Shin guards... Yes or no...

[JonAltman]

I just started playing goalie for my college club team, i dont mind getting hit in the shins but i would definitly be much more comfortable w/ them. I guess my quesiton is, how many of you guys protect your legs and are goalies who do protect their legs looked on?

[bresdan09]

in high school and up most people don’t have them. I personally don’t like them they slow you down and if you have them you can’t show off the cool bruises.

[DB6]

I'm not a goalie, but in my experience, the goalies that wear shinguards tend to be pretty bad. This is only my experience, and I'm not saying this is true of all goalies that wear shinguards. I also kinda think it's the girlish thing to do to wear shinguards. I understand it hurts to get hit in the shins, but every goalie gets hit there and most of them can deal with it, so why shouldn't you? Again, I'm not looking to insult goalies who wear shinguards or you, this is just my honest opinion.

[JonAltman]

yeah no i mean i can handle the pain lol im used to getting hit pretty hard, wasnt sure if the general concensus was shin guards, or your being a a little girl by wearing them. Thanks for the input.

[TitansGoalie11]

wear the guards till your comfortable.. i wore them for a whole season before taking them off...but if your getting bad hits in the shins, wear shin guards for practices and take them off for game day...i got a lot of smack for wearing them when i did but its a personal decision. we goalies are supposed to be strong physically and mentally so you should do as you feel u need to do. And if you do happen to wear them just wear sweat pants that match ur uniforms and look sweet...but dont make it a habit of wearing the guards it does make u look softt, but if u can take the smack do it

[laxstar2323]

honestly bro its best just to get use to the pain after awhile you will get used to it trust me, plus what bresdan09 said you get to show off your bruises ive always have had less respect for fellow goalies that wear shin pads.

[BCGoalie56]

no shin guards...ever

[dvdreeve]

I wear them when I have injuries to the shins it speeds up the recovery process to protect them and they don't really affect your play.

Wear whatever makes you comfortable and gives you confidence. How you play is more important than what you are wearing.

[NALC24]

after a while you wont feel the pain, and you will just get used to it, this will take a while, but i will happen

[WI_LAX_COACH]

Our league requires shin protection of some sort until Jr.High. My son, who is our keeper, wears the soccer style ones that go on like socks. They don't restrict his movement at all. BTW, even with them he has a couple of nice bruises from fall practice already.

[spartanlax7]

i think it was on UFC where they were talking about how the fighters do so much kicking in practices and fights that they end up making the nerves in their shins go dead?

if its true, you should become part of the UFC.. :)

[Sjrlax69]

DO what you want, if u perfrorm better with them on the keep em on. I myself dont wear them but thats just me.

[bethsc]

My brother who is goalie (now in 5th) wears them because my parents tell him to wear them, I get pissed off when every single other parent on his team WON'T change places with my brother so he can come out of the cage now and then. I know I am getting off topic, but as my father say's, if we got to go to the ER, those kids and parents ain't paying for jr.s med. bills! So he will wear them till MS, or he comes out of the cage? His coach begged my father to keep him in!

[E-Crosse]

I wore them my first season during practice but took them off about 2 weeks later. If you wear them now its ok but i think you'll grow out of them as you get more comfortable in the cage.

[budman_30]

i dont wear shin guards or thigh Pads maybe you should try sweat pants

[smalbikpro]

i used to wear them, i felt about 50x more confident with them on than without.

[cnyminder]

I personly like wearing them,so if you want to wear them.

[brainddeadjock]

Use the soccer type one. if your team give you grief, have them play in goal in your place. I am for anything that will make the goalie more comfortable, confident, and injury free.

[jackxc925]

If you do wear them just wear baggy sweatpants overtop and they won't show.

[EricL]

I never had, never plan to. They make you look bad. I don't know one high school goalie in my league that wears them. I can maybe understand a junior high or lower aged kids wear them, but I never see anyone wear shin guards as part of their equipment in high school.

The only condition I would wear them is if I have an injury on my shin. Wear sweat pants.

