“Ring to Cage Grappling Shin Instep Guards” Review

The Grappling Shin Instep Guards with stretchable covered back is fight-gear company Ring to Cage’s premiere shin pad coming out this Holiday season. The major selling points of the shin instep are the high quality materials of which it is made and the extreme ease of use. Many of the positives of this product end up being a double edged sword, and ultimately is only a good purchase for specific kinds of combat sports students.

One of the defining aspects of the shin instep is the surgical elastic material that is lining and backing the pad. As is a recurring theme with many top shelf Ring to Cage, the material scores big points for comfort but creates some issues in actual practice.

Even among the stretchable style grappling shin insteps, which cling to the leg with elastic rather than using straps, the Ring to Cage shin is by far the easiest to take on and off. The ease of removing and affixing a shin instep is a trait that’s rarely considered when a consumer first buys it, but tends to be one of the most important factors in day to day training.

The shins go on after warm-ups, they may come off for a particular demonstration or drill, and go back on for the next drill. That taking on and off can make a new shin instep a huge nuisance if it’s sticky neoprene like most models.

The backing material is simultaneously the shin instep’s biggest strength and biggest weakness. For the same reason that the pad comes on and off so easily, it’s more likely to turn or rattle out of position after repeated impact.

Should the shin instep fall downward at all, a strip of the same material meant to fit on the arch of the foot will slide across the ball and compromise balance while throwing kicks. Any shin pad requires some readjustment while in a sufficiently spirited practice. And the Ring to Cage shin instep isn’t hugely more unstable than any other. But the pad does move noticeably more often than most and the possible loss of footing can be problematic.

The lining material also poses a problem that is often mentioned with any high-grade protective gear. The striking zones on the shin insteps are made of real leather, which explains the pad’s price sitting at $49.95. The surgical elastic material is also very sturdy, and product gives an overall feel that it is built to last.

As has been mentioned in other reviews, if someone is training intensely on a regular basis, no matter how meticulous he may be in caring for his gear, lining material will slowly absorb sweat and start to smell awful inside of a year. Packing the pads in clean cat litter for a week has been known to reduce this accumulated smell. But, because these high-quality materials will hold together longer than some cheaper models, ultimately the smell will be what retires these shins.

In grappling, the shin instep holds up very well. The tendency of the shin instep to slide out of position is still there, but only comes up during reshoots and leg lock attempts. A large number of leg locks become troublesome while practicing with any kind of shins on. For amateur MMA fighters in states that require shin pads, the Ring to Cage shin instep provides no issue in that regard other than what is inherent to all shin pads.

Like many Ring to Cage products this season, the Grappling Shin Instep with stretchable covered back is, unarguably, a high quality piece of equipment. But its cost and its life expectancy mean that it can only be recommended for competitive professionals, amateurs, and very serious hobbyists. Anyone looking to buy these shin pads should be sure that they will work the strike zones hard throughout training and be willing to replace them yearly, on the vigil.

For the serious combat sports aficionado, the shin instep would be a good buy. But more casual hobbyists might want to just stick with the cheaper neoprene and deal with the negatives that come with them. You can buy the pads at this link here in sizes small, all the way up to extra large, for $49.95.