SEMI-FINALS THIS WEEK — SHOP JERSEYS, BALLS & FAN GEAR
All Products
All Products
Passion for Soccer,
Expertise in Gear.
Licensed Gear
Licensed Gear
Latest Licensed Gear,
Official and Top Brands.
Goalkeeper
Goalkeeper
Gear Up,
Dive In.
Coaches Equipment
Coaches Equipment
Built for Daily Grind
Apparel
Apparel
From Pitch to Street
Soccer Goals
Soccer Balls
Soccer Balls
Top quality,
Top Brands.
Every brand sizes shin guards by height, not by age. The problem is that they all use different height ranges for the same letter. Here is what Small, Medium and Large actually mean at adidas, Puma, New Balance and Xara, side by side, with the guards we have in stock under each one.
Measure the player, find their height band, then read across to the brand you are buying. If the player sits right on the line between two bands, take the smaller size.
| Player height | Rough age | adidas (adult lines) | adidas Tiro | Puma | New Balance | Xara XG1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under 3'3" | 4 and under | Not offered | Not offered | XXS | XS | XXXS |
| 3'3" to 3'11" | 5 to 6 | Not offered | Not offered | XS | XS or S | XXS |
| 3'11" to 4'6" | 7 to 9 | X-Small | Small | S | S | XS |
| 4'7" to 5'2" | 9 to 12 | Small | Medium | M | M | S |
| 5'3" to 5'9" | 12 to 15 | Medium | Large | L | L | M |
| 5'10" to 6'1" | 15 and up | Large | Large | L | L | Not offered |
| 6'2" and up | Adult | X-Large | Not offered | XL | Not offered | Not offered |
Read that middle row again. A player who is 5 feet tall wears a Small in an adidas adult guard, a Medium in a Puma, a Medium in a New Balance, and a Small in a Xara. The letter on the box tells you almost nothing on its own. Buy off the height range, never off the letter.
Fitted correctly, the top edge of the guard sits about one to two inches below the kneecap and the bottom edge about two inches above the ankle bone. If it bumps the kneecap when the player crouches, it is too long. If bare shin shows above the sock, it is too short.
The chart most adidas guards ship on, including Predator and the adult Tiro range.
| Size | Height |
|---|---|
| X-Small | 3'11" to 4'6" |
| Small | 4'7" to 5'2" |
| Medium | 5'3" to 5'9" |
| Large | 5'10" to 6'1" |
| X-Large | 6'2" to 6'5" |
Watch the Tiro exception. Several Tiro guards run a youth scale instead, where every letter sits a full band lower: Small fits 3'11" to 4'7", Medium fits 4'7" to 5'3", Large fits 5'3" to 5'11". The height range is printed on each product page, so check it before you add to cart.
Strap and Ankle Guard
adidas Unisex Tiro Match Shin Guards
$17.99 $20.00
Hard shield, padded ankle guard, strap closure. Medium and Large in stock. Small is sold out.
Shop Tiro Match
Sleeve Guard
adidas Unisex Tiro League Shin Guards
$25.00
Shields drop into a compression sleeve so nothing shifts. Small, Medium and Large all in stock.
Shop Tiro League
Soft Ground
adidas Tiro Soft Ground League Shin Guards
$25.00
Same sleeve system in the soft ground colorway. Small, Medium and Large in stock.
Shop Soft GroundPuma publishes in centimeters. Converted, a Puma Medium fits a player adidas would put in a Small. This is the single most common sizing mistake we see on returns.
| Size | Height | cm |
|---|---|---|
| XXS | Under 3'3" | Under 100 |
| XS | 3'3" to 3'11" | 100 to 120 |
| S | 3'11" to 4'7" | 120 to 140 |
| M | 4'7" to 5'3" | 140 to 160 |
| L | 5'3" to 5'11" | 160 to 180 |
| XL | 5'11" to 6'7" | 180 to 200 |
Youngest Players
Puma Ultra Light Ankle Shin Guards
$11.99 $15.00
Ankle protection built in, which is what you want on a first pair. 2X-Small, Small and Medium in stock.
