Cutting Edge Football Shoulder Pad Technology w/ XTECH President, Bob Broderick
In week two of my senior season, I separated my shoulder when I tried to run over a linebacker (like any typical caveman would). I continued to play through that injury and as a result, began to favor my opposite shoulder. Not surprisingly, I ended up with two bum shoulders and was forced to initiate contact with my head. Looking back, the whole rationale sounds ridiculous and idiotic, but with an underdeveloped frontal lobe, football glory preceded everything. Recently I have began to think that with all the attention paid to head injuries in football (and rightfully so), we are forgetting about the other injuries common to the sport.
Bob Broderick began his career in sports at the ripe age of fourteen, as a ball boy and part-time assistant in the New York Giants equipment department. While working in sports media and marketing, Bob teamed up with Ted Monica who has been an innovator in protective equipment design and manufacturing for nearly three decades . Together they formed XTECH Protective Equipment, which is winning over the preferences of professional and college football players.
Below are some topics we touch on throughout the interview:
Dichotomy of an athlete’s heightened body awareness and lack of knowledge about their shoulder pads.
Why football players generally have no idea what they were wearing (shoulder pads) in regard to brand, style and size.
Why players should better educate themselves on their equipment (shoulder pads cover 65% of your upper torso).
Why taking the head out of the game adds more stress on the shoulders.
Technology used by XTECH
The design doesn’t just have safety in mind.
Overcoming the mindset that thicker is better when it comes to foam padding.
How the pads aim to address clavicle injuries like Aaron Rodgers’
Aaron Rodgers hit and knocked out on this play pic.twitter.com/PDr0kxgIW6
— Vikings Blogger (@firstandskol) October 15, 2017
How medical history goes into fitting a player for pads
“For whatever reason when it comes to shoulder pads…There’s no rules".”
There are no standards for shoulder pads unlike helmets.
The lack of innovation in shoulder pads over the years and why guys are slow to change.
Why the design is never complete.
The Cover 2 Program that is making the game safer at schools with outdated equipment.
Pro’s making the switch to XTECH
