The Complete Handbook of Skateboarding Pads

Chapter 1: Understanding Skateboarding Pads

Skateboarding pads are protective equipment designed to absorb and distribute the force of impact when a skater falls or collides with an obstacle. They are not simply cushions. They are engineered systems made up of materials selected and arranged specifically to reduce the acceleration of the underlying bone, joint, or soft tissue during a collision, thereby reducing fracture risk, dislocation risk, and soft tissue damage.

To understand why this distinction matters, consider what happens to an unprotected wrist during a typical skateboarding fall. A skater moving at 8 to 15 miles per hour extends an arm to catch themselves. The palm and wrist make contact with the ground. Without protection, the impact force travels directly through the skin, fatty tissue, tendons, cartilage, and bone. The wrist bones—the radius, ulna, and carpal bones—absorb that force in a fraction of a second. Depending on the angle, speed, and surface, the result can be a sprain, fracture, or ligament tear.

A skateboarding pad, properly fitted and engaged during that same fall, interposes layers of material between the ground and the wrist. The outer shell—typically made from hard plastic like polyurethane or polycarbonate—contacts the ground first. That shell spreads the impact across a wider area than the wrist alone would. Below the shell sits a layer of foam, usually closed-cell EVA (ethylene-vinyl acetate) or polyurethane foam. As the force presses into the foam, the foam compresses. Compression is the key: a material that compresses absorbs kinetic energy by converting