adidas Karate Shin and Instep Guards (661.35)
- Mid-range
- Beginner
- Intermediate
- Experienced
- Sparring
- Competition
Image coming soon
Product details checked against available sources.
Specifications
Our verdict
A red or blue shin guard from adidas with a detachable instep (top-of-foot) piece. adidas is the one brand in this category on WKF's approved list for shin pads and foot protectors, but only at brand level: the model's approval rests on adidas's and the retailer's claims.
UK retailer Budo Online sells this adidas guard as article 661.35, in red and blue, S to XL. Its listing describes a PU shin guard with injection-moulded foam and CE marking, covering the shin down to the top of the foot. The listing also mentions two elastic straps and a removable instep piece with a hook-and-loop strap.
adidas's US store sells an "adidas Karate WKF Approved Shin & Instep Protector" that matches that description. adidas lists a moulded foam liner, a detachable foot section, adjustable hook-and-loop straps and reinforcement at the big toe, in red and blue, XXS to XL. The page prints no article number, though, so the two are matched by description.
WKF's approved list names adidas for shin pads and foot protectors. The images on WKF's adidas shin-and-instep entry have file names carrying 661.35, but WKF does not name the model. adidas says its guard is "Approved by the World Karate Federation for sanctioned competition": that is adidas's claim, so check for the WKF logo. Under WKF rules, WKF Approved shin pads and foot protection are compulsory in kumite (competition sparring), red for one athlete and blue for the other (WKF Kumite Competition Rules 2026, Art. 2.2.7(d) and (e)).
Karateka preparing for events run under WKF rules who want shin and instep guards from a WKF-listed brand in their corner colour, with a foot piece that comes off for lighter drills.
You're a beginner who only needs a club guard: see the Bytomic Red Label or Blitz Elastic. You want a size chart published in text: see the Blitz Elite.
Pros
- adidas is on WKF's approved list for shin pads and foot protectors, and WKF's adidas entry shows images filed under this article number
- A detachable instep and hook-and-loop straps, described by both adidas and the UK retailer
- Red and blue, S to XL, from a UK retailer
Cons
- WKF names the brand, not the model - check for the WKF logo
- adidas's own page prints no article number, and the PU outer is the retailer's description
- The UK retailer's size chart is an image only
Why we rated it this way
Approval: WKF lists adidas for shin pads and foot protectors at brand level, and the gallery images on its adidas entry have file names carrying 661.35. adidas and UK retailer Budo Online both call the guard WKF approved: those are their claims.
Protection (3): moulded foam (adidas) and injection-moulded foam with CE marking (Budo Online) are described, with big-toe reinforcement per adidas. But no guard here publishes padding figures. Protection is rated on the published description, never on an injury-prevention claim.
Comfort (3): straps and the removable foot are described, but the sizing is an image.
Durability (3): the PU outer is the retailer's description, and there is no independent durability evidence.
Value (3): a mid-range price, below the Blitz Elite, for the one guard here from a WKF-listed brand.
Sources
- Other source — UK retailer Budo Online's product page and product feed (re-read 2026-10-22), the source of: the title "adidas Karate Shin Instep Guards WKF With Foot Pads", SKU 661.35-<colour><size> (feed), removable instep foot guards with a hook-and-loop closing strap, two elastic straps, full-length shin coverage to the top of the foot, injection-moulded foam, PU construction, "WKF Approved" and "CE Approved" (the retailer's wording), red and blue, S-XL and a size chart published as an image. Budo Online is not on the UK dealer list WKF's adidas entry gives, so its descriptions are the retailer's.
- Manufacturer — adidas's own US combat-sports store (sold under the adidas Combat Sports licence; prices in USD, not a UK destination), re-read 2026-10-22: "adidas Karate WKF Approved Shin & Instep Protector" - "premium molded foam liner", "a detachable foot section", "adjustable Velcro straps", "Reinforced right at the big toe", red and blue, XXS-XL, "Approved by the World Karate Federation for sanctioned competition" (adidas's claim). No article number in the page, product data or image file names, so matched to 661.35 by description only.
- Technical documentation — WKF approved list (wkf.net/approved; no version printed): "ADIDAS - SHIN AND INSTEP PAD": adidas is listed for shin pads and foot protectors; no model is printed, and the gallery images are file-named 661.35_* (a file name is not a listed model). Checked 22 October 2026.
- Technical documentation — WKF approved list (wkf.net/approved; no version printed): the brands WKF lists for shin pads and foot protectors; adidas is listed, and Blitz and Bytomic are not. Checked 22 October 2026.
- Technical documentation — WKF Sport Items Homologation Process 2025-2028 (approval term 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2028): approved mitts and shin-pad and foot protectors come in red (RED 032 C) and blue (PROCESS BLUE C), mitts with or without thumb protection and open on the inner side; the approved body protector is "of inner use (under the karategi)", protecting the front and lateral thoracic area and the abdomen, to EN 13277-3:2013; the female chest protector is a PU inner part with a washable white lining (EN 13277-6); approved items show the WKF logo in a clearly visible place; the WKF website publishes approved trademarks and a list of dealers by country. Checked 22 October 2026.
- Technical documentation — WKF approved list (wkf.net/approved; no version printed): WKF's adidas brand page names Double-D as adidas's worldwide martial-arts licensee and lists adidas's dealers by country; for the United Kingdom it lists "BLITZSPORT" (London) and "CIMAC" (Solihull). Cimac, the UK purchase route for the adidas kit here, is one of them. Checked 22 October 2026.
- Technical documentation — Governing body rulebook: WKF Kumite Competition Rules (Rules Version 2026.01, valid from 1 January 2026; note of 13 April 2026), Art. 2.2.7 and 2.2.10: compulsory kumite protection - WKF Approved mitts, red or blue (a); gum shield (b); WKF Approved body protector for males, and for females a chest and body protector or an integrated chest/body protector (c); WKF Approved shin pads (d) and foot protection (e), red or blue; WKF Approved groin guards for males (f); under-14s a WKF Approved helmet and external body protector (g). "All protective equipment must be WKF Approved" (2.2.10). Checked 22 October 2026.
Methodology: research-based (not hands-on tested) · How we review products
Last reviewed 2026-10-22 · Last verified 2026-10-22