Football Helmet Concussion Testing: Leather vs. Modern

AntiqueFootball.com runs a vintage leather football helmet through a modern helmet testing protocol to answer the question, are leather helmets as effective as their modern counterparts?

[@matthewmartin7153]

when they used leather helmets they didnt give the same invincibility feeling helmets today do. therefore players were more careful about where they put their heads, like rugby

[@jamescawl1931]

Matthew Martin true, lots of people try to do crazy "highlight" plays compared to when the leather helmet was used..

[@bpeck20]

There have been a NUMBER of NFL and NCAA teams who have had their players LEARN how to tackle playing rugby... you have to protect yourself, don't use the equipment to save you... play safe, play smart...

[@Im.6k]

Matthew Martin Yeah they got skull fractures instead

[@bpeck20]

no... no they did not... they tackled correctly, used their shoulder, did not lead with the helmet planning for it to save them.

[@billybussey]

I was going to make this exact point.

[@calebniner]

Played football for 3 years, had no concussions or injuries. It's all how you play the game. I'm not going to lie I feel more comfortable tackling with pads than when I play street ball. So in result I hit harder in pads. I think pads now a days put players in a comfort zone to where they feel safer hitting harder. Gotta love American Football. Go Lions!!

[@KingDenominator]

I played football for 4 years and I've have all kinds of injuries varying from turf burns, bruises, Knicks, sprung ankles, sprung wrists, sprung fingers, shin splints, knee injuries, basically you name it I've had it (except for broken bones thank the lord) and the only reason I see to believe you've never had a injury is that you didn't get in very often...

[@calebniner]

King Denominator scratch the injury part. I do have three broken fingers because my quarterback at the time was jalen hurts, who is currently the starting qb at Alabama. But anyways, yea I've had turf burns. Shin splints mainly came during off season because of all the extra work put in. But when I say injuries I meant major, like broken arms or something. I'm saying that I've played for 3 years and I'm still in perfect shape to continue playing.

[@KingDenominator]

PineappleGamer Oh, ok glad you cleared that up.

[@MrAwesomemonster]

PineappleGamer yes a lions fan!!

[@oregon6beast316]

wtf seriously I got a concussion on my first game?

[@Strickland434]

Boy if my vengeance didn't break every game my junior year, I hated that thing. My revo speed was the love of my life

[@scyanks7]

Your experiment tests both helmets on the basis that helmet to helmet hits occur, however, if football went back to the leather helmets the tackling technique of the players would vastly improve and helmet to helmet hits would be virtually eliminated. As your test shows, who the hell would use their skull to make a tackle with a leather helmet? Nobody. Concussions have increased because no one knows how to tackle, the large helmet creates a false sense of security.

[@antiquefootball1897]

scyanks7 Excellent point. The purpose of the experiment was to test the claim that leather helmets provide equal or better protection than modern helmets, not to make the case that there are fewer concussions in the modern game. The primary purpose of and driving force behind advancements in leather helmets was to reduce incidents of skull fracture, not prevent concussions. Based on available data, they were effective in reducing fractures, however, there is little historical data on concussions, sub-concussive impacts, or the long term residual health effects on leather helmet wearing players. We don't know how much of the modern increase in reported cases of concussions and traumatic brain injuries over time is because of changes in the size and speed of players, style of play, deficiencies in protective devices, or from better diagnosis and awareness of these injuries. New research suggests that sub-concussive impacts may play a bigger role in CTE, and leather helmet wearers may have been subjected to the same level of these impacts as their modern counterparts.

[@dba4292]

In four years your comment has only received 2 votes, but regardless you make a damn strong and fine point worthy of discussion. Give two teams bandanas instead helmets and nobody would go in head first.

[@interestingcommentbut....7378]

"America's favorite pass time" because no one can bare sitting through an entire baseball game anymore.

