Elbow Pads come in many shapes and sizes, you should think about a few things before you commit to the only thing between the opposition and your elbows!

Arm Pads, Elbow Guards, Arm Guards, what the heck is the difference?!  An Arm Pad is a slip on pad that is for the youngsters or the minimalist pad wearers such as defensemen.  It provides maximum flexibility but minimal protection.  The Elbow Guard is a 3 piece barrel style pad with an internal elbow pad that offers a good balance of flexibility and protection at the same time.  The Arm Guard offers the most protection with an external elbow pad for more surface area but offers the least amount of flexibility. 

Should my position affect which pad I choose?  Definitely.  Simply put, if you play offense you are going to get whacked a lot.  Protect your elbows, you are going to need them to play.  Nothing hurts more then getting hit in the elbow with out proper protection with the exception of the other area down below you want to protect as well.  If you play defense you can get away with much less padding, not to mention defensemen are tougher in general…ha!

Are some brands better then other brands?  No, people come in all shapes and sizes and all manufacturers pads come in different shapes and sizes as well.  If you want to be sure, you should go in to the store and try on as many as you can.  Every brand tries to come out with different technology but at the end of the day you should most concerned with the fit.

My friends are making fun of me because I have gotten too tall for my pants and they stop 2 inches above my shoes.  I don’t want this to happen to my pads, what should I do?    “High waters” are the worst, sorry to hear that.  With most pads buying something a little big for a growing lad is the recommended but in the case of the arm pad you need to have them fit pretty well.  You see, shoulder pads and gloves will not slide around too much but if your elbow pad slides down your arm while you are playing it can be really annoying.  Good news though!  The Arm Pad is one of the least expensive things to replace.  If you are at the age where you are still growing a lot you are probably not going to need pro level padding either.  Go for something mid ranged until you have peaked in your growth.  Once you are full grown go for the good stuff, you WILL save money in the long run.

Hopefully this clears some things up for you but as usual, give us a call at 1(888)southswell with any more specific questions.