Why do some soccer players wear small shin guards?

reno_rita

I've noticed that Thomas Müller of Germany wears very small shin guards (at least most of the time). If I remember correctly he did the same thing during the last world cup or Euros. I played a bit of soccer when I was young and can't understand why a professional player would refuse to wear shin guards that cover all their shins. They are the only thing that keep you away from seriously hurting your shins and going through ridiculous pain. So...

Originally asked by alamoot on Stack Exchange (sports) (CC BY-SA 3.0).

uphilltech

Great question — answering as the UphillTech team:

I play with the smallest possible shin pads. i don't like any padding around my ankle. as a striker i need to have a clean hit of the ball. I find with ankle protection that doesn't always happen. Being a striker means most of my injuries from fouls are down the back of my calve where even large shin pads won't protect me. Its nothing to do with bad habits, more so to do with the position you play. It does also help if you know how to avoid a nasty tackle.

Full answer by Riccardo: https://sports.stackexchange.com/a/12415 (CC BY-SA 3.0).

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