[@alexcortez8658]

hectorbeast I can

[@interestingcommentbut....7378]

Alex Cortez Don't lie

[@humblebeast0041]

hectorbeast I can't it's boring af

[@alexcortez8658]

hectorbeast I love baseball I can't watch it all day

[@ricardovivas7686]

i can

[@S2ug]

Helmet manufacturers will never be able to do enough to avoid concussions, because concussions happen inside the skull when the brain moves inside the fluid and hits the cranium. So to avoid concussions you just need to avoid extreme blows to the head, Which in football is pretty much impossible. Helmets are used to soften blows that can do further damage like fractures or internal hemorrogies.

[@xFearless]

When you try to be smart but spell "Witch" Wrong Its Spelled "Which"

[@muhammadjabs3740]

BLU Scout You didn’t put a period at the end of your sentence.

[@LordDirus007]

It's better to use no helmet or a minimalist helmet. The players are less likely to lead with their head

[@monkeyplaysmadden6503]

Did you ever stop to think that the leather helmet was almost 100 years old?

[@gvgvvvg8158]

I've had 3 concussions and no longer play football. I want to though

[@Oh-uk5ee]

gvgvvvg ive had atleast 4 never reported 1 i have random headaches for a few seconds every day and thats just 4 from football

[@gvgvvvg8158]

Michael Vick I have constant migraines, I was also diagnosed with depression and bipolar disorder.

[@bart1950]

+Michael Vick umm... I think there's something wrong with you, you should go get it checked out by a doctor

[@gvgvvvg8158]

Barton Pida I have and I now take at most 9 pills a day. I've been to therapy too.

[@Oh-uk5ee]

gvgvvvg wow

[@ethanhughes6893]

yeah but if you give someone less head protection, they wont hit the head as hard or at all

[@Oh-uk5ee]

Ethan Hughes but then its less fun

[@johnsergesketter5196]

Poor coaching and poor tackling is what leads to concussions. I was coached to shoulder tackle. I taught the same to my youth league players. 4 seasons and only one of our players got a concussion, but it was caused by a head to head hit by an opponent who lead with his head while tackling our running back.

[@banneruser7006]

I love playing football

[@primetimejake4266]

They hit a lot less harder back then, and the reason people get concussions is mostly because they're not tackling properly. Back in the day they also probably just played through it.

[@CraigHayes21]

But tell me how rugby players almost never get concussions, just tell them to wrap and not go in with your head

[@SokumenTop]

Craig Hayes yeah, because that's not what they're told

[@TheBedheadman]

or they could just make helmet to helmet tackles illegal and keep helmets

[@SokumenTop]

Bender Rodríguez they are illegal, but refs are dumb and don't see it a lot of the times, I'm trying to talk football with people who don't know football

[@TheBedheadman]

AqUa Saint no they aren't, only against defenseless players. the only rule is against tackling with the crown of the helmet but you can still tackle with your forehead.

[@Polinht]

rugby players get concussions very frequently lmao

[@skylerbertram7036]

It isn't the collision that causes a concussion, it is the sudden stop because the brain keeps moving through the fluid where as the skull stops causing the brain to hit the skull.

[@colbyroe3334]

And less than 5% of concussions are reported? You have to be fucking kidding??? That's not true at all man I'm sorry

[@antiquefootball1897]

Yes Colby....That info is according to a 2014 study by Harvard University and Boston University as reported by ESPN. www.espn.com/espn/otl/story/_/id/11631357/study-says-26-27-potential-concussions-unreported-college-football

[@colbyroe3334]

If 5 percent are reported and 1/6 players get a concussion, that would mean that just under 10,000 concussions are actually reported? (1/6 of 1.1 mil is around 185,000 and 5% of that is around 10k

[@antiquefootball1897]

According to another source, high school players have a 20% chance of sustaining a concussion each season, which is roughly equivalent to 1/6. prevacus.com/concussions-101/statistics/

[@colbyroe3334]

+AntiqueFootball that doesn't change the fact that there's no way possible only 10000 high school football player have reported concussions per year

[@antiquefootball1897]

I would agree that the math extrapolated from other sources doesn't match the Harvard study's findings. 1,100,000 players x 20% concussion rate = 220,000 concussions annually 67,000 reported annually according to one source / 220,000 concussions = 30% reporting rate The Harvard study also includes "bell ringers" or sub-concussive impacts in their numbers, which may account for the discrepancy.

