Here's a look at the concussion practice helmets

dressedcheeseside

dressedcheeseside

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Here's a link for a bigger look: http://www.ramblinwreck.com/sports/m-footbl/geot-m-footbl-body.html#toSidebarLinks

Looks like all the linemen on both sides wear 'em. I'm assuming these are for practice only?
 
dressedcheeseside

dressedcheeseside

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RyanS12 said:
I have a feeling at some point those will end up being worn in games. Maybe not that exact design but some sort of variation of it.
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Agree. At some point safety trumps style/uniformity. Heck they allow full plastic face masks in the NBA for guys with broken cheek bones/noses.

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Here's my favorite: Zorro!

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kg01

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dressedcheeseside said:
Agree. At some point safety trumps style/uniformity. Heck they allow full plastic face masks in the NBA for guys with broken cheek bones/noses.
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I agree but the NBA may not be the best example. It's not like a guy can just decide to wear one for preventative purposes in the NBA.

Maybe hockey masks are a better example? As we all know, they haven't always been mandatory but some guys started wearing them to avoid, you know, getting their faces caved in.

Maybe that's what it'll take in fball. IIUC, there actually is already a supposed helmet design that's meant to reduce concussions which guys have been wearing in games for a couple of years now. Does anyone else recall that? The one that looks more bulbous. Pretty sure Chubb wore one.
 
dressedcheeseside

dressedcheeseside

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GT should be on the forefront in developing this technology. It's a win/win as we could have a sports equipment technology program that's a) highly needed in society and b) attractive to prospective SA's.
 
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33jacket

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its still super hard to slow down the brain hitting the skull, no matter what helmet you where. Sure it helps...i guess...but for big hits it is what it is...the brain floats in fluid...

FYI there used to be foam shells for outside of the helmets going back to the 80s/ early 90s. A 49er's OL wore them in games due to concussions....nothing new...but i think you are just now seeing these being routine at practice the last 4-5 years.
 
dressedcheeseside

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33jacket said:
its still super hard to slow down the brain hitting the skull, no matter what helmet you where. Sure it helps...i guess...but for big hits it is what it is...the brain floats in fluid...

FYI there used to be foam shells for outside of the helmets going back to the 80s/ early 90s. A 49er's OL wore them in games due to concussions....nothing new...but i think you are just now seeing these being routine at practice the last 4-5 years.
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I would think from a physics stand point, space is required to reduce the acceleration of the head after impact. There's only so much space you can build inside a helmet. The computer models and impact testing in the video looks promising, however.

aside: I wonder if it's possible for a runningback to concuss himself without an impact. When he makes a hard cut, he plants his foot and changes direction. The brain floating in fluid must collide with a certain force against the inside of the skull. Same idea with shaking a baby and causing severe brain trauma.
 

33jacket

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dressedcheeseside said:
I would think from a physics stand point, space is required to reduce the acceleration of the head after impact. There's only so much space you can build inside a helmet. The computer models and impact testing in the video looks promising, however.

aside: I wonder if it's possible for a runningback to concuss himself without an impact. When he makes a hard cut, he plants his foot and changes direction. The brain floating in fluid must collide with a certain force against the inside of the skull. Same idea with shaking a baby and causing severe brain trauma.
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Guys have been concussed never getting hit in the head. They got stoned in the chest and their head snapped fwd quickly. No helmet in the world prevents that.
 

takethepoints

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We played some teams that wore helmets with foam padding outside when I played high school football. You know, back in the early '60s. Duke wore them at about the same time. Needless to say, they didn't work quite as well …

The main problem then is, I bet, the same problem now: the weight of the helmets. The things have gotten prohibitively heavy and, from what I hear, are a bother to wear. More padding will make that worse. That's why our coaches didn't adopt the idea way back when. (Well, that and there being little evidence that extra padding helped.) High tech materials will probably make this difficulty go away.

But 33 is right. It's a violent sport and the physics is getting dangerous for people's brains. Back when I played, the biggest guy on my college team weighed 230. Collisions were not as big a problem as they are now. I confess that I don't know when or if this problem can be solved to the extent we'd all like.
 
TampaGT

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If you want to solve the head injury problem, then you must take the helmet out of the game. If they want they can wear head gear that they wear in Aussie football. Otherwise the better the helmet gets the more it will be used as a weapon. Take the helmet away then players will stop using their heads to tackle.
 
GT-CHE 84

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dressedcheeseside said:
GT should be on the forefront in developing this technology. It's a win/win as we could have a sports equipment technology program that's a) highly needed in society and b) attractive to prospective SA's.
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As a matter of fact GT engineers did develop this. Called Guardian Cap and has been used by over 50,000 athletes over past 6 years. Nearly 50 college programs use it including GT, UGA, Clemson, Wake Forest, Oregon State, Oklahoma, UMass, GA State, etc... Buford, Colquitt, Corona Centenial, Berman Catholic and over 500 high schools use it. It's all about Physics (Newton's 2nd Law) and Material Science. Check out www.GuardianInnovations.com
To learn about Guardian Caps, The Pearl Lacrosse Ball and Cooler & Safer Engineered TPE Infill for Synthetic Turf.
 
Whiskey_Clear

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TampaGT said:
If you want to solve the head injury problem, then you must take the helmet out of the game. If they want they can wear head gear that they wear in Aussie football. Otherwise the better the helmet gets the more it will be used as a weapon. Take the helmet away then players will stop using their heads to tackle.
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Fatalities resulting in not wearing head protection is how we got to helmets in the first place. I believe Congress was considering banning the sport for a time due to those fatalities. Helmets are rarely used as weapons IMO and when they occur ejections follow. Head to head collisions will occur on accident with or without helmets so I much prefer their use.
 
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