Shin pads are one of the most important pieces of equipment used by Muay Thai and MMA fighters for training. Since these pads will usually be the only thing between you and a good shin kick, it is important to consider all of the factors you must take into account in choosing a good pair of shin pads that fit your needs.
Unlike gloves however, which really only have one more or less universal design, shin pads come in many different shapes, sizes and materials. It is important to consider each of these factors in choosing the right pair of shin pads for you. However, there are a few things that all good shin pads should do for you, regardless of shape, color, material, or thickness.
First, all good shin pads should fit snug, even tight, on your foot and shin. With the repetitive and fast kicking back and forth that exemplifies Muay Thai, you need your shin pads to be in the right place, every time. If they are at all loose, or don’t conform to your limb, they can very easily slip around and slide to one side or the other, or even slide off! If your shin pads somehow gravitate away from where they should be positioned, and you crack shins, or even worse, crack the top of your foot on your partner’s shin, believe me, you will seriously regret not getting the right shin pads.
The other important thing that all shin pads should provide is protection to the top of the foot, the front of the ankle, and some portion of the shin. The tops of your feet are packed with fragile little bones and soft tissue, and all it takes is a slight misjudgment in distance for you to break your foot on someone’s shin, knee or elbow. This is why it is imperative that you make sure the shin pads you choose provide protection to this fragile area of the body.
Muay Thai shin pads come in a number of different designs, shapes, sizes and materials, not to mention colors. Which design you choose, both in a functional and in an aesthetic sense, depends on what trade off you are willing to accept. If you have huge shin pads, that completely protect you to the point that you don’t feel a thing when you crack shins, you probably aren’t going to be fast as lighting. That being said, a beginner should probably choose a thicker shin pad that provides ample protection. Whereas, an experienced fighter is probably going to choose shin pads that have less padding, fit very tight to the shin and foot, and are very light.
The way shin pads are designed also has a huge effect on how snug and tight they hold to your foot and shin. There are a few designs on the market that virtually all shin pads come in. Probably the simplest design is the shin pad that is basically a big sock or a big ankle brace, with padding on the top of the foot, front of the ankle and on the shin. These shin pads are light and probably fit tighter and better than most any other design on the market, as long as you get the right size. They also tend to be very cheap, compared to other pads.
The “Sock” Shin pad
The drawbacks of these type of shin pads are that they typically have much less padding and protection than do other types of shin pads. Another drawback to these types of pads are that they are usually made of some kind of fabric and/or elastic weave, which makes them fit tight, but does not make them incredibly durable. They soak up sweat and floor grime and stink something terrible after months of regular use. Some people throw them in the washing machine, other people just get a new pair every so often. Overall, however, these types of shin pads are a very popular design.
Another common and trustworthy shin pad design on the market uses straps that wrap around the back of the shins to hold the pads in place on the front of the shins. The best design of these types of pads has straps (two or three) that come out of one side of the pad, then go through a loop on the other side, before being pulled and secured on the side they came out of. Different designs of this type can be secured either by velcro or by buckles, like a common belt. This type of design also typically has a stirrup for the foot.
These type of pads can be made of many different materials or a combination of different materials. The pads themselves can be filled with various types of foam and even small plastic plates. The covering can be made of leather, polyester, or other synthetic fibers. The leather ones are typically the most durable and long-lasting.
The disadvantages to these type of pads is that they can be much more expensive than a simple sock shin pad, and depending on the material, both inside and outside of the pad, they can be very large, heavy and bulky or very small and provide poor protection. On the other hand, they can also be very light and tight, but offer good protection at the same time.
There is also a poorly designed version of the strap design where the straps in the back of the calf do not pull tight through a loop on the other side of the pad. Instead, both sides have a strap that comes out and velcro’s to the strap from the other side. Since you can’t cinch either strap tight, these type of shin pads are difficult to fit on tight enough to prevent them from sliding around during training. So unless you have very thick legs, these pads are probably not going to fit your legs tight enough to hold them on securely during training.
Strap Shin pads With No Loop
Of course the last thing you should think about, but probably the first thing on your mind, is the color and aesthetic designs on the shin pads. Shin pads come in uncountable different colors and patterns from hot rod flames, to tribal designs, to Asian dragons, to spiderwebs. What color and pattern catches your eye is purely a matter of personal taste. Another thing to keep in mind is that some companies produce matching leather gloves and shin pads in the same colors with the same patterns.
I recommend either the Thaismai or Twins Special shin pads. They are lightweight, yet provide dense padding for the shins, front of the ankle and top of the foot. They are made with both the strap and loop design that ensures they can be pulled tight on the shin, and the strap with no loop design. Thaismai, Twins Special and other shin pads can be found at:
MuayThaiStuff.com.
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