Protective and light. These are the things that you might be looking for a pair of shin pads. You want them to be effective on guard, but also not too bulky and hard to cause you some hindrance in movements. This is what an AU-based brand is trying to achieve with regard to shin pads. Carbon Athletic is the company behind the PROGUARDS series, a pair of shin pads that are making in-roads to some of the best names in football today.
Carbon Fibre in Shin Pads
Light yet durable, carbon fibre has seen many applications in football (most recently with the inserts of the adidas X Speedportal’s Carbitex Speedframe). It is this weightless property coupled with strength versatility that makes carbon fibre an optimal material for shin pads.
More than protection, what make’s carbon fibre so great in shin pads is that it makes them dissipate energy through shock absorption, which is good not only for the wearer but also for the other player. Normal plastic shin pads have very low shock absorption levels, and so while they are protective, they can only take in so much force before they start cracking apart. See video below for a demonstration:
Review of PROGUARD by Carbon Athletic
Carbon fibre makes up the protective outer shell of the Carbon Athletic’s PROGUARD shin guards, now on its v2. PROGUARD features an custom EVA foam backing to further enhance its shock absorption utility. Several football stars have already CA’s ProGuards like Karim Benzema, Dani Alves, and Diogo Dalot.
Boot Wizard tested out a pair of Carbon Athletic shin pads. Here’s what he have to say:
- Really liked that they come with Left and Right labels; anatomic-shaping improves fit; curvature is perfect for his shin shape (it helps that CA offers printouts of its small and large sizes to determine which one suits you better)
- Does not come with sleeves; would have to use tight-fitting socks or purchase shin sleeves
- EVA foam is standard, nothing special; carbon fibre shin pad works but backing is not the best; not breathable and has a grimy feel when sweating
- Lighweight and slim; has good enery-dissipitation properties
- Quality-wise, it makes it worthy to purchase CA’ ProGuards despite the price; gains confidence in winning 50-50 balls
- Still prefers the likes of C6 Agility shin guards, though the price of the Carbon Athletic ones and its quality make it relatively more accessible
