3
Change of Pivot Point
Fig. A
Fig. B
"Rotational head motion appears to be the primary contributor to brain injury risk due to the unique mechanical properties of the brain and its location within the body" (Tierney, 2021, pp. 29).
In 1919, Jacob Golomb introduced the old-style headguard design which was a great improvement over not using a headguard. His focus was on preventing cuts, cauliflower ears, and bruising with his design accomplished this goal. Golumb's design used the neck as a pivot point (Fig. A). Unknowingly, while he reduced superficial injuries, he increased the potential for brain injuries to include concussion.
Today the main concern in combat sports has shifted to brain injuries or concussions. “It has been evident to boxers and most laymen and physicians that the essential feature of a concussive force is that it be sufficient to jar or shake the head and any connection thereto” (Parkinson, 1982 p.132). We now understand that head acceleration and whiplash are significant contributors to these injuries. Our goal at Warrior Tough is to eliminate as much harmful head movement as we can through our design.
When tackling the problem of rotational head movement at Warrior Tough we realized the problem with the old-style headguard was the neck being the pivot point. By filling the whiplash area behind the neck with padding to decelerate and support the neck, we reduced the area allowed for rotational head movement. This was an improvement, but further testing showed that if the padding was extended so the athlete could brace the helmet against the shoulders, the padding would act like a flying buttress, significantly reducing head movement by shifting the pivot point (Fig. B) when the helmet is braced.
The benefits are numerous, but two stand out above all others. The automatic power transfer of kinetic energy to the torso when the helmet is braced reduces potential of trapping energy in the head promoting a concussion situation. The other is adding the head mass to the mass of the torso. The design of the helmet puts the athlete in the safest possible position when it is need. The Warrior Tough Helmet design is based on the research of concussion experts to include Parkinson, Cantu, Shaw and others, this research was not available to Golomb. Golomb's old-style headguards do exactly what they were designed to do, but he did not realize that using the neck as the pivot point promoted trapping energy in the head, rotational movement, and contributed to concussion potential.
Old-style headguards use the neck as the pivot point which creates the rotational head movement cycle which promotes impulse concussions.
Safety Stop
Breaking the concussion cycle is so important we want it to happen automatically if you are braced or not. To accomplish this Warrior Tough developed the automatic safety-stop.
The safety-stop is designed so even if your head is in the neutral positioned and you are not braced when hit, the automatic safety stop will engage as the head pivots backwards. Similar to a seatbelt stopping you from moving forward abruptly, the safety stop on the Concussion Counterpunch helmet automatically engages upon impact, establishing a new pivot point and automatically making the connection to start the energy transfer process. This process is what makes Warrior Tough helmets different from old-style headguards as the design disrupts the concussion cycle.
The black orientation lines show the focal points for rotation. When the safety-stop engages the torso, a new pivot point is created, reducing the whiplash area for acceleration and neck flexion. The Warrior Tough Concussion Counterpunch helmet design places padding in the area where it is needed most to support the neck while incrementally decelerating the head. These design features have been proven to reduce the potential for head and neck trauma, all while softening the punch.
The key to the Warrior Tough helmet is the free movement safe zone. This is the area the athlete needs to have unencumbered movement within to properly do the sport. The Warrior Tough helmet does not interfere with proper movement, it promotes it, while creating a free movement safe zone where the athlete has all the freedom of movement necessary to do their sport. It is movement beyond the safe zone where the head picks up rotational momentum which causes neck injuries and concussions. The safety stop automatically establishes the new pivot point which disrupts the concussion equation once the head tries to leave the free movement safe zone.