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Because of a rough estimate of more than 1 million high school players, football is considered the number one sport in the US today. Football helmets, among all other football gear, may be the only football equipment to have been under the scanner and scrutiny of many researchers and scientists for years.

Why? Because this piece of gear is meant to provide athletes the necessary cushioning that should help minimize impact and head injuries during a game. Given this fact, it basically plays a critical role in each player’s life.

Safety is and should always be the number one priority in football because of the inherent risks of the game. So quickly, here are the things you need to consider when choosing a football helmet for your children:

1) The most comfortable fit

A football helmet shouldn’t have spaces between the pads and the head. It should feel comfortable and supportive all throughout. It should never slide and the chin strap should be secured well. Another thing, the chin strap shouldn’t be used to tighten the helmet.

2. A maximized vision

Your visual field in the front and sideways should not be distorted. If your vision is impaired, it’s because the helmet is either too high or too low. Your view of the field should be clear from all angles during a game so you can easily navigate the enemies and the ball itself.

3. Secured chin strap

The chin strap should be centered under the chin, it should be fit and be tightly secured as well. Once the chin strap is fastened, the helmet should not feel loose and easily move in any direction, from back to front or side to side.

4. Padding and Stability

It only takes about a quarter of an inch for the brain to produce short term as well as long term symptoms. So the padding on the inside of your helmet is crucial as it decides how stable your head will be in case of a strong acceleration force. Paddings are usually made of foam that sits inside a polycarbonate shell that makes up the outer part of a helmet. Some helmets come with enclosed airliners to provide a more comfortable feel.

5. Thermoplastic Urethane

Thermoplastic Urethane or TPU was first developed by Schutt for use in the U.S. Air Force. It is one of the leading helmet padding technologies and has found its way onto the football field in some of the most popular and safest helmets. It’s also claimed that even after a series of impacts, the TPU still holds up better than all standard padding and doesn’t compress like foam.

Because playing football involves a lot of risk—like suffering from head injuries—recent research has led to massive use of innovative technology for making advanced helmets. There are some remarkable changes as to what helmets look like these days as against a decade ago.

Choose the Best Football Helmet

Whether you are already a professional or not, it is important to invest in the right helmet. If you’re looking for a youth football helmet that is perfect for you, GameDayr.com can show you the best helmets and some info about them to help you decide.