Switching from Butterfly to Hybrid Pads (Help!)

[Davetronz 109]

Hey guys,

Need some opinions from you. I've been playing goal for about 2 years now, but only last summer and this fall/winter as a full-time tender. I'm playing lower level rec to get a better feel for the position and the equipment. I'm loving the position and I've been upgrading my equipment as I go along.

I've been wearing a pair of 34+1 Reebok 7k pads which are, well, quite entry level. I realized that when I bought them as I was moreso giving the position a try without a huge cost commitment. I went from wearing these pads tight to realizing I needed to keep them very loose so they moved and rotated in butterfly. Through using these pads I realized that butterfly isn't really my style and I was ending up getting caught up in my pads more often than not when I tried to do non-butterfly scrambles. I was also being pretty hard on my knees (I have a former torn patellar tendon on my right knee). I tend to drop quite hard (which I'm trying to learn to avoid), and I'm using a pair of volleyball knee pads under some older Vaughn V4 thigh/knee pads to provide additional protection. I found that the 7k's weren't really protecting my knees as much as I'd like. I also fit moreso a hybrid style, so I recently picked up a pair Reebok L9 (34+1) on close-out to match my glove and blocker and because I loved the cushioning in the knee stacks.

I wore these new pads for the first time last night and I had mixed reviews. I felt a lot more load on my joints (perhaps I'm wearing them too tight), and felt reduced mobility, however, I was able to slide side-to-side like never before!! The L9's are definitely heavier than my 7k's but I'm OK with this because of the protection.

So some questions:

1). Compared to a butterfly style pad, how should I be lacing and strapping my hybrid style pads to use them most effectively? I know this is personal preferance, but where should my "starting point" be?

2). I now have 2 boot straps instead of one. Should one of these straps run through the middle and one through the back of the cowling? How tight should these boot straps be? (FYI, I've had a double ankle sprain in the past year that prevents me from going too tight on toe ties or boot straps without loading my ankles too much).

3). On my 7k's I was using a bungee-style strap with clips on each end instead of toe ties to ease the strain on my ankles and legs. This was actually working really good, but I'm wondering if there's anything newer or better.

4). I need to upgrade those Vaughn V4 knee/thigh pads. I bought them used and they're pretty broken down. I was looking at the new Bauer Supremes. I like something fairly snug fitting, but will offer MAJOR pading/softness on the knee for my patellar tendon. Any thoughts on something else that I should check out? I've read on here that Brown's rock, but I can't find them locally, so I'd have to take a risk online.

Any and all suggestions would be appreciated!! Thank you in advance.

[Wallzy41 9]

1. I lace my Brian's M-series Toe Tie through all 3 cowl parts, boot strap in the back tied loosely, then the leg straps about 3-4 holes left(medium-tight). My knee straps are about the same, but a touch tighter. I don't use my above-knee strap.

2.I shied away from the Larceny Series because of the double boot. I would experiment with that... you could go 1 and 2, 1 and 3, or 2 and 3. It depends on where you want the boot of the pad to end up, IIRC.

3.Do you still have your 7k's? You may be able to swap your toe-ties if you plan on exclusively using your L9's.

4. I use the built in thigh-guards with my M-series. I also have the Bauer Pro pants with telescoping knee.

[Davetronz 109]

Thanks Wallzy41,

1. Ill try loosening off those straps a bit more to get a bit more pad movement.

2. It sounds like I'll really need to do that experimenting with the double boot. Based on the length of the "middle" strap, I'd assume it's either going middle or back cowling hole. It's almost too long to go in the middle one.

3. I still have the 7k's. Going to keep them around for the transition (maybe playoffs, haha). I ended up getting a second pair of flextoes for the L9s so I don't have to swap. Haven't tried the flextoes on the L9's yet, but they made such a difference on the 7k's for me, so I'm looking forward to relieving some of that pressure from my legs.

4. I never was a fan of the built-in thigh guards. I'm still leaning towards the Bauer Supreme Pro knee guards or ordering a pair of Brown 2400KN (just waiting to hear back from them). I like the idea of the extra purple padding in the knee area. I think LawGoalie mentioned that they were his favorite knee guard a couple years back. Wondering if that still holds true.

[Davetronz 109]

Ordered a set of John Brown 2400KN Pro knee pads today. Excited to give them a try and see how they work. I'll post up some initial thoughts and a review once I get them. They were $122 with shipping and tax - a bit expensive, but I'm looking at the health of my knees in the long run.