[@JinjaJesus]

Most concussion come from people leading their heads into hits

[@davis13665]

theNinjatist you right...less people will lead with their head if they are using leather helmets

[@maxboi1036]

CB and WR are where most concussions happen.

[@sicknasty3565]

Also from their heads slamming into the ground when they get tackled

[@davis13665]

Devin Fischer I would agree but let's be ho eat here I'm going to say90-95% of concussions are caused by helmet to helmet or incorrect tackling...I'm not gonna say that there hasn't been any injuries from heads hitting the ground but most concussions are caused by helmet to helmet

[@evoshieldcanes10u77]

Devin Fischer That is what most come from

[@thelottery7144]

1 in 6 do not get concussions that doesn't factor kids who don't play I've never gotten one in 7 years and I've started every year and on my team of 110 only two got concussions all year

[@maxboi1036]

I played 9 years and I can say I probably had 4. One I got knocked out. I never lead with my head. The problem is unprotected players. WRs and CBs are the main problem areas. It's when WRs cut to the middle of the field LBs are told to light them up. I know because I played Mic (mid), Sam (strong), and will (weak) linebacker.

[@anthonyzanardi1375]

110 players on one team?

[@rexleyme]

I wish the Hokies had that helmet

[@stokey24]

The fact of the matter is u are never going to completely stop concussions

[@elijahx6537]

7:58 #91 that was a terrible block 😁. But great informative video.

[@thefinalfrontier8184]

magiXmidget 9 the guy who had the ball would've been gone if he actually blocked

[@fifi4680]

LTrain 45 and he’s wearing 65 like wtf?

[@haydencook682]

The helmets we used in high school were a joke. College was a little better, but there were still a million ways to make them better. I always crammed the stuff they use for computer mouse pads in the sections with no passing pads

[@zexslo5686]

Alright what you all need to understand is that it's not that the sport is to dangerous or the helmet manufactures aren't doing their job it's that the players feel more protected with big pads and equipment

[@Hornfellas]

why dont we just make artificial spinal fluid and put it in helemts?

[@interestingcommentbut....7378]

DerpyScience Lemme just grab an extra jar of it from the car.

[@juicypenguin9873]

DerpyScience because that's just not possible

[@drpoundsign]

You are on the Right Track, though, Derpy. The Problem, IMHO, is that the foam inner linings are elastic. That's not GOOD. This causes reverberations=simple harmonic motion="Bell Ringing" i.e. Concussions. What if they made the shell out of an artificial Skull-like material like Calcium Pyrophosphate?? If the helmet Cracked on impact like a motorcycle helmet, Yes it would be expensive to replace, but I think that would lessen the force on the players' brains.

[@stevendern2543]

Just gotta wait for evolution to catch up. Or look at injecting ram stem cells into the head. But then you might grow horns.

[@drpoundsign]

Are you saying we Jews have Horns?? Only between my legs, my Friend. (-;

[@ryliehunter746]

I've had a concussion or two and I was fine after like 2 days

[@BCMoney1995]

I had the top of the line helmet, still got concussions, I was a straight head buster but either way.

[@TheMrPeteChannel]

In 50 years today's football will look like flag football.

[@cade75]

MrPete8680 less than that probably

[@TheFoxSniping]

MrPete8680 I got a concussion playing flag football I ran into a pole :p

[@tominator028]

MrPete8680 Or we could just make a rule where you have wrap your arms around the player. Not tackle them.

[@pat1264]

MrPete8680 I've seen a kid get a concussion from flag football since they wear no head protection they collided heads one of them got a concussion.

[@RavenDrawzDie2live_lps]

Pinhead Larry that would make football lame

[@StamianGaming]

Didn't expect to see my town in this video

[@InformalPiano3InformalPiano3]

In 1903, Michigan won the game against Chicago!