[WinnytheSully]

if your going to stoop down to getting shinnies, get 6'' ones, not huge ones, go low profile, ones with sleeves

[lax21goalie2008]

Unless you have a nagging shin injury, don't wear them.

[laxhero123]

personnaly i don't wear them. sometimes i wear long socks to get a little protection. i know brian dougherty wears one because his shin is a litle soft from gettin so many shots to it. if you have a case similiar to his or if not wearing them mentally screws with you then do it. if any one who happens to not be a goalie says somethin to you tell them to hop in net without the shin pads on.

[TrapDoor]

i think it was on UFC where they were talking about how the fighters do so much kicking in practices and fights that they end up making the nerves in their shins go dead?

if its true, you should become part of the UFC.. :)
It's true, in muay thai (A type of martial arts) the fighters gets hit in their shins with bamboo poles and the nerves in their shins die so they don't feel much pain from kicks or whatnot. So I'm guessing that must be why eventually goalies can tolerate the pain from shin shots, aside from the mental part.

[THE_1protector]

mmm. i my experience with shin gaurds is minimal but i did wear them once to practice to try em out and my coach was all over me about them. plus it really does hurt the same with or without. and i if you end up saving a shot with your shins, its bouncing off and you wont really think about the pain, your thinking about where the ball is and getting ready for the next shot. and a shingaurd is supposed to protect you against a slide tackle or a kick to the shins not an 60mph ball. unless you got ones made for lax, and even then im not sure if there is a difference. stx does market them but im sure they are just reg shin gaurds with the stx name on them.
so to sum it all up i think that you dont really need them, not cause of it slowing you down, that is in your head, but i think its just unnessecary equipment. if you wear anything itd be some goalie pants. getting a shot to the thigh might give you a case of 'dead leg' but even then i iguess they are still not really nessecary.

[kingwolf]

if you have had previous bad shin injuries then i would wear shin guards but im not a fan of them also most people think less of your abilities if you wear them in my personal experience

[Guardian_Keeper]

i dont wear them,, after the first couple of weeks of getting hit it didnt hurt as much.

[GWDefenender32]

yea dude, i don't wear them, i did for one game and i like to leave goal a lot and it slowed me considerably

[laxgoalie4life]

well we have to wear them, im a girl goalie and they dont let you play with out them. but deff just get small soccer ones. i hate people that get the monster huge catchers padding. thats going a little overboard

[BIGDGOALIE]

when ever ive seen them its on the off stick foot. cuz the stick side foot should be easy to get to i guess. but i wouldn't ware them

[CelticLaxer]

Shy away from shin guards. If anything, wear thigh pads (I started playing wearing football pants w/ pads) so that you only think about using the stick to protect shots around the outside, not shots into your body. This way, you'll end up stopping more low shots with your stick anyway.

Also, have someone help you make sure that you're not starting with any part of your stick above the crossbar. Faster to get down if you're not.

[play2win748]

when i first started i used shin guards. 4 sum ppl it gives confidence and if that helps u get in the way of the ball then wear em. after awhile ur gonna get tired of wearin them and u'll stop wearin them. that's wut happened with me

[muddawgsgoalie]

I dont like wearing them but my dad makes me because he bought me some for my bday.
So personally id say dont wear them ! they make it harder to run so u look like a fag when u try to run around the net and u can bearly run, plus they make u look like a wimp. DONT WEAR THEM i mean maybe wear them for a few weeks till ur comforterable but then Ditch em

[lacrosseman192]

i say no, the other team will laugh when they see it, but if you have to wear sweat pants over them and dont roll them up so you cant see them

[laxmiddi307]

They are useless. You dont need them.

[Warrior_laxman-]

i started playing goalie tonight i didnt wear them after the first shot to my shin i was used to it and i already have some nice brusises =)

[<<RANGER>>]

One of the goalies on my team used to wear shinguards until one of his friends (a defenseman) stole them and hid them. Personally, I never use them.

