Whether you’re hitting the gridiron, the court, or the diamond, good sports uniforms share some very important qualities. You’ll be able to find the very best uniforms by following these 4 tips:

1. Make sure the fabric can withstand hits, grabs, and slides

No matter what sport you’re playing, you need uniforms that are up to the challenge. Your specific sport might require your uniforms to handle specific things — like baseball pants that can withstand a hard slide into second base or football uniforms that can handle a hard hit at the goal line. Regardless of what kind of contact you’re going to be dealing with, you’ll need uniforms that come with strong fabric that isn’t going to tear at the slightest touch.

In most cases, you can tell what kind of fabric you’re dealing with just by looking at it. For example, if you see basketball uniforms that look like they’re made out of flimsy mesh, the odds of them being able to withstand a hard foul are slim.

2. Find out how they can be customized

While your sports uniform retailer may only have football uniforms in certain colors, a good retailer will be able to add custom touches to your uniforms — like names on the back or special team logos on the front. That way, your athletes can feel like professionals, even if they’re just in the Pee Wee Leagues!

3. Look for something that can hold its own against Mother Nature

If you’re buying baseball pants, you have to make sure they’ll keep your athletes warm in the winter — without making them too hot in the summer. After all, most baseball seasons start while there’s still a chill in the air and end during the dog days of summer.

The same goes with football uniforms. You’ll need jerseys and pants that breathe during those scorching two-a-day workouts — but won’t be too flimsy when you’re playing on a cold November evening.

Bottom line — if your potential uniforms can’t be comfortable during all of those temperatures, keep looking!

4. Don’t forget the “extras”

If you’re the coach of the high school basketball team, you have to worry about more than just basketball uniforms. You also need to find warm up suits that your players can wear on the bus and while they get ready for the game. Luckily, a good sports uniform retailer will offer “extras” like these, so that you don’t have to look all over the place for them.