Football Helmets

     Football helmets are made to ensure the safest protection against the full contact hits of other players. If the head is not protected properly, with a suited helmet, concussions and other head injuries are a profound risk. Some helmets can be bought that have a pump up padding inside for better fit.

     Engineers are always working on improvements for sports equipment such as football helmets, especially for those in the NFL or CFL. A new design of equipment in terms of helmets is said to reduce the risk of concussions. The helmet has strategically placed pads that absorb and redistribute the force of side impacts, which are the primary cause of concussions in sports, especially football.

     The helmet consists of several different parts including the shell, jaw pads and air bladders, face mask, chin strap and the mouth guard.

     The outer shell of today's football helmets is made from the same plastic material used in astronaut helmets. It's a lightweight polycarbonate with the trade name of Lexan®. It helps reduce the impact of a tackle by spreading the force over a greater area of the head.

     Next, inside padding is added to ensure a better fit for a player's head. Padding can consist of both foam-rubber pads and inflatable (air) pads. Both the top and side padding can include inflatable bladders that customize the fit.

     The next part of the helmet is the face mask which shields a player's face from direct impact which could easily lead to a broken nose and black eyes. The mouth guard is a simple half-moon of plastic with a strap on the end. The strap hooks around the player's face mask so it isn't lost during play. The chin strap secures the helmet in place.