the sock shifting, and most good court socks have one. Graduated compression is different: it squeezes hardest at the ankle and less up the calf, and the squeeze is measured in mmHg.

Medical-grade socks typically run 15 to 30 mmHg: 15 to 20 is the lighter end, 20 to 30 the firmer. Many sport socks, Thorlo's over-calf pickleball sock included, don't state a number.

They may help swelling, tired calves or plantar fasciitis. Think adjunct, not cure: one reviewer swears by them, another felt no difference.

• Try them for: swollen ankles, calves that tire, arch or heel pain.
• Skip them if: your feet and legs feel fine. An arch band does the stay-put job.
• Ask your doctor first if: you have circulation problems or diabetes.

Tennis is the closest sport to pickleball for your feet: short sprints, side steps, hard stops. A good tennis or running sock does the job. One reviewer found Thorlo's pickleball sock seems to share its fabric with Thorlo's light cushion tennis ankle sock.

Most socks on this page are running or court socks: Feetures, Balega, Wrightsock, Darn Tough, Swiftwick. Only a few brands, Thorlo, OS1st and Selkirk among them, sell a sock made for pickleball.

Some tennis players wear two pairs to cut blisters. A double-layer sock does the same in one.

Searches for pickleball socks jump to 2,900 in December, from about 900 most months: they're a gift. Most pickle prints are cotton-heavy. Sock It To Me's pickle sock is 73% cotton, great as a gift and soggy after an hour of play.

Keep them for after the match, or pick one with less cotton (Blue Q's is 39%). Want a gift they'll use every game? Find their paddle.

One rule to know: USA Pickleball rule 18.B.3 lets a referee ask you to change clothing that's close to the ball's colour. It's rare at rec play, but leave the optic-yellow socks at home on tournament day.

Divide the price by the pairs. A $100 pack of 8 is $12.50 a pair; a $20 single is $20.

Better socks last longer. Budget packs go soft in about 25 to 50 washes; Wrightsock's double layers commonly last 80 to 120, and Darn Tough replaces a worn pair for life.