Anybody (else) use shin guards?

[Sospikey]

After beating the crap out of my shins riding my X2 I got a pair of cheap soccer shin guards. I use them whenever I ride nowadays, under my wet suit. Good investment of $8 IMO....

 

[DaUpJetSkier]

i dont but have heard of other ppl using them.

 

[FL-cracker]

Yes sir!
I look like a goon out on the water. I dont enjoy viginas on my shins either!

My riding gear consists of

Neoprene watersocks
Laceup ankle braces
Wrestling shoes
BMX style shin/knee pads
Motocross pants <--- Mostlye to keep the shin pads under control
neoprenewrist braces, to tighten up the wrists a little
Gloves
Wake board jacket
heavy MX helmet... builds up neck muscle :biggrin:

Everything I need to feel comfortable going :brap:

 

[team510]

let me say this....one day i was getting ready to ,packing my gear an i said i should try my dirt bike knee/shin guards an than i said "thats kinda gay" well that day i came out of the foot holds an broke my knee cap in 5 nasty chunks!!!! get some dirt bike ones with the knee pad!!!

that lumb in my upper leg is my knee cap...or part of it,that was in 05 i still cant run an can kinda of ride!!!

 

[thegoldenboy]

Thats not a bad idea when trying new tricks. No one like the shin smasher!

 

[subnsxr]

Sounds like a great idea when learning freestyle tricks, I've been off the water now for 5 months after nailing my knee cap practicing 180 NS's. I look more stupid having a 20K standup sitting in the garage. I still can't run too. Damn team510, oooch!

 

[FL-cracker]

Damn, 20k! I didnt know you had a aftermarket hull+ hood? lol

 

[PancakePete]

Yes sir!
I look like a goon out on the water. I dont enjoy viginas on my shins either!

My riding gear consists of

Neoprene watersocks
Laceup ankle braces
Wrestling shoes
BMX style shin/knee pads
Motocross pants <--- Mostlye to keep the shin pads under control
neoprenewrist braces, to tighten up the wrists a little
Gloves
Wake board jacket
heavy MX helmet... builds up neck muscle :biggrin:

Everything I need to feel comfortable going :brap:

werd :headbang:

 

[Ross_C]

The one thing to keep in mind is that you still need to be able to swim if you loose your boat in the surf. That has kept me from loading up on the gear.

I wear a bell Balistic helmet, and I am sure that will take any impact that I may need it to. And it seems to flow water well.

I do wear ankle braces when I sprain them, which seems to be a few times a year.

Shin guards seem like a good idea, would have saved me some pain, but I don't know if it would have done any more than that for me. Of course I am sure most of you remember what happened to Jerry a year ago, and shin guards would have saved him a trip to the hospital. How do you guys that use them keep em on?

I have some friends that wear full road race style back protectors, and that does seem like a good idea also. But the problem again comes when you need to swim in 10 foot surf. And I don't know if they give you that much more protection that a good vest does.

As far as the MX pants, tour coats, etc. goes...I don't like them becacuse you can't swim well in them and I feel like the restrict movement also.

 

[FL-cracker]

Good point Ross.... But even just Just shoes makes it hard to swim.... I feel imortal when I am geared out, i think that has helped me progress as fast as I have/

 

[PancakePete]

The one thing to keep in mind is that you still need to be able to swim if you loose your boat in the surf. That has kept me from loading up on the gear.

I wear a bell Balistic helmet, and I am sure that will take any impact that I may need it to. And it seems to flow water well.

I do wear ankle braces when I sprain them, which seems to be a few times a year.

Shin guards seem like a good idea, would have saved me some pain, but I don't know if it would have done any more than that for me. Of course I am sure most of you remember what happened to Jerry a year ago, and shin guards would have saved him a trip to the hospital. How do you guys that use them keep em on?

I have some friends that wear full road race style back protectors, and that does seem like a good idea also. But the problem again comes when you need to swim in 10 foot surf. And I don't know if they give you that much more protection that a good vest does.

As far as the MX pants, tour coats, etc. goes...I don't like them becacuse you can't swim well in them and I feel like the restrict movement also.

I would wear anything in flat.. but in surf, I where tight suit, boots, and switch vest.. lots of floatation.. and light helmet.

I agree with enough protect but not to much to drown with !

Most surf here is not big enough to cause that kind of thought.

 

[Crab]

I bought the Slippery Leg Armor, but got the large/xl size instead of the small/med, nice stuff and comfortable feeling, velcro all the way around the back. Anyone PM me if they need the big set.

