Football Equipment Guide

Let’s start from the bottom up, shall we?
By bottom up I mean the youth helmets up to the big boys.
So your son or daughter (yea, I said it) wants to play football? Chances are, unless you’re from a broken town with a run-down athletics program, your team will provide a helmet for your child to use. Let’s say you’re not feeling to safe with the helmets they’re giving out (and rightfully so, the effectiveness of a helmet decreases after just one full contact game!)
You might wanna take a look at the things being done over at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (a town that knows football).
They recently completed a study which spanned 3 long years with over 2,000 highschool football players. Their findings show, without question, the Riddel Revolution helmet provides exceptionally better protection for football players than any other.

Players wearing the Revolution helmet were 31% less likely to suffer a concussion compared to athletes who wore traditional helmets. For young players that have yet to experience a concussion, they were 41% less likely to have a concussion while wearing the Revolution.

Watch a Riddel helmet being made.

These helmets were built around highschool ballers needs. You can rest assured these helmets will do more than their share to protect your child’s precious little dome-piece.
Football equipment, top to bottom, not just helmets, should never be compromised. If you disagree, please, fill me on why in the world you would send your child out in untested, questionable and used football gear? To save a couple bucks? Because you think your school district gives a damn? Do yourself, your family and especially your child a favor; do your research and ask questions before you send him or her out onto the field in subpar football equipment.

Learn more about the Riddell Revolution IQ.

For starters; check to make sure all hardware and the face mask is made from stainless steel. I mean ALL of it. If not, toss it and keep shopping.
Of course, you’re going to want a face-mask that is appropriate for the position your child is going to be playing.
And secondly, make sure the helmet meets NOCSAE Standards – NOCSAE stands for the National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment, a voluntary organization that has developed standards for a variety of sports protective equipment. Any helmet that bears the NOCSAE seal shows the manufacturer has met the standards at the time the helmet was manufactured.
Everything else outside of that such as material used for the shell and the thickness of the padding is not to be worried about because, if it meets NOCSAE standards, you will know the helmet was made properly. And last but not least, check for a warranty. Three-years on the shell means the manufacturer stands behind their product.

So what about the big boys?
If you’re an NFL or even college player and you came across this site in search of advice on a good football helmet, you probably don’t have a lot of faith in the powers that be for your league. If you genuinely are looking for some advice on the kind of helmet to purchase if you’re purchasing your own, my recommendation gets thrown to the Schutt ION 4D Adult Football Helmet. This baby is the ultimate in protection with Skydex 2 Thermoplastic Urethane Cushioning (TPU) and the exclusive Energy Wedge shock absorber. The advanced Skydex 2 cushioning system features 3-D cushioning which conforms to the shell more closely eliminating breaks, meaning better protection. As opposed to the foam padding found in older traditional helmets, TPU Cushioning performs equally well at higher temperatures, does not take a compression set, eliminates the break-in period for the helmet and, unlike, is highly resistant to mold, bacteria and mildew. The exclusive ION 4D Energy Wedge absorbs up to 15% more energy from impacts to the facemask.

The ION 4D provides unsurpassed comfort and fit with the two-piece SUREFIT inflatable air liner, making this football’s best fitting helmet. Other features include an unobstructed wide view for better field vision, large ventilation holes for maximum air flow and unique chinstrap integration for the ultimate protection. This football helmet includes a soft and hard cup chin strap and universal jaw pads but does not come with a face mask. Ideal for top high school, collegiate and pro players who need the best protection and performance from their helmet. And yea, it fully meets and exceeds NOCSAE football equipment standards.

As always, I welcome opposing views and opinions.
Until later

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