Bamboo

The national sport of Thailand, Muay Thai, is a fighting style incorporating the feet, knees, shins, elbows and fists to strike or block. Muay Thai practitioners follow a brutal training regiment that involves repetitive drills and conditioning to perfect abilities. The focus is on strengthening and toughening weak areas of the body, the shins being a key focus. For this reason, beginners may require Muay Thai shin pads while training.

Muay Thai Shin Pads

Muay Thai shin pads are designed to protect the shins while blocking hits or performing roundhouse kicks. In some martial arts styles, the area with which you use to strike in a roundhouse kick is the top of the foot. However, in Muay Thai, roundhouses use the shin. It is believed that this results in more devastating damage for the opponent. Unfortunately, it also results in more pain for you, as shins tend to be extremely weak areas prone to bruising and splits.

For beginners, Muay Thai shin pads protect these weak areas. It is essential when considering purchasing this type of protective equipment that the quality meets high expectations. They should cover the length of the shin, from just under the knee to the foot. Most Muay Thai shin pads will have an attached flap to cover the top of the foot as well, which is flexible to accommodate the movement of the foot. Easy slip on and off construction with adjustable velcro hook and loop straps will save time during training. Leather shin pads are ideal as the leather casing is durable and resists tearing from repetitive impact.

This entry was posted on Monday, December 4th, 2006 at 7:14 pm and is filed under Thai Martial Arts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.