Shin guards are used in many sports. These protect the shin and Achilles tendon from injury. Shin guards also provide good protection against fractures and bruises. They are not only worn in various martial arts, but also in football, for example. There, wearing shin guards is compulsory. It is also mandatory in sports such as ice hockey!
Martial arts are about contact. However, there are differences here. Light contact kickboxing or point fighting has a lower risk of injury than full contact kickboxing, K1 or Muay Thai. If your goal is to bring your opponent to the ground, the blows are much harder. The likelihood of injuring yourself or your opponent increases enormously! This is precisely why protective equipment is the most important thing in full contact martial arts!
What should you look out for when buying shin guards?
There are an extremely large number of different models in different price ranges. The important criteria are the padding and whether it is leather or a cheaper material. Also how thick or hard they are. The thicker the padding, the better the shin guards absorb shocks, even with very strong kicks.
Foot protection
When kickboxing, regardless of whether it is light, semi or full contact, it is mandatory to wear foot protection. Of course, there are reasons for this. In martial arts that involve a lot of kicking, it is a good idea to wear protective equipment in order not to injure yourself or your opponent (or simply to minimize the risk of injury).
What should you look out for when buying foot protection?
Almost all foot protectors are anatomically shaped. This means that the foot protector has a similar shape to your leg in order to achieve a good fit.
