When you or your children are playing soccer, soccer shin guards are recommended. No matter your age or level of playing experience, accidents can still happen.
By guarding your shins, you can prevent the worst from occurring and know you and/or your children are well protected.
Shin guards, in general, protect the shins against injury when playing a variety of sports, from lacrosse through hockey.
For some sports played professionally they are mandatory. Other times they are worn voluntarily, even if not required in the rules or laws of the game.
Properly fitted shin guards protect your legs against injury, and when you don’t need to worry as much about injuring your legs, you can perform better on the soccer field.
A bit of history on shin guards in general shows they are an outgrowth of armor worn in early centuries called the greave.
The word itself means “shin” or “shin armor” and some made of bronze were found dating back to around 500 B.C. in an area surrounding the old Roman Empire. Bronze “leggings” are described in the Book of Samuel in the Bible.
By the 19th century, rather than for fighting, shin guards became associated with sports. Cricket was the first major sport to use them, followed by soccer.
Today’s soccer players wear shin guards under socks, the sock covering the shin guard. Soccer shin socks can be purchased where ever soccer shin guards are sold. Shin guards are adjustable and come in various sizes.
They can range in price from seven or eight dollars up to over a hundred dollars for a pair. You can get them with or without ankle sleeves. What is the difference between these two types? They offer extra protection around the ankle, important for young players. Yet for more advanced players, the extra thickness around the ankles affects the feel of the soccer ball.
They are also less restrictive and more comfortable for some without the ankle sleeves. Because ankle sleeves are detachable, young beginning soccer players can use them during play, and take them off when learning the skills.
What are soccer shin guards made from? The outer casing is hard; the inner layer, soft. Most inner layers are made of foam that provides comfort and absorbs shock. The one most commonly used is EVA foam.
Some more expensive soccer shin guards have , in addition to basic foam material, special materials to reduce heat and moisture build up, similar to a compression sleeve. Newer shin guards are now often placed in compression sleeves, which is healthier for the legs for the blood flow and regulating temperature.
All foam guards are the cheapest and most lightweight. Great for mobility, bad for major protection. Plastic shin guards are also inexpensive and lightweight and again, not the best for protection against injury.
Other outer material includes thermo-plastic rubber, K-resin, fiberglass, polypropylene and polyurethane. Fiberglass and foam rubber are also lightweight, with fiberglass being stiffer and sturdier.
The polyurethane and polypropylene synthetic material offers the most complete protection against injury, and tends to also be the most expensive, yet they can also be found for reasonable prices.
Position played in soccer determines what kind of protection is needed in a soccer shin guard. Defense position needs the most protection, along with midfielders.
The shin guard should be a good fit to protect from impact and injuries. Three quarters the length of the shinbone is about the right length for a shin guard. For those that come without a compression sleeve, you want to be able to fit a finger of space between the guard and your leg.
Try them on with soccer socks, and walk or run around a bit to get a better idea of fit. Shin guards can be purchased in stores that sell sports equipment, and are also readily available over the internet.