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Shin pads

Lordflashheart
Posts: 5,623
When I played football I had whacking great shin pads with circular ankle protectors - definitely prevented some serious injuries for me, incl broken leg
Ok so I played amateur football
But am I alone in finding modern shin pads that we see pro footballers wearing as utterly ridiculous - they are tiny - half way up their shins - no protection between foot and half way up the shin bone
My best mate’s son plays non-league, uses these stupid shin pads, and I was at a game where he got his leg broken (badly) between foot and lower shin bone
I just don’t get it
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Ok so I played amateur football
But am I alone in finding modern shin pads that we see pro footballers wearing as utterly ridiculous - they are tiny - half way up their shins - no protection between foot and half way up the shin bone
My best mate’s son plays non-league, uses these stupid shin pads, and I was at a game where he got his leg broken (badly) between foot and lower shin bone
I just don’t get it
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Comments
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Grealish wears children’s shin pads. Surprising it’s allowed.
https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/fashion/article/jack-grealish-style-interview-2021
The low socks and tiny shin pads is just something I’ve always done.People have suggested a lot of different reasons as to why I wear them like that. It began during one season when I was 15 or 16 and the socks in training kept shrinking. I had to wear them underneath my calves and that season I ended up playing really well. So I ended up keeping them like that and to this day I’ve still got them. My shin pads are kids size, seven to eight, so that’s why they’re so small.
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Fully agree it's daft. Can't see why a manger would let his players take that risk either.1
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Everyone should have to wear shin pads with their own face on them.8
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My old man wouldnt let me play a game of football as a kid if I didnt wear shin pads.
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My understanding is that many players, given the option, wouldn't wear shin pads but given that they are required to do so, they wear the smallest that they can find to tick the box whilst limiting the restriction / discomfort they believe shinpads create.0
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Yellow Pages down each sock.
I had to retire from playing when they went digital.15 -
I played in Lewisham back in the day - home ground was Deptford Park.
I never took any chances with my pads ....
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Mind you, it was a hell of a job cleaning off the dogshit ....1
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I hated wearing them. But had to suffer the consequences when a boot glided all the wdown my shin. I was soundless from the sheer pain and wanted to say something back to the player and the ref. I couldn’t. I looked at the white graze down my shin which then started to seep the red stuff. It took ages before I could get rid of the scab as it kept reforming after every match when it was knocked off. But I still wouldn’t wear shin pads.0
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In all the years playing football, I can think of two occasions where my shin pads saved me from serious injury. I was still writhing in agony with the shin pads but was able to carry on. And I know my opponent on those occasions was trying to break my leg. It is why they have to be worn.1
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Had the Blue Puma King ones and also the Lotto ones that protected your ankles n all0
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Solidgone said:I hated wearing them. But had to suffer the consequences when a boot glided all the wdown my shin. I was soundless from the sheer pain and wanted to say something back to the player and the ref. I couldn’t. I looked at the white graze down my shin which then started to seep the red stuff. It took ages before I could get rid of the scab as it kept reforming after every match when it was knocked off. But I still wouldn’t wear shin pads.
He never played football again, and walks with a limp because one leg is shorter than the other now
After he left the pitch, the grass was stained red where he had been laying - Ref wanted to restart match, but we refused - there was talk of the league deducting our team points or similar punishment for not completing fixture, but we invited one of the league panel down to our pub for a ‘chat’ and we spelt out why we refused to play, incl photos of our mates X-ray’s
It was quietly forgotten about after that4 -
Nothing wrong with a paperback 😉.1
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MuttleyCAFC said:In all the years playing football, I can think of two occasions where my shin pads saved me from serious injury. I was still writhing in agony with the shin pads but was able to carry on. And I know my opponent on those occasions was trying to break my leg. It is why they have to be worn.
To this day, I know if I hadn’t been alert and nimble enough to get out of the way, he would have broken my leg very badly, as it was from behind, and therefore my shin pads would have been of little help1 -
I always made my lads wear shin pads, having had a son break his 'tib and fib 'playing in a Kent county game when 15, although the tackle was non malicious, it took the shine of his footballing 'career' he was captain of the then Gravesend and Northfleet Academy side, and the team won the junior Kent cup, and there were some very promising players like Chris Smalling around . His twin brother had a bastard tackle by in a cup game ( always the worst for Aggro) where his shine pad , full size, with guard protectors were split). Of course it all went off, as the ref did not even book the culprit, Dreadful scenes afterwards, we won which of course made it worse being the away team.
