Shinpads, sometimes known as shin guards, are a piece of protective equipment worn on the front of an athlete’s shin to prevent injury.
Sports including association football, baseball, ice hockey, field hockey, lacrosse, cricket, and mountain bike trails all employ these frequently.
They are also employed in combat sports and martial arts contests including professional wrestling, taekwondo, kickboxing, mixed martial arts, and taekwondo.
This is because they are either mandated by the sport’s laws or rules or are worn voluntarily by competitors as safety precautions.
Origin
The idea of a greave served as the inspiration for the shin guard. A greave is a piece of shin protection armor. It is a Middle English term that comes from the Old French word greve, which means shin or shin armor and is pronounced gri’v.
The word’s etymology not only explains how shin guards are used and why they are used, but it also helps to date the technology.
This technique has a long history, going back to the Greek and Roman Republics. Back ago, shin guards were constructed of bronze or other strong, durable materials and were seen as solely defensive gear for soldiers engaged in combat.
Archaeologist Sir William Temple found a pair of bronze greaves with a Gorgon’s head motif in the relief on each knee capsule, providing the earliest known physical evidence of the technology.
The greaves were thought to have been produced in Apulia, a region in Southern Italy, between 550 and 500 B.C. after rigorous, proper investigation.
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Shin guards were first used in the sport of cricket. The development of this gear was driven more by a tactical device to provide the batsman an advantage than by a requirement for protection.
The next significant sport to use shin guards was association football. In 1874, Sam Weller Widdowson is credited with introducing shin guards to the game.
He played football for Nottingham Forest and cricket for Nottinghamshire, and from his experiences in cricket, he got the idea to protect himself. Widdowson used leather straps to attach a pair of cricket shin pads to the outside of his stockings.
He was initially made fun of by his fellow players, but shin guards eventually gained popularity as players realized how useful it was to shield their shins.
Slip-in shinpads and ankle shin guards are the two most common forms of shin guards worn in association football nowadays.
Football Shinpads
Even though shin guards are required, many professional players choose to wear the thinnest shin guards possible. The most common explanation is comfort; athletes would do anything to feel comfortable on the field, including poking tiny holes in their socks.
Hockey Shinpads
Every hockey player, regardless of skill level, needs to have high-quality protective shinpads. Shin guards are now required for all players in hockey and soccer by the respective sports’ governing bodies.
One of the recommended preventive measures is the use of shin protectors. Their major job is to shield the bones and soft tissues of the lower extremities from outside impact. Shin guards reduce the risk of serious injuries by absorbing stress and promoting energy dissipation.
Kids Shinpads
Even though kids under the age of 4 or 5 won’t be kicking with much force, it’s still best practice to wear shin pads, thus we recommend that kids start going to soccer practice wearing shin pads as soon as they can. For both indoor and outdoor training and competition, shin pads should be used.
Although shinpads help lower the chance of catastrophic injury, they, unfortunately, cannot ensure damage prevention.
When you see a child wearing shin guards outside of their socks, it’s usually not because they don’t know how to put them on or because they want to seem like a 1980s Robocop. Instead, it’s more likely that they are itchy when they are in contact with their flesh.
Other than trying several kinds or even consulting a doctor to try and determine any specific allergies or eczemas, I’m not sure if there is a general approach to avoid this.
The Keita Shinpad
Naby Keita’s shinpads, as noticed by @ProD Soccer, resemble the shell case for Apple’s AirPods—at least, they seem to have the same dimensions as the protective cover for the company’s wireless headphones.
In fact, Keita also sports some larger, more conventional shin guards, as seen in a photo from Liverpool’s locker room. However, he didn’t use them in recent games.
How to sew Shinpad
The last thing you want to be concerned about when playing soccer is having to constantly adjust your shin guards. When it comes to keeping the guards up, shin guard sleeves perform better than standard hook-and-loop straps. You can make your own sleeves by going through a closet if you don’t want to spend money on new ones.
Place one hose or tight leg over a shin guard. Right at the bottom of the shin guard should be where the ankle is tightest.
About 3 inches above the top of the shin guard, cut the hose or tights (if necessary, cut the foot off at the narrowest part of the ankle).
- Trim the sleeves to the appropriate length.
- For the other shin guard, repeat steps 1.
- Test the sleeve’s fit. Either move sleeve over leg first, then insert shin guard or hold shin guard against leg and slide sleeve over.
- Once it is in the desired position, adjust the shin guard.
- Cover the shin guard and sleeve with a soccer sock.
Why are Shinpad used in Football?
In football, players wear shin pads, often known as shin guards, to protect themselves from hard contact when being tackled. Without them, they are at risk of suffering severe and possibly leg-breaking studding on the shin bone.
When it comes to player safety and protection, the use of shin pads is crucial. They are so essential that the rules governing association football permit their use. They are listed as fundamental, required equipment in Law 4 (The Players’ Equipment). Shin guards and shin pads are frequently used interchangeably. The latter, however, is a more inclusive (and pertinent) word.
Best prices and shin pads
These days, ankle shin guards and slip-in shin pads are the two most common types of shin protection. Since goalkeepers can use their entire body, they need the least amount of protection, hence something lightweight is best.
Defenders will want the fullest covering and strongest protection possible because they will frequently be the target of clever kicks.
Attacking players typically desire something lighter and smaller so they can get past the defense unnoticed. Midfielders, however, will seek a medium ground.
Here are the top shin pads available right now, keeping that in mind.
Best overall shin pads: Adidas Predator Pro
The Predator Pro successfully combines aesthetics and functionality for a well-designed product that gives you the protection you need without adding any extra weight to carry. It captures everything fantastic about the current shin guard.
For £50.00, purchase them from Pro Direct Soccer.
Best budget shin pads: Mitre Deflekta
These inexpensive solutions from Mitre demonstrate that buying quality shin pads doesn’t require spending a lot of money thanks to their small and effective design.
Purchase these for £5.00 at Mitre.
Best ankle shin pads: G-Form Pro-X Ankle
With an innovative, cushioned form that fits tightly into your leg, this pliable G-Form effort will provide both the reinforcement the ankles need in addition to shin protection.
They cost between £21.99 and £33.10 on Amazon.
Best slip-in shin pads: Nike Charge
The Charge is a low-key classic that never fails to provide the goods. It offers easy slip-in effectiveness with vintage reinforcement, keeping you poised and quickly prepared to play.
Purchase them for £12.95 from Nike.
Best shin pads for ventilation: Mitre Aircell Carbon
Peeling the suit off after a steamy free-for-all is one of the least pleasurable things you can do, but these Mitre pads will at least make sure that you always have a steady stream of air flowing down to your shins.
Purchase these for £9.10 at Mitre.
Best lightweight shin pads: Adidas X League
Every piece of equipment in the current game is pared down and streamlined to lose weight, increasing the requirement for speed. These ultra-light efforts from Adidas meet that need with a clever design.
For £17.99, purchase them from Sports Direct.
Best sleeve shin pads: G-Form Pro Contact
The sleeve shin pad has effectively replaced the traditional method of strapping. However, this G-Form number helps elevate it totally by providing a cutting-edge number to support your play.
For £33, get them Lovell Soccer.
Best flexible shin pads: Adidas X Pro
These shin pads provide greater flexibility, a compression sleeve hold, and a removable shield inlay over moulded EVA backing to keep your coverage on its toes. Adapt your game and hold with them.
