1. CHOOSE THE RIGHT MATERIAL

First of all, let's begin with the most important tip of all: Choose the right material! For ice hockey, never buy a pad with nylon material (pad 1) on the inside gussets! It is important to choose a pad made with a leather-like material /pad 2) in this area of the pads as shown.

A goalie pad with nylon instead of leather-like material on this area will require twice as much power to move laterally, and even then will not slide as far and quickly as a goalie with leather inner gussets

>Do not handicap the speed of your goalie because of the wrong material used on the pad!

2.FIND OUT THE CORRECT "GENERAL" SIZE

Next, we need to find the correct "general" size. Pad size is NOT an "exact science" because of the anatomical differences in legs, and playing style. Luckily, there are some good guidelines to follow. The first one is determining the correct "general" size. You do this by locating the center of the "knee cradle" on the pad. Put on the pad and see where the center of this cradle lines up with the center of your knee. If the center of your knee is higher than the center of the knee cradle, the pad is TOO SHORT and do not buy it. If your knee is lower than this, it means the pad will be "technically" too tall for you, but NOT NECESSARILY wrong. And, for young, growing goalies you should buy a pad which is about 3 cm "technically too tall - so you have room to grow. This amount of extra length will NOT hinder performance.

3.CLOSE THE 5-HOLE

Now that we know the "general" idea of what size we need, its time to test it for the correct length. We can do this by putting on our goalie pants, then have the goalie make a butterfly on the floor (pic 1 and 2). Notice that if the goalie is unable to close the "5" hole (the space between the pads) this means THE PADS ARE TOO SHORT (pic 1). If the goalie is able to close this hole tightly, the pads are THE CORRECT SIZE (pic2).

Simple eh?

4. TIE ON THE PAD CORRECTLY FOR BEST PERFORMANCE

Notice the lace used to tie the toe of the pad on the skate. To allow proper pad rotation and to relieve pressure on the knees you should make several knots as shown in the photo to the right. I suggest 3 knots for young goalies and for pros, 4 - 5.

5. STRAP ON THE PAD CORRECTLY FOR BEST PERFORMANCE

Always put on the pads as shown - sitting down - NOT LAYING ON THE FLOOR. Make the straps so that they are "taught." That means not tight, but not completely loose either. Do this with the leg in the bent position as shown so that the tightness of the pads will be the correct amount when standing in the "goalie stance." Doing this correctly will allow faster moveability, better pad rotation, and less wasted energy for the goalie.