Anyone that has ever been kicked in the shins during a soccer match knows how painful it can be. Shin guards are designed to help protect you from this immense pain. It's inevitable that soccer players will at some point get hit with a slide tackle or leg meant to kick the ball but end up swinging toward your shins. The bones in the shins can break when kicked hard enough, so shin guards are an essential piece of protective equipment for soccer players.
Design
Shin guards are made from various materials depending upon their price point. Less expensive shin guards use materials such as hard plastic and nylon lining while more expensive models may use material such as Kevlar for added protection. All shin guards are designed to be lightweight and cover the shins between the knee and ankle just above your shoe. Some have straps that wrap around your calves while others simply slip into your soccer socks to be held in place.
Injury Protection
A 2000 study at Duke University tested the effectiveness of shin guards protecting against tibia fractures. The tibia is your shin bone. The study consisted of 23 commercially available shin guards, and the results showed that each one greatly reduced the risk of tibia injury when various levels of force where applied to each. The average results showed a reduction in force by 11 percent to 17 percent and strain by 45 percent to 51 percent when compared with an unprotected shin.
History of Shin Guards
Shin guards were not initially used in soccer matches, or football matches as they're called in Europe. The first shin guards were used in 1874 by a football team in Nottingham, England. According to the BBC, Samuel Widdowson is the inventor of soccer shin guards. They were first worn to reduce the number of injuries incurred on the soccer field because of the fact that kicking the opponent in the shins was allowed at the time.
Cost
The cost of today's shin guards varies depending upon the quality. A lower-end pair of shin guards may run between $5 and $10 while a high-end pair may cost as much as $50 or more, as of 2010. You can find soccer shin guards at most sporting goods retailers including online shops. If ordering online, be sure to measure the length of your shin before buying; measure from just below where your knee bends down to about 1 inch above your soccer shoe top.
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