Leg kick bruises

I started a few months ago and my gym has been doing low kick exercises the last two weeks. We hold pads but every time I’m holding a pad for someone against my leg they just send it and the kinetic energy goes through the pad and into my leg for about 20-30 hits. This is fine and I’m sure part of the training and conditioning but in the days after I’m forced to recover as I have a bruise about the size of a tennis ball on my leg where it’s been kicked repeatedly.

Am I doing something wrong when holding the pad? I do try to lean into it a bit with my hip as the leg is going into the pad to brace, not sure if it’s effective. Or is this a case of just dealing with it and I’ll build the resilience over time?

Thanks