I recently found out why my arms have more slash marks after the game than everyone else. It was always a contest between one of our crazy players and I. But since he moved on, I’ve been leading the contest and by a long way.
While it may look macho, it really sucks. I get bruises on top of bruises and every once in a while I get hit right on the unguarded part of my forearm and my whole hand goes numb for the rest of the game. A new player from another state joined us the other week and he said I’ve got the wrong type of arm pads.
That totally confused me, and my initial response was to blindly agree and just say yes I need some new arm pads. I was corrected; I need arm guards or elbow guards.
The history goes that I used to play defensive-midfield. While playing that position I bought arm pads which were suitable for defenders. They were great and I never suffered from the slashes that I get today. The arm pads I have are in fact arm pads, but apparently what I needed now were arm guards or elbow guards.
Arm guards and elbow guards are specifically designed for midfield and attack players. They provide extra protection for the elbow, the immediate regions above and below the elbow, and that awkward forearm area where your glove ends. The area where to always seem to get hit! You know where I mean.
The arm guard variety have an inner shell which protects your arm, and an internal reinforced pad which protects your elbow. The elbow guard variety are similar, but instead have a larger elbow protector which is attached on the outside. Both guards are also longer than standard arm pads. This is to reduce the gaps at the top and bottom between your gloves and shoulder pads.
How do I know all this? Our new guy pointed me to www.lacrossegearreview.com/. This website has a complete list of lacrosse arm pads, arm guards, elbow guards, forearm shivers and all the other varieties of arm pads. There’s heaps of information, reviews, ratings and they have prices from all the major stores. So I only had to look for the best rated arm guards and pick a store. I’ve since received my arm guards and I couldn’t be happier!
I’ll be in the market for gloves next and I’ll definitely be using Lacrosse Gear Review!
