Posted on by Pro Hockey News Staff
Soccer and hockey are high-intensity, high-contact physical sports that require their players to wear proper protective equipment. Shin guards are important to help protect your ankles and shins from injury. This article provides important information to help distinguish between soccer and hockey shin guards and tips for buying the right ones. 
Soccer and hockey are both high-contact sports where players have a high risk of injury. Players participating in both of these sports will be moving around a lot with their focus on the ball. There is a chance that two players can bump into each other or fall while running at high speeds. If this happens, a player’s legs will be most vulnerable to injury.
Shin guards protect the part of the legs that are the most highly-targeted to injury, the shins. There is a possibility that a player can fracture their shins if their shins come into contact with that of another player at a right angle. Both players can easily bruise, cut, or fracture their shins if they are not wearing the proper protective equipment. The sports authorities of soccer and hockey have made it mandatory for players to wear shin guards.
There is a risk of injury for both players of soccer and hockey. Both of the games have a different dynamic. Soccer players need to be much more physically active on the field than field hockey players. But the huge difference is that each field hockey player is carrying a hockey stick. There is a much higher risk of injury with a swing of the hockey stick than with a person kicking.
This is why hockey shin guards offer a much higher level of protection in comparison to soccer shin guards. Hockey players could use their shin guards to play soccer. But there is a chance that the player will be unable to move freely in comparison to wearing soccer shin guards. Similarly, soccer players can use their shin guards for playing soccer but these shin guards will not be sufficient in protecting the player from injury.
There are many factors you need to consider when you are buying shin guards. The first thing you should keep in mind is what position you are playing. Defenders must have shin guards with wide guards and extra padding. These kinds of shin guards will give you maximum protection moving forward to make the defense. 
Players playing the forward positions as a striker must have lean and light shin guards that do not slow them down. These shin guards will make sure that the player can move faster to make an offensive play or hit the goal of the opposing team. Players need to make sure they wear shin guards that match the player’s size. To get the correct size of shin guards measure in inches from the middle of the knee down to your ankle.
As we have explained that soccer and hockey shin guards offer different levels of protection and movement for the wearer. It is important not to substitute one kind of shin guard for the other sport. The right-size shin guards should cover your knees and ankles as you stand with your knees bent.
