To all Bronco Players

[Superchop 7]

http://youtu.be/Suky0GwSgF0

This is from Popular Science.

A NEW HOPE
In a small room off the basement garage of a building on the outskirts of Stockholm, an entirely different kind of helmet test is taking place. Peter Halldin, a biomechanical engineer at the Royal Institute of Technology, is strapping a helmet onto a dummy head affixed to a custom drop-test rig. Rather than slamming a helmet into a stationary anvil, as in the NOCSAE test, Halldin’s rig drops it onto a pneumatic sled that moves horizontally. By calibrating the angle of the helmet, the height of the drop, and the speed of the sled, Halldin says he can more accurately re-create the angular forces that result in rotational acceleration than other labs can. Within the dummy head, nine accelerometers measure the linear force transmitted during impact; a computer nearby calculates rotational acceleration from that data.

Today Halldin is testing two ski helmets that are identical except for one thing: Inside one, a bright yellow layer of molded plastic attached with small rubber straps sits between the padding and the head. This is the Multidirectional Impact Protection System (MIPS), which is also the name of a company he co-founded. Halldin spends about half of his time as CTO of MIPS and the other as a faculty member of the Royal Institute.

The idea behind MIPS is simple: The plastic layer sits snugly on a player’s head beneath the padding. By allowing the head to float during an impact, MIPS can eliminate some of the rotational force before it makes its way to the brain.

First up in Halldin’s test is the non-MIPS helmet. Halldin flips on a high-speed camera and steps back from the impactor, ready to catch the helmet on its rebound. “Five, four, three, two, one…” There’s a loud clattering as the sled shoots forward at 22 feet per second and the helmet drops to meet it at 12 feet per second—crack.

I can see on the computer that the head sustained about 170 Gs of linear force, and it rotated 14,100 radians per second squared (the standard scientific metric for rotation). It’s a big hit, one that would probably result in a concussion or worse.

Now comes the second helmet. Every variable is the same as in the first test except for the addition of the low-friction MIPS layer. “Five, four, three, two, one…”—crack. This time the computer shows rotation of 6,400 radians per second squared, a 55 percent reduction.

Halldin starts in on a detailed explanation of the effects of multiple impact tests on the performance of a helmet over time, but I interrupt: “How would you characterize that test result?”

He looks at the colorful graphs on the computer screen again. If the test dummy were a football player, he would have just walked away from a game-ending impact without a concussion. Halldin smiles just a bit, and permits himself a very un-Swedish boast. “I would say that’s f--–king amazing.”

__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ _____________________

The article is called "The helmet that could save Football"......it is long but worth the read.

The thing to understand is the politics and litigation surrounding the NFL and helmets, if I am a player I am reading this article and at least looking into getting the the skull cap type padding to wear under my helmet.

The video above is this type of helmet.

[Superchop 7]

http://youtu.be/-eHK0eKTl8k

Even though the kid is a geek, more on helmet design, specifically suspending the skull.

The physics are here, if the NFL is serious about protecting the players, get rid of the poilitics, this style of helmet should be 2013 mandatory.

[Simple Jaded]

What politics?

[Superchop 7]

Riddel is part of the lawsuit along with the NFL from ex-players, they may say they are on the forefront publicly.....but it's not true in practice......the popular science article gets into the subject.

[Superchop 7]

http://youtu.be/BFWKzOhr6zE

from my own perspective....I wonder if the lack of recoil in an AA12.....or at least the physics of it could be used in helmet technology....this thing is amazing.

[weazel]

many NHL players use this type of helmet already, I had no idea that the NFL hadn't approved these... I find that insane. But then again, nobody has ever accused the NFL of caring too much about it's players.

[Superchop 7]

High schools are using this type of technology in 7 on 7 games.

Seems a bit backwards, HS coach just wants whats best for his kids.

[Superchop 7]

If we can find our resident lawyer on the boards he could explain it best.

[Simple Jaded]

many NHL players use this type of helmet already, I had no idea that the NFL hadn't approved these... I find that insane. But then again, nobody has ever accused the NFL of caring too much about it's players.
No, no, no! The NFL is all about player safety, why else would they make all these new rules? I'm sure their motives are pure as the driven snow.

