LegalEagle
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| posted on 5/21/08 at 11:51 PM |
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Shinguard rule changes - observation
I am posting this in the General forum rather than the School forum ebcause I think it is important to remind everyone about this topic.
My son will enter high school in the fall. His shinguards are worn out. I know about the new rules requiring the labeling for height that will be
effective this fall. I knew that I should get properly labeled shinguards now, something that he could wear once the high school season starts at the
end of the summer. Here is a bit of unsolicited advice to those who have rising 8th graders and anyone else who has a child who will play high school
socer next year that is unaware of the new shinguard rules.
I tried to find some shinguards online, but I found that it is impossible to tell from the information given by the online retailers whether the size
is appropriate for the height. They give measurements for the specific item, but you would have to refer to the actual guidelines to make sure they
are appropriate, and without seeing the label inside the guard, the one that the referee would be looking at, who can be certain?
I went to a local store to search and I found out there is a wide disparity between manufacturers and even between different styles made by the same
manufacturer which size is required. A 6'1" guy could wear a large in one style but require an XL in another. One guard's XL can fit 6'1" through 6'5"
while in a different brand, once you reach 6'3" you require an XXL.
The store I visited had a few XL sizes, but not that many. They were willing to order any style we wanted, of course, in any size that is available.
It was hard finding any XL sizes online, and the store I went to said they never stock the XXL sizes and would have to order them.
If you plan to purchase online and you have a child who is at the edge of the a size range (5'11 seemed to be a frequent upper end of the large size
with the guards I looked at, and I did not check the smaller sizes), allow extra time to inspect and then return the product for a larger size. If you
have a child over 6 feet tall, you may need to special order to get the product you want, and you should allow extra time for that.
I can imagine many parents being caught off guard by this and scrambling when tryouts start to find the right size for their child or wasting money on
the wrong size.
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blueblood
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| posted on 5/22/08 at 04:30 AM |
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Quote:
I can imagine many parents being caught off guard by this...
Heh.
Seriously, though... that's great information. Thank you!
Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence.
~~Vince Lombardi
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drujenn
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| posted on 5/22/08 at 07:22 AM |
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I have a son in high school, but was unaware of the shin guard rule - could you explain in more detail? Thanks!
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flatlander
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| posted on 5/22/08 at 07:55 AM |
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Thanks, in the "moving up from 8th grade" boat and knew they were more stringent on shin guards but didn't know about the label thing.
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yhatemetoo
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| posted on 5/22/08 at 07:57 AM |
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At their January 27-28, 2007 meeting, the National Federation high school soccer rules committee voted to delay implementation of the ruling requiring
shin guards to have the NOCSAE seal on them starting the fall of 2007.
THE NEW IMPLEMENTATION DATE IS FALL 2008.
This is in response to concerns that shinguard manufacturers did not have the “new” shinguards with the seals available for retail purchase.
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NSIBystander23
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| posted on 5/22/08 at 08:15 AM |
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Are you kidding my with this rule? My kid puts about a 1/2 mile of tape on her socks to keep the shin guards in place. If she had to show the ref
some silly label before the game, it would be half time before she was ready to play. If the shin guards are of proper proportion to the players leg,
why do they have to be labeled?
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baptiste
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| posted on 5/22/08 at 08:28 AM |
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Quote:
Originally posted by NSIBystander23
Are you kidding my with this rule? My kid puts about a 1/2 mile of tape on her socks to keep the shin guards in place. If she had to show the ref
some silly label before the game, it would be half time before she was ready to play. If the shin guards are of proper proportion to the players leg,
why do they have to be labeled?
From the SGMA website:
Quote:
Provisions have been made in the standard for guards that are held in position by tape, a sock or other type of accessory item. For details of these
provisions please review the most recent version of the standard available at the NOCSAE website.
Yet in looking at the currnet standard on the NOCSAE site:
http://www.nocsae.org/standards/pdfs/ND090-06m07-%20Mfr%27d%20Soccer%20Shin%20Guards%20Std%20performance.pdf
I can't find any reference to it. My guess is many will put the seals on tags sewn into the top of the shinguard so it can be slipped up and seen. So
if she doesn't tape the very top, she can easily show the tag. Dunno.
On The Pitch - Laugh with and at Soccer Dad as he navigates the perils of youth soccer.
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LegalEagle
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| posted on 5/22/08 at 08:33 AM |
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Quote:
Originally posted by NSIBystander23
Are you kidding my with this rule? My kid puts about a 1/2 mile of tape on her socks to keep the shin guards in place. If she had to show the ref
some silly label before the game, it would be half time before she was ready to play. If the shin guards are of proper proportion to the players leg,
why do they have to be labeled?
