Review: Combat Sports Grappling Shin-Instep Guards

by Mike

Combat Sports Grappling Shin-Instep Guard

One Liner:

A necessary tool for MMA guys who like to kick - and not a bad choice for straight-up kickboxers either.

Overview:

The Combat Sports Grappling Shin-instep Guards are designed for MMA fighters who don't want to have to stop in the middle of a round to readjust their shin guards that get moved into all manner of awkward position while rolling.

If they do get moved around, it tends to be from your partner grabbing and pulling on them while you're on the ground. They aren't perfect by any means insofar as staying in place when you're kicking, but are much better than anything else I've tried.

The padding finds a happy medium between taking the sting off of a kick (or check) and keeping you honest about your defense. The padding may be a bit too stiff for casual kickboxers, but should be good for the guys in the gym who complain about having wear shin guards. The only complaint I really have is that the leather can wear through in spots and bleed color onto your opponent's gi pants/shirt. Then again, it is kind of satisfying to see that you landed all those kicks....

My only real complaints about the product is that they can be difficult to take off and keep clean.

Sweating in these somehow seems to make them "sticker" rather than more slippery - this is good, but it can be a chore to get them off once you've gone a couple rounds in them. If you don't "unloop" them first and then make sure you work your heel clear, you end up tugging at them and ripping the neoprene at the bottom of the calf. This ends up making your shin guards looser, which basically defeats the purpose of wearing them. This may seem odd given my complaint about the bottoms being too loose (see "The Bad" below), but, I dunno, I didn't do it.

As far as cleaning - the neoprene backing tends to hold moisture pretty well and it doesn't take anything except a couple training sessions of forgetfulness to end up with a pair of shin guards that smell like you left them in a septic tank. My favorite alcohol and/or vinegar and Febreeze don't seem to help as much as you would hope they would. Putting them in the washer isn't an option, what with the leather front, so be sure you let them dry properly as soon as you get home from training.

Those with skinny legs might be better off going with the regular size - I've got some fairly meaty gams and the larges are cut a bit loose, especially around the ankles. I can only wonder at the behemoths who will need the new x-large size.

The Good:

• Enough padding to protect you while still letting your kicks have a fair amount of oomph. Shielding kicks transfers enough force to keep you honest, but without having to worry about the bumps and bruises that come from taking full-blast kicks.
  
  
• They do a great job of staying put on your legs while you roll. The "even the most intense scrambles" part of their product description isn't entirely accurate, but trying to use any other shin guards while rolling is futile.
  
  
• The padding is such that you get a satisfying "thwack" when you land a kick.

The Bad:

• After you've been wearing these for an extended training session, they can become sweaty and tough to take off.
  
  
• I have no idea how to clean these things and they can get stinky if you don't let them air out properly. Be careful!
  
  
• The pad that covers the "ankle" wears down pretty quickly and gets a little rough. If your partners have sensitive faces, you might feel bad about landing headshots.

Recommendation:

I don't think there's a comparable piece of equipment for MMA training. Tough-guy strikers who don't already have a pair of shin guards that they're in love with would likewise do well to give these a try.