Football Equipment Guide

These pieces come in pairs.
They go over the shoulder pad neck roll on each side to offer additional neck protection by keeping the head and neck stable from the left and right sides.
As all other restrictor pieces meant to prevent burners, these attach securely to the shoulder pad neck roll which attaches to the shoulder pad.
Used in conjunction with neck rolls and neck roll restrictors, you will have optimum stability while still allowing free movement.
The key here is to keep the head from bouncing or snapping suddenly in any single direction while still allowing the player the freedom to move their head as they need.
Lateral restrictors, when used properly, do just that.

Back to “How to Prevent Burners in Football“

Kinda funny video by the museum of the obvious. Experiment #5 The obvious invention of the football helmet.

Kind of funny I guess.
But seriously, as I outlined in a previous posting about the origins of the football helmet, the first “football helmet” was designed by a shoemaker for Admiral Joseph Mason Reeves. Turns out the Admiral was knock, knock, knocking on heavens door if he sustained one more serious head injury.

In his battle to dodge death and some tacklers, Reeves commissioned said shoemaker to fashion him up a total piece of crap made out of moleskin.
However, the real breakthrough in helmet history wasn’t until 1917 when a man named Bob Zuppke, a coach from Illinois, came up with the idea of ’suspension’. He put together a helmet that cradled the skull away from its leather shell, and in effect, away from the detriment of football’s battery. Here, he used straps of fabric to form a pattern inside the helmet while absorbing and distributing impact. Even better, ventilation was created, allowing the head to breathe while amplifying its protection. It was at this point that Rawlings and Spalding, football entrepreneurs of the millennium entered the picture.
After much thought and design, Vern McMillan introduced a face mask, the final stage of the leather helmet’s production. Fastened in the 1930s, it was a simple rubber-covered wire mask attached to the face of the leather helmet. Meant to put an end to the horrendous amount of broken noses and teeth resulting from the game, it produced another problem. Men soon grabbed at each others masks, forcing penalties because of their intimidation attempts.

Yea, your shoulder pads suck if they don’t follow some simple rules.

When speaking about football equipment, one of the first things that come to mind, second only to football helmets, are the shoulder pads.  Unless you think you’re funny or you’re just some pervert, in which case you would blurt out jockstraps.
Either way, when thinking about the shoulder pads, one would only consider it’s function of protecting the shoulders from all of those cracks and crashes on the field.
As outlined in some other posts of mine, the shoulder pad also can function as a stabilizer for the helmet when used in conjunction with various restrictors.

The shoulder pads, when closely looked at, carries many different intricate details in it’s make-up. For starters, the shoulder pad has a hard plastic shell with foam padding underneath. The pads fit over the shoulders and the chest and rib area, and are secured with various snaps, buckles, straps and ties.
Take a look:

Pictured above is the Schutt Y Flex Youth All-Purpose Football Shoulder Pad. A great purchase for your youngster, especially if he doesn’t want shoulder pads that suck.

What to look for when purchasing shoulder pads:
1) Shoulder pads that allow free movement- The last thing you need or your child needs is to be cramped up on the field. People will be coming at you from all angles and you need to be able to move. Do not overlook this. Just because your pads are stiff does not mean you’ll be safer.

2) Comfortable- If I’m going to be out there for a couple hours, my heaviest piece of padding had better be comfortable. I’m sure some of you might disagree as some of you might want be reminiscent of the early days of football. For you, I urge you, until you strap on your moleskin helmet ala Admiral Reeves and hit the field, shut your mouths, you posers.

3) Excellent protection- DUH. This is the main qualifier in this list. You can throw all of the other points in this list in sacrifice for this one. Don’t waste your time searching for a comfortable set of shoulder pads only to find out they’re comfortable because they offer crap protection. Unless of course various trips to the ER for head, neck, shoulder, and chest injuries are your thing.

4) High quality- Yes, the old saying is true. You get what you pay for and I can guarantee that a good trusted brand of shoulder pads are going to be of better quality than the no-name set of shoulder pads you found at Wal-Mart.

5) Lightweight- The shoulder pads are already the heaviest piece of equipment in your locker, try not to make this any worse than it needs to be.

6) Price- If you can find a set of shoulder pads for roughly $100 that match all of the above criteria, you found a good investment.

To wrap this all up, shoulder pads need to essentially do 2 things:
1) Absorb shock on impact.
2) Distribute the shock across the larger area of the shoulder pads so the impact isn’t exclusive to one spot.

Find a pair of shoulder pads that meet up to the criteria I outlined above and you will have a good set of shoulder pads that do the above two necessary jobs.

