The shin pad was obviously developed to provide protection from tough tackles. The problem that the shin pad arguably solves is the fact that the tibia is largely exposed and doesn’t have the protection of surrounding muscles that many other bones do have.
Even during matches played in school you’re required to wear shin pads – but at the pro level it is essential. This is mainly because if a player gets injured who wasn’t wearing shin pads then it is likely that no insurance claim could be made. The truly amazing thing about the shin pad is that it hasn’t really been developed or changed. It seems that the manufacturers take the view that it works the way it is and there’s no need to alter it. There is of course slight variation in style from the ones that cover just the shin area to the longer ones that also offer ankle support.
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But it’s debatable to suggest they are perfect the way there are, because we know serious injuries still occur in this area and it would be interesting to know if an improved design could have prevented any of these injuries. However, I do understand that it’s a difficult balancing act between creating something that protects players but at the same time doesn’t restrict movement on the field too much!
However, within the last few days a new style shin pad has been tested – but the idea is not to reduce injuries, but to clamp down on diving. The concept is to determine when a player has legitimately been fouled. This works with an alarm and two sensors, one sensor detects how close an opposing player is while the other determines if contact has been made and when both these things happen an alarm will be sounded. Therefore, no alarm means no foul.
It will certainly be interesting to see what the future holds for shin pads and if the new high tech anti-diving pad will be taken seriously by the FA.
Here’s a look at the ‘revolutionary’ shin pads in action…
[youtube 8WAMEblyxXE]
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