[@Dan-1031]

I believe my high school uses the leather helmets

[@lufthansamd1176]

😂 we have cage helmets from the late 90s and early 2000s

[@matt-es6em]

that drop back in the beginning tho

[@Bigbadglimbo]

Actually baseball was the originally pass time

[@natanaelgarcia10]

Thomas Cain thats what i was thinking

[@antiquefootball1897]

Thomas Cain baseball is known as America's pastime...however, football has surpassed baseball as the country's most popular sport.

[@InsideTripNinja]

It doesn't "beg the question", it "raises the question"

[@hongyang3620]

Good video and informative. However, you need mic for better sound quality.

[@PurpleHelmetAvenger]

Good work. Keep it up.

[@xxnalxx5226]

To help safety,1. People have to be 200 pound 2. U can only arm too tackle people leg

[@angelociciotti4881]

sir I do believe it is illegal to have a lineman up in the backfield unless ruled eligible is #65 a legally quarterback

[@Big_Chody]

when i was running a ball for 20yrda then i got hit fell hit my head. whole right eye went blurry af. could not see for a fiod min. still played the game out

[@tightlikeweed9735]

i think the main reason football has a concussion problem is that the rules dictate that ball possession is determined by yards gained, as opposed to Rugby wherein ball possession is determined by the ruck/scrum, or committed infraction. the American Football rules make strength a very valuable asset and create a greater incentive for the players to aggressively smash into contact. this in turn creates more dangerous gang-style tackles and other head collision situations. its no wonder Rugby League is by far the most brutal and violent Rugby code, the laws use a downs system like American Football

[@elijahsulentic9410]

I wanna play football in part for the cool look of the helmet, but my parents won't let me play because of the concussions and injuries.

[@arthurruge6636]

I like the 1920 helmet because it has so much safety

[@w0lfgxng468]

only one person on my team has suffered a concussion this year and our season ends next year

[@davidwadsworth8982]

Wish this company would get into Lacrosse and hockey helmets.

[@estebancarrera5188]

Where the leather one under the modern helmet

[@ralphcornwell3206]

So, are you claiming the Cleveland Clinic was incorrect? FYI, NOCSAE | National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic is owned and operated by the helmet companies. Conflict of Interest?

[@colinaudette291]

why are they using scutts

[@rumdummygaming4694]

The reason why back in the day they had less concussions is because they probably didn’t hit each other in the head and bump into each other as hard as they do today.

[@59nerevar]

We had no padding, just a harness like a construction helmet, and no one suffered concussions. Air was between your head and the helmet.

[@canuckaviator9924]

why is 65 taking the snap?

[@antiquefootball1897]

Cameron Harper 1st thru 4th string QB’s already in concussion protocol I guess!

[@Alexander4never]

@AntiqueFootball May I use your graphs and/or diagrams in a collect project? It's not going to be published it's just going to be graded by my tutor so their's no monetary gain from it. It would be much appreciated thanks.

[@antiquefootball1897]

Gunjee Absolutely. Good luck!

[@Alexander4never]

Thanks very much. Will show you the final project if I get the chance

[@kevinparkinson6859]

I got a concussion in football last month

[@aidenharris461]

Ive had 5 concussions in one football season and it didn't effect me to much

[@sargent_0]

Are you a vegetable yet?

[@Cerl84]

leather helmets with additional modern padding should be used in practice for all NFL teams. that would teach them to tackle w/o using the head.

[@LordDirus007]

They actually use foam shell on Practice helmets. Check it out

[@prestong515]

look at the sg helmet

[@theleftuprightatsoldierfield]

Wow if I lived in the 1920s, I would be the size of a slightly smaller than average lineman, and I'm only a freshman in high school

[@calebcrabtree562]

I'm 3 inches taller and 20 pounds heavier and I'm an 8th grader

[@thumpertx1]

if you took the pads away, hits would become a lot safer honestly. Players wouldn't use their heads (which would no longer have a helmet on it) as a weapon like we see today. We would see a lot more body hits. At least that's my opinion. Considering how much no pad football I've played.

