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Knee pads, pt 2


Patrick Sweeney

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I'm trying two places, here and the rifle/shotgun section.  My knees are a bit tender (skydiving, martial arts, dirt bikes, all took a toll) and I am looking for knee pads for practice and match use.

Two applications:  "Cheater" pads I can hide under trousers, and "tactical" pads for use outside of bdus.  Any suggestions on brand names?

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patrick,

i like the strap-on outside.  easy on, off.  

i use roller blade pads.  you can get a set of elbow, knee, and wrist pads for under $20.   the pads have a hard plastic guard on them, too.  this helps with pointy rocks! ouch!  and please don't take up roller blading!  toss the wrist pads.

lynn

(Edited by lynn jones at 9:26 am on Feb. 13, 2003)

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Patrick, I've tried both types for some time. My knees are pretty weak after years of basketball. The "cheater type" are nice. I have a pair of "K-guard" (that's the brand name) pads. They don't have the hard plastic covers. just thick pads with soft stuff on the inside. They don't have straps. I can wear them for a long time without noticing them. They do not work in areas with "pointy rocks" though. As Lynn points out, you need the hard plastic skate pads for those surfaces. I personally don't like those. They take my focus off the shooting, because of the annoying velcro straps that irritate. Did I mention they annoyed me? They DO give more confidence though, because they offer more protection.  

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One warning here. The confidence you gain with knee pads can lead to more knee trouble if you are not careful. There is a tendency to drop into a kneeling position a little harder when wearing pads than you would otherwise (why, because you can!). If you do this too much, the additional impact force can cause bad knees to become worse. The padding allows you to take impacts in stride, but the force is still applied to the kneecap, you just don't feel any pain at the time you do it. And just because you don't feel any pain, it doesn't mean you aren't getting hurt.

I know this because I spent about three months rehabilitating both of my knees after I used knee pads to agressively get into position on a lot of low ports at the 2001 3 gun nationals.

I am more cautious now, and treat my knees better even when padded (same goes for elbows). Beware the tendency to think you are invincible when you are wearing padding.

Regards,

(Edited by George at 1:48 pm on Feb. 14, 2003)

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