Womens Kickboxing Pics Article

Muay Thai Fighters Arguably Have The Toughest Shins On The Planet...They Still Wear Shins Guards

A lot of kickboxing trainers think that to get tough shins for fighting you just do lots of sparring and partner work with bare shins and all the banging of bones will eventually make you tougher. This is not the case with muay thai.

The main way muay thai fighters get tough shins is by kicking very heavy bags thousands of times. The harder their kicks get, the harder their shins become.

You cannot afford to go into a fight with a soft tissue injury like a deep bruise on your shin. Just "training through it" is pointless too. You must let it heal or not get it in the first place.

Training your shins to the point of bruising doesn't toughen them up in any way. You need dissipated impact all over the shin so that the tissues can adjust and get strong. Sort of like an internal callas but not as severe.

This is why smart muay thai fighters wear shin pads and make their partners wear them too. Even the pad holders wear them to protect themselves and their fighters.

The typical shin pad worn by muay thai fighters goes from the instep of the foot all the way up to just under the knee. It is made from padded foam and covered in vinyl.

Don't get the guards made for other martial arts like karate that are covered in material. I have fond them to be inadequate protection of the ankle and lower shin. These shin guards tend to have more padding on the instep because that is what they kick with. Muay thai kicks are with the shin so you need to get some pads with good padding.