Invented in 1874, Sam Weller Widdowson cut some cricket guards and soccer shin guards were born. Shin guards are the only required piece of safety equipment in soccer. The shin guards only became required in the 1990s. Although most people just buy any pair of shin guards, there are differences. Find out which shin guards are the best. It is important to note that according to FIFA, there are no special requirements. In the FIFA bylaws, it stated that
Why Shin Guards
The number one reason to wear shin guards is to protect the tibia. The tibia is the shin bone, while the fibula is located more on the outside of the lower leg. Overall shin guards can reduce load forces and protects against kicks and other forces against the shins. One study found that the
“Load forces were reduced 41.2-77.1% with the utilization of shin guards “
Despite its requirement, studies with shin guards fail to prove its safety against tibia fractures completely.
- In 1999, after reviewing 31 cases of lower leg fractures, it was found that 90% (26 out of 31 fractures) of the time shin guards were worn. The study noted that “this study questions the ability of shin guards to protect against fractures“.
- A review of tibia fractures from 1997-2001 found over 240 fractures. In 95.8% of these incidences, the players wore shin guards.
What Kinds Of Shin Guards Are There
Many studies find a huge difference between the force reduced on the shins. One reason for these differences can be the material the shin guard is made from. Broadly speaking, there are 4 different kinds of shin guards.
- Air shin guard; Air shin guards have compressed air between the layers. These guards tend to be havier with an average of 152 grams. Furthermore, Air guards are thicker with an average of 12 mm. Air guards are also shorter with an average length of 19.3 cm.
- Fiberglass guards; Fiberglass guards are the tallest of all shin guards researched with an average of 22.8 cm. These guards are light and the thinnest of all shin guards researched with 100 grams. Fiberglass shin guards have an average thickness of 7.4 mm.
- Kevlar shin guards; kevlar is similar to fiberglass with an average weight of 104 grams and a length of 21.5 cm. These guards are the thinnest of all shin guards researched with an average of 7.2 mm.
- Plastics Shin guards; plastic shin guards are the most average of all shin guards with an average of 19.9 cm of length. These guards have a thickness of 9.0 mm and have an average weight of 125 grams.
What Did They Test
Duke University published a study in 2000. The study created synthetic bones with similar elastic and dynamic properties as real bones. This model provided similarities with the tibia bone of teenagers. The shin guards were tested in 3 different variables
Maximum End Load
The maximum end load is the highest impact measured. This measure is done in Newton. An average tibia will break after a peak force of 2980 Newton in males and 2873 Newton in women.
Maximum Principle Strain
A strain is a force or influence that stretches, pulls, or puts pressure on something, sometimes causing damage. The study measured the maximum strain in µε (microstrain) units. An average male tibia fracture breaks at about 5744 µε while with women the breaking point is 6832 µε.
Contact Time
Contact time is measured in milliseconds (MS). The longer an impact last the more the forces can be spread out. This means that shin guards elongate the contact time, the greater the contact time, the lower the chance of fracture. The time that fracture a male tibia is 5.5 MS, while for women it is 6.1 seconds.
Which Shin Guards Provide The Most Protection
23 commercial available shin guards were tested with interval drop height. As the drop height increased, so did the impact. The drop height that was chosen were 30 cm, 40 cm, and 50 cm. These heights correspond with kicks and other impacts that can be expected during soccer.
Results Of The Study
The main finding of the study is that all shin guards reduce maximum end load, maximum principal strain and increase contact time. This means that shin guards work. Let’s go through the graphs.
The maximum end load force measured in Newton shows that as expected the force gradually increases. No shin guard showed the highest amount of force. Of all the shin guards measured, air shin guards saw the best results.
Maximum principal strain test noticed the largest reductions compared to no shin guards. The principal strain was almost halved by most shin guards. Looking at the microstrains that fracture the tibia, shin guards provide a lot of protection. The shinguards provide the difference between a fractured tibia and a whole tibia. As the tibia can fracture at around 6000 microstrains, shin guards are extremely important. Again the air shin guards performed the best.
Contact time impact was increased as expected with all shin guards compared to no shin guards. Plastic and air guards performed the best.
Which Shin Guards Should You Pick
The best pick for shin guards seems to be air shin guards. Air shin guards performed the best in reducing the amount of force and strain, while performed second best in increasing contact time. The disadvantage of air shin guards is the increased weight you have to carry around. However, this is a small price to pay for reducing the chance of fracturing your tibia.