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5 Best Shin Guards for Muay Thai (2023 Guide)

When you’re ready to start sparring, you’ll need some protection to pad those tender shins! That’s where having a pair of reliable, quality shin guards come in handy. With so many options out there to choose from, we’ve narrowed it down to a few of our favorites.

What are Muay Thai Shin Guards?

Muay Thai shin guards are protective gear specifically designed for practitioners of Muay Thai. They are typically worn by athletes when sparring or doing drills that involve throwing kicks at their training partner. In most part of the world, shin gaurds are also used to prevent extra damage in early amateur competitions.

Shin guards used for sparring and drills typically consist of an outer shell made of materials such as leather or synthetic fabrics. The tough, outer shell is reinforced with padding and foam to absorb impact and protect the shin. Muay Thai shin guards are beneficial for both new and experienced athletes alike.

When choosing a new pair of shin guards for Muay Thai, you should take into consideration factors such as material quality, padding density, fit, and mobility. It’s important to find a pair that suits your body, training needs and provides a secure fit while allowing for proper mobility and flexibility.

Our Picks – Top 5 Muay Thai Shin Guards for 2023

Combat Corner – Supreme Synthetic Leather Shin Guards

Combat Corner always puts out quality products. Their Supreme Synthetic Leather Shin Gaurds are no exception. These shin guards offer dense, but lightweight protective padding, that will keep your shins from getting too banged up whether you’re kicking or defending.

With their dual hoop and lock closure system, these shin guards offer a secure fit so you won’t have to worry about them sliding around on your leg during sparring sessions. They are made even more secure by the elastic bands that hold the shin guards snug underneath the foot and behind the ankle.

Venum – Elite Shin Guards

Between becoming the primary gear sponsor of the UFC and their wide-spread influence across the world of Muay Thai, Venum has long been associated with high quality products for combat sports.

Venum Elite Shin Guards offer multi-layered, dense foam across the shin and the top of the foot. The padding on the top of the foot helps avoid those nasty knocks from accidentally catching your sparring partners elbows when throwing a kick.

Their anatomically designed to fit the shin perfectly, securely fastened with their velcro straps behind the calf, and elastic bands under the foot and behind the ankle. The Venum Elite Shin Guards also come in a range of awesome colors and designs. I’ve had two pairs of these shin guards and loved them!

RDX Shin Guards

While these RDX Shin Guards are added to the list as a more affordable option, that doesn’t mean that they are a low quality product. RDX is a long-recognized name in the sport.

The RDX Shin guards feature dense, layered foam that helps dispurse the force of impact across the shin, to avoid the accumluated damage from repeated impacts to one spot. They also feature quality, synthetic leather on the exterior, with a breathable nylon interior to stay cool and dry against the skin, which helps prevent slipping.

The hoop and lock closure system helps the RDX Shin Guard remain snug against the shin, while elastic bands keep it in place around the foot and ankle. These shin guards are the perfect choice for a beginner in the sport!

Yokkao Shin Guards

Thanks to their modern designs and savvy marketing, Yokkao is one of the sports most recognized brands in Muay Thai right now. However, the fantastic quality of their gear helps sell itself.

While on the pricier end, the Yokkao Shin Guards are no exception when it comes to a fantastic product. They use high quality, microfiber leather that offers durability and breathability where it matters.

Their triple-layer, shock absorbing foam across the shin and foot help avoid unnecessary scratching and bruising. Meanwhile, their non-slip interior help the shin guards from moving around on your shins once you start sweating.

Fairtex SP5 Muay Thai Shin Guards

The Fairtex brand has been around for a long time in the sport of Muay Thai. You’ll even recognize the name gracing some of the best fighters in Muay Thai, such as Stamp Fairtex or Yodsansklai Fairtex. Just like the fighters that represent them, Fairtex always makes quality gear.

The Fairtex SP5 Muay Thai shin guards are surely to be seen in almost any Muay Thai gym you walk into. With their ergonomic fit and shock-absorbing foam, they offer a satisfactory amount of protection to all levels of Muay Thai athlete, from beginner to pro.

These shin guards are handmade in Thailand using real leather, so you know that the quality of product will be high. They also use two velcro straps across the back of the calf, and elastic bands around the ankles and feet, to ensure a snug, comfortable fit.

How to Choose the Best Muay Thai Shin Guards

Muay Thai Shin Guards are an investment that makes sense not to skimp on. They are important pieces of equipment that help protect one of the highest areas of impact during training, your shins. That being said, choosing the best Muay Thai shin guards for you ultimately comes down to personal preference. Here are some things to keep in mind as you make your purchasing decision:

Size

Most shin guards come in different sizes. Shin guards should extend from your ankle to just below your knee. On your foot, the instep guard should end just above your toes. The velcro and elastic straps should be just tight enough to be snug, but shouldn’t affect your blood circulation.

