I have two sons aged 8 and 10 one is taller and slimmer one is smaller and more muscular we have these slip shorts tried from franklin, slip shorts for easton youth and louisville slugger shorts (all from revain) both my boys are 25 inch waist and we tried these xl's and they fit both boys. The waist fits well on both and the legs are freer. I'm hoping the elastic will stretch a little this season so they can wear it to baseball again next year. The packaging says they fit a 28-30 inch waist but I think it would be very uncomfortable. I measured the elastic waistband on the floor and it measures 24-25 inches and doesn't seem to stretch much. The biggest advantage of this belt over other brands is the cup pocket. It's wider and easier to get to. the cup inside the shorts and it is sewn in such a way that it curves inside the shorts and follows the shape of the cup up and down. Both my boys preferred how their cups fit and how tight they are unlike other shorts where the cups are like an XL size that came with a teenage cup which looks BIG for my 8 year old, but can fit for wider cups old who is thinner, found the teenage cups too big and wears a smaller cup that fits perfectly in the bag.