5 Reasons Why Flag Football Helmets Are Essential for Safety

While flag football players take fewer big hits to the head than tackle football players, they still take smaller impacts while grabbing their flags. That’s why many leagues now require helmets.

Head Injury

As the name suggests, football helmets like the Syzmik flag football helmets are worn to protect players from head injuries. They can reduce the likelihood of open head injuries or skull fractures but cannot prevent concussions or traumatic brain injuries (TBI).

Helmet-to-helmet contact is one of the most common causes of concussions in football. But a player can also suffer a concussion from a sudden jarring impact to the head, such as getting shoved or falling. A concussion is a traumatic brain injury that can affect your ability to think and learn. It can cause a headache and dizziness, making it difficult to balance or focus.

Fortunately, some steps can be taken to minimize the risk of flag football helmets. The most important is to have qualified athletic trainers or physicians at practices and games who can recognize signs of a concussion and take a player out of the game. Parents should also ensure that their children play only in leagues that have satisfied safety requirements. For example, the manufacturer of the best flag football helmets in the NFL has adapted its stiff foam to create a soft version more suitable for 7-on-7 and youth football.

Concussion

Injuries to the head can be serious. They can lead to long-term problems and can impact a player’s mental health and physical well-being. This is why it is so important to wear a flag football helmet.

Kids all over the country play “non-contact” football, but they all know there is no such thing as non-contact football; players are crossing and converging, and collisions are inevitable. Thankfully, some companies have made a soft-shell helmet that can make “non-contact” football as safe as kids and parents expect it to be.

The average youth flag football athlete will experience eight high-magnitude head impacts during a typical game. These head impacts can cause damage to the brain, causing a concussion. Symptoms of a concussion can include headache, dizziness, trouble thinking, nausea, and balance issues. It’s vital to have a qualified athletic trainer or physician at practices and games to recognize concussion symptoms and remove the player from the field for evaluation. This also includes ensuring coaches and parents have proper concussion awareness and education before the season begins.

Head Trauma

A traumatic head injury can occur in football players at any level, including non-contact game variations, like flag football. A helmet can protect from blows to the head, preventing skull fractures or other injuries like concussions.

The soft shell football helmets used in flag football and other flex sports have shock-absorbent padding to reduce the impact force on a player’s head. These types of helmets also have a chin strap that ensures the helmet is properly fitted to a player’s head.

Several manufacturers are developing new models of football helmets that can further decrease the g-forces that impact the head during a game. One company has created a polymer that, when added to the inside of a helmet, can cut the number of g-forces by up to 25%.

Another manufacturer has produced a youth flag football soft-shell helmet with a five-star rating at Virginia Tech’s Helmet Lab. The company plans to expand its line of helmets, adding versions for high school and college football and competitive 7-on-7 leagues.

Eye Injury

The risks of eye injuries are real, even for non-contact players. A study of high school football players found that those who wore helmets that didn’t fit properly experienced more symptoms than those with well-fitting helmets. These included excessive drowsiness, sensitivity to noise, and hyperexcitability.

The good news is that manufacturers have developed soft-shell flag football helmets to protect young players. The helmet should also be passed the NFL/NFLPA test and Virginia Tech’s first-ever safety ratings for flag football headgear.

The face shields on these new helmets are also tested to ensure they can withstand the impact of a kick to the head, considered the riskiest injury in football. Researchers used an air cannon to fire baseballs at the plastic face shields, and they found that the shields retained their structural integrity without disrupting players’ vision. This is important because sustaining an eye injury from a football impact can lead to permanent blindness.

Neck Injury

The neck is a very important part of the body, so it’s vital to protect it with proper equipment. If the neck is impacted, it can lead to paralysis and even death.

The good news is that soft-shell football helmets are now designed to reduce head trauma’s impact. These helmets are incredibly lightweight and protect players of all ages and skill levels, including flag football athletes. The manufacturers of these helmets have seen a significant increase in sales. Some youth leagues require kids to wear these helmets when playing flag football.

Some companies use state-of-the-art technology to develop a helmet to reduce head injuries for flag football kids. The company has developed a polymer that, when applied to the inside of a football helmet, can produce a 25% decrease in the g-forces a player experiences during head impacts. This reduction in g-forces will decrease the risk of concussion and long-term neurocognitive harm. The company’s new helmet is slated to be available for youth and high school players and 7-on-7 teams.