There are 3 main types of shin guards in the martial arts: Grappling, kickboxing or striking and muay thai. Although mma shin guards and muay thai are both striking styles, muay thai are built with much more padding.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Grappling shin guards are designed to stay on when grappling and also provide padding when standing up. Grappling type have a tube or sock-like way of keeping them on. The only draw back for this design is that they can get very hot and they can also be hard to get on and off once they get wet. Many of these types also come with a strap by the calf to help tighten them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Muay Thai Shin Guards are designed thicker to absorb more of a strike. These guards almost always have a re-enforcement down the front of the guard. The way they are kept on is not concerned with the ground game. Two straps are all that keep them in place. The one thing I don’t like about these is they are very bulky and heavy. As someone with a Taekwondo background- speed is important!

kickboxing shin guards

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kickboxing is where you see the striking type shin guards. Because there is no ground game in kickboxing, there is no need to worry about the guards moving around. I am still surprised at the guards lack of added padding along the front. I see a lot of kickboxers and for some reason they always go cheap with shin guards. They love the cloth covered guards that have about a quarter-inch of soft padding… Go figure!

I have some ideas for a hybrid MMA Style Shin guard. Wouldn’t it be great to combine the added padding of muay thai with the sock of the grappling guards. A hybrid model would save you money and also save your shins. You can also train for striking and also train for grappling without having to change. Another thing I would add is padding above the knee and also around the knee. This added padding would allow for true leg-kick training.