5
Head and Neck Linking System
Figure A
The Warrior Tough Concussion Counterpunch helmet has a head and neck linking system which is a key component of our helmets patented design (Figure A). The neck is the weak link and is dependent upon "Cervical spine positioning [which] dictates the head angular acceleration following an impact, rather than the soft tissue torque elements" (Fanton, 2009, p. 988).
The neck is also the pivot point for old-style headguards. These headguards also have the majority of their padding above the ear nose line making them top-heavy which adds to the momentum generated when they are struck. These aforementioned factors set up the concussion sequence of events shown below.
Figure B: Old-style Headguard Concussion Cycle
The Warrior Tough helmet was designed to break the concussive cycle created by old-style headguards. The first problem was stopping energy from effecting the brain. “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). The most important way this was accomplished was through the act of bracing. The connection of the head to the torso that the Warrior Tough helmet creates through bracing provides two major benefits directly associated with breaking the concussive cycle shown in Figure B.
Bracing allows the helmet to create a connection between the torso and the head making the combined mass of the head and torso too large to be rapidly set in motion by a blow. With the helmet being a catalyst to link the head and torso, it makes it difficult for a blow to jar or concuss the brain. “A blow directed straight at the face, particularly in a boxer with a heavily muscled neck, is unlikely to knock him out as he effectively adds the mass of his neck, shoulder, and upper thorax to the mass of his head, thus requiring a greater force to significantly move the total mass” (Parkinson, 1982 pp. 133-134).
Additionally, bracing allows energy transfer to take place from the head to the body more effectively. "In football, a player may escape being concussed or dinged if he tenses his neck muscles prior to collision so decreasing head mobility and allowing kinetic energy to be dispersed throughout the whole body and not confined to the head" (Shaw, 2002, pp. 288). This concept of transfer of energy is also supported by Shaw's research which states: “. . .if the head is not mobile or is in contact with another surface or object, the kinetic energy transferred via the blow will simply flow through it and be transmitted elsewhere leaving the brain unharmed and its function intact" (Shaw, 2002, p.287).
At Warrior Tough we saw a way to apply the research findings of concussion experts to create a helmet designed to safeguard the athlete and break the old-style headguard concussive cycle. To accomplish this, the problems associated with the neck needed to be addressed, creating a head and neck linking system that allowed for the helmet to be braced on the shoulders was the key.
1) The helmet needed to have a low center of gravity so it would not add to concussion
potential.
2) The pivot point needed to be changed and reinforced to reduce the potential for head
acceleration.
3) A method needed to be established to provide energy transfer to the torso instead of getting
captured in the head where it causes concussions.
4) The neck needed to be reinforced and/or artificially increased to reduce potential for neck
injuries (we did both).
5) A method to provide early intervention needed to be added to quickly oppose kinetic forces.
6) A reduction in the area that promotes head acceleration needed to be made.
7) A method to reduce whiplash needed to be created.
8) A method to reduce rotational acceleration needed to be found.
Then there were additional desires to build into the helmet. Create a helmet that:
1) promotes proper chin placement.
2) provides a free movement safe zone and reinforces proper head movement.
3) has excellent vision.
4) protects the jaw.
5) stays in place during use.
6) softens the punch.
7) that allows the user to instantly take a protective posture.
8) automatically engages its safety features if the user fails to do so.
9) works with your natural reflex defensive instincts, so it is easy and natural to use.
10) people will enjoy and want to use.
11) makes it harder to get a concussion.
All these things and more were accomplished by the Warrior Tough head and neck linking system through its strategic design and placement of padding combined with a basic application of Newtonian principals. Each aforementioned challenge and desire were addressed by a design intervention associated with the patented head and neck linking system. All accomplished through the use, and more importantly, the placement of padding.
“Many studies have also indicated that padding thickness, padding composition, and contact friction play important roles in reducing head and neck injury risk" (Bartsch, Benzel, Miele, Morr, & Prakash, 2012, p. 1070).
