How to Wear Soccer Shin Guards Properly

Written ByDaniel Pena
Reading Time: 3 minutes

Are you wondering how to wear soccer shin guards? Shin guards, also known as shin pads, are the most important piece of protective soccer gear regardless of your playing level or position. 

One thing that takes away some of the beauty from the beautiful game are accidental kick to the shin, which is why knowing how to wear shin guards properly is crucial for helping you stay protected and injury free. In this blog, I will be covering everything you need to about how to wear you shin guards correctly.

Steps for How to Wear Soccer Shin Guards

How to wear soccer shin guards

Choose the right type of shin guards

Soccer shin guards come in different shapes and styles and whatever choice you go with is again up to you, but as far as I know most advanced players, at the professional level, will wear the traditional slip-in shin guards.

  • Slip-in Shin Guards
    • Most shin guards you will see while playing soccer are the traditional slip in shin guards that slide into your socks and can be held together in various ways which I will cover next.
  • Ankle Shin Guards
    • Ankle shin guards are exactly what they sound like and they come with extra ankle protection. These are the most common type of shin guards among youth soccer players who require more player safety.
  • Shin Socks
    • Shin socks are a budget-friendly option that combine long socks with shin guards into one, making it easier for youth soccer players to put on their shin guards.
  • Sleeve Shin Guards
    • Sleeve shin guards are the most convenient shin guards because not only are they very useful for official matches, but they can also be worn very easily without the need of long socks when playing pick up games, futsal, or beach soccer.
how to wear soccer shin guards

Choose the right shin Guard Size:

When it comes to safety and comfort, the size of your shin guards plays a huge role, but the size you wear is going to come down to personal preference. There are suggestions for which shin guards players should wear, but there is no right-size shin guard.

Some players may like the recommendations made by brands that make shin guards while other players may like smaller shin guards, so it feels like they aren’t wearing anything, or bigger shin guards, for more protection.

Whatever size you choose is up to you and your playing style, but make sure you wear shin guards properly by measuring from below your knee to an inch above your ankle, then compare with the manufacturer’s sizing chart to find the perfect fit based on your preferences.

how to wear soccer shin guards

Gather your Training Gear and Equipment

Once you have the right type and size shin guards then it is important to grab the rest of your training gear.

Put on your Shin Guards

To put on your shin guards, no matter what type you are wearing, these are the general steps to take.

  • Put on your shin guards – right in the middle of your shin between your ankle and knee
  • Put on your shin guard sleeves over your shin guard- this is optional
  • Put on your socks or grip socks along pre-cut soccer sleeve
  • Use straps to help hold everything in place

Summary

To summarize, knowing how to wear shin guards is one of the most important things to know how to do when playing soccer, especially in a competitive environment, to stay safe and injury-free. The right size shin guard is going to come down to personal preference, but always make sure they provide enough protection and that you wear them securely.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you hold shin guards in place?

There are three main ways to help add extra support to keep your shin guards in place. The best options would be to invest in high quality shin guard sleeves and straps so that you can reuse them, instead of having to use new athletic tape or pre-wrap every time.
– Shin guard sleeves
– athletic tape or pre-wrap
– shin guard straps

How to wear shin guards and how should they fit?

There are right ways and wrong ways to wear socks and shin guards. The right way to wear a shin guard is for the shin guards to be doing its main job, which is protecting the shin area. To do this the shin guard should be under your socks and about an inch or two above the ankle and about an inch or two from the knee, right in the middle of the shin.

Do shin guards go over or under socks?

Shin guards are meant to be worn under socks, not over your socks whether that is your team socks, grip socks, or any other type of sock.

How do you wash soccer shin guards?

Shin guards can get really smelly because of the sweat that builds up when you play, which is why it is important to know how to wash your shin guards properly.

Soccer Coach/ CPT/Blogger/Sports Coordinator

Daniel Pena is an amateur footballer, a private coach, blogger, and league manager who is passionate about the beautiful game and looking to give back to the game. Daniel has a combined 10+ years of experience playing in club soccer, high school, college, and top amateur adult leagues in the United States, a Bachelor’s Degree in Kinesiology Rehab:Science, and is a Certified Personal Trainer and Nutritionist.
Daniel has a training program called The Art of Football and works with various athletes in all age-ranges with athletic training, recovery from injuries, and football training. The Art of Football believes that one of the best ways to get better at the game is to play the game and surround yourself with it as much as possible.
That is why Daniel also created Bay Area Champions. A competitive but friendly small-sided soccer league in the United States. Through the Art of Football and Bay Area Champions Daniel also gives back to the community of San Jose by hosting free pickup games for players in our leagues, training program, for the public!

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