9
Rotational Acceleration:
Maintaining Freedom of Movement While reducing how concussive forces act on the brain
Warrior Tough helmets provide unincumbered (free) but limited movement in all directions for the head, thanks to the clearance gap which creates the free movement safety zone. This zone allows all the free movement the athlete needs to do the sport effectively. Excess movement or movement outside of the safe zone leads to injury. ..."findings suggest that your head's position is more important than whether you are tensing your neck" (Kubota, 2018, para. 1). The safe zone also helps limit odd head movement that can lead to problems when the athlete is hit with their neck bent at an odd angle. This is another problem we found with old-style headguards. Excessive movement like whiplash creates head acceleration and brain momentum promoting brain injury.
Figure 1: Old-style Headguard Concussive Cycle
This is the concussive cycle caused by the design of the old-style headguard. You can see from Figure 1 that the linear punch energy is changed to rotational energy. In other words, the neck is used as the pivot point which creates a rotational movement of the head. Whiplash refers to both the backward and forward movement of the head with Figure 1 representing the backwards motion prior to the head retracting forward. The design of the old-style headguard promotes this unsafe head movement that adds to the head's momentum from the movement energy transfers to the brain. The energy of the punch is not just trapped in the head, it is accelerated by the rotational movement. For example: Consider the brain as a separate component within the skull. When the head moves, the brain inside the skull moves with it. When the skull stops abruptly the brain is still moving because of inertia. The brain then is stopped by smashing into the skull causing the impulse concussion. This happens because the helmet design traps and increases the energy from the punch in the head, promoting the brain hitting the inside of the skull.
The Warrior Tough Concussion Counterpunch helmet addresses these two problems, head acceleration/whiplash and trapping energy in the head. The gap that controls the free movement safe zone is the intervention to reduce whiplash movement of the head and is controlled by bracing. Bracing allows energy to transfer to the torso because the helmet provides a connection between the head and shoulders so the energy can flow through the head and brain to the torso. Energy leaves the brain unharmed while reducing the head movement, reducing the chances of the brain building momentum. Bracing also reduces head acceleration and whiplash because the Warrior Tough Concussion Counterpunch helmet design reduces the whiplash area with force absorbing/transferring padding. This design reduces head and neck trauma by using padding to cushion the blow while supporting the neck - ultimately reducing the potential for neck injuries.
The free-movement gap is the space between the athlete's shoulders and the lower edge of the helmet (Figure A). An athlete can instantly close this gap (Figure B), to take a protective posture. By bracing for impact the 10 interventions that reduce concussion potential are engaged. The automatic safety stop feature built-in to the helmet engages if athlete is caught off guard; the clearance gap automatically closes, transferring energy of the punch away from the brain and creates a connection that increases the mass of the head by connecting it with the mass of the torso. Of course, it is best if the athlete closes the gap and steels themselves for the hit but that is not always going to happen, and automatic protection can make the difference between having or avoiding an injury.
Clearance Gap Open
Figure A
Clearance Gap Closed
Figure B
In a fully braced position (Figure B), the gap between the head and shoulders are closed, the chin is down, and the helmet is ready to transfer impact energy from a hit to the torso. The high guard offers additional support as the arms reinforce the helmet on each side of the head.
The Warrior Tough Concussion Counterpunch helmet is specifically designed to reduce head acceleration by providing a way for the user to connect the head to the shoulders through the head and neck linking system. Warrior Tough's patented design maximizes energy transfer. According to Shaw (2002), "if the head is not mobile or in contact with another surface, the kinetic energy from a hit will flow through it and be transmitted elsewhere, leaving the brain unharmed and its function intact" (p. 287).
Preventing Harmful Energy
on the X, Y, and Z Axes
X-Axis (tipping of head so each ear bends towards respective shoulders)
From the comparison photos below, you can see the difference in support provided by the Warrior Tough Concussion Counterpunch helmet compared with an old-style headguard. If a headguard is being hit from the side, you can see that the old-style headguard provides no support, the neck moves until it hits the shoulders along the X-axis which is common when hit with a hook. This whiplash movement must be reduced to improve athlete safety. With the Warrior Tough Concussion Counterpunch helmet the head has some movement (controlled by the gap of the free-movement safe zone), the lower sides of the helmet automatically make contact with the shoulder and start transferring energy to the torso. If the athlete is bracing and tensing their neck or steeling themselves for the hit, the padding helps provide support while reducing head acceleration. Whiplash movement is effectively reduced, and the kinetic force of the impact is transferred to the torso and away from the head, neck and brain.
Time to intervention
Time to intervention
Y
X
Y-Axis (front-to-back movement of the head like a nod)
The Warrior Tough Concussion Counterpunch helmet controls how the head moves back and forth on the Y-axis for hits like the jab, cross, and uppercut. The automatic safety stop is designed to limit rotational movement of the head during a whiplash event, providing maximum surface area for energy transfer to take place from the helmet to the torso to reduce concussion potential.
We have significantly reduced whiplash and concussion potential by reducing the distance and time the energy from an impact has to act on the brain when compared to old-style headguards. Mathematically, it would take a harder hit to reach the threshold of harm for a whiplash or concussion to occur.
"Unlike the musculoskeletal system, the brain cannot be conditioned to accept trauma. In fact, the reverse is true, once injured the brain may be more susceptible to future injury" (Cornwell, 2013, p. 92).
Additionally, when the head does get pushed all the way back, the long shock absorbing neck pad follows the curvature of the neck so there is maximum contact between the helmet padding and the neck. Then on the outside of the helmet the shape of the automatic safety stop perpendicularly contacts the torso, resulting in a firm contact between the helmet and the torso to transfer energy through and away from the brain and improve the head mass.
Automatic Safety Stop
Old Style Helmets Allow Your Head to Move into Areas Where Injury Occurs
Large Accelerative Area
Creates Greater Potential for Whiplash and Concussion
Old-style headguards provide a larger area for the head to accelerate backward. The greater the distance of head movement, the higher the likelihood of experiencing whiplash and a concussion. “Trauma can result from a rapid change in the head's velocity [speed and direction] or change in vector speed over time. Change in velocity over time is defined as acceleration or deceleration” (Barth, Freeman, Broshek, Varney, 2001, p. 254).
Warrior Tough Helmets Limit Dangerous Head Movement
Smaller Accelerative Area
Creates Less Potential for Whiplash and Concussion
We thought: If whiplash movement causes concussions, let's build a helmet that minimizes this motion! And we did. The photo on the left serves as tested proof, demonstrating that the automatic safety stop reduces the whiplash (accelerative) area.
Automatic Safety Stop
Z-Axis (rotation of the chin from shoulder-to-shoulder)
Warrior Tough Classic Concussion Counterpoint helmet limits right and left rotation about the Z-axis for rotational attacks like the hook. When the head is in the correct on-guard position, the front support of the helmet presses against the shoulder, much like a Chin-down training aid. This positioning enables the athlete to brace the lower edge of the helmet on their torso, making energy transfer easier and reducing rotation at the same time.
It takes a while for a person to learn not to lead with and to keep their chin down. To help safeguard the athlete the helmet was designed so the automatic stop would catch on the back of the shoulders to reduce rotational force. This feature is significant in helping safeguard the athlete form concussive forces of an attack like a hook that lands on the side of the chin.
Z
The leading edge of the automatic safety stop, when braced, will reduce rotation about the Z-axis because it will catch on the boxer’s shoulder to prevent the helmet from spinning when hit with a rotational attack like a hook.
Because the helmet is designed to ride close to the torso is less likely to spin when contact is made which makes it more enjoyable to use.