Pads
Padded protective equipment worn on the body or limbs, whose form varies widely from cricket leg guards to ice-hockey goaltender pads.
Definition
Pads are cushioned protective items worn to absorb impacts from balls, sticks, opponents or falls, and what counts as 'pads' depends entirely on the sport. In cricket they are the leg guards a batter or wicketkeeper wears over the shins and knees, while in ice hockey the goaltender wears large leg pads and outfield players wear shoulder, elbow and shin protection.
Because the risks differ from sport to sport, pads are shaped and reinforced for their specific job and are often governed by rules on size and materials. They are generally sized to the athlete and fitted so they stay in place without unduly restricting movement.
Meaning by sport
This term is used differently across sports:
- Cricket
- Leg guards worn by the batter and wicketkeeper to protect the shins and knees.
- Ice hockey
- Protective padding including the goaltender's large leg pads and outfield players' shoulder, elbow and shin protection.
- American football
- Body protection such as shoulder pads and hip, thigh and knee pads worn under the uniform.
Where you’ll hear “pads”
Sports that use this term:
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Equipment
- Shin guardsProtective pads worn over the shins in football and other field sports.
- Hockey stickA curved-headed stick used to control, pass and shoot the ball or puck in hockey.
- Boxing glovesPadded gloves worn to cover the hands when punching in boxing and striking sports.
- Cricket batA flat-fronted wooden bat used by batters to hit the ball in cricket.
- MouthguardA moulded guard worn over the teeth in contact and combat sports.
Techniques
- PlankA static core exercise that holds the body in a straight line supported on the forearms and toes.
- Running FormThe efficient posture and stride mechanics of distance running, keeping the body relaxed and the cadence smooth.
- Push-UpA bodyweight exercise that lowers and raises the body by bending and straightening the arms while holding a rigid plank line.
- Bodyweight SquatA foundational lower-body exercise that lowers the hips by bending the knees and hips, then stands back up, using only body weight.
- Sprint StartThe explosive start of a sprint from a set, crouched position, driving forward low before gradually rising to full stride.
Exercises
- LungeA single-leg movement where you step forward and bend both knees to lower your body.
- Bulgarian split squatA single-leg squat where the back foot is raised on a bench behind you.
- BurpeeA full-body exercise combining a squat, a plank, and a jump in one flowing movement.
- Push-upA classic upper-body pushing exercise where you lower and press your body up from the floor.
- Tricep dipA pushing exercise where you lower and raise your body using your arms on parallel bars or a bench.
Facilities
Lifestyle
Sports science
- Movement efficiencyHow economically the body performs a movement — achieving the goal with the least wasted effort.
- The kinetic chainThe idea that the body’s segments work as a linked chain, passing force from the ground up through the hips, trunk and limbs.
- SupercompensationA widely taught model of how the body, after a bout of training and enough recovery, can rebuild to a slightly higher level than before.
- BiomechanicsThe study of how the body produces and controls movement — the mechanics behind every technique in sport.
- ProprioceptionThe body’s internal sense of where its parts are and how they are moving — the awareness behind balance and coordinated movement.
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- Content type
- Term
- Provenance
- Tier A — evergreen educational
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- Content updated
- 2026-08-04
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