In the game of football, it is essential for players to receive proper training.  If you (the player) wants to excel, you must work with your coaches, not only on your training regimen, but also on what equipment is going to work best for you.  Training with the proper football equipment will turn you into a better player and as a member on your team, you will bring your skills to the team, making it a better team.
There is a tremendous variety of football equipment to use for training, but there are only a few items that are considered “core” pieces of equipment.

You might think it a waste of money to invest in training equipment, or maybe you just need to know where to start?
First of all, you need to know this – the ultimate purpose of training equipment is to allow you and your team to be able to practice at a higher level of intensity without risking injury. Unless your trainers are flipping idiots, your potential for things like shoulder, neck, and head injuries are dramatically decreased when using things like blocking sleds and padded dummies.  Just these two pieces of equipment alone will allow you and your team to feel similar resistance to what you’ll find on the field without having to crash head to head with another live body.

As mentioned earlier, there are just a few pieces of training equipment that, if you have them, you have an excellent start. These pieces of equipment coupled with proper coaching can quickly set you on the path to athletic excellence.

Blocking sleds are a necessity.  This is without question.   They allow for the simulation of real life blocking complete with weighted resistance of a real player (which leads to less of a chance for injuries for both players). Blocking sleds can usually be found in sporting equipment suppliers individually or up to five blocking dummies on one sled. This option is perfect for simulating a line-up on the gridiron.

If you want to make the simulation just a tad more realistic, perhaps for quick blocking drills. Look into some padded dummies.  These are filled with foam typically, or for more weight, you can find them filled with sand or beans. The sand or bean filled ones are the best value. These pads are perfect for helping players learn how to take some real weight down with the risk of injuring a real person.

For quarter backs, you need to get yourself a good weighted football.  I shouldn’t have to explain what these are for, but I will.
First of all, they’re heavier than normal footballs (hence the name weighted football). These are great for giving a quarterback more resistance when throwing, which helps make their cannons more powerful for firing out quick and accurate spirals. (Work on your finger roll technique if your spirals aren’t tight enough yet).

For your receivers, you’re going to need (or at least highly want) a jug machine. These babies fire spirals out at your receivers at varying speeds and heights without any rhyme or reason. The best of these machines have adjustable velocities and angles.

Can’t forget about the kicker can we? Your kickers needs are going to be pretty basic, but just as essential as any other players. Remember, these are your clinch guys, treat them right!  A regular kicking tee is great.  No frills. Get him practicing with a kick-off tee and a rubber block tee.  The rubber block tee will help raise the height of the tee giving them better connection percentages.
And more importantly, unless you hate your kicker, get him a kicking / punting cage. You gonna want this guy to practice his kicks and punts more than his ability to fetch his own balls (haha).  These cages are netted and as long as the kicker is aiming correctly, the ball should land right in his parameter making it easier to set-up and try again.

For all players, their is going to be pieces of equipment which they should all have, but in varied types. For example:

Shoulder pads & helmets- Two pieces of equipment that are used frequently to identify the sport of football. These pieces of football equipment are going to be varied depending on the position. If you’re in a position where you’re getting hit a lot, especially laterally, you’re going to want to get some shoulder pads which can accept a good set of restrictors such as butterfly restrictors, neck rolls and lateral restrictors. If you’re a lineman, get a helmet with some extra caging on it. They’ll keep your opponents fingers out of your eyes. Kickers, you usually don’t need much more than a single bar cage going across the front.

Gloves- Lineman and linebacker gloves have some extra padding which is perfect for their frequent contact with their hands. Unpadded hands connecting to hard football equipment is god-awful. Lineman and linebackers…you need some good padded gloves!
For your wide receivers, you’re going to want some gloves with a little extra stickiness. This will help you snatch those hail mary’s out of the air quickly and efficiently.

Cleats- Whether you’re getting screw-in or molded cleats, check the name and the quality. This is one area that a lot of players forget to pay real attention to. What height do you need? Low, 3/4-high, high? That, as usual, depends on what position you’re playing. Solitary position players can get away with low-top cleats while lineman are going to be looking for high tops and 3/4 tops. For kickers, good ole’ soccer cleats will work just fine for you but here’s a pro-tip, wear them a size smaller. It will make your task of kicking easier as they will make your feet compact and solid.

These are all core pieces of equipment. Check back later and I’ll go over some “nice to have” pieces of football training equipment.

The neck roll restrictor or “neck roll” is an added layer of protection which attaches to the shoulder pad neck roll as well as the shoulder pads.
Optimal stability is found with this extra piece added onto the neck roll.
It is highly recommended these two pieces are used together at all times during any type of play (practice and regular games).
The neck roll restrictor comes in handy especially during side collisions on the field.
This piece of football equipment will help to keep the neck and head stabilized during sudden impacts.

