Shin guards, as the name implies, are equipment to protect the shin (the front of the lower leg is formed below the knee to above the ankle) in the course of a sport. It is used in various games such as ice hockey and rugby. These items were made popular by soccer, also known as soccer and base ball.
Soccer is a game played by eleven people on one team, against another team on a rectangular field. The team that comes out of the game with the highest number of goals wins the game. Due to the nature of the game, players are kicked and injured in different parts of the body, with the shin registering the most kicks and injuries.
Therefore, shin guards were invented for shin protection. They are made of plastic covered with clothing; they have side slaps, which the player uses to adapt to the size of the leg. In most cases, the player covers it with his stockings, commonly called socks. At the end of the 19th century, Samuel Weller Widdowson solved the problem of constant avoidable and manageable injuries in a game.
Invented the football shin guard in Nottingham Forest. The team from that city was the first to wear shin guards in a soccer game. These products are the only protective covering allowed for soccer players. For base ball, these accessories were invented by Roger Phillips Bresnahan.
He was an American baseball player and later coach from 1901 to 1945. Born in 1879 in Ohio, Roger played his first game 22 years later in the American league with the Baltimore team. Following him closely, he played nationals with the New York Giants. After playing practically every possible position in the game, Bresnahan finally settled for reception.
He eventually rose in his career to become the coach of the St. Louis Cardinals, then moved to the Chicago Cubs and finally the Detroit Tigers. It was at this point that he realized that receivers need protection in the game. Therefore, the invention of these guards for baseball catchers was an execution of his thoughts and dreams.
Apart from these accessories, there is also other protective gear that baseball players wear. They include padded leather gloves for catching the ball, protective helmets for hitters, protective gear for the chest, and a cage-like mask for catchers. Only catchers wear shin guards in baseball, as opposed to soccer, where all players wear them. The use of protective shin guards cannot be fully emphasized.
The shin, apart from the forehead, is the only part of the body without sufficient covering of flesh. Shin injuries can be very painful and take a long time to heal. A blow to the shin goes straight to the bone and at the moment of the blow it destabilizes the player. The protective shin guards have been modified with better synthetic materials to offer protection at the toe and at the same time very light so as not to weigh on the player.