No kidding. The label is on the inside of the guard at the top. The players should only have to pull the socks down and flip the label out from the
top of the guard for the referee to inspect. I imagine they will all just get used to pulling the label out until after their equipment is checked and
then slip the label back under the guard and pull the sock back up.
Son was amazed at how HUGE the guards are for someone over 6 feet tall. The guard is as long as his 10 year old sister's forearm. It will take him a
while to get used to them.
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Bengoshi
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| posted on 5/22/08 at 08:51 AM |
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I cannot find it now but at one time I thought the rules said the ref would inspect but I think now the coach has to certify that the equipment is
legal to the ref or risk a yellow. Also I thought the rule said it had to be stamped on the guard but I think a label is fine now. I bought legal
guards last season for my son and I hope he has not grown the last inch beyond the labeled limit. He is taller than me now but I think I am shrinking
due to gravity. 
Have license, will coach for IPAs.
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Socrates
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| posted on 5/22/08 at 08:58 AM |
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Quote:
Originally posted by drujenn
I have a son in high school, but was unaware of the shin guard rule - could you explain in more detail? Thanks!
Basically they have to wear guards the size of hockey goalies pads
I may be drunk, Miss, but in the morning I will be sober and you will still be ugly.
-Sir Winston Churchill
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NSIBystander23
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| posted on 5/22/08 at 09:01 AM |
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OK, any good soccer mom knows you bleach those things to death to kill the germs and odor. How long are those labels going to last. The first couple
of soakings and they will fade into oblivion.
I'm all for protecting my childs legs, but some of these rules and regs are just getting out of hand.
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crew9294
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| posted on 5/22/08 at 09:46 AM |
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Ankles and feet that are probably the most injury prone areas on a soccer player, but someone in the good-idea factory figured it best to regulate
stupid shin guards. What do shin guards really protect against? An eighth of an inch of plastic and foam is the difference in a little bruise from a
big bruise. Ok, it also spreads the impact to lessen the blow but with enough force, it certainly will not stop a break.
Would love to know if the decision maker has ever played the game?
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yhatemetoo
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GREAT SPIRITS HAVE ALWAYS ENCOUNTERED VIOLENT OPPOSITION FROM MEDIOCRE MINDS ~ EINSTEIN
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| posted on 5/22/08 at 10:25 AM |
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Quote:
Originally posted by crew9294
Ankles and feet that are probably the most injury prone areas on a soccer player, but someone in the good-idea factory figured it best to regulate
stupid shin guards. What do shin guards really protect against? An eighth of an inch of plastic and foam is the difference in a little bruise from a
big bruise. Ok, it also spreads the impact to lessen the blow but with enough force, it certainly will not stop a break.
Would love to know if the decision maker has ever played the game?
"....shinguard manufacturers did not have the “new” shinguards with the seals available for retail purchase."
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FoothillsFutbol
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| posted on 5/22/08 at 10:25 AM |
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Someone is making some big $$$$$$ off of this new rule.
RIP RSA
"When teaching someone to catch a ball, throw it at their face." - Dad
"The joy of soccer is that the ball is a perfect object and it doesn't make mistakes - the more you use it the less mistakes you make"- Craig
Johnston
If you woke up this morning it is because Nemanja Vidic spared your life. In an average room there are 1,243 objects that Nemanja Vidic could use to
kill you, Including the room itself. Nemanja Vidic would have built Rome in a day. The chief export of Nemanja Vidic is pain. Nemanja Vidic once
played Russian Roulette with a loaded gun and won. Nemanja Vidic crossed the road. No one dared question his motives. Nemanja Vidic once killed four
birds with half a stone. (What's that? There's no such thing as half a stone? The four dead birds didn't think so either).
GLORY, GLORY MAN. UTD
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baptiste
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Mike Baptiste
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| posted on 5/22/08 at 10:50 AM |
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Quote:
Originally posted by crew9294
Ankles and feet that are probably the most injury prone areas on a soccer player, but someone in the good-idea factory figured it best to regulate
stupid shin guards. What do shin guards really protect against? An eighth of an inch of plastic and foam is the difference in a little bruise from a
big bruise. Ok, it also spreads the impact to lessen the blow but with enough force, it certainly will not stop a break.
Would love to know if the decision maker has ever played the game?
