In a heavy contact sport like football, players on offense and defense both accept the hard hits and dish them out. Sometimes a player will lead with the shoulder and initiate contact and sometimes that same shoulder receives the blow. The lower body is just as important in football but it almost always receives the blow. The thigh area is particularly important because a player will generate more than 40 percent of his overall power from his ability to accelerate. This comes from the thighs and upper legs and repeated blows to the leg will sap a player of his ability to escape tackles, run away from coverage or make impact plays. Proper protection will not eliminate thigh and other leg muscle injuries, but it will lessen the impact of the blow and allow a player to recover more quickly and return to the lineup with a minimum of missed action.
What to Look for
Thigh pads must be light, strong and resilient. The improvements in technology over the last decade have allowed the thigh pad to become lighter yet more effective in competition. Thigh pads are generally worn in a compression garment--often called a girdle--that are under the uniform pants. The girdle has a slot for the thigh pads to be slipped into and worn comfortably. If the thigh pad is too large for the compression garment, the edges of the pad have a tendency to pinch and the pad itself will bubble up or crown. That limits its effectiveness and can actually cause more problems for the athlete. Older, heavier thigh pads will protect the players' legs effectively but they lead to fatigue. Players want stronger, lighter equipment and that's why the newer models are preferable.
Common Pitfalls
Pads have come a long way in recent years and many older, veteran coaches who are from the "old school" may not appreciated the technological advancements. They see the light, form-fitting material and they think that the thigh pads do not protect the way they should and they may want their players to wear the older, heavier equipment. This may be self-defeating, but that's why it is imperative for coaches to keep up with the research and technology. If they don't, they allow older, uninformed opinions to overrule the latest information. That hurts the player and can hurt the team. One other point: Thigh pads cushion a player from a blow but they cannot assure that a player will avoid injury. An onrushing defensive back who collides full force with the protected upper leg of a running back or quarterback can still cause intense damage if contact is square and unimpeded.
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