Materials and Construction

On the exterior, shin guards are typically constructed using real leather, synthetic leather or other synthetic blends. Typically, synthetic materials will be cheaper, but slightly less durable.

Mobility and Comfort

The right pair of Muay Thai shin guards should allow for full range of motion. This means not covering the knees or toes, and allowing for proper flexion at the ankle. Breathable materials will also help with comfort and prevent the shin guards from shifting around too much once you start to sweat.

Budget

When it comes to price, there is a wide-range for Muay Thai shin guards. For example, the RDX shin guards on our list are currently $45.99, while the Yokkao shin guards are $135.99. Any cheaper, and you will definitely notice a substantial drop in quality. More expensive, and you might be paying for more than you really need (or just fancy marketing).

Brand and Reviews

There are so many brands to choose from when it comes to shin guards these days. Many brands that you’ll find online will merely be cookie-cutter products from factories with low quality control. When buying protective equipment, it’s important to buy from recognized brands, and consult online reviews (and reviews from your friends/training partners).

MMA Shin Guards vs. Muay Thai Shin Guards

While it’s common to see one used in place of the other, there are a number of key differences between MMA shin guards and the type that are designed for Muay Thai. To get the most out of your training, you should use the correct type of shin guard for your training. Here are some of the things that make MMA shin guards a little bit different:

Padding and Coverage

Due to amount of kicks thrown in Muay Thai, and the power behind a kick, Muay Thai shin guards typically have much thick padding. Meanwhile, MMA shin guards are much more compact, both in terms of padding thickness and size. MMA shin guards typically don’t go as high up the shin, or extend as far down the foot.

Mobility For Grappling

Less padding on MMA shin guards allows for much more comfortable transitions from striking to grappling. Once on the ground, Muay Thai shin guards can leave you feeling bulking, and unable to achieve the full range of motion you might need for MMA training.

Fit

MMA shin guards tend to fit on the wearer as an elastic sleeve, rather than using velcro hook and loop straps. This can make MMA shin guards fit a bit more tightly around the entire calf, which can help them stay in place during scrambles and grappling exchanges. However, this can make getting them on and off quickly to become quite the pain, and can start to affect circulation if they are incorrectly sized.

When choosing between Muay Thai and MMA shin guards, it’s important to take into consideration how you will most often be using your shin guards and the amount of protection required. For those interested in MMA, I recommend getting both. That way, you have a pair of Muay Thai shin guards that offer more protection for stand up drilling and sparring, and MMA shin guards for when you know grappling will be involved, but still need shin protection.

How to Clean Muay Thai Shin Guards

Keeping your Muay Thai shin guards clean will help your gear stay intact for longer, and keep you from being that smelly person at the gym that no one wants to partner with. Here are some tips on keeping your Muay Thai shin guards clean:

Clean After Every Use

After each training session, you should immediately wipe down your gear to remove excess sweat and dirt. Use a soft cloth or wipe to clean the interior and exterior of your shin guards.

Soak

Intermittently, try soaking your gear in a mixture of water and white vinegar (or sports cleaning solution) for 15-20 minutes. After soaking to loosen sweat and dirt, scrub them with a gentle cloth or brush, rinse them with water and leave them to air dry.

Deodorize

If you shin guards start to stink, you can sprinkle them with baking soda (or sports cleaning solution) and leave them to sit over night. Be sure to shake off excess powder before using them to train again.

Additional Muay Thai Shin Guard Cleaning Tips

  • Do not machine wash or dry your shin guards.
  • Avoid using bleach or harsh chemicals, as these can negatively affect the longevity of the shin guards’ materials.
  • Be sure to immediately clean any blood or body fluids off of your shin guards, in order to prevent a breeding ground for harmful bacteria.

Tips on Finding the Best Muay Thai Shin Guards for You

  1. Go with a reputable brand that is known for making quality Muay Thai products.
  2. Make sure you find the right fit! Most brands of Muay Thai Shin Guards have different sizes, so make sure you consult the sizing chart.
  3. Determine whether you will be using them for primarily Muay Thai, or if you need a pair of MMA shin guards to be compatible with grappling.
  4. Shop around! Make sure you check to see what your gym or local gear store has in stock.
  5. Ask your friends and training partners to try on their equipment. It’s hard to get a sense for what will fit best just looking at measurements. Don’t be shy! (Just don’t try their shin guards when you’re sweaty.)

In conclusion, there are plenty of options out there when it comes to finding a quality pair of shin guards for your Muay Thai training. If you buy a pair of quality shin guards, they should last you awhile if you take care of them! They’ll also make sure your training stays safe and comfortable.

See you on the mats!

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