General Shinguard Thread

[illdthedj]

Now i know the mods arn't keen on new threads being started if a like one exists, so i searched for 'shinguards' went back a few pages and didnt see anything....

So i was curious....
what shinguards do you wear, and why?
your opinion on shinguards? and brand you loyal to? what style do you prefer? with or without ankle support? etc.

give your honest reviews here.

Personally, I wear the Sondico OSI, paired with some S1 Sport Ankle supports:
http://www.absolute-soccer-equipment.com/images/products/sondosi.jpg
http://www.soccer.com/images/Catalog/ProductImages/300/755756.JPG

i picked the sondico after looking thru quite a few pairs of guards because I was interested in the OSI technology. beats me what it stands for, but basically they are custom fit shingaurds. They come flat with some gauze wrap...i forget the exact procedure, but it involved soaking them a good amount of time in warm water i believe, then they become softer and plyable, then you place them exactly where you want them and wrap the gauze around them tightly (i added atheletic tape to make sure it was wrapped well) and letting them dry naturally. When they are dry, they are rock solid and fit your shins perfectly.

also, they dont seem to slip around much because the fit is custom, even without socks covering them! (at least, for me)

Other reasons i prefer these shin guards: out of all the shin guards i looked up for tall/large players, these were the longest, the adult size being 10 inches long. I am 6'3 and all legs so i like to cover as much of my shins as possible. some other adidas large shingaurds barely covered half my shins.

Also, they are VERY LIGHT WEIGHT....they weigh practically nothing (at least compared to others i have worn), BUT at the same time, they are EXTREMELY durable and protective. i think i could stop bullets with these things (not testing that anytime soon lol). i have been kicked in the shins with these, and they are up to my standards. its suprising, considering they are the thinnest shinguards i have ever worn. must be the material.

copy/pasted info:
WEIGHT: 3.7oz
SIZES: JR (8.5), SR (10”)
MRSP: $36.00

Sondico’s Osi personal fit shinguard is medically tested using moldable fiberglass shells that are personally fitted. Perforated 3mm EVA foam backing gives comfort and impact dispersion. Double Velcro strapping secures the guard. Packaged in ziplock poly bag with header card.

About the ankle guards:
Some people hate ankle guards...i prefer them. i seem to get kicked a bunch (someone put a kick me sign on me i assume every game). whats nice about these is they are your standard ankle guard, yes, but they have some extra padding sown down the achiles tendon, which is nice. also, the large is kind of small for a large, which actually i dont mind....i prefer them a bit tight.


and now my NEGATIVE review:
http://us.st12.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.com/I/yhst-7223899490465_2045_9310319971
a friend got these for my birthday when we decided to get back into soccer (we were ex-highschool varsity players). thanks friend...but these suck (well, at least for me). they were size large....i think technically they do sell xtra large, but xtra large ones seem to be harder to find than a needle in a haystack. these are the guards i was saying covered barely half my shin. on top of that, they seem SUPER thick, like they are protruding out two inches, as opposed to a quarter inch thick like the sondicos. the plastic feels chinzy. also, they seem like they were made for people with thin shins, because it felt like they were pinching onto my shins rather than sitting snug.

opposite that, the ankle guards felt XXL! they felt clumsy and loose. the band stretched quite a bit.

im normally a huge fan of adidas products, but im def. not a fan of these.
perhaps that would be different if i was a midget with thin shins and super fat ankles lol

[dejansavicevic10]

I have had the Sondico titaniums for more than 5 years now. As a defender, I needed something that was a little bit more heavier, because I get stuck in. In addition, the shin guards come with ankle support, so I have never had to tape my ankles.

[ryan-c]

Good thread i'm always curious about shin pads.

I change between shinpads. Because i live in the UK in winter it can be horrendous so i wear shinpads with ankle guards. extra protection. In summer i just wear a a shin guard taped to keep it in place.

I use nike shinpads but with or without ankle protect, i like the fit of them. Can't remember names of them etc, got them a quite a while ago.

Them sondico's sound good, i'm about 6'4 so i have the same problem with trying to get a pad that protects a good portion of my shin. I may have to look into them as i'm due a new pair.

