Shoulder pads protect a football player's upper torso. While the helmet protects the most vulnerable part of the body, the shoulder pads offer protection to the part of the body that initiates most of the contact in football. Blockers lead with their shoulders and running backs initiate contact with their upper body. Defensive players lead with their shoulders and upper body when tackling. As a result, shoulder pads must be durable, versatile and offer consistent shock absorbing protection. Trying to get by with older, worn out equipment because it feels comfortable to a player will lead to almost certain injury as it will not provide needed protection.
What to Look for
Shoulder pads must be form-fitting to be effective. Shoulder pads are fitted by measuring a player from shoulder blade to shoulder blade and then adding an extra half-inch to inch of material for the best fit possible. Shoulder pads are almost always attached to the rib protector, which offers additional protection to the upper torso. Shoulder pads almost always feel bulky and cumbersome when first being worn, but a player quickly grows used to the equipment once he has made contact with another player.
A quarterback's shoulder pads are usually smaller and lighter than every other player's to allow freedom to throw the ball without interference. The same holds true for pads worn by wide receivers and some tight ends because they regularly have to extend their hands and arms to come down with the football. The quarterback's and wide receiver's shoulder pads may be smaller, but they still must cover the vulnerable parts of the upper body in order to provide effective protection.
Common Pitfalls
When dealing with younger players, parents and coaches may feel the need to buy pads that are a bit bigger than they should be for two reasons: they feel that bigger pads will offer more protection and that players will also grow into them. Pads that are too big not only offer less protection, but can also lead to injury because they sit improperly on the player's body. As a result, the idea of growing into the pads is foolish because of the potential for injury. For that same reason, shoulder pads should not be passed down from older brother to younger brother. The key to providing adequate protection is fit and the form-fitting nature of the pads means that once they have adhered themselves to one particular body they are not going to fit another person's body in an ideal manner.
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