Performance of football shin guards for direct stud impacts

Football shin guards were evaluated against a kick from a studded boot.The bending stiffness of their shells, and their response when impacted by a stud, were assessed using finite element analysis (FEA) and determined experimentally.A test rig was constructed with the leg muscle simulated by flexible foam, with the force distribution along the tibia and to the lateral muscle measured using flexible force sensors.High-speed photography confirmed deformation mechanisms predicted by FEA.Load spreading from the stud impact site correlated with the guard shell bending stiffness.The best guards use shells of complex shape to increase their transverse bending stiffness.