Shin guard

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Football shin pad.

A shin guard or shin pad, is a piece of equipment worn on the front of an athlete's shin to protect it from injury. These are commonly used in sports including association football, baseball, ice hockey, field hockey, lacrosse, cricket and mountain bike trials. They are also used in combat sports and martial arts competitions including kickboxing, mixed martial arts, taekwondo, karate and professional wrestling. This is due to either being required by the rules/laws of the sport or worn voluntarily by the participants for protective measures.

Materials

Modern day shin guards are made of many differing synthetic materials, including, but not limited to:

  • Fibreglass - Stiff, sturdy, and light weight.
  • Foam rubber - Very light weight, but not as sturdy and solid as fibreglass.
  • Polyurethane - Heavy and sturdy, which offers almost complete protection from most impacts.
  • Plastic - Less protective than any of the other synthetic shin guards.
  • Metal - Highly protective, but very heavy and uncomfortable.

History

The shin guard was inspired by the concept of a greave. A greave is a piece of armour used to protect the shin. It is a Middle English term, derived from an Old French word, greve (pronounced gri’v), meaning shin or shin armour.[1] The etymology of this word not only describes the use and purpose of shin guards, but also contributes to dating the technology.

This technology dates back to

Book of Samuel is commonly accepted to be written by Prophets Samuel, Nathan, and Gad between 960 and 700 B.C.[5] Later, more concrete, examples of the shin guard concept resurfaced in the Middle Ages. All studies and evidence show greaves were improved to cover the entire lower leg, front and back, from the feet to the knees, and were mostly made of cloth, leather, or iron.[6]

As time progressed into the 19th century a major shift in the application of shin guards occurred. The overall purpose of protecting the shin was maintained, but instead of being used for

fighting, it became applied to sports. This paradigm shift dominates today's market use of shin guards as they are used mostly in sports. Other applications do exist though for protecting the lower leg in other physical activities such as hiking, mixed martial arts, and kickboxing
, but all these activities can also be considered for sport instead of being necessary in battle.

batsman, the wicket-keeper, and the fielders
that are fielding in close to the batsman.

Association football was the next major sport to see the introduction of the shin guard. Sam Weller Widdowson is credited for bringing shin guards to the sport in 1874. He played cricket for Nottinghamshire and football for Nottingham Forest,[9] and he got the idea to protect himself based on his cricket experiences.[10] Widdowson cut down a pair of cricket shin pads and strapped them to the outside of his stockings using straps of leather.[11] Other players ridiculed him initially, but shin guards eventually caught on as players saw the practical use of protecting their shins.[12] Today, there are a two basic types of shin guards used in association football: slip-in shin guards and ankle shin guards.[13]

In baseball, one of the innovators of the modern shin guard, New York Giants catcher

Batters began wearing shin guards at the plate in the late 1980s and early 1990s.[15]

Nick Swisher wearing a shin guard while batting

After the application of shin guards in association football, they quickly spread to other sports and are now considered necessary for most contact sports.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Greave." Def. 1a. World Dictionary. Oxford Dictionaries: The World's Most Trusted Dictionaries. Oxford University Press, 2011. Web. 11 Nov. 2011.
  2. ^ Jastrow. Bronze Greaves BM GR1856.12-26.615. 2006. Photograph. The Greeks in Southern Italy, The British Museum, Upper Floor, Room 73, London, United Kingdom.
  3. ^ "The Roman Empire." Map. Illustrated History of The Roman Empire. Roman-Empire.net. Web. 11 Nov. 2011.
  4. ^ 1 Samuel. Student's Life Application Bible. Wheaton: Tyndale House, 1997. Print. New Living Translation
  5. ^ Coogan, Michael D. A Brief Introduction to the Old Testament: the Hebrew Bible in Its Context. New
    Oxford University Press, 2009. Print.
  6. ^ "All Things Medieval | Greaves". medieval.stormthecastle.com. Archived from the original on 9 July 2020. Retrieved 11 November 2011.
  7. ^ Bowen, Rowland. Cricket: a History of Its Growth and Development throughout the World;. London: Eyre & Spottiswoode, 1970. Print.
  8. ^ "Laws - Laws of Cricket - Laws & Spirit - Lord's." Top Stories - News - Lord's. Lord's: The Home of Cricket. Web. 12 Nov. 2011. <"Laws - Laws of Cricket - Laws & Spirit - Lord's". Archived from the original on 11 March 2013. Retrieved 11 March 2013.
  9. ^ "Hucknall Cricketers." Ashfield District Council. Web. 12 Nov. 2011. <"Ashfield District Council: Hucknall Cricketers". Archived from the original on 20 July 2012. Retrieved 28 November 2011.>.
  10. ^ "1857-1887." Football Nostalgia: Seriously Soccer. Football Nostalgia. Web. <"Football nostalgia 1857-1887". Archived from the original on 2 June 2012. Retrieved 28 November 2011.>.
  11. ^ Cox, Richard William, Dave Russell, and Wray Vamplew. Encyclopedia of British Football. London: F. Cass, 2002. Print.
  12. ^ Lennox, Doug. Now You Know Big Book of Sports. Toronto: Dundurn, 2009. Print.
  13. ^ Soccer Shin Guards, Soccer Archived 21 August 2017 at the Wayback Machine, 2013-10-14. Retrieved: 2013-10-14.
  14. ^
    National Baseball Hall of Fame
    official magazine. "A pair of his shin guards is ... part of the Hall of Fame's collection ...."
  15. ^ Curtis, Bryan (10 August 2001). "Shinguards for Batters?!". Slate. Retrieved 27 January 2021.

External links

Media related to Shin guards at Wikimedia Commons

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