Knee pads have several benefits for basketball players, many that extend beyond basic padding. A cushion for your knees is helpful, but only amounts to half the battle in protecting them from damage. This is why the high energy pace of a basketball game necessitates the wearing of knee pads. With the best knee pads available, you’ll get a long list of health improving benefits.

Why Do Basketball Players Wear Knee Pads?

When you think of physicality, sports like football, rugby and wrestling come to mind. But basketball is hard on the legs, and one of the most physically demanding sports in the world. In a single game, players can expect to run in excess of two miles. In between the running, there are quick cuts, body collisions and a great deal of force being applied to the knees.

Knee pads are a great way to maintain balance without affecting flexibility and ease of movement. Since they’re light, wearing them does not affect performance. Longevity in any sport is taken for granted, and that is why hardware like knee pads have become a necessity.

Soften Impact

Before you play a game of basketball, think about the surface you will be playing on.

A pickup game in the park is played on concrete. A single mistimed fall or foul could break your knee or cause a serious ligament injury. Organized basketball in an arena or gym is played on hard wood floors, often polished. Falling down is common, and you’ll often see players brace or slide before impact. Every basketball surface you will ever play on is a hard, unforgiving surface. Wearing knee pads can significantly soften the impact from those falls, preventing many injuries.

Learning how to fall is part of the game, and a big reason why basketball players avoid career ending injuries. Unpredictable falls, knee to knee contact and getting pulled down by another player are reasons to wear knee pads. You’ll still feel some of the impact, but the actual damage will be somewhat nulled.

It is the difference between a vehicle collision at five miles per hour compared to sixty miles per hour.

Height = possible injuries

Basketball players are tall, and that means extra impact when running up and down the court. The taller the player the more common knee issues become. Taller players in the center position have historically bad knees. Bill Walton, Yao Ming and Patrick Ewing are all Hall of Famers that have benefitted from knee pads. They often playing injured, but at the highest level of basketball. It’s hard to find a photo of Ewing without knee pads, even before many of his devastating injuries.

Just like the infamy of Allen Iverson’s arm sleeve, the knee pad has been adopted into the culture of basketball for decades. For the most part, you can play with other injuries. But knee problems make even the best players a liability on the court. Confidence plays a major role, and it is built by having protection on your knees.

Knee pads are comfortable, lightweight and built for impact at. When worn regularly while playing, it will save time, money and frustration.

Wrap Up

Basketball is a sport that requires ease of movement and physicality. When you want to play your best, knee pads are a must. Great performance takes both physical and mental synchronization, knee pads can give you the peace of mind and the physical edge you need to play your best.