From the Website Youth Hockey Review!
Recently I purchased new helmets for both my 9 yr old son and 7 yr old daughter. Having read this month’s issues of USA Hockey Magazine and the article by Harry Thompson: “As Far As Leading Concussion Experts Are Concerned, Return-To-Play Guidelines Are Cut and Dried” I gave my purchases a little extra consideration.
As a coach who teaches learn to skate and pre-hockey programs I meet a lot of parents who are new to hockey. Uncertainty about equipment and proper fit is very common among new hockey parents.
Some of the common equipment issues I see include:
- Loose skates and skates that are too big. Making it harder for kids to get proper ankle support and more difficult to control the edges.
- A Stick that is too long or too short, making it harder to stickhandle and control the puck because a young player has difficulty keeping his hands and body in the right position.
- Shin guards that are too small and leave a gap either between the top of the skate and the leg or between just above the knee and the bottom of the pants. A whack with a stick or shot of the puck that hits the uncovered area is very painful.
- Loose fitting helmets, which may include slack in the chinstrap, helmet “wobble” (when the diameter of the helmet isn’t adjusted to fit snuggly and it moves around on the players head when skating), and face masks where the chin cup isn’t properly fitting the face (i.e. in front of the chin or away from the face altogether).
While parents may not always know what to look for, coaches should take a few minutes to review with a player and their parents whenever they see equipment that doesn’t fit right.
Improper fitting equipment may not only be uncomfortable, but where helmets are concerned it can be dangerous.
Although concussions aren’t as big a danger when starting to learn hockey (they are most prevalent in the High School Years (Bantam and Midgets), I’ve noticed that quite a few parents who have kids ages 10 and under (Squirt, Mite, House and Pre-hockey) aren’t being as vigilant as they should be about proper helmet fit.
The following tips are meant to help ensure that parents of young hockey players know what to look for when properly fitting their child with a helmet. Since makes and models vary, be sure to check with a reputable local hockey store for fitting procedures that might be unique to your brand or size of helmet.
1. A snug fit without any pressure points. When trying on helmets be sure to adjust for a snug fit so that when the child moves his or her head around the helmet doesn’t “wobble.”
I prefer to have my kids try their helmets on without cages (face masks) first. This way I can look more closely at where the helmet is making contact and check see that the temples, ear and back of the head are all well covered.
2. The right sized cage or facemask. While combo helmet and facemasks are very common and economically priced, they may not be the best pairing for your child.
My 9-year old son wears an adult size (M) helmet. Yet when trying on the combo version we noticed the chin cup was away from his face. For proper fit he needed a youth size facemask with the adult size helmet.
If you find a good fitting helmet in a combo version, but the cage and facemask leave too much room you should replace it. A blow to the cage can easily cause the helmet to be lifted out of place when it’s not properly connected at the chin. This in turn can lead to injury.
3. No slack in the chinstrap. We’re all used to seeing NHL players with the dangling chinstrap handing underneath their helmet. Just because they choose to be unsafe, doesn’t mean you should too.
When contact occurs, either accidentally or intentionally, the helmet needs to stay in place to protect your child properly. A loose chinstrap can result in the helmet sliding up off the top of the head and out of position.
4. Mouth guards are not just for teeth. There’s a space between the lower and upper jaw connection called the temporomandibular joint and concussions can occur when a player is hit in the jaw.
Think of this like a knockout punch in boxing or MMA. When you see a player get hit on the “button” and he goes lights out. The force of the contact from the hit to the jaw causes the temporomandibular joint to compress and the result is loss of senses, and even consciousness.
For many young players mouth guards are optional. They can also be uncomfortable, which contributes to kids not wanting to wear them. If you’re having trouble finding a mouth guard that fits your child comfortably, and properly, talk to your dentist. In my opinion, they shouldn’t be optional.
One last point about mouth guards, don’t connect them to the helmet with a strap. A blow to the cage can jar the helmet out of position and if the mouth guard is connected to the cage it can be pulled from the proper position in your child’s mouth.
Concussions are dangerous injuries. Every coach, and parent, should learn the signs and symptoms of concussions. To protect your child make sure his or her helmet, facemask and mouth guard all fit properly to work together.
While we may not be able to prevent concussions entirely from happening, we can, and should, do everything we can to minimize their risk of occurring.
For more information on concussions visit:
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