How to wear cricket pads? If you’re confused about cricket pad straps, and how to tie pads up before playing, our guide will help you to establish the best way to get the protection of a pad.
Our goal at the Village Cricket Co, is to help make cricket more accessible for all people, and this also means helping people with some of the very basic information they need to start playing.
Even if you have bought all of the equipment you need to get started, it is not necessarily going to be easy to get used to things like bat care and how you use the gear, and this includes pads.
How to Put On Cricket Pads
Putting on cricket pads isn’t too difficult, but it becomes easier once you have done it a few times, so it is a good idea to practice before the clock is ticking and you’re about to go out into the middle to face some balls.
The cricket pads’ position is simple enough. The horizontal part of the pad, the knee roll (this means the panels near the top) should be at the same level as the knee. This is how to wear cricket pads correctly and having pads that sit too far above or below can risk an injury. Check before you fasten them.
Also, make sure the bottom of the batting pad goes over the tongue of your cricket shoes, and doesn’t sit underneath it. This can impact the protection but it can also make the pads rub and potentially leave you with a nasty blister or sore.
If you are wearing pads that have specific left and right pads, make sure that the extra protection, and a wing, which is a widened section near the ankle, on the leading leg. This provides protection as you lunge forward to play your shots. Some ambidextrous pads have either less protection in total or wings on both sides, which can make it harder to work out how to put on your cricket pads.
Our batting pads come in left handed and right handed designs, meaning that you can maximise both your protection and your comfort while you are playing cricket.
To attach the cricket pads to your leg, you will usually have two or three velcro straps that fasten inside a buckle. This means that you can hook the velcro around the back of your calf before tightening and fastening them.
Tighten and fasten the lowest of the the three first, then the middle, and then the top one.
This can be a little bit tough, you need to work out the best way to wear pads for you. Too loose and they are likely to get in the way and make running hard, but too tight can also be restrictive and uncomfortable. Ensure you can run freely and move around comfortably.
How to Put Cricket Pads On – A Video
Some people find it hard to visualise exactly how to put pads on, which means that a video can come in very handy. This excellent video by Safal Future in cricket explains some information about choosing and correctly wearing a cricket pad.
Should Cricket Bat Straps Go Inside or Outside The Leg?
The straps should finish on the outside of the leg, not on the inside, and the buckles themselves should sit inside, which helps to ensure they don’t get in the way. Some people do choose to wear the buckles outside of the leg. If this feels better for you then there is no problem, you certainly won’t be penalised for doing so.
What If I Wear Cricket Pads Incorrectly?
There are a few reasons why it is important to learn how to wear cricket pads correctly.
Firstly, they are there for our protection, and failing to put them on property means that protection will not be as strong. It is possible that you might get some nasty bruises, or worse, if the pads aren’t covering the parts of your body they should be.
Additionally, comfort is a big consideration. Cricket pads are seen as a bit of a necessary evil by a lot of people, but they play an important role and they shouldn’t be too uncomfortable. Putting them on correctly means they won’t rub against your ankles or cause too much restriction while you are running. Make sure you don’t fasten them so tight they are impacting your blood flow, either.
Conclusion
Putting on pads and knowing how to wear pads correctly is just one of the confusing aspects of crickets for newcomers, but you’ll be a pro by following our simple guide and running through the process a few times, ensuring you get the sweet spot where the pads are secure, but not too tight.