Swimming Gloves & Socks

Of course! At decathlon.com.gr you will find a specialized variety of neoprene socks & gloves, designed to offer the necessary thermal insulation and protection to your extremities during your workouts in low temperatures. These products are ideal for open water swimmers and triathletes who do not want to interrupt their contact with the water during the autumn and winter months, as well as for water sports enthusiasts. At the same time, to enjoy a complete and comfortable experience in open water, these accessories pair ideally with full-body neoprene swimming wetsuits that protect the torso, as well as with open water swim buoys that ensure your non-negotiable visibility and safety from boats and other swimmers on every lap.

Swimming gloves serve a dual purpose, depending on the environment in which you train and their design. In open water, their main utility is maintaining temperature in the fingers, preventing the annoying numbness that negatively affects stroke technique. At the same time, because they increase surface area and resistance with the water, they function as an excellent strengthening tool for the back, chest, and shoulders.

The main difference lies in the training goal and their hydrodynamic behavior in the water. Webbed gloves feature fabric between the fingers, significantly increasing the surface area of the palm, and are mainly used for aqua fitness or intense muscle strengthening of the arms, and they are often combined with other aqua aerobic accessories for a complete workout. Conversely, classic non-webbed gloves are designed exclusively for long-distance swimming, with the main goal of thermal insulation without altering natural movement and the "catch" of the water, making them an ideal complement to specialized neoprene swimming wetsuits.

These specific accessories are manufactured almost exclusively from neoprene and not from silicone, as their main purpose is protection from low temperatures. Neoprene is a synthetic elastic material with air microcells that traps a thin layer of water between the skin and the fabric, which is heated by the body and acts as a natural insulating shield against the cold. Silicone, on the other hand, is widely used in other products, such as classic pool caps, because it offers excellent elasticity, water-tightness, and hydrodynamics, but lacks the thermal properties required to keep extremities warm.

To find the appropriate size, correctly measuring your palm is the most critical step, as a proper fit determines both the comfort and the warmth of the hand. Using a tape measure, measure the circumference of your hand at its widest point (just below the knuckles, excluding the thumb) and consult the size guide available on each product's page. It is important for the gloves to fit very securely like a second skin, without applying excessive pressure or bending the tips of your fingers. A fit that is too loose will allow a continuous influx of water, which will cancel out their thermal protection and weigh down your hand during the stroke.

You can use them in the pool as well, as they function as an excellent resistance tool to exercise your back, chest, and shoulders. At the same time, in outdoor or less-heated pools where the water temperature is low, the gloves are ideal for keeping hands warm, allowing you to benefit from both properties simultaneously: warmth and strengthening. In these conditions, they pair excellently with a long-sleeved one-piece swimsuit or training shorts that offer extra coverage and protection to the torso. In any case, do not forget that it is essential to rinse your equipment thoroughly with fresh water after each use to extend its lifespan, as chlorine degrades neoprene faster.