The Padding of the Head and Neck Linking System
In an old-style headguard, Figure C, the brow pad bears the brunt of impact and serves as the sole intervention for reducing concussion potential, relying completely on force absorption to manage the impact.
The Warrior Tough Concussion Counterpunch helmet takes a different approach. Its innovative design starts with the brow pad, the initial step in a series of interventions strategically employed to effectively manage force.
The primary goal when managing force is to create a pathway for force to follow, ultimately reducing impact energy as much as possible and transferring it out of the helmet and into the torso. According to Shaw (2002), energy can be transferred through the helmet and brain in a way that does not cause harm.
Bracing, achieved by setting the helmet on your shoulders, and hulking, which creates a positive pressure between the helmet and your torso, plays key roles in establishing the pathway for energy transfer so energy can safely flow through the brain without injuring it.
"An athlete's head can sustain far greater forces without injury if the neck muscles are tensed, such as when the athlete sees the collision coming" (Cantu, 1992, p. 66).
Thanks to the unique design of the Warrior Tough helmet, when you hulk, your neck is appropriately tensed and support padding links the head, neck, and torso making it more difficult to accelerate.
Each brow pad is 1.5 inches thick
Figure C: Old-style Headguard
Figure D: Warrior Tough Helmet
The padding that makes contact with the shoulders, Figure E, is 2 inches thick on each side. This allows for the helmet to rest on the shoulders allowing power to transfer through. Similar to using a chin-down, when the helmet rests on the shoulders, the lower edges of the helmet assist the athlete in applying and maintaining proper head position.
Figure E
Figure F
Figure G
The front bracing horn, Figure F, is made to fit in front of your trapezius muscles to brace against them while you move. It is a built-in chin-down designed to assist the boxer in maintaining proper chin position.
A shock absorber pad was added to support the neck vertebra and soften the punch as seen in Figure F.
Reduce Impact Energy to Reduce Concussion Potential
It is through the use of padding and innovative design features based on professional research from leaders in the field of concussion research that the Warrior Tough Concussion Counterpunch helmet was created. Warrior Tough has tackled the issues that cause concussions and resolved them in a single helmet. The use of padding for: initial absorption of impact through brow pad to using padding compression to decelerate the head and support the neck to reduce trauma, to using padding as a medium for energy transfer and connecting head mass to torso mass to make it more difficult for kinetic forces to cause concussion was all accomplished through using padding.
"The study demonstrated that injury risk can be decreased by maximizing the energy-dissipating ability of the pad, choosing a pad stiffness that maximizes pad deformation without bottoming out, maximizing pad thickness, and minimizing surface friction." Camacho , D. L. A., Nightingale , R. W., and Myers, B. S. (April 17, 2001). "The Influence of Surface Padding Properties on Head and Neck Injury Risk ." ASME. J Biomech Eng. October 2001; 123(5): 432–439. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.1389086
Buckle Closure
Warrior Tough used a traditional proven buckle method to secure, hold, and support the padding against your head and neck, making sure it comfortably supports while offering a superior non-slip buckle design.
Figure E
No More Helmet Rotation
Because of the helmet design (Figure F), the back of the helmet is below the shoulder line designed to catch on your shoulders during a rotational attack, like a hook. This feature makes the helmet much less likely to spin on your head when you are being pressured.
Figure F
A wide Velcro overlapping closure allows for a precise fit of the brow pad.
Figure G
In the see-through rendition of Figure G, you can see the robust amount of neck support padding.
A webbed height adjustment allows for perfect individual height adjustment as well as excellent ventilation.
“Helmets also increase the surface area across which the blow, or force, is absorbed. By distributing the applied force to the helmet from an impact with another helmet, body part, or the ground, the pressure exerted on the head is actually decreased as a function of the area of the helmet.” (Barth, Freeman, Broshek, Varney, 2001)