Shop Ankle Guards
Every Size In Stock
Puma CP Road To World Cup Ultra Light Sleeve
$18.00
The only guard we stock with every size live at once, XXS through XL. Pulisic graphics do most of the selling on their own.
Shop Pulisic Sleeve
Widest Size Run
Puma Ultra Light Sleeve Shinguards
$18.00
XS through XL in stock, so one product covers a 10 year old and their dad.
Shop Ultra Light
New Colorway
Puma Ultra Light Sleeve Shin Guards, Showtime
$25.00
Small, Medium and Large in stock. Same light sleeve build in the Showtime blue.
Shop Showtime
Flexible Shell
$28.00
Flexible TPU softshell in a sleeve with a slip pocket. Small, Medium and Large in stock.
Shop Ultra Flex
Top End
Puma Ultra Twist Sleeve Shin Guard
$40.00
Puma's most protective sleeve guard. Small, Medium and Large in stock.
Shop Ultra TwistThe Furon guards run on a similar centimeter scale to Puma, shifted slightly smaller at the bottom end.
| Size | Height | cm |
|---|---|---|
| XS | 3'1" to 3'9" | 95 to 115 |
| S | 3'9" to 4'5" | 115 to 135 |
| M | 4'5" to 5'1" | 135 to 155 |
| L | 5'1" to 5'9" | 155 to 175 |
Full Size Run
New Balance Furon Match Slip Guard
$18.00
XS through L, every size in stock. A light slip in guard for a player who has outgrown the ankle strap stage.
Shop Furon Match
Step Up
New Balance Furon Pro Slip Guard
$18.00
Stiffer shield than the Match at the same price. Small, Medium and Large in stock.
Shop Furon ProXara is the outlier. The XG1 is sized to age rather than height, and it is the only guard we carry that goes small enough for a four year old. A Xara Medium is roughly an adidas Small.
| Size | Age | Closest adidas adult size |
|---|---|---|
| XXXS | 4 and under | Not offered |
| XXS | 5 to 6 | Not offered |
| XS | 7 to 9 | X-Small |
| Small | 10 to 12 | Small |
| Medium | 12 to 14 | Small or Medium |
Smallest Sizes We Carry
$18.00
The only complete youth run on the site. XXXS, XXS, XS, S and M are all in stock. If your player is under 4'6", start here.
Shop XG1 V4
Bright Colorways
$18.00
Orange and fluorescent yellow in XS, Small and Medium. Sizes are thin on this one, so check before you set your heart on a color.
Shop XG1 v5
Value Pick
Xara XG1 v4 Shinguard, Neon Yellow and Grey
$13.00
The cheapest guard we stock. XS only, which suits a player around 7 to 9 years old.
Shop Neon YellowSize down. This is the opposite of the advice you would give on cleats or a jersey, and it catches a lot of soccer parents out.
An oversized shin guard rides up toward the knee on a sprint and twists sideways on contact, which leaves the front of the shin bone bare. That is the exact spot the guard was bought to protect. A guard that is slightly short still covers the bone, because it stays where you put it. Buying up a size so a growing player gets two seasons out of one pair is a false economy.
Coach's note: The guard goes under the sock and the sock covers it completely. That is a rule of the game, not a preference, and referees check it before kickoff. If guards keep sliding, a tall soccer sock or a compression sleeve fixes it for less than the price of a roll of tape.
| Style | Best for | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Ankle guard with strap | Roughly 4 to 10 | The ankle bone is covered, the shield cannot wander, and a young player can put them on unaided. |
| Sleeve guard | Roughly 10 to 15 | Compression sleeve holds the shield. No straps to lose, no tape, goes on in one motion. |
| Slip in shield | High school, college, adult | Lightest and lowest profile, no ankle coverage. For players who know how to protect themselves. |
Sizing cleats at the same time? Read how soccer cleats should fit. Sizing a ball for the same player? We have a soccer ball size chart by age.
We have been an authorized soccer specialty retailer since 2001, carrying adidas, Puma, New Balance, Under Armour and Xara. Every shin guard on our site lists its own height range on the product page, because as you can see above, the letter is not enough. Send us a player's height and we will tell you which size to order.
Youth XXXS through adult X-Large, in stock and ready to ship from Iowa.
Shop All Shin Guards
