Protecting our Youth: Guidelines for Determining Proper Fit in the Football Helmet

With the increase of today’s youth participating in sports, it is important to protect our kids by providing safety equipment that is sized correctly. At the collegiate level there are equipment managers that are very skilled and practiced at properly fitting an athlete’s helmet and other protective gear, but at the secondary and youth level it is up to the coaches, parents and athletic trainers. According to the National Athletic TrainingAssociation Position Statement on Concussion, a helmet that fits properly on a child can help protect against catastrophic head injuries and reduce the severity of cerebral concussions. It also states that all safety equipment should meet the National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment or American Society for Testing and Materials Standards.

Guidelines to properly fit a football helmet:

1.      Wet the athlete’s hair.
2.            Take the circumference of the athlete’s head around mid-forehead to occipital protuberance.
3.            Convert measurement with the size chart provided by the brand of the helmet.
4.             Have the athlete place the helmet on their head with the helmet deflated.
5.            Check ear holes for alignment.
6.            Check forehead clearance (2-3 finger width).
7.            Check face mask depth to nose (3 fingers).
8.            Check neck range of motion.
9.             Ensure the occipital protuberance is covered by padding.
10.             Check helmet stability by forward backward motion using the facemask for leverage.
11.             Check helmet stability with side to side motion using facemask as leverage.
12.             Check cheek pads --- change them out if they do not fit properly.
13.       Apply a downward pressure on dome of helmet to ensure no recoil or rebounding upward of the helmet.
14.             Ensure that chin strap is centered and securely fastened/
15.            Re-inflate the helmet properly according to manufacturer’s guidelines.

It is important to provide our youth with properly fitted safety equipment to help reduce the severity of an injury and protect them against injuries that they may sustain during practice and games.