Back in the day, there was only one kind of athletic tape. It was sticky, it was difficult to use, and it was going to hurt coming off. It was just something that you got used to. It would pull all the hairs off your arms, legs, or wherever else you applied it. All I can say is thank God for the march of technology. Nowadays, there are more varieties of athletic training tape than ever.

Although on the surface, athletic support tape has changed very little, in reality it is a much better product. It is more durable, more flexible, and a little bit easier on the skin as well. However, it is still pretty harsh stuff when used by itself. That is why many people use it with a layout of athletic under wrap. This is especially important if you are a hairy person. Take it from me. I used to run track, and I had some of the hairiest arms and legs on the whole team. Whenever I would use athletic tape, it would hurt like no one's business. Once I started using under wrap, however, things got better. If the under wrap was applied correctly, it would protect my skin while still allowing the athletic tape to do its job.

In my opinion, the coolest invention in business is adhesive stretch tape. Although this is technically a type of athletic tape, it is different from anything you have seen before. You see, it is sort of halfway between athletic tape and gauze bandages. It is soft like gauze and it doesn't stick to your skin, but it holds in place like tape. I don't know what the secret is, but for some reason it has been designed to only stick to itself. When you put it on your skin, it doesn't snag anything. Nevertheless, if you wrap it around in the right way, it will stay firmly in place. After that, you can reinforce it with a layer of athletic tape if you want to.

Of course, although all these variations in sports tape have really helped those of us involved in athletics, the most important thing is still applying it correctly. Athletic taping is something you should learn from your coach. No matter how high tech your gear, if you don't know how to use it it won't do you any good.