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.
- Boxing glovesPadded gloves worn to cover the hands when punching in boxing and striking sports.
- The goal and the creaseThe net a hockey team defends and the protected area in front of it — the exact goal dimensions, what the crease area includes, and why goaltender contact so often disallows a goal.
Positions
- The goaltenderHockey's most specialised position — how a goaltender covers a 1.83 m by 1.22 m net, what the butterfly style is for, and the rule protections and restrictions unique to the role.
- Ice hockey positionsThe six players on the ice and what each does — centre, two wings, two defence and the goaltender — plus why hockey substitutes in lines rather than individually.
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- Term
- Provenance
- Tier A — evergreen educational
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- Content updated
- 2026-09-01
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