[Superchop 7]

Some cliffnotes from the article....

40-YEAR-OLD STANDARDS
Picture the head of a typical crash-test dummy, the kind you see in car commercials. It’s attached to a rigid metal arm that hangs above a cylindrical anvil topped with a hard plastic disc. A lab technician straps a football helmet to the headform, cranks the arm up to precisely five feet above the anvil, and lets it drop—crack. Inside the dummy head, an accelerometer positioned at the center of gravity records the linear acceleration transmitted during impact. This brutish trial is called a vertical drop test, and it’s the basis for how all football helmets are certified safe by the National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment (NOCSAE), "an association funded by equipment manufacturers", which in turn funds much of the research on sports-related head trauma. The standard has remained largely unchanged since its creation in 1973.

[Superchop 7]

One of the reasons, Yaffe suspects, is that current safety standards don’t require the companies to do anything more than what they’re already doing. It’s a criticism privately echoed by most helmet researchers: Simplistic certification standards provide convenient legal cover for the manufacturers. If NOCSAE certifies a company’s helmets as safe, then the company has less risk of being held responsible for injuries. On the other hand, if that same company goes above and beyond the standards, it could put itself at risk of getting sued: Suddenly all of its existing helmets would appear to be inadequate, and worse, the company might have to admit knowing that they fell short.

(Final Cliffnote.....)

[Superchop 7]

“Think about it,” says Robert Cantu, a neurosurgeon at Boston University School of Medicine and the author of 29 books on neurology and sports medicine. “Because most hits are off-center and because our heads are not square, most of the accelerations in the head are going to be rotational.”

“Rotational forces strain nerve cells and axons more than linear forces do,” Cantu says. “They’re not only stretching, but they’re twisting at the same time. So they have a potential for causing greater nerve injury.”

So what’s the problem? If scientists know that a concussion is nerve strain caused largely by rotation of the brain, why can’t they figure out a way to stop the rotation?

(This was early in the article but noteworthy.....OK....I'm done now)

[Dapper Dan]

I think the difference is, you're allowed to hit your opponent in Hockey.

[Superchop 7]

Professional football players receive as many as 1,500 hits to the head in a single season, depending on their position. That’s 15,000 in a 10-year playing career, not to mention any blows they received in college, high school, and peewee football. And those hits have consequences: concussions and, according to recent research, permanent brain damage. It’s not just football, either. Hockey, lacrosse, and even sports like cycling and snowboarding are contributing to a growing epidemic of traumatic brain injuries. The CDC estimates that as many as 3.8 million sports-related concussions occur in the U.S. each year. That number includes not only professionals but amateurs of all levels, including children. Perhaps most troubling, the number isn’t going down

[Npba900]

Great articles. One positive are Pop Warner, Jr HS, and HS are all being taught how to lead with the shoulder versus leading with the helmet. NCAA Football should be following suit in the year or two with outlawing using the helmet when tackling. Within 10 years, tackling with the shoulder from Pop Warner to the NFL will be the norm for defensive players as well as for offensive players attempting to advance the ball for yardage will also lead with their shoulder(s).

With the new technology coming out for manufacturing next generation helmets concussions and other head related injuries/issues should begin to decline significantly.

[Dapper Dan]

I don't fully understand the "head up" technique. It just seems dangerous to me. Seems like it would be easy to snap your neck back pretty hard if the runner is leading into your facemask.

[Dean]

I don't fully understand the "head up" technique. It just seems dangerous to me. Seems like it would be easy to snap your neck back pretty hard if the runner is leading into your facemask.

By tackling with your head up, the curvature of the spine acts as a shock absorber. If the tackler makes contact with the top of his helmet there is nothing to absorb the energy of contact. The vertibra are crushed together. They can severe the spinal chord causing paralysis and or death.

[Chef Zambini]

hit with the shoulder or sturnam, see what you hit, wrap with your arms.
not, lead with your face.

