How to Size Your Shinguards

by | | 0 comment(s)

As a companion to our recent post about how to size your soccer shoes, we are adding this post about how to properly size shinguards.  For most older players, the sizing of shinguards is simply a matter of what is comfortable.  But for parents new to soccer, sometimes getting the shinguards sized for their new player isn't always as obvious.  But making sure that your child has an appropriate level of protection isn't really too complicated.  It comes down to two questions: 

1) Does the shinguard cover enough of the area that needs protection?

2) Is the shinguard comfortable on the leg?

That's it.

There are, of course, a couple of factors that can complicate the issue, such as whether to use ankle guard protection or not, whether you prefer straps or sleeves or nothing at all, and NOCSAE standards for high school players.  But in the end, it always comes down to the two questions mentioned above: Am I covering enough? And is it comfortable?

For most young players, the parent and child will work together to answer those questions. You'll usually want ankle guard protection for players just beginning to play the game to protect the ankle bones from the wayward kicks of other players. So the best way to size is to try on the shinguard itself. Pull the ankle guard on, strap the shell around the leg, and have the player stand up. You can cover as much of the shin area as you like, as long as the plastic shell is not touching the soft area below the knee cap. Some players might be comfortable with a small plastic shell covering the middle of the shin, while other players will want to cover every millimeter between the ankle and the knee.  That is very much a personal preference for the player and parent to decide.  If the shinguard feels a little short on coverage, check the next size up.  If the plastic shell is rubbing against the bottom of the knee cap, go back down by one size.  And once the size is determined, make sure that the guard feels comfortable on the leg.  If you never notice the guard while you are playing, then you've found the right comfort level.

This entry was posted in no categories.

You must be logged in to post comments.