An interchangeable over-ankle band for the display of an ornamental design on the outside of a lower leg of a wearer. The interchangeable over ankle band including a lower leg cuff having two loose ends, the ends each including fasteners configured to selectively couple the lower leg cuff into a loop surrounding the wearer's lower leg, the lower leg cuff further including an outer surface operating as a substrate for the display of an ornamental design or logo, an interchangeable over-ankle band having a supporting layer coupled to the lower leg cuff with a rigidity greater than that of the lower leg cuff, wherein the bottom edge of the supporting layer is coupled to a ring member, which is in turn coupled with an adjustable-length stirrup strap, enabling the wearer to adjust the stirrup strap to snugly fit her or his footwear outsole.

Aspects of the present invention relate to a shin guard sleeve that extends higher in a calf portion than in a shin portion of the shin guard sleeve. Additional aspects may include a shin guard sleeve having an apex located in the calf region of a wearer to provide a volume able to be filled by the calf region of the wearer. Further, aspects may include one or more maintainers affixed to the shin guard sleeve to further resist slipping of the shin guard sleeve.

A shin guard includes a protective shell having a convex outer surface and a concave inner surface, a cushioning element abutting the inner surface, and a polymeric texture provided on the outer surface to inhibit the motion of an overlaid textile relative to the protective shell. The polymeric texture includes a plurality of protrusions that each extend from the outer surface by a maximum distance of from about 1 mm to about 5 mm and that each have a hardness measured on the Shore A scale of from about 20A to about 60A.

A shin guard includes a protective plate having a front face and a rear face. The rear face is contoured to fit around a shin of a wearer of the shin guard. Further, the shin guard includes a three dimensional image element carried on the front face. This image element projects an image outline through a sock worn over the shin guard. A sports pad is provided including an outer shell defining a pocket and a pad received and held in the pocket. A three dimensional image element is captured between said outer shell and the front face of the pad. That image element projects an image outline through the outer shell to enhance the uniform of the player wearing the sports pad.

The present invention is directed to a leg guard that provides increased protection while also providing maximum articulation and increased freedom of movement for the user. More particularly, the leg guard includes a toe guard, a shin guard, a knee guard including an extended knee cap wrap, an extended knee guard, a thigh guard, a left hinge, and a right hinge. Through the use of an extended knee cap wrap and a hinged configuration, the leg guard provides additional protection for the knees of a catcher and allows catchers to freely and quickly move to or through different stances without having to re-position the pads of the leg guard. The hinged configuration provides enhanced mobility for the user by preventing the leg guard from shifting and rotating about the shin of the user and allowing the leg guard to remain static without axial rotation or vertical movement.

The invention relates to a leg pad for a hockey player. The leg pad extends along a longitudinal axis and comprises an upper portion, a lower portion and a band. The upper portion has a knee cap for covering a knee joint of the player. The lower portion has an upper shell for covering a substantial part of a shin of the hockey player and a lower shell for at least partially covering the shin and ankle of the hockey player. The band extends along part of a periphery of the upper shell and part of a periphery of the lower shell. The band interconnects the upper shell and the lower shell to one another wherein the lower shell is movable relative to the upper shell between a first position and a second position in response to flexion of the ankle.

A compression foot garment is integrally knit of a body yarn, and adapted for wear on a foot of a user. The foot garment incorporates first and second high compression zones, and a compression release zone between the high compression zones. The first high compression zone is adapted for applying substantially circumferential compression to the foot below the plantar fascia between the calcaneus and metatarso-phalangeal joints and generally around the midfoot. The second high compression zone is adapted for applying substantially circumferential compression to the foot above the calcaneus and generally around an ankle of the user. The first and second high compression zones may comprise elastic yarns integrated with the body yarn. The compression release zone is adapted for applying reduced compression to the foot in an area between the first and second high compression zones.

Disclosed herein are wearable articles and methods for the manufacture and use thereof. The wearable articles can comprise compression elements, gripping elements, and support elements containing a rate-sensitive materials which can operate to prevent injury.

An impact plate system is provided herein comprising a textile layer comprising at least a first surface and an elastically resilient material. The system further comprises a moldable plate coupled to the first surface of the textile layer. The moldable plate comprises a polymeric material having a tensile strength within the range of 40 MPa to 50 MPa, according to ASTM D638 standards.

An impact plate system is provided herein comprising a moldable plate having center, a first surface, and a second surface opposite the first surface. The first surface and the second surface define a thickness therebetween. The thickness is between 4 mm and 7 mm. The moldable plate is defined by a perimeter edge, which comprises one or more curved corners having a predetermined radius of curvature between 18 mm to 28 mm.