[KentuckyHillBilly5321]

What PADS you're wearing on the OUTSIDE has less to do actually than what's UNDERNEATH the pads when it comes to injuries.

You can put the top, pro-level shoulder pad on a kid that doesn't do any SHOULDER-STRENGTH/BUILDING work in the off-season and he's going to get hurt if he hits with his shoulders like he's supposed to.

It's the equipment (and moreso, what you DO with it) in the WEIGHT ROOM that matters more than anything in preventing injuries.

To a certain extent--you are correct. But on another level, you are dead wrong. Our kids are custom fitted with their pads--and there are more than a few kids who never touch a weight at all UNTIL after the season starts. They walk out with ZERO injuries (at least the ones that I can remember off the top of my head). That has more to do with the equpiment than you are giving credit for.

Equipment that doesn't fit right can CAUSE injuries. And there are some brands of equipment that go the extra mile for fit/quality. It isn't a guarantee that NOT physically preparing your self can cause injuries. Without handing either one correctly, you increase the likelihood for injuries--not neither is an exact guarantee.

The actual ideal situation is a kid that is physically conditioned in the correct manner combined with equipment that is fit to the individual. One or the other isn't the best situation either.