Umpire Shin Guards Buying Guide
 Umpire
shin guards today offer greater protection than ever before.
The correct name should actually be leg guards instead of shin as
some styles provide some thigh, ankle and foot protection.
Our styles vary based on the number of "knees" and the
amount of ankle and foot protection Shown to the left is a double-knee
style.
If you own or plan to purchase plate shoes, you may prefer the shin guards without foot protection. If you, however, like a shin guard with foot protection but do not need it, you can do what some umpires do by cutting off the extension. Do we need to say here that should you take this route to do so while the shin guard is not on your leg?
Triple Knee
The West
Vest professional shin guards used by Major League Baseball
umpires and the Diamond iX3 model offer the most protection above the knee in a triple-knee
style. The leg guards also overlap the foot without completely covering
it for foot protection. Multiple sizes are available for a better fit in both sizes for shorter or longer legs with both styles.
Double Knee
Of the double knees, the Wilson
charcoal shin guards (shown at left) has the most protection with both ankle protection in a hard shell on both sides and foot protection. The Pro
Nine shin guards and Diamond shin guards offer limited protection with soft padding around the ankles and no foot protection.
 Single Knee
Among the single knee variety, the Wilson
Davis shin guards offers the most protection with expanded
ankle and foot protection. These shin guards are the only ones that it does matter which leg you have them on as there is hard shell ankle protection for the inner sides and soft shells for outer ankle protection.
Comfort Around the Leg
As many of you know, shin guards sometimes like to rub you the wrong way at the back of your knees or calves.
Several of our shin guards attempt to make shin guards more comfortable in these areas through various features. The Pro Nine shin guards and Diamond iX3 shin guards have additional padding around the back of the leg to help prevent such rubbing. The Pro Nine model wraps to a greater degree at the calf, which some umpires with large calves find less comfortable.
The Wilson Davis shin guards fix potential rubbing around the back of the knee by not having a strap at the top of the shin guards at all. Because of the way it's made, the top surprisingly stays in place without such a strap.
Paying for Protection
Typically, you'll pay for the most protection. The West Vest professional
shin guards are great for that 90+ MPH fastball or foul ball,
but probably overkill for youth leagues.
| How do I Measure for Shin Guards?
Measure from center of your kneecap to the bottom of your
shin (where the leg meets the top of the foot) |
Learn more
Shin Guards Comparison Chart
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