Choosing Knee Pads For Judo

Knees are one of the main body parts which take a lot of the beating in the sport of judo.

Wear and tear on them occurs for many reasons – ne waza (ground techniques) work, landing on them during a throw, or you may simply favor techniques during which they come in contact with the tatami more often, like drop seoi nages, kosoto gake.

But the thing is, most players (me included) only consider buying a pair after they get injured.

In my case, it wasn’t too bad. My right knee got inflamed with bursitis, as I landed way too many times on it during a particular randori session.

Yet it doesn’t have to be this way. As long as you’re willing to put on a pair of knee pads, not only can you put a stop to any of that, but also be able to get back and stay on the mats for longer, after an injury.

Go for a reputable brand

I’ve heard good things about Mizuno and Asics brand knee pads.

As far as what kind of pair you should actually get, well, it depends.

Knee pads offer variety levels of protection. But here’s the kicker – the more protection a pair has, the bulkier it gets.

So if you’re coming off after not only just an injury, but a surgery as well, you might as well get the bigger kind, for extra protection.

This Asics pair (an Amazon affiliate link) will fit the bill.

Having said that, you can use the same pair even if your knees aren’t banged up at all! They aren’t too big anyway, though there are more sleek options out there, if you choose.

This choice (link to Amazon) is something simpler. It’ll work best for those who want to reduce the possibility of getting knee injuries to begin with, and definitely prevent any and all mat burns!

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However, there are still a bunch of options out there, even by the same two manufacturers.

These are just my recommendations. If you find another pair that seem to fit you better, go ahead and get it.

The moral of the story is, any kind of knee pad is going to be better than none. That’s it.