Low Down on Padded Shorts
If you play ice hockey or lacrosse, then you’re no stranger to protective clothing or pads. Soccer players wear shin guards and squash players goggles, it’s just standard equipment. Even so, wearing protective padding is traditionally not worn in basketball, it’s a “non contact” sport. In reality, lots of contact happens both deep under the basket and out on the perimeter. Mostly it’s just a few bumps and pushes, and occasionally a hard full speed collision. As the level of play increases the force, number and frequency of contact increases. Top players actually seek out opposing player bodies and use the contact to their advantage.
Personally I’m regularly subjected to thigh bruises. Every year, I’d estimate that I get one of these bad boys at least three times a year. Typically this injury occurs when a defensive player sticks out their leg to prevent me from flying by them, or when I do the same. Damage can vary… a little one hurts and only slows me down a bit, a bad one features a multicolored bruise and at least a weeks RICE.
To find the best protective basketball shorts I tested four different products. I tested the best products of Under Armour, Nike, Adidas and the McDavid over an entire year. All these products aim to protect three basic areas: The upper thighs, upper hips and the tail bone. As I’m playing at least three times a week, I simply put them into a rotation and they all get a good workout, wash and evaluation.
An important part of this test was to determine the effectiveness of the various padding systems. As a base case I needed to scientifically test the effect of a knee being driven into a thigh. An obvious solution would be to ask a few of my friends to knee me repeatedly in the area. Although my buddies would welcome to chance to do this, this approach was deemed to be hazardous with the male anatomy sharing the same design philosophy as the Death Star. In the end, the best and most scientific way that I could come up with was to simulate hits using a big rubber hammer. With a padded leg from each of the products I tested each short against the other using increasingly heavy blows. I was then able to evaluated the protection of each short against the other and rank their protection.
Here are the results.
Cost | Comfort | Ease of Use | Looks | Quality | Effectiveness | Overall | |
NIKE“Pro Combat”
|
€75 |
10 |
7 |
9 |
9 |
9 |
44/50 |
McDavid“Thudd Padd”
|
€90 |
8 |
7 |
9 |
9 |
8 |
41/50 |
Under Armor“MPZProtector” |
€35 |
6 |
7 |
6 |
6 |
7 |
32/50 |
Adidas“TechFit”
|
€55 |
7 |
5 |
6 |
4 |
6 |
28/50 |
Results
The Nike “Pro Combat” Padded Shorts came out on top in this report for two main reasons. Extended protection coverage and the overall quality and comfort. The Nike design wraps the upper thigh with padding while managing to fit perfectly and feel fantastic. Built with super high quality materials there is a measurable difference in comfort. The differences can be found in the details; seams, materials and design. They are all done supremely better when compared side by side to the others products tested. The McDavid short comes a close second with their advanced padding system and high quality construction. It just doesn’t fit as comfortably as the “Pro Combat” short despite the impressive padding technology. I’m not sure if the McDavid advanced padding system protects better, but I’m sure that the Nike shorts protects more area.
The results of the padding effectiveness test using the rubber hammer were clear. Getting hit in a padded area provided good protection and getting hit in an open area could be painful. So coverage area has been deemed important in this review. That being determined, I subjected each of the padding systems, (and myself) to increasing strong blows of the impact simulating hammer. They all protected and distributed the force of the blows effectively, with the McDavid protecting marginally better than the others and the Adidas significantly less.
All the shorts were exposed to regular wear, dirty laundry piles and the terror of the washing machine. This test was carried out over and entire year, and this proved critical for one of the shorts tested. In the first four months the extended test conditions quickly exposed the dainty Adidas shorts as fashion junk. Early multiple failures appeared, expanded and the rendered the product useless. After one year the Under Armor short is tattered and damaged but remains serviceable. The solid quality of the McDavid Thudd Pad short is obvious as it continues to work and look great after an entire year. What was surprising was the deceptively strong and sturdy construction of the delicate looking Nike shorts. They continue to work and look like new.
Over the year I didn’t get a injured in any of the areas protected by these padded shorts. I’ve been hit hard in the padded areas and protected from injury. Perhaps more importantly is the confidence that goes with this sort of protection. I’ve found that I’m less worried about getting injured and can play with “reckless abandon”. Get protected and pick up a pair of Nike “Pro Combat” shorts.
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5 Comments
Thank you so much for doing this product review! I have been searching the web for this information and have found random comments here and there. It was great to find a comparison of four brands/styles in one review!
As always, it was a labor of love. I’ve done ankle braces, knee bands, calf sleeves and padded shorts. Now what should I review next? Socks??
My son plays high school varsity ball and he is always taking a charge (or attempting to) and hurting his tailbone. His coach recommended these types of shorts. However because this article is older, I am now not sure what type to get him. When I searched Nike Pro Combat on Eastbay I got six different types. Help????
Hi Patti, funny this. I wore my padded shorts today (Nike Pro Combat Basketball) after getting a nasty “Charley Horse” the other day. I’m happy to report that they did the trick. Search “Nike Pro Combat Hyperstrong Elite Men’s Compression Basketball Short” and you should get a choice of black or white. Note that the smallest size they come in is a medium (that’s a 32″ waist).
Thank you so much – my son is a real scrapper and is always getting banged up, hard for a kid who doesn’t have alot of meat on his bones. I will definitely look for these! So helpful!
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