The main goal of these standards, from what I've read, was to ensure players had ample protection. Kids with 11" shins wearing 5" shinguards was about
the same as them wearing none. The second was to ensure shinguards could withstand forces without deflection, to help reduce breaks. I found this
abstract from an article (B Boden LEG INJURIES AND SHIN GUARDS) quite telling (published in 1998):
Quote:
Soccer players have a high risk of soft-tissue injuries to their legs. Fractures of the tibia and fibula represent a serious potential injury; despite
this, the incidence of these fractures in soccer players is unknown. Shin guards have become the only protective devices that are required by
international and collegiate soccer associations. Nonetheless, the protective ability of shin guards has only been studied to a limited extent. Shin
guards are assumed to be most effective at reducing leg abrasions and contusions. The role of shin guards in protecting against fractures has yet to
be determined. In one report, the circumstances surrounding 31 athletes who sustained a fracture of the lower leg from a direct blow while playing
soccer were reviewed.2 The majority of fractures occurred while the athletes were wearing shin guards. The point of impact was with the shin guard in
over half of the subjects. Major associated complications were frequent, especially with concurrent tibia and fibula fractures. These findings suggest
that many shin guards currently available are not effective in protecting against fractures. Further analysis of the clinical effectiveness and
biomechanical properties of shin guards is necessary to reduce the rate of leg fractures.
Clearly they felt the available study was limited at the time. But the key is how many of those fractures were direct contact (vs hitting a
shinguard), was the shinguard too small, and in the shinguard contact breaks, were the guards too weak, or did they meet standards. If you read the
standard, the impact test must keep point forces below 200g on average and when a 15-17N force is applied to the guard, the guard should not remain
bent beyond 0.75 inches.
I know many people have this knee jerk reaction to regulation like it's all evil - but come on. When you buy shin guards, you have no idea how they
will perform. What is wrong in requiring manufacturers to meet certain specification to ensure the shinguard you buy does it's job? They won't stop
every injury, but if your kid had their leg shattered because the cheap guard they bought was about as effective as cardboard, then lobby to have the
rules changed to allow kids to play without them and suffer the consequences.
All these rules do is make sure kids are wearing shinguards of an appropriate size for their height and that the shinguards do the job they're
supposed to do, regardless of who makes them. What's the big deal? It's not like shinguards cost $100 pair. Yes - some kids will not like having a
proper sized guard - but that's just more area to distribute forces which WILL reduce the chance of injury - obviously won't eliminate them, but...
[Edited on 5/22/08 by baptiste]
On The Pitch - Laugh with and at Soccer Dad as he navigates the perils of youth soccer.
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NSIBystander23
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| posted on 5/22/08 at 11:01 AM |
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Again, there is nothing wrong with protecting our kids and their legs. I just think the regs need to be put on the manufacturers not the kids.
{All these rules do is make sure kids are wearing shinguards of an appropriate size for their height and that the shinguards do the job they're
supposed to do, regardless of who makes them.}
You can tell if there is a 6'3" guy wearing 4" shinguards. A Ref can certainly tell if the shinguard is too small for the kid without having to show
a label. When did common sense get taken away from the Ref. Everything else in soccer is subject to the Refs opinion.
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alextris
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| posted on 5/22/08 at 11:08 AM |
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Quote:
Originally posted by NSIBystander23
Again, there is nothing wrong with protecting our kids and their legs. I just think the regs need to be put on the manufacturers not the kids.
Actually, the regs are being put on the manufacturers to make the approved shinguards AND the kids to wear them AND the referees to enforece the rule.
Implementation of this rule was delayed at least one year (maybe two, I can't remember) to give the manufacturers time to bring their guards up to
the standards mandated.
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baptiste
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a self serving parent coach that is all about the KIDS so long as they are his KIDS - or so I'm told - cept I don't coach my kids O.o
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| posted on 5/22/08 at 11:10 AM |
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Because now it's easy to check. Sure a 4" shinguard is obvious. What about 6"? 8"? Now the ref (or coach depending on the rule) can take a quick look
at the labels and boom - you know it's certified and big enough. Seems like common sense to me. I'm not saying have the ref check every label, but why
not have the coach check the player's shingaurd once a season? And if they get new ones - the coach checks them then. Thus the smart idea to put the
checking on teh coach instead of refs at each game.
On The Pitch - Laugh with and at Soccer Dad as he navigates the perils of youth soccer.
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Tecnico_CH17
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| posted on 5/22/08 at 11:15 AM |
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So will the refs be measuring the players before each game as well?
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LegalEagle
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| posted on 5/22/08 at 12:06 PM |
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Quote:
Originally posted by Tecnico_CH17
So will the refs be measuring the players before each game as well?
heh. do they have rosters which list player heights that the ref can rely upon?
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