Padding - knee and butt

[cherriee]

Hi, do you use knee pads and hip pads? I've found some but don't know which ones are good. If you have used any of these, please share your experience. Thanks!

Skating Safe pads: http://skatingsafe.com/allproducts.html

Twizzles knee pad


Jerry's Padded Shorts


Waxel pad

[icefrog]

The waxel pads are supposed to be really nice. Most people just stick them in their leggings or in their dresses. I really want a set of them for when I practice my terrible sometimes non existent axel  I've never seen anyone with the shorts, but I'm guess you would just put them on under your leggings/pants/tights.

[Sk8Dreams]

The SkatingSafe gel knee pads are worth their weight in gold.  I've taken a direct hit at high speed and didn't even get a bruise.  I wear them all the time, and they hardly show at all, even under tights with a dress.

[Sk8tmum]

SEcond the Skating Safe Knee pads (and the rest of their line). We've even snuck them into competitions for use; no-one can tell they are there, including the coach. DD was landing on her knee to the point that her coach was worried about permanent damage; with the pads, she couldn't feel any impact, and the bruising was gone.  Of course, we did go and fix the technique to prevent  her LANDING on her knee! Can be tricky to keep in place though; we used a touch of medical tape when they needed to be on for an extended session.

[Sk8Dreams]

Can be tricky to keep in place though; we used a touch of medical tape when they needed to be on for an extended session.

I found that if I wet them just a bit, they stick with no problem.  I tested Preliminary Dance with them, all three dances at once and had no slippage.  It may just be that my tights are very tight.  I think double sided tape would probably work well also.  I bought the sleeves for mine, and have never used them, because they show!

[SkaterBird]

I swear by my Skating Safe pads.  They're expensive and completely worth it - I have painful arthritis in both knees and a hard knee fall can really injure me, but with these pads on I've taken hard knee falls and barely felt it, and not even bruised.  I wear them for practice, lessons and social ice dance - everything except testing and competitions.

[jjane45]

Archived on-ice posts have DIY tips for gel pads, I think some subjects are "tonight's project", "akton pads", "knee pads recommendations"

Also retention sleeves from skatingsafe.com hold the pads in place well.

(OTOH I think the pads show...)

[cherriee]

Thank you y'all for the tips. Skating Safe knee pads seem to be the winner. I was concerned if they will stay put too.

[sofakartoffel]

I'm thinking of getting pads as well--maybe it'll get me over the debilitating "fear of falling" hump I'm tackling...

SkatingSafe pads seem to be the most recommended but it's quite expensive for my student budget. The Waxel pads seem a bit more reasonable, price wise, and I've seen the pro shop at home stock them. Has anyone tried them? How do they compare to SkatingSafe? Do they have one for knees?

I checked out rainbosports and they also had compression shorts with pads in them. I was thinking of just buying the replacement pad set they had for shorts (http://www.rainbosports.com/shop/site/product.cfm/id/4AC58A9C-475A-BAC0-5EC11132455B27FC) and slipping them under my tights and getting this for the knees (http://www.rainbosports.com/shop/site/product.cfm/id/0A2DD8EE-D434-1E80-77F1C541ABDD5039). The pad set seems like it's too cheap to be true, so I don't know if I'll just do myself a disservice by trying to cut corners with cost. I looked into the DIY pages as well but the akton pad material is also quite expensive.

[kiwiskater]

I've seen some sophisticated looking padding gear while looking for wrist guards

visit www.snowboardsecrets.com (US) or http://www.alpsgear.co.uk/Snow-Sports (UK)

[jjane45]

I looked into the DIY pages as well but the akton pad material is also quite expensive.

If you are only looking for knee / butt protection, try find someone to share the cost.

I managed to use up the whole 18"x18" pad on myself because hip bones can hurt a lot in a bad crash, and elbows too! Not that bad for a complete set.

[Skate@Delaware]

I'm thinking of getting pads as well--maybe it'll get me over the debilitating "fear of falling" hump I'm tackling...

SkatingSafe pads seem to be the most recommended but it's quite expensive for my student budget. The Waxel pads seem a bit more reasonable, price wise, and I've seen the pro shop at home stock them. Has anyone tried them? How do they compare to SkatingSafe? Do they have one for knees?

