Nike Tri shield > Reviews > Get up to be chopped down another day

Author's product rating:   

Durability	Excellent
Protection	Excellent
Comfort	Excellent
Value for Money	Excellent

Advantages:	comfort, price, protection, length of life
Disadvantages:	colour fades quickly

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Being very serious about my football I have been known to make a few impulse purchases when out and about to try and protect myself from injury while playing the beautiful game, something I do semi-pro.

Most football injuries occur through lack of a warm up but there is nothing you can do to reduce the clumsiness of your opponents or the plain filthy play that can leave you in a heap on the floor feeling like a sniper has just blasted a hole in your leg when they 'miss' the ball and take most of your leg with their studded boots. Since the age of 7 I have used Nike shin pads in varying forms and have never paid anything more than £10, and indeed, my Nike Tri Shield pads were only £7.99 from JJB Sports some years ago. I have to admit, I haven't seen these in any sports shops for about 12 months but a quick glance at the net does confirm they are still available from a number of online stores.

Why are they called Tri Shield pads, well that is the easy part to explain. The pads are roughly the size of an average mans shin bone. This section of the pad is made from EVA foam and had three ridges evenly spaced running down the pad providing extra protection at points where serious damage can be done by a direct kick. In addition, there is adequate padding on the ankle section that sits just on the top of the boot giving good ankle support and protection.

The pads are easy to put on and take off as they are worn like a sock with velcro straps at the top to adjust the tightness. As far as comfort goes the can be adjusted to fit like a glove and after a while you forget they are there, that is until some brute blasts your legs from underneath you and you thank your lucky stars you are wearing them.

I have had my pads for far too long and while the colour may have long since faded they continue to protect me while I play football. The foam padding it much better than the solid shield pads available as it absorbs the force of any blows rather than moving your entire lower leg which can cause serious leg breaks in some cases. As you can tell, I wouldn't be without my pads and for £7.99, neither can any footballer.