[weazel]

hit with the shoulder or sturnam, see what you hit, wrap with your arms.
not, lead with your face.

there's always going to be incidental contact but this is how they were taught to tackle from the start. The big jarring hits create awe, and therefore players start hitting "the wrong way" to get bigger hits. The NFL can do all they want but it won't stop players from hitting with their heads, they want the spotlight.

[Ravage!!!]

there's always going to be incidental contact but this is how they were taught to tackle from the start. The big jarring hits create awe, and therefore players start hitting "the wrong way" to get bigger hits. The NFL can do all they want but it won't stop players from hitting with their heads, they want the spotlight.

No. I think they want to hit hard.

The body naturally wants to LEAN INTO contact. Run full speed at someone running at you... y ou'll have to fight the urge to curl up and do a chest bump. Even the "hit with your shoulder" ..requires your head to be in front.

[Dapper Dan]

No. I think they want to hit hard.

The body naturally wants to LEAN INTO contact. Run full speed at someone running at you... y ou'll have to fight the urge to curl up and do a chest bump. Even the "hit with your shoulder" ..requires your head to be in front.

Unless you're a turtle..

[BroncoTech]

I wonder how much of this lack of progress is due to all these exclusive agreements the NFL has with all these companies which might make it so the latest technology might not be available to the players.

This week I watched a debate on PBS about whether college football should be banned due to all the long term brain injuries. It was 2 against 2, the two in favor of banning college football argued watching young men get hit in the head shouldn't be considered entertainment and that college coaches made more money than university presidents. The for college football only argued that football builds leadership and teamwork skills. I have to admit the side in favor of banning college football made a little more compelling argument.

[Lancane]

I wonder how much of this lack of progress is due to all these exclusive agreements the NFL has with all these companies which might make it so the latest technology might not be available to the players.

This week I watched a debate on PBS about whether college football should be banned due to all the long term brain injuries. It was 2 against 2, the two in favor of banning college football argued watching young men get hit in the head shouldn't be considered entertainment and that college coaches made more money than university presidents. The for college football only argued that football builds leadership and teamwork skills. I have to admit the side in favor of banning college football made a little more compelling argument.

It's been tried before, banning collegiate football...not on a whole, but individual schools of higher learning. Each has backfired on the school presidents and the board, not only from boosters but from school attendees, local business and more. Too much money in college football, so it doesn't really matter that there are those who want to debate it, because it will not make a damn...not until there is a higher rate of head injuries or far more fatalities.

[Chef Zambini]

there's always going to be incidental contact but this is how they were taught to tackle from the start. The big jarring hits create awe, and therefore players start hitting "the wrong way" to get bigger hits. The NFL can do all they want but it won't stop players from hitting with their heads, they want the spotlight.spotlight ans sportscenter highlight, maybe...
but the fines mean they have to PAY for their air time,like running a commercial, and lord have mercy on a player who loses a game check !

[Chef Zambini]

I wonder how much of this lack of progress is due to all these exclusive agreements the NFL has with all these companies which might make it so the latest technology might not be available to the players.

This week I watched a debate on PBS about whether college football should be banned due to all the long term brain injuries. It was 2 against 2, the two in favor of banning college football argued watching young men get hit in the head shouldn't be considered entertainment and that college coaches made more money than university presidents. The for college football only argued that football builds leadership and teamwork skills. I have to admit the side in favor of banning college football made a little more compelling argument.bingo ! a large part of the lawsuit contends the relationship beween NFL and exclusive RIDEL HELMET, diminished the players opportunity to select and use the best available equip, and the near monopoly of the industry made technological advances back seat at best considerations.

[Chef Zambini]

I remember the NFL and riddell working together to create helmets and shouldrpads that sounded LOUDER on impact.
advances in safety did not meet with the same media exuberance.

[Chef Zambini]

football is money.
and a winning program is an alma mater ATM.

These kids are modern day gladiators, playing for our amusement and a chance at the NFL.
at the very least they should get an insurance policy to protect their loss of income and monthly brain scans that feed a football brain study data base ofr all organized football participants.
This will advance the science and increase recovery and reduce compound effects of re-injury.