Thigh rise and physical fit checks

What “+1” and “+2” mean

The “+” number is extra length added at the top of the pad, above the thigh-rise break. It raises coverage toward the five-hole without changing where the knee cradle sits. Manufacturers treat it differently: CCM lists thigh rise as personal preference, Warrior sizes it in half-inch steps from a thigh measurement, Brian's pairs each stock size with a thigh-rise length, and Vaughn's stock senior pads mostly ship +2.

The subtlety that matters: a 33+2 and a 34+1 are the same total height, but the knee cradle sits in different places because base size — not total height — sets knee position. Pick base size from your measurement first; choose rise second.

Read extension mappings honestly

In reviewed Warrior data, a blank mapping means no reviewed extension value was published. An explicit N/A means that extension is unavailable for the tuple. Neither means zero, and neither should be guessed.

Verify the knee block

1. Put on skates, pants and knee protection used in play. Trying pads in shoes gives a false read.
2. Strap the pad according to its instructions and settle into stance. Straps should be snug, not cranked — if a pad only feels right fully cinched, the size or model is wrong.
3. Drop into butterfly several times. The knee must land securely on the block without sliding off an edge.
4. Read the landing: knee above the block means the pad is too small; well below the block means too big. For a growing goalie, up to about one inch below the block's centre is the accepted allowance — never more.
5. Check boot angle, pad rotation and thigh-rise interference while recovering to stance. A properly sized pad rotates cleanly between stance and butterfly.

When to stop

Stop and consult a qualified fitter when the chart returns a conflict, source gap, provisional tuple, or cannot-determine result; when the knee misses the block; or when model geometry changes the expected landing.