SHIN GUARDS - ESSENTIAL KIT
... don't play without proper shin protection ...
Along with football boots, shin pads form the two most essential pieces of clothing for a footballer. Just as proper football boots allowe players to perform movements correctly. Shin guards provide essential protection for players lower legs. It is nort recommended that players be allowed to take part in activities if they do not have shin guard while others have.
All shin pads do essentially the same thing - they provide a form of protection for the shins and frontal areas of a player's lower legs in the event of accidental collision between them and other players. While choosing shin guards are largely a matter of personal choice, there are some things to look out for.
01. Style of Guards
From left to right in the image above; the 3 basic types of shin guards are: stand-alone shields, shields and compression socks and finally, integrate shin guards and ankle protectors.
The first is the simplest in that they are normally formed from two single pieces of plastic curved and shaped to fit around the front of the lower leg. Over the years, several types of materials have been tried ranging from aluminium through to expensive carbon fibre, however regardless of material they all work the same way.
The next type have the same basic guards as the stand-alone designs but also some with compression socks which are used to hold the guards to the leg - essentiall you wear the socks over the guards and then your football socks go over the compression socks. Some have pockets for the guards to slide into.
Finally, the third and most popular for juniors is the integrated guards which come with ankle protectors, heel straps and calf straps to hold the whole lot in place on the legs. The advantage is these provide improved overall protection for junior legs and are easier to wear correctly.
02. Weight of Guards
Some professional players agonise over weight, but for juniors there is little difference. In general stand-alone guards tend to be the lightest and some even come without any form of padding. The guard and sock combination are next heaviest but only marginally. The guards with integrated ankle protectors are the heaviest but this has negligable impact on the performance of junior players.
03. Fit and Comfort
As with boots, it is essential you use guards which fit and are comfortable to wear. Guards which are too big cause mobility issues and can limit freedom of movement. Guards which are too small will not provide good protection. Again, it is important for juniors - who will have legs that are still growing - to try out guards before purchasing. Sizing is entirely dependent upon the player's stature so ignore the small, medium and large sizing and try some on. A properly fitting guard will cover from the start of the ankle area all the way up to approximately one inch below the lower portion of the knee cap. Due to anatomical differences, adult guards are sized differently.
04. Wearing Guards Correctly
Although it is down to personal choice and convenience, it is generally accepted tha shin guards will be worn closest to the skin of the lower legs with any ohter clothing like socks and tracksuit pants being worn over them. Stand-alone guards need the socks to keep them on. However, for the younger players its down to what they or their parents prefer. Be aware that guards worn over socks or pants would get torn off during collisions. As players grow, it may become appropriate to use sock tape to strap the guards onto their legs as elasticated straps may not provide sufficient support to hold the guards in place - calves grow significantly in later junior years.
WARNING: coaches may take a player off the field if they are not correctly attired to ensure that they are not injured or cause injury to others. If you find that you have left guards at home, please let you coaches know - there may be a spare pair that they could borrow. If you need advice please ask a coach or email us.
