Protect yourself from swollen ankles and shin bruises with the Best Muay Thai and MMA shin guards.
Best Muay Thai & MMA Shin Guards & Shin Pads
If you’re a practitioner of Muay Thai or MMA, you’re sure to know how valuable shin guards can be. Muay Thai and MMA are combat sports that involve a lot of kick movements. And the shin just happens to be one of the most delicate spots in the legs and it can hurt immensely to knock it against an object or your opponent’s knees or elbows.
That’s why it’s necessary to have Muay Thai/ MMA shin guards, because they protect your shins and prevent you from experiencing a sudden debilitating pain. Besides offering protection, shin guards also allow you to continue practicing and fighting without having to take a break. They also ensure that you don’t get swollen ankles or bruises.
There are a lot of factors to consider when you’re looking for the right shin guard. A good MMA/ Muay Thai shin guard should be the right size and fit for your needs. You need to strike the right balance between protection level and weight. Bulkier shin guards usually offer more protection, but they also restrict your movement and are heavy. So you need to strike the right balance.
Your shin guard should also be made of the right type of quality materials. In this article, we give you an overview of some of the best Muay Thai/ MMA shin guards on the market.
Best MMA & Muay Thai Shin Guards
1. Venum Elite Standup Shin Guards
Venum is one of the most popular brands of protective gear for MMA and Muay Thai. This is a manufacturer based in Thailand and they’re reputed for some of the most powerful protection gear out there. Venum Elite is currently the best shin guard in their arsenal. This shin guard has a lot going for it, besides the fact that it’s also one of the most attractive shin guards out there.
Venum Elite Standup is made of a material known as Skintex leather. There are sources out there that claim Skintex is pure leather, but that’s not true. This is a synthetic leather material, but it’s highly durable and extremely resilient, which is why this material is commonly used in combat gear.
This shinguard is equipped with a 3-piece high-density foam and it also includes a 3-piece instep set. The padding is fairly dense and it’s perfectly distributed across the entire shin guard so there aren’t any lumps. The best part about the padding is that the 3-piece design ensures complete protection regardless of the angle in which you sustain impact. Furthermore, even though the shinguards provide protection, they’re not too heavy.
Venum Elite Standup is completely handmade shinguards. While they’re not made of actual leather, they’re still extremely durable and provide ideal protection. You get these shinguards in all sizes and you have 15 color combination options available.
2. Fairtex SP7 Shin Guards
Fairtex is one of the most reputable brands in the world of Muay Thai fighting and protection gear. The Fairtex Muay Thai SP7 is one of the strongest and most protective shinguards on the market. The sheer comfort and strength of the shinguard are evident from the very moment you strap it on.
This Muay Thai/ MMA shin guard is made of two components — the shin protector and the foot guard. These parts can be separated from each other. The user can also adjust the height of the shinguard based on whether they detach or attach the foot guard. Furthermore, in addition to protecting your shin, it can also protect your foot.
As such, Fairtex Muay Thai SP7 is especially suitable for beginners and novices. On the other hand, this shin guard may not be as suitable for professionals or advanced trainers because the foot guard also restricts your range of motion. The shin guard and the foot guard can also be twisted to 90°, which makes them extremely versatile. This level of versatility provides comfort and also provides protection against bruises.
By twisting the shin protector, you can also customize the shin guard to suit your specific needs. It also comes with extremely soft back straps that you can strap on to ensure that the shin guard stays on. The sides are also rounded to protect every angle of your legs. And despite providing such protection, this Muay Thai/ MMA shin guard remains lightweight and highly mobile.
All things considered, Fairtex Muay Thai SP7 is one of the best and most versatile Muay Thai/ MMA shin guards on the market and it’s especially suitable for beginners and novices. It’s available in five colors — yellow, blue, black, red, and white.
3. Hayabusa T3 Shin Guards
Hayabusa T3 is one of the best Muay Thai/ MMA shin guards because they can perfectly merge qualities like protection, simplicity of use, and monetary value. This is a fairly reasonable shin guard that still offers great protection for combat sports.
The primary material used on the front surface of these shin guards is known as ‘Vylar’. This is a synthetic leather manufactured from animal-free materials. As such, Vylar is completely cruelty-free, ethical, and it can also hold its own in terms of strength and performance. Hayabusa claims this material is even stronger and more resilient than actual leather. While that claim is yet to be tested, it’s certainly a strong shin guard in its own right.
The Vylar material is a lot stronger than the Syntek leather that’s commonly used in shin guards and protective gear. It also manages to maintain the authentic look of actual leather. It also features a fabric lining that includes small silicone dots. This feature gives the shin guard the grainy texture of actual leather, it feels good against your skin, and it also has a moisture-wicking quality that keeps the shin guard relatively dry and clean. The dotted texture also ensures stability and prevents the shin guard from sliding around.
