How Does a Football Helmet Protect a Football Player?

Introduction

Football is one of the most high contact sports available for an athlete to play. Concussions and other injuries are common throughout a football player's careers, especially for those involved in defensive play. Luckily many of these injuries are avoided because of the simple invention of the football helmet. The football helmet is made with specific features that help protect a football player's head from injuries.

Safety Standards

The National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment (NOCSAE) is one of the organizations responsible for the safety standards of the football helmet, as well as other types of athletic protective gear. To bear the NOCSAE seal, a helmet must have specific safety requirements met at the time of its production.

Padding

The first safety requirement in a helmet that helps protect a football player is strategically placed padding. These pads cushion the head, jaw and nose from any direct impact that could be sustained during the game. The padding acts as a shock absorbent barrier to help absorb any impact that a player might come in contact with during play. The force of the blow is absorbed by the padding before it can reach the head.

Air Systems

Air systems in a helmet help to protect the football player by adding a manipulable pocket of air around the player's head. With the air pressure easily varied by decreasing or increasing the amount of air in the helmet, an air system can help individually fit each player to the helmet. The less empty space between the head and the helmet, the less the player's head will get knocked around inside the helmet on impact.

Chin Strap

The chin strap is an essential safety feature on a football helmet. The chin strap provides dual functions in that the chin cup protects the chin while in play, as well as the strap holds the helmet firmly in place. This provides stability for the head, as well as makes sure that the helmet does not fall off before or during an impact in game play. As long as the chinstrap is centered and there is no slack present in the strap, the player will have an additional layer of protection.

Face Mask

Not all helmets include a face mask. However, when one is included it can protect other various pieces of the face. A face mask is labeled to show what parts of the face it protects. These labels are: OPO (Oral Protection Only), NOPO (Nose and Oral Protection Only), JOP (Jaw and Oral Protection), EGOP (Eye Glass and Oral Protection) and NJOP (Nose Jaw and Oral Protection).

Resources

• Football helmet buyer's guide