I checked out rainbosports and they also had compression shorts with pads in them. I was thinking of just buying the replacement pad set they had for shorts (http://www.rainbosports.com/shop/site/product.cfm/id/4AC58A9C-475A-BAC0-5EC11132455B27FC) and slipping them under my tights and getting this for the knees (http://www.rainbosports.com/shop/site/product.cfm/id/0A2DD8EE-D434-1E80-77F1C541ABDD5039). The pad set seems like it's too cheap to be true, so I don't know if I'll just do myself a disservice by trying to cut corners with cost. I looked into the DIY pages as well but the akton pad material is also quite expensive.

I have the compression shorts & pads. The pads are dense foam and not very good for falling (I wore them when I was much heavier)...I much prefer the skating safe pads they absorb the impact much better.  You would be getting a much better investment with the skating safe pads if you are intending to stay with skating. I do believe this is one area where it's better to spend a bit more money on a higher quality product.

[JimStanmore]

More for guys and girls in sweat/skating pants:

I use volleyball knee pads because they are designed to not affect range/ease of motion and to protect from explosive falls from aggressive digs.  The gel is on the front, bottom and both sides.  Mine:  http://www.epinions.com/reviews/Asics_ZD900_Gel_Conform_Volleyball_Knee_Pads_ZD900

For hip and tailbone I use protective shorts with high tech pad material.  Here are mine:  http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00697340000P?prdNo=1&blockNo=1&blockType=G1.  The front thigh padding just happened to come with them.

I can wear both of these under my 511 skinny stretch jeans with no problem.  I imagine this setup will not go with a skating dress.  But, the protection is great and the total price is low.

[AgnesNitt]

I use skating safe knee pads under leggings. The leggings aren't tight enough to hold them up on their own, so I just roll the leggings up to the knee and the knee pads are sort of wedged into place. I then wear a pair of stretch pants over this. It sounds bulky, but unless you know they're there, you don't notice them.

[TheAquarian]

I am still waiting for my hip and butt cushions to come in the mail after I ordered online, but for knee pads I suspect it depends a lot on your level and what you are doing.   I personally didn't want to buy new ones when I already had some from inline skating,  and I just wore them under a pair of sport pants while practicing/training.  I am just a beginner so  I can't speak for more advanced maneuvers; they might not be flexible enough. When it came to just protecting when falling down (a lot) in the beginning, they worked fine, and the fabric of the athletic pants I was wearing over them kept me from sliding half way across the rink.

[Sk8Dreams]

I forgot to mention that another reason I think my tights and a little moisture are able to keep my SkatingSafe knee pads in place is that I got a larger size than needed, and orient them with the pointed end up rather than across.  Putting them on as instructed, they did slip and also showed.  I don't like the sleeves because they are so tight at the top that the depression shows.

[FigureSpins]

Any updates?  The kids want crash pads and I'm not sure what to buy these days.  I had just planned to buy the compressed foam shorts, but now I'm wondering if the skatingsafe pads would be better.  Also have to think about the kids sharing the pads...

[Sierra]

I have the Ultracrash gel butt pads. My coach forced them on me, but I'm starting to warm up to them. As soon as my doubles start getting consistent or I stop falling so much, the pads are coming off and will be put back on for the dbl lutz/dbl axel/dbl combos.

I've never felt a fall in them, when before I would smack onto my hip several times a session and not be able to walk smoothly the next day. I don't know if I would feel the fall if I fell hard enough- they are high impact gel. I only wear the hip ones, I couldn't figure out the tailbone one and I never fall on my tailbone anyways. They're really easy to just slip out at the end of the session. I usually take them out and put them in my bag while I'm taking off my skates. They're barely noticeable, especially if I wear a long top. You have to be looking at me from a certain angle in certain light to see the slight ridge along my hip.

It wasn't appearance that I was unenthusiastic about when receiving them, it was that I'd already been working on doubles for a couple months and felt like I didn't need them. At first, wearing them made me feel like I wasn't tough.

What jumps are your kids working on, Isk8? I have the opinion that anything under axel does not need pads. If the kid can't land a flip or a lutz without pads, then they're going to have difficulty 'going for' doubles. Talking bout kids here.. adults need to armor themselves up!

