One of the most important pieces of sustainable equipment a player needs on the pitch is a pair of high quality, durable shin guards. The game has gotten faster and more physical with each passing season and the risk for injury is increasing with each passing day. Luckily, Nike realized this inherent need and made the Nike Protegga Shield III shinguard, an affordable and reliable piece of necessary soccer equipment for any player.
Let’s just right into features. One annoyance I currently have with newly released shinguards is the lack of an ankle guard. It’s as if players injury “preferences” have drifted away from ankle breaks to full on leg/shin breaks. I certainly don’t feel as if this is true at all, having broken my ankle twice without the use of ankle guards. Nike has taken my story and others into account by attaching a sturdy, yet comfortable ankle guard. But what if you find yourself saying “hey, maybe I still don’t like ankle guards and desire my ankles to be broken”. No problem. The Protegga Shield III has a fully detachable ankle guard. What a sweet deal. The great thing about the ankle guards too is that they are surprisingly breathable and non-constricting (blood’s going to flow to your feet very freely). Many ankle guards are for use with either foot, too. Not these. They are fully fitted to fit each curve of your individual foot. Wow, I’m still raving about this ankle guard. It must be awesome. Let’s move onto the actual shinguard now.
These Nike Shinguards use a sweet ventilated shell design so your legs can breath (whoo!). The extended foam design of the shinguard helps keep the comfort level high, too. The design also allows for an amazing amount of protection, considering the affordable price level these shin guards are set at (under $20). Through rigorous testing, which included several of my friends kicking me as hard as they can (they aren’t the best of friends, unsurprisingly), the shin guards held up well and never cracked or felt like cracking. Perhaps the best feature of the guard is the adjust-ability to form fit to your comfort zone. The guards are easily adjusted with Micro and Macro adjusters, which can provide drastic changes to fit or fine-tune so the guard provides just enough pressure around your legs. Oh yeah, did I mention these are NOCSAE approved shin guards? In case your league or school requires you to have guards that meet these rigorous standards, you are covered.
Overall, the Protega Shield is an absolute steal. At under $20 and NOCSAE approved quality, it’s a comfortable guard that is reliable and quite adjustable.
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