[Kickimanjaro]

I used them for the first year I played...and sucked. Took them off the next season, and guess what...we had an undefeated season, and I had two shut outs =P So I wouldn't go with them...they slow you down too much

[afalax010]

unless you also use tampons, don't use shinguards

[CalJVCoach]

A lot of you are missing the point when you say don't wear them "because they look bad". We had a varsity goalie who received a fracture to his shin bone by getting hit twice in the same spot....during practices....put him out of commision for the rest of the season. It's true, they do slow down your movement. And my own son, a goalie, does not wear them.

However, we require our JV goalie's to wear shin gaurds. Hopefully they're going to have a four year career, and possibly even go no to college. We'd like to protect that. At varsity, they can either go with soccer style shingaurds under sweatpants, or no shingaurds at all.

From a coaches perspective, I've found that it does improve confidence, which is never a bad thing. As with a lot of the equipment threads, it sort of comes down to preferance, but as far as protective equipment goes, if you can play up to your full capcity, who cares what it looks like....

[bethsc]

A lot of you are missing the point when you say don't wear them "because they look bad". We had a varsity goalie who received a fracture to his shin bone by getting hit twice in the same spot....during practices....put him out of commision for the rest of the season. It's true, they do slow down your movement. And my own son, a goalie, does not wear them.

However, we require our JV goalie's to wear shin gaurds. Hopefully they're going to have a four year career, and possibly even go no to college. We'd like to protect that. At varsity, they can either go with soccer style shingaurds under sweatpants, or no shingaurds at all.

From a coaches perspective, I've found that it does improve confidence, which is never a bad thing. As with a lot of the equipment threads, it sort of comes down to preferance, but as far as protective equipment goes, if you can play up to your full capcity, who cares what it looks like....

Thank you for that post! All the posts that are "I wouldn't wear them" I would like to ask this question? "If Doc Schnieder or Greg Cattrano or 100 other D1 or D2 goalies wore them would this be a issue or would the same posts be asking, Hey which goalie guards are better? or I wish the new shin guards...." I rest my case.

[WI_LAX_COACH]

A lot of you are missing the point when you say don't wear them "because they look bad". We had a varsity goalie who received a fracture to his shin bone by getting hit twice in the same spot....during practices....put him out of commision for the rest of the season. It's true, they do slow down your movement. And my own son, a goalie, does not wear them.

However, we require our JV goalie's to wear shin gaurds. Hopefully they're going to have a four year career, and possibly even go no to college. We'd like to protect that. At varsity, they can either go with soccer style shingaurds under sweatpants, or no shingaurds at all.

From a coaches perspective, I've found that it does improve confidence, which is never a bad thing. As with a lot of the equipment threads, it sort of comes down to preferance, but as far as protective equipment goes, if you can play up to your full capcity, who cares what it looks like....

I couldn't agree more. In our League 3/4 and 5/6th grade goalies are required to wear them. I think as more organizations require them, there will be far less 'shin guards are for wimps...' macho BS.

YMMV.

RZ

[colecooldude]

Ok if you just get little soccer shin pads it shouldent restrict your movement. it doesnt restrict mine. if you wanna look good only wear them during practice. there is another factor also if you wear shinpads people may think you are scared to get hit in the shins so they might shoot there so if your good downlow wear them. also when u play goalie u try to catch the ball in your stick but it doesnt always work like that so u move your body into position and the ball is going to hit u lots so just try wearing them remember the soccer ones .......................

[CBx51]

i know im wearing shin gaurds this year because i cant afford anything happeining to my leg cause then ill be screwed for football when i go to college....what do you guys think good or bad

[oviedolax]

you might get made fun of, but if you need them, wear them. also, where in florida do you live? and what league do you play in?

[3rdPersonPlural]

The demonstrated problem with shin guards is that they create resounding rebounds.

I've suggested taping an inch-and-a-half thick rectangle of that memory space foam onto your shins etc. Dunno if anyone has tried it.

[PCO6]

The demonstrated problem with shin guards is that they create resounding rebounds.