Hayabusa T3 has also been designed with an angular top that ensures comfort, both while sustaining impact and otherwise. It also prevents the shin guards from digging into your skin. It’s also pre-curved so it hugs your shin perfectly, especially once you adjust the velcro straps at the back.
In terms of padding and protection, Hayabusa T3 is made of several segments of padding that goes all the way from the knees to the bottom of the shin guard, providing protection to every single region of your shins perfectly. These panels are also angular to give them a cool aesthetic look.
All things considered, Hayabusa T3 is one of the best Muay Thai/ MMA shin guards because it has some unique features not available anywhere else, it provides great protection to your shin and your foot, and it’s attractive. The only drawback — and it’s a small one — is that it takes a little longer to dry than most shin guards.
4. Venum Kontact Shin Guards
Venum Kontact is another attractive and strong Muay Thai/ MMA shin guard manufactured and designed by the Thailand-based protection gear company. This shin guard, however, is meant for light impact — it favors comfort and lightweight over high padding or protection. This shin guard still offers protection, but you can’t really use it for professional competitions or advanced training because the level of protection isn’t enough to sustain such impact.
This Muay Thai/MMA shin guard is made of high-quality cotton and it comes with velcro straps to reinforce it and prevent it from slipping. The fabric is also stretchable so it can accommodate your entire shins perfectly. The ankle area is also very flexible so you can move your legs without restricting your movements.
The best quality of this shin guard is that it only weighs 12 ounces so you feel like you’re wearing nothing at all. The cotton is also highly breathable so you don’t sweat too much and the shin guard doesn’t accumulate sweat. It’s also very cheap, which makes it suitable for beginners, novices, and those on a budget. Since these shin guards are made of cotton, you can also machine wash them, which isn’t possible in most shin guards.
All things considered, Venum Kontact is a great option for beginners and novice Muay Thai practitioners. But it doesn’t offer the best protection levels, so you should keep that in mind while buying it. Venum Kontact is available in 11 color combinations — black, black/black, black/neo pink, black/neo yellow, black/red, blue, forest camo, grey/black, neo orange, neo pink, purple, and red.
5. Top King Empower Creativity Shin Guards
Top King Empower Creativity has been designed by manufacturers that command a lot of respect in the boxing community. While this isn’t the best shin guards on the market, it has a lot going for it, especially considering it’s far cheaper than a lot of other Muay Thai/ MMA shin guards.
Perhaps the best aspect of this Muay Thai/ MMA shin guard is that it’s made of pure leather. The outer shell is made of actual leather, which is perfect for those who don’t like to settle for synthetic leather materials used in most shin guards. The best aspect of using a pure leather shin guard is that it’s extremely durable and doesn’t move upon impact. Furthermore, unlike some low-end synthetic materials, genuine leather doesn’t tear or start peeling after constant use.
This Muay Thai/ MMA shin guard is available in various sizes ranging from small, which is 15.5” to extra large, which is 17.5”. This is the size in terms of length. In terms of circumference, the shin guards go from 12” to 16”, depending on the size you choose. These shin guards are also pre-curved so they adhere to the shape of your legs perfectly.
Top King Empower Creativity is also less bulky in design that most other Muay Thai shin guards and it’s also narrower. The dual hook and loop closure also ensures that this shin guard fits you perfectly and doesn’t slide off. It is also well padded in all the parts that matter, such as the top and the instep.
All things considered, Top King Empower Creativity is one of the best shin guards for Muay Thai and MMA because it’s made of genuine leather, is durable, and isn’t very bulky. But, on the other hand, it’s also not as powerful as other shin guards and the leather takes time to break in and may cause some chafing. It’s available in seven color combinations and designs — Black/Black, Black/White, Empower Black, Empower White, Red/Black, Snake, and Super Star Gold.
6. RDX Shin Guards
RDX is one of the best manufacturers of protection gear in the UK. They offer high-quality protection gear at a reasonable price. RDX Shin Guard has several unique design qualities and features that are completely unique to this shin guard and not available anywhere else.
First off, these shin guards are 3D molded so they have a unique and high-quality design. The exterior is made of 300 Denier nylon cover — this cover ensures that the external cover won’t tear or wear away even after months of regular use. The insides of the shin guards are lined with QD0-2, a material that can keep you completely dry even in the hottest of situations.
This Muay Thai/ MMA shin guard also features 26mm padding along with dual-layer protective padding made of Shell-shock gel. The padding is evenly distributed and it’s specifically concentrated on the lower end of the shin guard because that’s the region that requires the most protection. You also have velcro straps and Neo-1 neoprene enclosures that you can use to tighten the shin guard around your shin.
RDX Shin Guard is available in sizes ranging from small to x-large and it’s only available in black color. The biggest issue with these shin guards is that they may shift a lot when you’re wearing them — a lot of users have problem with stability.
Last update on 2024-12-22 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
