Best Shin Guards

Updated October 2020

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BestReviews spends thousands of hours researching, analyzing, and testing products to recommend the best picks for most consumers. We buy all products with our own funds, and we never accept free products from manufacturers.Read more

Bottom Line

Pros

Cons

Best of the Best

Adidas

Performance Ghost Pro Shin Guards

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Bottom Line

Lightweight, compression-style shin guards that offer stylish yet tough protection.

Pros

Compression sleeves are slim fitting without bulky padding, and also washable. Insertable, triple-shielded shell provides strong protection. “Sock” style is easy to get on and off with no irritating hook-and-loop strapping. Backing is a pleather-like material that doesn’t absorb odor. Great variety of colors and great patterns to choose from.

Cons

Run quite small, but fit youth really well.

Best Bang for the Buck

A highly-rated, hard-shell shin guard pair that are an excellent value for a comfortable fit.

Pros

Sizes range from XX-small to large, and fit children and adults. Hook-and-loop strap around calf wraps fastens in front of shin guard and doesn’t irritate skin. Back of hard plastic is padded for comfort. Quality on par with more expensive name-brand shin guards. Lots of colors to choose from. Good ankle protection and general coverage.

Cons

Sizing using the measurement chart is unreliable. Some recommend ordering a size up.

Nike

Mercurial Lite Shin Guards

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Bottom Line

A solid choice for very lightweight, minimalist shin guards.

Pros

Hold up to repeated impacts. Though minimalist in design, there is enough coverage for safety while also being very light. Washable mesh sleeve is breathable and ideal for hot weather. Contoured for left and right leg. Popular for soccer. Hard shell does not pop out of sleeve.

Cons

Runs small, so we recommend ordering a size up. Guards don’t stay in place for some wearers.

Venum

Kontact Shin and Instep Guards

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Bottom Line

Cotton, padded shin guards with ankle and foot protection for light use in martial arts.

Pros

Good price. Popular for kickboxing and MMA training. Machine washable. Made from cotton with a fair amount of padding to keep you protected in light sparring. Stay in place with the help of a hook-and-loop strap. One size fits all. Lightweight.

Cons

Ideal for beginners and for bag work. Not recommended for use in heavier sparring.

A basic fabric shin guard for versatile use that gets the job done.

Pros

Not just for athletic wear, this shin guard works for health problems, jobs where ankle-to-knee protection is needed – and for the generally clumsy human. Also well liked for martial arts. Machine washable. Fits snugly and very comfortable to wear. Easy to slip on and off. Padding is good.

Cons

No hard shell protection and some reviewers find the soft padding not adequate for high impact sports.

How we decided

We purchase every product we review with our own funds — we never accept anything from product manufacturers.

32 Models Considered

8 Hours Researched

3 Experts Interviewed

60 Consumers Consulted

Zero products received from manufacturers.

We purchase every product we review with our own funds — we never accept anything from product manufacturers.

Shin guards give you protection for your shins for many kinds of athletic workouts and games. Some of these guards will fit your leg like a padded sock. Others will wrap around your calf muscle using hook-and-loop straps or buckles. And some are made to go inside a sock, where the sock holds the shin guard tight to the shin. Some shin guards consist of a hard plastic shell, providing the highest level of protection. Others have foam padding. This style doesn’t provide as much protection, but it is more comfortable to wear. You can use shin guards in many different sports, such as soccer, lacrosse, hockey, and kickboxing.

Other Products We Considered

The BestReviews editorial team researches hundreds of products based on consumer reviews, brand quality, and value. We then choose a shorter list for in-depth research and testing before finalizing our top picks. These are the products we considered that ultimately didn't make our top 5.

RIMSports

Shin Guards and Shin Pads

G-Form

Pro S Compact Shin Guard

G-Form

Pro-S Elite Shin Guards

G-Form

Pro S Compact Shin Guards

RDX

Shin Guards

Franklin Sports

Superlight Soccer Shin Guards