I've suggested taping an inch-and-a-half thick rectangle of that memory space foam onto your shins etc. Dunno if anyone has tried it. A couple of old issues of IL taped to each shin under knee high socks work well and give you something to read on the sidelines (lol)

[3rdPersonPlural]

A couple of old issues of IL taped to each shin under knee high socks work well and give you something to read on the sidelines (lol)

A little heavy and a little hard, but better than nothing.

I still like that memory stuff to reduce rebounds.

like: http://www.healthyfoundations.com/toppers.html

[Lacrosse4life31]

I like 3rdpersonplural's advice. I'm not entirely sure, but to be a football player and going to college and playing football seems like your some-what of a big person-meaning, muscle bound and having a nice set of thick bones on ya'. I personally don't think you need them, but if you do, or if you would feel safer having them on I would go with the memory foam idea.

I played against a team awhile back, their goalie had shin gaurds on, and although he blocked 3 shots with 'em on, they rebounded off and my guys got another shot on him and scored 2 times off of rebounds. I'm really diggin' the memory foam idea. Who knows? It might actually be a REALLY good idea.

[njone42]

i don't were shin gards, but my dad wants me to

[Sjrlax69]

Shin gaurds arent realy a big deal if you use them and they work for you, keep them. Ya shin gaurds rebound alot but Bare shins also rebound almost the same.

[laxgoali3own]

I personally think that shin guards are for wimps, if want a reduction of pain take a uneven glass bottle and roll it op and down on your leg until you have no feeling in them... It works but they still have less rebound than shin guards...:imparied: <- this is me thinking helmets are for wimps too,and im not retarded because i was normal once!!!!

[3rdPersonPlural]

Folks, just cut up a sheet of this:

http://www.healthyfoundations.com/hf_memory_foam_mattress_pad.jpg

and strap it to your chest protector and your legs and your cup. Your arms too, if you want to be impervious.

There will be no rebounds and no green bruises.

[<<RANGER>>]

Folks, just cut up a sheet of this:

http://www.healthyfoundations.com/hf_memory_foam_mattress_pad.jpg

and strap it to your chest protector and your legs and your cup. Your arms too, if you want to be impervious.

There will be no rebounds and no green bruises.

No green bruises? What? I love my green bruises.

[laxgoaliebm16]

good ... for girls, i would make fun of you

[THE_1protector]

i tried my sisters soccer ones the other day while i was messing around with friends and i didnt ever get hit there but what i did notice that the only impedment i had was the strap that goes under your arch, it was a little uncomfortable. if you really want to wear them and i dont see a prob with it, your the goalie, whatever helps make the save. you can get ones that slip into the sock.

[OldGoalie]

If you need to use them, here's another you might consider:

http://www.mcdavidusa.com/store/item.asp?DEPARTMENT_ID=725&ITEM_ID=152

Doc sometimes wears these when he's injured his shin. I've used one in practice a few times while nursing a swollen shin, and it does help a bit to deaden the pain, and does decrease rebounds a bit.

[CBx51]

you might get made fun of, but if you need them, wear them. also, where in florida do you live? and what league do you play in?

i play in south florida club.................

[CBx51]

2 be real it doesn''t bother me if i look like a wimp or not.....cause when it comes down to it........well you should get it.......last year i would always get hti in the chin and it would be whatever but im just using this as a precaution because like i said if anything wuz to happened 2 my leg ill be screwed..and i dont need another problem with my legs

[lilaxgurl23]

Do what you think is best for yourself. Most of the people on these boards are from nowhere and aren't going to be playing beyond the high school level, so their opinion really shouldn't matter to you. If you need the extra protection because you're going places and doing different things in college, so be it. Wearing the shin guards doesn't make you any less of a goalie.

[jmk2910]

i say go for it, if you can stop the ball who cares what the other team thinks of you. Its better to be called a "wimp" (for lack of a better word) by people you don't know you than risk your future in football

[THE_1protector]

yea lol you may be the wimp, but youll be the one making all the saves and winning. and then who will be able to call you a wimp?

