USAWA

From them I take that knee sleeves aren’t really supportive, if so why wear them?

From my experience, Mike, I would say that knee sleeves are supportive in helping protect the joint, just not in allowing you to get extra weight in a lift. Kind of like why we allow wrist wraps. Prevent injury without aiding the lifter to lift more weight than he is capable.
ET

ET… +1. WELL PUT.

I well remember one year back in the 60s that the AAU banned ALL wraps from powerlifting -we all did our best lifting that year, with no major injuries that I recall ;the sport seemed free & natural again! Of course,some claimed they needed “warmth” around the knee joint-once that was permitted it got real crazy ,real quick with supportive gear! Well, I can’t see that craziness happening with our group, but if an old guy like me,having endured major rehab periods from surgeries to EACH knee, and find no reason today for “warmth beyond warmup” (do some of our wrap whiners have NO circulation??!), then I can’t fathom why a new dressing ,that has not been employed for our 25 years, is needed now.

I wrote a letter to “Ol’ Clark” many years ago that he put in the newsletter. It was “tongue in cheek” (but that didn’t stop someone from being offended). I said we should lift like the ancient Greeks….NAKED. As a jock strap would be considered “supportive”.

Well, Knee sleeves to me are kinda like jock straps. You like the “nice and tight” feeling and keeping everything in “line” so nothing “pops our” when you least expect it.

I’ll say this (and no pun intended): I “support” supportive gear with limits. But I also know it’s a slippery slope. You make rules and somebody is gonna have a problem with the rules….no matter how well thought out the reasoning. I think I’ve driven Al Myers up a tree more than once with our personal debates on USAWA rules.

Big T, Actually naked all-round lifting WOULD make more sense -except we at the Ambridge VFW have long had the fear that anyone who accidentally sees Art in the shower will instantly turn to stone!

The day we start lifting necked is the day I bow out.
ET

Art’s singlet doesn’t leave much to the imagination as it is! It’s thin outed over the last 50 years!!