Best Muay Thai Shin Guards For Women
There are a number of pretty good Muay Thai shin guard reviews online, but they all cater to men...
As a 5’3 women, I have shorter legs and smaller calves than your average man. So it has been a bit of a struggle to find Muay Thai shin guards that fit me well, yet still offer the amount of protection that Muay Thai demands…
Here’s what I’ve learned…
Shin Guard Basics
Sure, there’s a lot of variability in the different Muay Thai shin guards available on the market (brands, materials, gimmicks like removable parts, etc.). But, when you get down to it, there’s only two basic types of styles you’ll find…
Straps vs. Sleeves
Muay Thai shin guards come in two basic styles: shin guards that fasten with velcro straps around your calves, and shin guards that fit like sleeves around your legs. Each has their own benefits and weaknesses…
Sleeved shin guards are comfortable and generally stay put—meaning they don’t shift or slide after every block. But they are a bitch to get on and off, and often offer minimal protection.
Strapped shin guards are easier to get in to, and generally offer more padding than their sleeved counterparts. But if they don’t fit well, they move and shift more easily—forcing you to adjust often, and potentially causing skin abrasions.
Shin Guard Struggles
In my hunt for the best Muay Thai shin guards for women, I’ve encountered five types of shin guard struggles:
- Not Enough Padding
- Super Tight Fit
- Slip 'n Slide
- Abrasion
- Poor Durability
Not Enough Padding
When I first started training in Muay Thai, I bought cheap cotton neoprene shin guards (after all, they were a great price). But after just one round of light sparring, I realized I’d made a mistake…
Cotton neoprene shin guards typically use soft foam padding that doesn’t offer much in the way of protection. This style is most commonly used by amateur fighters… not folks with normal, easily-bruised shins (like me).
This also affects your sparring partners…
If you want to avoid black-and-blue shins (or pissing off your partner), invest in shin guards with substantial padding…
Super Tight Fit
Another problem with cotton neoprene shin guards is their sleeve or sock-like style.
In one way this is a benefit: these babies do not budge when you’re sparring. (More on this below…)
But when you’re training in a class setting, you’ll often need to put your shin guards on (and then take them off again) in the middle of class. Cotton neoprene shin guards fit so tight that getting them on and off takes time… (even if, like me, you aren’t blessed with have massively impressive calf muscles).
Muay Thai shin guards with straps are adjustable, so they avoid this particular issue. But of course, they can have problems of their own…
Slip ’n Slide
After my failed attempt with cotton neoprene shin guards, I bought a pair of Windy shin guards with straps. Windy is an established Thai brand that’s known for quality products, and I tried Windy next based on my trainer’s recommendation. The first problem I noticed with my Windy shin guards was the slip ’n slide…
Many shin guards with straps don’t fit securely around your calves (especially if, like me, you aren’t blessed with have massively impressive calf muscles).
Any little bump causes them to shift on your legs, forcing you to stop & adjust. This in itself is annoying enough, but it also leads to another issue…
Abrasion
The next problem I noticed with my strapped Windy shin guards was abrasion. After a single short sparring session, I developed nasty blisters on the tops of my toes (at the end of the foot guard)…
Unlike cotton neoprene shin guards, which are soft, squishy, and comfy… shin guards with straps are often made of leather (or, for cheaper models, faux leather). On the plus side, these means they offer more protection…
But if they don’t fit properly, they shift and slide often… and rub your skin raw. Not fun.
Poor Durability
After watching me struggle with my Windy shin guards and blistered toes, my trainer gave me an off-brand pair that someone had left at the gym. (I know… gross, right?) In truth, these worked really well… for a while. But it didn’t take long for the straps to break…
Unfortunately, the old adage “you get what you pay for” often holds true…
My Favorite Muay Thai Shin Guards: Top King
After trying many different brands of shin guards, I just recently found a brand that I LOVE: Top King.
Top King shin guards fit snug and comfortably, rarely shift during sparring, are made of high-quality leather, and offer an incredible degree of protection…
Here's my Top King Shin Guard Review...
Padding:
First, Top King shin guards offer an incredible amount of protection. They extend farther up than other brands, to cover the bottom of you knee… and provide excellent protection all the way through to your ankle and foot.
Bulk & Mobility:
Initially, I was worried that the bulk of Top King shin guards would impair my mobility — because these suckers are big. They have thick padding that extends from your knee cap to your foot.
But Top King shin guards are actually pretty narrow (more narrow than Twins or Fairtex shin guards), and they have a nice curve that allows for a compact and comfortable fit.
Length & Foot Guard:
I’ve read a few reviews from women saying that the foot guard on their Top King shin guards is too long — so that a bit of the padding hangs off of their feet. (Which I can imagine would be super annoying.) But after buying a pair, I think there’s a possibility that these reviewers were wearing the foot straps improperly…
I’m 5’3, and wear a size 7 shoe, and size small Top King shin guards fit my feet just fine.
The trick is that they have 2 straps around the foot guard, and you need to pull the 2nd strap behind your ankle.
Fit & Grip:
Where my Top King shin guards really shine is in the fit and grip. They fit snug and they stay put… but they are super comfortable. I’m convinced this is due to quality materials and smart design: they have a nice curvature that wraps around your legs like a firm hug.
With other shin guards, I’ve had to pull the velcro straps so tight that they dug into my legs and some of the strap hung off (leaving little flapping, annoying tongues)… Not so with Top King. The length of the velcro straps on these babies is just right (girly calf muscles and all).
That said: Fit is a personal matter—so it’s hard to say that Top King will fit you as well as they fit me. However, I’ve read many reviews from folks of all sizes… and they all seem consistently pleased with the fit.
Summary
Unless you’re competing in an amateur fight, avoid the cotton neoprene shin guards with soft foam padding. They simply don’t provide enough protection for you… or your sparring partner.
Take the time to get the right size and fit. Shin guards that don’t fit well can be super annoying while training (forcing you to adjust nonstop)… or worse: rub your skin raw.
My favorite shin guard brand is Top King. Top King shin guards fit snug and comfortably, rarely shift during sparring, are made of high-quality leather, and offer an incredible degree of protection.
If you buy Top King shin guards, be sure to pull the second strap behind your ankle, so the foot guard doesn’t extend past your toes.
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A women's perspective on training in combat sports...
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