RBK 7K Junior Pads

[woodford 0]

My 9 year old son wants a set of Reebok 7K junior pads ala Lunogo ( His ATK is 14" height is approximately 4'7"/93lbs).

This past weekend we visited a local store and he tried on both the 26+1 and the 28+1 sets. The rep suggested the 28+1 set, as his knee is in the middle of the knee pad (while in butterfly). The top of the pad comes up to his groin area which seems high and might restrict movement.

I think we should go with the slightly smaller pair, and move the knee pad, as he is currently playing Novice, moving up to Atom next season. My main concern is mobility versus protection at this point in time, as there are not too many hard shooters in his age group.

Will the 28+1's breakdown height-wise with use?

[Law Goalie 147]

To the breakdown question, absolutely not. RBK pads - even the price-point models - are constructed in such a way that the pad will not shrink, nor will it 'break in' to the user. The only people I've seen capable of bending RBK pads to their legs are larger and stronger than average pros, or kids in their early teens who have put on a good deal of muscle mass quickly and worn down an already undersized and under-spec'ed junior/intermediate pad. For anyone else, an RBK pad will break your legs in before your legs will break the pads in.

Reebok has revised their sizing guidelines to use the FTK (floor-to-knee) measurement, as detailed here:

You can scale down to find junior/intermediate sizes. It's somewhat more reliable than sizing RBK pads with ATK measures.

Don't worry about the pads coming up toward his crotch: that's where most modern pads sit, and they're narrow and thin enough that he'll be able to learn to use them without interference. They will, of course, feel odd at first. It is possible that your son's shins are disproportionately short compared to his thighs (a matter of an inch, maybe), which makes the standard RBK +1 sizing an issue.

I would advise against buying a set that could be too small - that is much worse than buying a set too big. Having said that, there are a lot of factors that determine proper sizing, and the position of the knee in the knee-cradle when in the butterfly is just one relative measure of those. I'll run through a few quick questions:

1. How much slack did your son have in his toe-ties (ie. between the toe of his skate and the toe-bridge of the pad) when trying on the pads?

2. Was your son wearing knee-pads behind the RBK pads?

3. Was your son wearing goalie pants?

4. How were the pads strapped, apart from the toe-ties?

Is there a reason your son is only interested in Reebok?

[woodford 0]

How much slack did your son have in his toe-ties (ie. between the toe of his skate and the toe-bridge of the pad) when trying on the pads?

I tied a knot approximately 3/4" to 1"

2. Was your son wearing knee-pads behind the RBK pads?

No, the pads come with thigh boards, which I intended to leave in place initially

3. Was your son wearing goalie pants?

No, he was not. But he was wearing goalie skates

4. How were the pads strapped, apart from the toe-ties?

Bottom strap under skated was moderately tight, loosen up for the next two, and the loose for the straps behind the knee

Is there a reason your son is only interested in Reebok?

Unfortunately, I am trying to explain to a 9 year old that it is not the manufacturer of pad (or which NHL goalie wears them) which is important, but more so the fit.

Thanks for the help.

[Law Goalie 147]

Good luck with that explanation - I've heard that conversation in too many lockerrooms. :)

One quite definite piece of advice: if you can find a 10"-wide junior pad, as opposed to an 11"-wide pad, that will offer your son a far greater advantage in mobility than going up or down a couple of inches in pad height. From what I've read, that the Reebok 7K (Premier 3 Series) is an 11"-wide pad even at the Junior level; the older 6K Junior pads (Premier 2 Series) are 10" wide. Goaliemonkey still has the 6K pads in a full range of sizes, as do several other online and eBay stores. The width of the pad is a far greater issue - especially with a rigid pad like a Reebok - than the height.

Rather than tying the knot in advance (ie. before attaching the pads to the skates), it's often helpful with Reebok pads in particular to pop the kid down in the butterfly, make sure the knee is correctly seated with the rest of the leg lying naturally along the calf-wing, and *then* measure along the toe-tie from the toe-bridge of the pad to the toe of the skate. Generally, you'll find a lot more distance between those two points than you'd think with this method.

Not only will this improve the pad's play (taking a great deal of strain off your son's MCL), it may make different sizes work a little differently.

There is also almost invariably some interaction between pads and pants, especially in transition from stance to butterfly. A pad that seems 'perfectly' sized without pants can be thrown off with pants on. It's one of the variable in trying on pads that is frequently overlooked. Basically, the pants can push the knee away from the back of the pad: depending on the angle at which this interaction (or interference, depending on how you look at it) occurs, the knee can be pushed on a fairly steep diagonal towards the top of the knee-block, meaning that a well-fitted pad can 'play small' once the pants are on.

As for the other strapping, I would suggest changing things slightly. First, do up the knee-lock and the strap or straps that pass through the knee-block. Pop the kid down in the butterfly, allowing the legs to find natural positions. Do up the boot-strap (bottom strap under the skate) to just support the foot in that natural position, with as little extra slack as possible, but not tension on the foot itself. Next, measure out, knot, and attach the toe-ties as above. Then do the calf-straps up to support the calf-wing below the leg, more or less as the boot-strap supported the skate. Finally, if there is a separate thigh-strap (one that does not pass through the knee-block), do that so that it is as tight as possible without pulling on the leg when in the butterfly. Even with a 'Turco-break' pad, your son's legs should not be trying to bend a Reebok pad every time he butterflies.