As an ex manager of Saturday league, wether under 8, or full adult, if you did not wear pads, tapped up, you did not play, Amazingly we had a ref who carded one of our players in a warm up for having the wrong colour tape on a warm up!. Both my lads stopped playing Sunday league as it was getting out of hand, with the reckless tackles.1 -
When I was managing we had a ref who objected to a player with white tape on black socks. Somebody had some black tape but it was a bit ridiculous. My son being a keeper, not only did I insist on him wearing shin pads, but finger savers in his gloves. I have seen a lot of keepers with bent fingers and I wasn't having that for him. With finger savers, some are better than others. The best are multi jointed but are hard to get but can be used time and time again. The Adidas ones are crap as are the ones you get with a lot of gloves. The best which my son still uses are some Warrior ones which are no longer available so he needs to be careful not to lose them.1
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Sure it's not his phone?2
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Jermaine Pennant also wore a single ankle pad......weird!
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I think shin pads should be optional as an adult to be honest, you're not hurting anyone else by not wearing them. I'd personally wear them0
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Lordflashheart said:Solidgone said:I hated wearing them. But had to suffer the consequences when a boot glided all the wdown my shin. I was soundless from the sheer pain and wanted to say something back to the player and the ref. I couldn’t. I looked at the white graze down my shin which then started to seep the red stuff. It took ages before I could get rid of the scab as it kept reforming after every match when it was knocked off. But I still wouldn’t wear shin pads.
He never played football again, and walks with a limp because one leg is shorter than the other now
After he left the pitch, the grass was stained red where he had been laying - Ref wanted to restart match, but we refused - there was talk of the league deducting our team points or similar punishment for not completing fixture, but we invited one of the league panel down to our pub for a ‘chat’ and we spelt out why we refused to play, incl photos of our mates X-ray’s
It was quietly forgotten about after that0 -
I went to a pre-season game and Scott Wagstaff gave me his shinpad, it protects my thigh as well...2
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Couldn't agree with you more on this. I still play and there should be a minimum size/protection quality enforced on players as it lead to serious injury. Secondary reason is disrupting play compared to if players were wearing proper protection.
Playing against Tudor Sports a good few years back and their players threatened I'd be going home in a wheelchair or ambulance, it would've been the case if it wasn't for my shinpads and had the stud marks on them to show for it.
Funny with all the advancement in technology, I actually lost the above mentioned shinpads and can't find any near the quality of my old pair. If anyone has any recommendation please send them over0 -
Small shinpads on the lower shin are better than big shin pads on the upper shin.
It's ways the unguarded lower shin hits that result in breaks.1 -
better to have big shin pads on all the shin - wear double ankle pads on my broken ankle as well - like playing in a tank0
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SuedeAdidas said:Jermaine Pennant also wore a single ankle pad......weird!
I hated wearing the small ones you inserted underneath you sock, but I found a pair like the ones Pennant is wearing above. You pulled it on over your toes & had a strap that went under your foot. It was an all-in-one shin pad & ankle protector.0 -
golfaddick said:SuedeAdidas said:Jermaine Pennant also wore a single ankle pad......weird!
I hated wearing the small ones you inserted underneath you sock, but I found a pair like the ones Pennant is wearing above. You pulled it on over your toes & had a strap that went under your foot. It was an all-in-one shin pad & ankle protector.5 -
Pelling1993 said:I think shin pads should be optional as an adult to be honest, you're not hurting anyone else by not wearing them. I'd personally wear them4
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They stink, feel uncomfortable but I would always wear them. Ive also snapped a few of them and as I'm not some mau thai lunatic who kicks trees to harden the shinbone that snapped shinpad would have been my shin
Modern day players don't tend to be on the receiving end of some of the horror show tackles that used to be commonplace so Jack Grealish can get away with wearing kids shinpads to a degree.
Playing on a Sunday used to be survival of the fittest/most prepared to engage in some of the more organic tackles and I'd rather not do that without shin pads1