Equipment Sizing FAQS

mx42 · Posted: Tue Dec 04, 2007 9:15 pm Post subject: Equipment Sizing FAQS

Guys,

One of the most commonly asked questions here is "How do I size for my equipment?" After working in a shop for most of my life, I can give you some ideas on how to size for gear. You can post in this thread giving me information you can measure up yourself for, and I will help you size up for you gear.

Leg pads:
Take a tape measure.
Sit down with your leg at a 90 degree angle with the floor.
Start the tape measure at the middle of your ankle bone.
Bring it up to the middle of your knee cap along the inside of your leg.
Give me this measurement and I will be able to fit you in any pad.
Plus sizing:

When a pad is noted as "+" sized, it means there are extra inches on the thigh rise (top of the pad above the knee) to help with 5-hole closure.

Catch Glove/Blocker:
Honestly, there are so many different fits out there it is best to try them on yourself. Make sure your fingers are near the end of the finger stall on the blocker, and you should be fine in the catcher.

If you are taking a lot of shots to the stick that hurt your blocker hand, consider ordering a custom blocker next time and ask for a double layer on the palm. This really helps with cushioning the shot.

If you are taking shots to the crease/folding point on your catch glove and getting hurt a lot (not stingers, but really hurt), consider ordering a custom catcher and ask for a "pro palm." Contrary to popular belief, pros use a regular break for their game gloves, but a pro palm or double pro palm for their practice gloves.

Chest and Arm:
Overall height factors in, along with build (thin, athletic, regular, bigger). Do you wear it outside your pants or tucked in?

Pants:
Provide your waist size (around your belly button), height, build.

Skates:
Another tough area to fit. Best to do at your local pro shop, since WIDTH is a difficult factor to measure.
Take out of the footbed when you have a pair you like at the shop. Place it on the floor, and put your foot up on top of it. This will give you an idea how it will fit on your foot. For the best fit, you want your toe to just graze the tip of the boot.

Keep in mind - you will be forward on the balls of your feet a bit when you play, so make sure to simulate your stance in any skates you are trying on.

Make sure when going to a WIDE boot that you actually need the extra width. If only a few areas are bothering you on a regular sized boot, most of the time this can be rectified by punching out the problematic area. Purchasing a wide fit on a regular foot can cause a lot of problems, such as blisters, irregular buildup on the bones of the foot, loss of energy transfer, even injury. Make sure the guy you are talking to really knows his skate sizing.

RULE OF THUMB: if you are wearing a properly fitted shoe (ie. not bigger for comfort), it is 1.5 sizes DOWN from your shoe. So if you are a size 10 shoe, buy 8.5 skates.

GRAF usually fits most feet.
Bauer is built more towards narrower feet.
RBK the same.
CCM tends to fit the 'higher volume' foot - either wider or 'taller.'

Mask:
You get what you pay for. Don't skimp here. Fit is just as important as what you pay, so if you are buying a $600 mask, make sure it fits well too.

Sticks:
Tons of kids are using improperly sized sticks because they want to buy the pro model sticks that their favorite player is using. This is wrong. I have watched many kids (like 10-12 years old) using adult-sized paddle lengths on their sticks (25-26") who drop into a butterfly and use their stick to redirect the puck - only to see it roll off the blade, up their shoulder, and into the net. Paddle height is not only important in your basic stance, but in the butterfly as well. Keep this in mind.

What you need to do is size based on height and stance. Bring your skates with you to a pro shop and try different paddle heights/lie/curves.

With younger goalies who do not yet have the strength to lift the puck, try to find a straight blade stick so they can get their fundamentals down (ie. always having the stick square to the shot).

Senior paddle heights generally range from: 25-26"
Intermediate: 23-24"
Junior: 21-22"
Youth: 20" and below.

Jock:
Whatever protects and fits well. I generally pick up the bigger goalie jock and wear a regular player's jock underneath. 2 layers to disperse the impact.

Maks01 · Posted: Wed Dec 05, 2007 12:10 am Post subject:

Great stuff.. Nice to know..

mx42 · Posted: Sun Dec 09, 2007 6:57 am Post subject:

This question was sent to me via PM. I'll post it here for everyone, just in case you are around Black Mesa's range.

From: Black Mesa
To: mx42
Posted: Sun Dec 09, 2007 4:45 am
Subject: Pad Sizing Quote message
I saw your FAQ about equipment sizing. I measured my leg from the floor to the middle of my kneecap and got about 19". What size pad would that be? Thanks.

