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The present invention relates a protective element for an athlete. The protective element can include a first flexible support layer, wherein a plurality of substantially hard projections is arranged on the first support layer, and a second flexible support layer, wherein a plurality of substantiall

The present invention relates a protective element for an athlete. The protective element can include a first flexible support layer, wherein a plurality of substantially hard projections is arranged on the first support layer, and a second flexible support layer, wherein a plurality of substantially hard receiving elements is arranged on the second support layer. The receiving elements and the projections are configured to provide flexible protection to various areas of a user's body.

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What is claimed is: 1. A protective element comprising: a first flexible support layer; a plurality of substantially hard projections arranged on the first support layer; a second flexible support layer adjacent the first flexible support layer; and a plurality of substantially hard receiving eleme

What is claimed is: 1. A protective element comprising: a first flexible support layer; a plurality of substantially hard projections arranged on the first support layer; a second flexible support layer adjacent the first flexible support layer; and a plurality of substantially hard receiving elements arranged on the second support layer, wherein the receiving elements comprise at least one of a substantially complementary shape to the projections and a defined spacing from one another to define recesses for receiving the projections. 2. The protective element of claim 1, wherein a shape of the projections is selected from the group consisting of polygonal, arcuate, and combinations thereof. 3. The protective element of claim 1, wherein a shape of the receiving elements is selected from the group consisting of polygonal, arcuate, and combinations thereof. 4. The protective element of claim 1, wherein the projections comprise a rounded shape and the receiving elements comprise sections having a correspondingly rounded shape. 5. The protective element of claim 1, wherein the receiving elements are arranged such that four receiving elements define a recess for receiving a projection. 6. The protective element of claim 1, wherein at least one of the projections and the receiving elements comprise a substantially incompressible plastic material. 7. The protective element of claim 1 further comprising: an outer support layer comprising the first flexible support layer and the projections; and an inner support layer comprising the second flexible support layer and the receiving elements. 8. The protective element of claim 1, wherein the first flexible support layer and the second flexible support layer are arranged such that the plurality of projections is arranged substantially in a plurality of recesses formed by the plurality of receiving elements. 9. The protective element of claim 1, wherein the projections are arranged separately from each other on the first flexible support layer. 10. The protective element of claim 1, wherein the receiving elements are arranged separately from each other on the second flexible support layer. 11. The protective element of claim 1 further comprising interconnecting ridges arranged between at least one of adjacent projections and adjacent receiving elements. 12. The protective element of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first flexible support layer and the second flexible support layer comprises a cloth. 13. The protective element of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first flexible support layer and the second flexible support layer comprises a cushioning layer. 14. The protective element of claim 13, wherein the cushioning layer comprises a plurality of plastic fibers arranged between two fabrics, the fibers extending substantially perpendicular to a surface of the two fabrics. 15. The protective element of claim 1, further comprising a coating disposed on an outer surface of the protective element. 16. The protective element of claim 1, wherein the first flexible support layer and the plurality of projections are integrally formed. 17. The protective element of claim 1, wherein the second flexible support layer and the plurality of receiving elements are integrally formed. 18. A shin guard comprising at least one protective element according to claim 1. 19. An article of clothing comprising at least one protective element according to claim 1. 20. The article of clothing of claim 19, wherein the article is selected from the group consisting of a shin guard, a forearm guard, pants, a vest, a jacket, a cap, a glove, an article of footwear, and a sock. 21. An article of clothing comprising a pocket and at least one protective element according to claim 1 arranged therein. 22. The article of clothing of claim 19, wherein at least one of the flexible support layers is integral with a fabric layer of the article of clothing. 23. The article of clothing of claim 21, wherein at least one of the flexible support layers is integral with a fabric layer of the article of clothing. 24. The protective element of claim 1, wherein the protective element comprises a contoured shape.