[CBx51]

ay thanks.........i just want to let people kno i did play a whole season without shin guards ive ahd bruises i thought i had a chip and basically evrything you could get b4 a broken bone..........but hey if u think im a wimp i guess according to you i am but just be sure to hold the wimp comments till the end of my games..........thank you for all the supporters..........and ill be sure to be in a place near you to sign autographs thankyou thankyou lol...........







Im goin 2 the IDa

[laxgoaliebm16]

ay thanks.........i just want to let people kno i did play a whole season without shin guards ive ahd bruises i thought i had a chip and basically evrything you could get b4 a broken bone..........but hey if u think im a wimp i guess according to you i am but just be sure to hold the wimp comments till the end of my games..........thank you for all the supporters..........and ill be sure to be in a place near you to sign autographs thankyou thankyou lol...........







Im goin 2 the IDa

step up you dont need em bro, how intense can the lax be in florida be any way?!

hahaha jp

[Lax4life528]

during a summer league game, we played a goalie who had shin guards and he got made fun of alot. Like every goal from the crease, the scorer would say some nasty stuff too inappropriate for this forum and bang his shaft against the shin guards. I felt kind of bad for him though...

[CBx51]

thats one of the only things im concerned about because since r schools a club team it would be hard for me........for example if someone says something its pretty simple im fighting n thats one thing im trying not to do because then my club would probably get suspended........but i am a senior tho........but i dont kno that just would be the worst part

[MGLAX]

I don't personally wear them and I don't really encourage someone to wear them without a medical condition. If I see someone wearing just one of them then I don't think they are a wimp but if they are wearing two, they just loose their toughness. I know it's flawed logic but that's just first instinct.

[LaxWizurrd]

I don't wear them because I don't plan on making saves with my shins.

[red dragon]

Respect the game. Did the Native Americans wear them! The refs have feminized the game enough as it is.

[Quiles888]

i do wear high leg padding but not shin it gives the attackers somewhere to aim it points out a weakness. And during a game your adrenaline is pumping. you feel it more after the game

[lax21goalie2008]

I would only wear shin pads if my shins were really injured, or if I had just gotten over a broken leg.

[tk2tspobid]

I started playing goalie last year, and I'm on JV this year. I tried half the season with and half the season without. Personally, the shin guards I have don't restrict my movement at all. Also, if people give you **** for it, it doesn't matter. Just show them up with your ability. Most people think they are for wusses, but I just think that is stupid. First of all, everyone's pain threshold varies, and I'd rather take preventative measures with my shins, than trying to help them heal. I usually wear sweats as well.

Someone made the comment about the Native Americans playing lacrosse, but I'd just like to say that the intensity of the game today is probably not what it was back then. You could say elbow pads are feminizing the game too (obviously they're not).

I guess you could play without them, take the hits and any risks you run without them, but they make you no less of a goalie.

[g04L13 iNSANiTY]

I'm a girl so i have to wear them
but I wear field hockey ones (I play field hockey so I'm used to them)
If you're going to wear them, wear them
If you're not, dont

It won't matter if you're used to playing with or without them

If you do want to wear them, don't worry about guys who give you crap
They don't have enough guts to get in net, so they shouldn't be talking

[bulldoglaxer36]

One of the goalies on my team used to wear shinguards until one of his friends (a defenseman) stole them and hid them. Personally, I never use them.

hahahahha! thats hilarious! no but i hate shin guards. a goalie with like minimal pads and a very confidant attitude can be very intimidating.

[Gardinerkeepa00]

yeah, tampons and shinguards, pretty much the same, try sweats, or high socks, mental padding of sorts, you get used to the pain.

[BCGoalie56]

personally, I never ever wear shinpads, i just don't see them giving much of an advantage at anything. However, as a goalie, your stick is your tool, but your whole body is a weapon, you need to do whatever you can, to get your mind in the right place, and be comfortable enough to use every inch of yourself to stop that shot.