[Sk8tmum]

Any updates?  The kids want crash pads and I'm not sure what to buy these days.  I had just planned to buy the compressed foam shorts, but now I'm wondering if the skatingsafe pads would be better.  Also have to think about the kids sharing the pads,

The crash pads are better in that they can also wear them in competitions or testing if necessary because they're essentially invisible. Because they also look less - odd - kids are more likely to wear them. No kid wants to look ridiculous, and that's been the big objection for the skaters I've heard discussing them.

My kids share the pads: they don't go on the skin, they go between two layers of tights - and they are washable.  Much more sterile than the foam pads, because sweat, etc can't soak into them, and - to be indelicate - neither can any other body product, and there is nothing that dead skin can adhere to. We just wipe them with a mild detergent and they are clean.  Plus fitting a range of sizes !

They wear forever, they work great, and the price is much lower than a week or so off the ice recovering from an injury - or longer, if the injury is severe. My guys are big, they come down on them heavily - and yes, that's doing double jumps, but, kids doing single jumps can also fall hard ! - and they bounce up and go. The coaches like them, particularly as you can get them for a "range of body parts" including elbows and that, which can be a vulnerable and hard to heal area.

Now, if they could only find a way to make them for the head ... it would save concussions ... I've been tempted on occasion to tape one to my kid's head to prevent another concussion like the one a few years ago on a fluke fall out of a 2LZ ...

[Kim to the Max]

I am tempted to purchase one of the crash pads for myself. There is something about the axel that freaks me out. I can do a HUGE double sal no problem, but ask me to do an axel and I am a complete chicken. I am wondering if subconsciously I am scared of falling... Coach has mentioned it a few times. Plus, as soon as we get the axel fixed and the double sal landed properly (Intermediate Freestyle test), we will start working on double toe, double loop and a double double (Novice freestyle test).

[kssk8fan]

we found and LOVE the Brute wrestling knee pads.  We've been using them for about a year now (off and on).  Before that - I think I ordered every type of knee pad known to man!!! LOL   Skating, volleyball, basketball, etc.....  The Brute brand is incredible!!!  Here's the link to see what they look like - they don't restrict movement at all

We bought ours at Dicks Sporting goods.  They only had black but the other colors are quite cool!!!

http://www.wwsport.com/Wrestling/SKU/0260/Brute+Nylon+Sorbothane+Wrestling+Knee+Pad.aspx?ParentTabID=116

[jjane45]

Now, if they could only find a way to make them for the head ... it would save concussions ... I've been tempted on occasion to tape one to my kid's head to prevent another concussion like the one a few years ago on a fluke fall out of a 2LZ ...

DIY rules... There were leftovers from the 18" x 18" akton pad after making a complete set of pads, and I padded up a winter hat quite a bit with them. Turns out the hat was too heavy and fell off easily despite a fastening elastic at the rim.

The hat I skate in now is only padded on the back because that's where I whacked my head in two previous falls. Where on the head did your skater hit the ice, Sk8tmum?

[Sk8tmum]

back of head ... but, as we pointed out to him afterwards, a nice bun or a healthy ponytail would have done a good job of padding too ...

[Isk8NYC]

I think most head injuries in skating involve the back of the head.  I can only think of 2 where the person hit the front of their head on the ice - both were pushed from behind.  One needed stitches at the crown/temple, the other on the cheekbone.  I guess they (smartly) turned their heads to protect their noses.

I saw photos of new soccer helmets last week, but it looked like most of the protection was in the front.  Not for heading the ball, according to the article, but because the younger players tend to bump heads when the ball gets kicked in the air out of a huddle.

[AgnesNitt]

I think most head injuries in skating involve the back of the head.  I can only think of 2 where the person hit the front of their head on the ice - both were pushed from behind.  One needed stitches at the crown/temple, the other on the cheekbone.  I guess they (smartly) turned their heads to protect their noses.

When the Big Guy was still skating, he tripped on a crossover and hit the top of his head. He's bald and i can see the scar.  Whenever he tells this story skaters just stand there in amazement and say "HOW could you do that?"