A Guide to Gum Shields

[fightstuff]

Shin pads are an integral part of any Thai Boxer or Martial artist training equipment, therefore it is important to understand which shin pads will be best suited to your needs. As with all brands from Thailand the sizing differs between them. For Example, a Twins shin pads in Large will not be the same sizing as a Fairtex Large, therefore it is important to consult a sizing chart or contact the retailer before purchasing to ensure that you get the size that fits you.
Presently shin pads fall into 4 main categories:

• Cotton Foamed Filled Elasticated
• Synthetic/Leather Standard
• Synthetic/Leather Special Prints
• Synthetic/Leather Double In-Step

The cotton foamed filled elasticated shin pads are often the cheapest and offer the least protection out of all the shin pads. However this doesn’t mean they should be automatically written off. These are the first shin pads I brought when I first started Thai Boxing and I am still using them to date (obviously not the same ones!). However I like these shin pads as they are extremely light weight and are easy to slip on and off. However they do have a tendacy of moving around your calf and often need readjusting to cover your shin again.
The Synthetic/Leather Stardard are the preferred choice and best seller in the Thai Boxing community. They offer superior protection than the cotton foamed ones and due to their velcro straps and elasticated foot straps they do not move as much. The only draw back is that they are slightly heavier than the cotton foamed ones. However Twins have compensated for this with their SGL-3 shin pad, which is very light weight and was designed with tournament usage in mind, but this doesn’t mean you can’t use it for training as well. However I guess if you start out with these pads the weight will not be an issue.
The Synthetic/Leather Special Print are exactly the same construction to a Synthetic/Leather Stardard shin pad. The only thing that differs is the colour and design on the shin pad.
Presently I am only aware of Fairtex manufacturing the Synthetic/Leather Double In-Step. This pad builds upon the synthetic / leather shin pad with respect to the way it is constructed. The main difference is the amount of padding they use in it. They use this padding to form a raised shin ridge running down the shin and instep for additional protection. These pads are also 30% lighter than the stand shin pads enabling you to deliver your kicks harder and faster. This pad could be compared with Twins SGL-3 but with more protection.