[BucLax]

i never wore them, they always hindered my play and i did better with them off, and personally i loved the bruises they show awesome battle scars

[#73]

Im only in 8th grade, and shin guards did help me a lot in getting in the way of the ball. I used soccer shin guards, and they didnt slow me down at all. i also play soccer, so im used to running with them. It gave me a lot more confidence. But it was last years that i used them, and last year im not as tough and not as strong as this year.

[5lax4life5]

it seems like the big problem is affected play by speed if i could recommend anything i would recommend soccer shin guards dont affect play and provided some sort of protection

[ChristosKouts]

unless you also use tampons, don't use shinguards

lol i dont really feel the pain when i get hit in the shins so idk why i would wear them

[hurst022]

i use them during practices to prevent injury but i dont wear them in games. i didnt wear them untill this year cuz i fractured my shin last year so i figured why not get the protection during practices and in the game be a savage....

[KFBGoalie]

I never used to wear shin guards until they made a rule actually forcing girls to wear them, and they do help. Soccer shin guards will not limit your mobility...soccer players also need to be very quick. Another bonus is that they keep newer goalies from becoming "gun shy", if you are just starting and you get hit in the shin, and it hurts it will be much more likely that on the next low shot you may flinch or even move your leg away

[Lkantola]

It's true, in muay thai (A type of martial arts) the fighters gets hit in their shins with bamboo poles and the nerves in their shins die so they don't feel much pain from kicks or whatnot. So I'm guessing that must be why eventually goalies can tolerate the pain from shin shots, aside from the mental part.

Would this happen to other body parts also? the most dehabilitating hits I get are always to my bicep because I can't move my arm after those sometimes....
but thats probably more a muscle thing

[GatorsLax]

If you do wear them just wear baggy sweatpants overtop and they won't show.

one of the goalies I played with in HS wore them under some sweatpants. no one ever said anything because they didn't show. I personally don't care as long as you don't look like a total noob and wear them with shorts. a goalie concentrating on the game and not on his shins outweighs fashion every time.

[Nsm0028]

When I started to play goalie I made most of my saves with my body and I asked my coach if I could wear shin guards and he told me no wear long socks and soon enough your stick will protect you when you get faster hands. Also, I still wear long socks but push them down to give me a little ankle protection since I wear soccer cleats.

[CHLAX9]

Our teams old goalie had worn shin guards and tried to use his legs to much with them on( So he basically sucked ). They will most likely shoot at your legs if you have them on. You should probably just get better at moving to the bounce/ or 5 hole shots.

[Pdoherty]

I wear shin guards in games. But practice I don't.


@ CHLAX9


thats why I wear knee high socks. I'd rather them shoot at my legs and knowing that I have my shin guards there to protect me.

[lacrosseball21]

no shin guards. But if you have to have them for whatever reason, spare us all the terrible view by throwing on some sweat pants

[Pdoherty]

Screw Sweat pants, wear knee highs

[HVlaxa7]

no one in my town wears them

[lacrosseball21]

i think most would agree that sweat pants are better than knee high socks. plus the point i was trying to make is that it doesn't look cool and if you were trying to conceal them than sweatpants would be the best thing to do.

[montylax6]

I just use sweatpants to take a little bit of the sting out of a shot.

[btgoalie]

no. Play highschool and we just played this team were the kid had shin pads on and all the attack and midis did was shoot low so no. And.....do you have hair on your peaches? Then no

[CTwestongoalie]

I wear shin guards in games. But practice I don't.


@ CHLAX9


thats why I wear knee high socks. I'd rather them shoot at my legs and knowing that I have my shin guards there to protect me.

i think you should switch that around. you take so many more shots in practice than in games, and whenever i get a broken thumb or something like that it is in practice, because of all the added shots you take

[manup5183]

http://www.lax.com/bimages/1969/11

I still wouldnt wear them, he only has one on though so his shin must already be injured

[Raptor20]

It's a requirement where I play, so I don't really mind at all.

[Rozlyn]

Naww.
The only reason I wear shin guards is because my coach requests that I do.

But honestly, they slow you down, and how often do you honestly get hit in the shins, and it hurts for like a second.