A 19" FTK is different from the ATK that is best used to size.

The ATK works better because it is a measurement of your shin length - you need this to make sure you fit the shin of any specific leg pad...above the boot break and in the middle of the knee stack.

Anyway, a 19" FTK will roughly translate to a 17-17.5" ATK. If you're sizing for Pro gear, which is available in 1" increments:

33" in Koho/RBK (Lefevre), TPS.
34" in Vaughn, Brian's, CCM/RBK (non-Lefevre), Itech.

If you are going for senior gear which has measurements in either odd/even increments, go with the top measurement if available. (an example is the RBK senior gear; the 5K, 7K went in odd measurements - 33-35-37, while the 6K and 8K went 32-34-36).

If the above is not available, I recommend going one size up, but you can go one size down if you feel more comfortable in smaller pads.

You can tweak sizing by lengthening or shortening your toe ties (longer if the pad is slightly larger for you, tighten it if you find yourself just barely falling out of the knee cradle).

+ inches on the thigh rise is dependent on three factors:
1) personal preference
2) training - ie. leg strength, skating ability, flexibility
3) femur length ("thigh bone" - from your hip down to the middle of the knee cap)

When I worked retail, many guys who purchased gear through me got greedy and wanted extra inches on the thigh. This backfired on them because they were used to shorter pads, and didn't have the flexibility/didn't train hard enough to work with a taller rise. Their hips ended up giving them problems, often becoming sore or aching after games. Make sure you keep this in mind when ordering any + inches on the thigh rise!!

+1 is generally not a problem, 2 or more is when I started seeing most issues come up.

Black Mesa · High School Joined: 08 Dec 2007 Posts: 14

Thank you very much. Its good that you put the answer here so everyone can benefit.

EST_30 · Peewee Joined: 29 Oct 2007 Posts: 5 Location: Estonia

Well i still have a question...

Like the same asked before but my english in't that good to understand some of your words...

My knee-cap to my ankle is 17" so what size Vaughns should i get or what size of rbk's should i get...

Sorry for this dumm question... Embarassed

netmind · Hall of Fame Joined: 12 Mar 2007 Posts: 1501

EST_30 · Peewee Joined: 29 Oct 2007 Posts: 5 Location: Estonia

big_fat_greek_goalie · College Joined: 07 Dec 2007 Posts: 57 Location: Canada

Great thread MX42.
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netmind · Hall of Fame Joined: 12 Mar 2007 Posts: 1501

If you like your knee a little high in the rolls...MX42 will answer it best, but I would think , if i were you that 34 +1 would be plenty of pad and you knee be as dead on the break as you can you can with off the rack pads.

mx42 · Posted: Wed Dec 19, 2007 9:19 pm Post subject:

big_fat_greek_goalie · College Joined: 07 Dec 2007 Posts: 57 Location: Canada

MX42,

ATK of +/-18.5 what size pad would you recommend for the following brands for a profly goalie who 5-hole closure is key to (don't mind a wide stance):

RBK Premier Pro (P 1 and 2)
V2 and V3
SWD 9990

P.S. I bought a pair of 36" prodigy pros soft flex that were too small (was not getting full 5-hole closure) and just used a pair of 12.8 Xwings that were 35+2 and loved them, just not sure how the above pads measure up (the different brands that is).

Thanks

edit: height is 6' to 6'1" if it matters.
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EST_30 · Peewee Joined: 29 Oct 2007 Posts: 5 Location: Estonia

So Vaughn V3 34+2... or 34+1 or just 34?
Man I Hate the people selling the pads here in Estonia they know nothing about hockey...
I've gotta go to Finlands hockey store...
Oh and rbk 31" are just about my size maybe a little small...
So 34" is kind of a big but i did have 17" from ankle to knee cap...

mx42 · Posted: Sat Dec 22, 2007 6:49 am Post subject:

mx42 · Posted: Sat Dec 22, 2007 6:52 am Post subject:

big_fat_greek_goalie · College Joined: 07 Dec 2007 Posts: 57 Location: Canada

Thanks!

I don't really like soft pads persay, but a double knee break is what I am after. I have a feeling that the V2/3's will be too soft overall (i.e. the boot and below the knee), but the regular P1/2's will be too stiff also.

Don't have a tonne of $ to burn, but I love to play and play a lot, so why skimp out right, plus I don't blow much $ on anything else.

I do have to sell the Prodigys though before I buy another set.
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