Football is one the most popular sports in America, from youth to the professional level. One of the biggest parts of football is physicality and contact. Football is one of the most physical sports that one can play, so protection is important.
Football players of all sizes and ages wear shoulder pads, but what are they really protecting? Are football shoulder pads a necessary piece of equipment?
Why Do Football Players Wear Shoulder Pads?
Football players wear shoulder pads to protect themselves from collisions and hard contact. Shoulder pads are a piece of equipment that help players protect the shoulders, chest, and upper back.
Shoulder pads have come a long way as far as design and protection over the years. The technology has become extremely advanced, protecting players of all ages and sizes.
Are All Shoulder Pads the Same?
The design of shoulder pads have come a long way. Protection is important and is the main concern for using this piece of equipment.
Shoulder pads vary in size and shape. Most of this variation is based on the size of the player and the position of that player.
Range of motion is a key factor for shoulder pads. Linemen, for example, do not use as much range of motion as a receiver. Lineman shoulder pads, therefore, have extra padding to protect the front of the shoulder.
Will Shoulder Pads Protect Someone from Injury?
Shoulder pads are a necessary piece of equipment for all football players. Shoulder pads, although they have improved over the years, will not completely protect players from injury.
Injuries in football will occur, but wearing the proper shoulder pads will greatly reduce the number and severity of shoulder injuries. Years ago, shoulder injuries were extremely popular, which would put many players on the sidelines for a long time.
One of the key elements to shoulder pads is to fit them properly to the player. Every individual is built slightly different, so the proper fit is useful to reduce the injuries that are possible.
What are the Factors in Fitting Shoulder Pads?
- Lightweight
- Maximum protection
- Comfortability
- Range of Motion
- Position of the player
All of these factors should be taken into consideration. If you can find all of these with a pair of shoulder pads, then that is the perfect fit. Accomplishing all of these factors is a tough task, but if you can find something that meets several of these, that is a success in itself.
Types of Shoulder Pads for Position-Specific Players
Each position may have a different style of shoulder pads to wear. Based on the position as well as the size of the player, hopefully the correct fit can be accomplished.
We will review some of the things to look for based on positions:
Quarterback, Wide Receiver, and Defensive Back Shoulder Pads
These shoulder pads are typically the smallest shoulder pads on the football field. Range of motion is an important piece to playing these positions, so finding the smallest, but safest shoulder pads is important.
These shoulder pads are typically lightweight, allowing for players in these positions to have flexibility, raise their arms, and allow for a range of motion.
Offensive and Defensive Linemen
These pads are typically bigger and provide full protection. Players that play offensive or defensive line are typically not required to have as much range of motion and flexibility.
These positions do, however, involve themselves in a lot of contact and physicality, so maximum protection is vital.
These pads will typically contain an extra pad on the front of the shoulder pad, protecting the front of the shoulder socket and bone. Offensive and defensive linemen can still move well and react appropriately even with maximum protection.
Linebacker and Running Back Shoulder Pads
We decided to group these positions together because these positions can be similar, but with these positions we do see a variety of different sizes. Running backs tend to be a little smaller than linebackers, but they are involved in a lot of contact on a regular basis.
Running backs can typically get away with a slightly bigger shoulder pad and still be effective as a player.
Linebackers are very physical players, they are in contact almost every play. Maximum protection isn’t always established, but being close to that and still allowing range of motion is beneficial and crucial.
What Companies Make the Best Shoulder Pads
There are four main companies that produce shoulder pads
- Schutt
- Riddell
- Douglas
- Xtech
Schutt
Schutt makes equipment for a variety of sports. Schutt specializes in protection and are constantly evolving their products and specializations. Schutt has the ability to custom-make shoulder pads for all ages. Schutt specializes in pads from youth all the way to professional football.
Riddell
Riddell has the most accounts from youth to the NFL. Riddell specializes in football equipment and protection and makes an emphasis on improving on a regular basis. Riddell equipment can be custom made and they offer several different styles and levels of shoulder pads.
Douglas
Douglas is known for their accessories for protection and also their custom shoulder pads for each position. Douglas offers collections, which is helpful for selecting different styles based on needs.
Xtech
Xtech is known for their design and materials. Xtech uses advanced plastics and foam production technology. Xtech is one of the main four companies that make the best shoulder pads on the market.
Are There Custom Fit Shoulder Pads?
Yes, all of the four companies listed above produce custom shoulder pads. These custom shoulder pads are designed to fit each player specifically.
There are some cases where the body type of a player doesn’t conform to the position that he plays. In this case, it is difficult to make sure the correct shoulder pads are purchased. In this case, custom shoulder pads are the main choice.
Are Shoulder Pads Uncomfortable?
The technology today has made shoulder pads very much more comfortable than years ago. The materials that are used to produce shoulder pads has come a long way over the years.
Comfort and lightweight are two key factors in shoulder pads today. Along with comfort and lightweight material, durability and safety are also main factors when producing shoulder pads. The difficult part of producing shoulder pads is to find that mix of comfort , but safe.
Final Thoughts
Shoulder pads are a necessity when choosing to play football. Safety is a main concern at all ages and levels of football. Choosing the proper shoulder pads will make a big difference in both performance as well as safety.
It is important to evaluate players by position, but also evaluate them based on their size and shape. Each style of shoulder pads fit slightly differently and comfort is an important aspect of performance.
Shoulder pads are not cheap, but it is important to use the proper equipment during a football season.