How to Choose Goalie Leg Pads
To use the charts above, first, you will need to find your Ankle to Knee (ATK) measurement as outlined below. Ankle to Knee measurement is the best way to find the base size of the pad and is generally considered the industry standard when sizing goalie pads. The ultimate goal here is to have the knee land in the center of the knee stack when in the butterfly position. From there if you prefer a taller pad, use additional thigh rise to help cover the 5 hole when in butterfly. Be careful, more thigh rise is not always a benefit as it can cause the pad to be too tall and diminish your ability to be mobile. +1 thigh rise is typical and it is uncommon to see a goalie wear any more than +2 thigh rise. When trying on a pad to verify sizing, it is always recommended to try on the pad with the gear that interacts with the pad; skates, pants/breezers, and even socks/under garments.
We would also like to briefly cover the dilemma of choosing the right side pad for a growing young goalie. While instinct may be to choose a size of pad that will give them ample room to grow into, in reality too big of a pad can inhibit their skill development and create bad habits. It is critical that when sizing a pad for a growing goalie that when in the butterfly position, the knee lands on the knee stack. The goal here will be to have the knee land in the lower half (without sliding off), this way the goalie still has room to grow. Once the goalie’s knee reaches the top of the knee stack (when in butterfly position), it will be time to move on to the next size pad.
Determine Your ATK (Ankle to Knee) Measurement
Ankle to Knee (abbreviated ATK) is the most common measurement in finding the correct pad size. It is simply a measurement from the center of the ankle bone to the middle of the knee cap. This can be done using a soft tape measure or by measuring first with a piece of string and then measuring the length of the string.
Determine Your Thigh Rise Measurement
Thigh rise is the added height (measured in inches) at the top of a goalie pad. Thigh rise allows a goalie to wear the correct size pad (using ATK measurement) while adding height to the top of the pad to help cover more net and retain better coverage of the 5-hole when in the butterfly position. Thigh rise is identified with a “+” followed by a number (in inches). For example, a 33+2” goalie pad would have a base height of 33” and an additional 2 inches added to the top of the pad. Dimensionally, a 33+2” pad and a 34+1” pad will be the same overall height (top to bottom), however the 33+2” pad will have its knee stack lower than the 34+1” pad. A goalie should choose his/her base pad height based on their ATK measurement and then determine if additional thigh rise height is necessary based on their skill and playing style.
Choose Your Age Group
With your ideal pad size in hand, it's now time to choose the appropriate range of goalie pad. Most adult goalies will fall in the Senior size range and typically when a goalie reaches high-school age, they are using Senior sized pads.
When sizing for youth and younger goalies, this can get a little confusing as brands often overlap with sizes. For instance, Brand A may establish a 32” pad as an Intermediate, while Brand B calls it a Senior size. While the overall height between a 32” Intermediate and a 32” Senior pad will be the same, the important thing to note is often the widths will be slightly different. Most brands use a 10.5” or 10.75” core to Intermediate pads while Senior pads use an 11” core. The reduced width can be to the benefit of a smaller goalie as it helps them be more mobile and refine their skills before moving to a full senior pad while a smaller adult goalie would benefit from the added coverage of a 11” width pad.
Some differences should be noted in Junior and Youth pads as well. Youth pads generally feature a very basic design construction to help facilitate ease of learning the position and getting dressed before the game. Moving into Junior pads, this classification will benefit from additional protection and padding areas to help protect against shots as opponents become more skilled. Intermediate pads take the design factor a step further even.
With the information and measurements in hand to make a selection, head over to your classification of pad below to get started in finding the perfect pad!
You can also check out our complete guide on to how to choose hockey goalie leg pads.