LEG ARMORHELPS PROTECT YOUR KNEES AND SHINS FROM ABRASIONS CAUSED BY PWC. NEOPRENE CONSTRUCTION FOR DURABILITY. GLIDE SKIN LINING FOR ANTI-SLIP PROTECTION. INNER FLEXIBLE FOAM MOLD FOR INCREASED COMFORT TO KNEES WHILE RIDING

 

[Ross_C]

I like those pads crab..

Cracker...I understand where you are coming from and I think being geared up is a good thing, especially when you are pushing and trying to learn new stuff....hmm might be time to go get some more gear.

Quick thought, after having my 4th friend explode their heel this weekend, I am thinking about different shoes. I have always worn wrestling shoes, I like the feel and can swim well in them. I also use the thick HT under pad. Another friend of mine suggested a good pair of Nike Airs or something similar. You would get more of a "numb" feel when you are "surfing" but I think the extra padding might be worth it Any thoughts/suggestions?

 

[Watty]

Ross...

I use the Asics tennis shoes, which are really thick and springy on the sole...Pretty much all the Asics have really good water drainage mesh, and they last a long time. I walk to work in mine every day, and ski with them every second or third day. No rot, no soles falling apart, and no rips!

I'm pretty crap at things, so I tend to land flat a LOT! Never had a problem with broken bones due to hard landings. One other thing I should do is use some ankle braces, as I find when you just miss landing on the plate from a roll in the surf, you body still twists across the motionless ski, putting all the strain on your ankles due to your feet still being in the bindings.

 

[Ross_C]

Thanks I will look into those shoes.

And since you brought up the ankel issue, I have had far fewer ankle injuries since I started doing rolls and flips with a front strap instead of in the holds. I only use the holds now for really small rolls or doubles where you are trying to rotate as fast as possible.

 

[Idok]

I would wear anything in flat.. but in surf, I where tight suit, boots, and switch vest.. lots of floatation.. and light helmet.

I agree with enough protect but not to much to drown with !

Most surf here is not big enough to cause that kind of thought.

I like those pads crab..

Cracker...I understand where you are coming from and I think being geared up is a good thing, especially when you are pushing and trying to learn new stuff....hmm might be time to go get some more gear.

Quick thought, after having my 4th friend explode their heel this weekend, I am thinking about different shoes. I have always worn wrestling shoes, I like the feel and can swim well in them. I also use the thick HT under pad. Another friend of mine suggested a good pair of Nike Airs or something similar. You would get more of a "numb" feel when you are "surfing" but I think the extra padding might be worth it Any thoughts/suggestions?

[]




i dont understand how peeps can ride with wakeboard vests...I have tried them and they just dont seem to float you well AT ALL


ross...do you knjow how many of those heel injuries were with thick vs thin (or no) padding?

 

[WaveDemon]

I bought the Slippery Leg Armor, but got the large/xl size instead of the small/med, nice stuff and comfortable feeling, velcro all the way around the back. Anyone PM me if they need the big set.

there are no hard shin guards in there? how well do they protect from an impact?

 

[wydopen]

well..any shoe in general is no bueno in big surf for the fact that you cant swim in them..that was my reason for starting to ride barefoot..once i did i relized how much better you can feel what your ski is doing..you dont relize how much you use your feet to control you ski (at least for my style)..just by curling or uncurling my toes i can feel the difference when im turning on the wave face..that being said i dont jump out the back so flatlandings dont concern me much..so i would say if you must wear a shoe for protection at least wear something you can slip off in a worst case senerio when you gotta swim.(not wrestling shoes).also i think a vest with less flotation is better in big surf so you can still duckdive under the wave if you loose your ski and get stuck inside..i know i cant swim to the bottom with a coast guard approved vest and id say im a strong swimmer..but if you get knocked out then you need it.so its a toss up...oh yea i also have a hole the size of a quarter in my heel fro the last two months from rubbing on the gunwhale..i can barley walk all week at work but it dosnt bother me when im riding..probally gonna get gangrene though..

 

[WAB]

I went back to wearing running shoes. The wrestling shoes suck for absorbing impact.
Just don't ever let go and you won't have to swim. :tongue2:

 

[Ross_C]

Idok...
None were using the thick stuff. But of the 4, three were with shoes on. JFB was barefoot. There are a couple of others I have heard about the past two years as well, and I think all had some kind of shoes on...presumably with more padding that just a wrestling shoe.

We all know what the risks are, and I guess you do what you can to mitigate those risks as much as possible...