Neck injuries on the football field are common place and the most serious of which can injure the spine.
Prevention of such crippling injuries can be found with neck roll restrictors when used properly and fastened securely.
Just as the shoulder pad neck roll attaches, the neck roll restrictor attaches much the same way.
Typical set-ups include strings to tie onto the shoulder pad neck roll and shoulder pads, but newer models come with snap fasteners.
These pieces of equipment can range in price from $25 at some places to $150 for more advanced padding’s which help restrict lateral movement.
Defensive ends are known to where these, including Baltimore Ravens defensive end; Terrell Suggs.

Back to “How to Prevent Burners in Football“

The shoulder pad neck roll is a piece of football equipment that attaches securely to the shoulder pads and helps to stabilize the helmet, which in turn stabilizes the head.
Styles vary on these from manufacturer to manufacturer. There is never one single way to attach them. As a rule of thumb, always consult the instructions for your specific brand on how to make sure your neck roll is attached properly.
The most typical set up is done by attaching the string on the back of the neck to the back of the shoulder pads. Your neck roll should also have side strings which you use to attach to the (inside) sides of the shoulder pads and finally, there are usually 2 more strings on the front which you use to lace onto the front of the shoulder pads.
Make sure your strings are tight and secure.

More advanced versions come with snaps which lock onto the shoulder pads. These are going to be brand specific and will only be able to snap onto the shoulder pads manufactured by the same company that made the neck.
These pieces of football equipment usually run in sizes small all the way up to XXXXX-Large.
With that being said, you can see how wide range the support is for this piece of equipment. It, as well as a few others I mention in this blog, have become almost as integral as the helmet.
Parents: If you plan on sending your child out for school football, check with the athletics department for these supplementary neck and head equipment.
If they do not offer them as part of their teams equipment, you would serve yourself well going out and investing in this and other pieces of equipment.
The prices are usually minimal compared to the price of having to get a neck injury treated.
$50.00 to $75.00 is the usual price these pieces of equipment are going for.
Check back later for some personal reviews of different shoulder pad neck rolls.

Back to “How to Prevent Burners in Football”

In football, one of the most common injuries which usually go otherwise unreported are what’s called burners or stingers.
Burners (stingers) are neck injuries that cause acute pain, that feels like a burning, pinching or shock that runs from the base of the skull to the shoulder or along the neck. This pain is quite intense, and may be frightening, but subsides quickly. It is thought to be caused when a quick movement causes the compression or pinching of the bundle of nerves (brachial plexus) that run from the back of the neck into the arm. This often occurs from a twisting of the neck and head, or an impact from the side (mostly found in football). In addition to an acute pain and shock from the shoulder down into the arm and fingers, there may be numbness, burning or weakness in the arm. Usually this acute pain lasts only a minutes or two and goes away completely.

Causes of burners and stingers
Although often seen in car accident injuries, they are most commonly found in football players due to poor football equipment.

Treatment
Usually the pain subsides in a minute without any long-term problems. See a physician if the injury that caused the burnier was severe 9such as an impact) to rule out a serious condition such as a slipped disk or spinal cord problem. Seek immediate medical attention if both of your arms are affected, ou received a blow to the head.

If this occurs during sports, you need to be sure all your symptoms resolve entirely before you return to the game. If you return too quickly, the risk of re-injury is high.

Preventing Stingers and burners
For football players, the only way to avoid these common injuries is through the use of the proper protective gear such as:

• Shoulder Pad Neck Roll – these work by stabilizing the helmet. They attach securely to the shoulder pads
• Neck Roll Restrictor – This is an added layer of protection which is added to the shoulder pad neck roll piece. This attaches to the shoulder pads and neck roll piece. Optimal stability is found with this extra piece added onto the neck roll. It is highly recommended these two piece are used together at all times during any type of play (practice and regular games).
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• Lateral Restrictors – This piece goes over the shoulder pad neck roll on each side to offer additional neck protection. Once again, this is protective upgrade. Adding lateral restrictors along with this restrictor to your neck roll for optimal stability. You cannot go wrong.
• Butterfly Restrictor – This piece is the ultimate sting prevention pad in the football equipment lineup. The butterfly restrictor was developed in conjunction with division I-A equipment managers. This piece attaches securely and comfortably to shoulder pads. If you wanna make sure you’ll never have to see the doctors, go ahead and add mini side rolls to your butterfly restrictor for ultimate stability.
• Mini Side Roll Restrictors – last but not least, we cannot forget about the mini side roll restrictors. These rolls attach on the sides of the butterfly restrictor to offer the ultimate in helmet stability. With a good mini roll restrictor, you will still be able to have enough movement to easily see around you all while keeping your helmet stiff and stable. You do not wanna head out onto the field without this. (Trust me, I know).

Check back later when I will go through various brands and makes of restrictors and rolls and give you my recommendation on which is the choice for you!