A protective system (1) for protecting a user during a contact sport includes an undershirt (3) and an outer shell (7). The undershirt (3) is configured to be worn by the user, and is provided with a plurality of shock-absorbing pads (5) each being shaped and sized to protect different body parts of the user, each shock-absorbing pad (5) providing a close-to-the-body protection for a corresponding body part of the user. The outer shell (7) is configured to be worn by the user, over the undershirt (3), and is provided with a plurality of impact-dispersion pads (9) each being shaped and sized to protect different body parts of the user, each impact-dispersion pad (9) providing a floating protection for a corresponding body part of the user. Shock-absorbing pads (5) of the undershirt (3) are disposed so as to be complementary to impact-dispersion pads (9) of the outer shell (7), and pads (5,9) of either one of the undershirt (3) and the outer shell (7) are selectively customizable by the user, so as to provide the user with a complementary and adjustable protective system (1).