Also has any tries this shinpads with the sock thing to slide the pad into without the ankle protection vvvvvvvvv

http://img20.imageshack.us/img20/7296/pds008009661.jpg (http://img20.imageshack.us/i/pds008009661.jpg/) http://img20.imageshack.us/img20/pds008009661.jpg/1/w250.png (http://g.imageshack.us/img20/pds008009661.jpg/1/)

[shrtysskat8]

i have been wearing the nike j-guard and the vapor guards for the last couple of years now, light, dont have to tape em and they do the job really. need some news ones soon though because mine are pretty beat up.

[dejansavicevic10]

I don't do OSI shinguards, because they tend to move a lot, but as far as the Sondico's go, I would recommend the Titaniums or their equivalent.

[illdthedj]

I don't do OSI shinguards, because they tend to move a lot, but as far as the Sondico's go, I would recommend the Titaniums or their equivalent.
move a lot? really? mine stay in place the best out of any shinguard i wear. i would think they would too, considering they are fiberglass that is custom molded to your shin.

[CanadianBlue]

I plan to get new shinguards eventually, but right now I've got Nike T90 with ankle guards. Only complaint is that occasionally after a hard tackle you have to readjust, but no problems for the most part.

[C-dub57]

I've gotten 12 yellow cards (yes, i've counted) for not wearing proper equipment. I use the mercurial alpha lite shin guard in a M. While it is small, it is NOCSAE, or whatever it is, approved, it just doesn't have the tag on it. It says it's NOCSAE approved on the box. I started carry around the box and showing it to referees before the games, yet 2 have still given me cards. If you get them, get them in a L. The mediums are about 4 1/2 inches long.

[ringtone]

For the last season I got the Nike First2 fit shield. You can take off the padding part on the back and just use the hard shell part slipped into the sleeve (and tape it) and it works great. I pretty much hate shineguards because I feel like they get in the way, but when you take off the padding part, not only does the shinguard not get in the way at all, it also is abnormally protective.
I like it a lot for a few reasons:
-these are very very flat against your legs since the padding part is removable.
-Even with the padding removed, they are extremely durable, and I dunno what they are made out of, but getting whammed in the shin doesn't hurt at all (with just the hardshell and sleeve, it's weird)
-Although I'd guess that taking out the padding would make them no longer nocsae approved, the approval tag is on the shell part so it's still ~technically approved.
-With just the shell part, the shinguards don't ever start to smell and washing the sleeves is easy

Great shinguard, though I'll probably try those sondico OSI ones next time around.

[Ihateusernames]

I've had some OSI ones (Lanzera I think they are called) and I love them. They move a bit but only on really hard tackles and then it's no more than any other guard I've used. I don't do the ankle things as mine don't have the option and I wouldn't use it anyway. They are so lightweight. The only problem I've had is that I took a cheapshot and my lower leg was so swollen I couldn't put them on the next game. If anyone is curious, they DO remold if you need. I have had mine for about 7 years now and had a late growth spurt - at 22 no less - and had to remold them. No biggie.

[wovsk8r]

can anyone state the guard rules again. I'm 5'8 and I wear the adidas slip in ones size small haha

[jeremy2912]

anyone playing with mercurial lite II ?
how are they, especially that slip in sock thing

[Jingleheimer Schmidt]

i just got the mercurial lite IIs for this season
havent tried them yet though

[akosimachineman]

i have always wear nike shin guard its comfortable and i felt like im always protected. i also wear wristband
(http://www.wristbandsnow.com/) to be protected and avoid injuries

[tonygravato]

i just got the mercurial lite IIs for this season
havent tried them yet though

My son (he is 7) has the originals (picked them up at a Nike outlet for $5) and loves them. He just slips them in his socks (doesn't use the sleeve.) Depending on the socks he is wearing he may have to tape the bottom. We just saw the II at a Sports Authority and really liked them. They seem a little lighter then the originals (but not by much).
He was using a Umbro slip in. He doesn't like the ankle guards at all.
I think Nike does a great job with these guards.