[@tjojohnson6185]

You have to play football to know how much padding you get

[@hahahamemes2619]

i go through Salem all the time

[@zacharydevan4107]

How players use their helmet has changed with the sense of safety newer helmets provide.

[@loganfriar5721]

My dad and mom sayed if he what's to play we'll play of he doesn't he want but if he does then he learn

[@daisythepitbull4252]

I believe the other Antique helmets are better because if someone is hit hard in the head, the head would hit the inside of the helmet and cause a more serious concussion. On the other hand the leather helmets would have a slight lighter impact but this is just a 5 minute theory I believe that you can't really measure something that is not human

[@TonecrafteLuthiery]

I love football, I love watching it and playing. But there's no denying that it is an inherently dangerous sport the way it is played today. With new research coming out seemingly every day indicating the concussions are more dangerous than we previously believed, we have to weigh the risks of letting children play football at as young an age as I started (11). Maybe we should even consider spending more time teaching kids (and adults) how to protect themselves from those in sorts of injuries. In the end we will never be able to remove all risk, but I think it's entirely possible to cut that risk significantly.

[@Nikepanda]

good vid

[@iansnyder274]

Dude, i could have told you that and saved you the time!

[@andrewwilliams7240]

Ive played football for 7 years with no serious injuries or fractures and no concussions, its how u play the game.(btw im not a scrub i started on every team)

[@darylecohrs5137]

The Juggernaut your definetly a scrub since you felt the need to say your not one

[@coleottmar3331]

They call it schutt because when you're about to get hit you say " oh schutt!"

[@brianfarrar8151]

I like the shameless Virginia Tech plug

[@jeckle78]

My first was when I was 10.

[@julianaves6221]

It was really obvious which was helmet was gonna win

[@BigRell91]

now test a DNA helmet Revo helmet and a ion helmet

[@Calvination15]

We have the same last name

[@tk9839]

The helmet designers got it backward: shouldn't the energy be dissipated at the point of impact rather than have it go through the helmet. A crumple zone would alleviate the problem.

[@tommygrimes2824]

What if the padding was hard

[@KeanuLeeves]

Now that statistic about 1 in 6 getting a concussion just isn't true... in my 2 years of high school football, we've had 3 concussions... And we have a 70 player team...

[@zacharydevan4107]

I doubt players with leather helmets used their head tackling like players do with modern helmets.

[@mikepasatieri502]

even more effective is if players don't use their heads, like Rugby which uses no helmets.

[@kokoboots003]

Helmets aren't for concussions it's for your skull.

[@eastonmillar3440]

America’s favorite past time is baseball dummy

[@antiquefootball1897]

Milli Milla www.therichest.com/sports/ranking-the-15-most-popular-sports-in-america/

[@asamcclellan7086]

no its not baseball is the third most popular sport

[@fuhrfhrei3441]

@@asamcclellan7086 baseball is the 2nd most popular Sport in America. First is football 3rd is basketball 4th is hockey and 5th is soccer

[@fuhrfhrei3441]

@@asamcclellan7086 oh the source this guy said baseball was second but behind baseball was college football car racing and basketball was fifth

[@tysonpeltier2732]

1:01 he got a nice soft hit

[@jackcondas202]

Back then less people got concussion because they didn't have pads so they would straight wack someone with there head...

[@tjojohnson6185]

Don't have a bad offensive line then

[@Tony-dc1qt]

I think the argument is that leather helmets, or no helmets force quality, form tackling, instead of leading with the head...thus reducing the number of concussions. just look at rugby...

[@dave-xp9qk]

turn on captions - 3:40

[@antiquefootball1897]

The Informed Duck you can never be too careful with an Oklahoman

[@shanescolaro455]

what about rugby they still don't wear helmets or pads

[@prestons3055]

There is a lot of head to head contact in Football. hence the need for helmets.

[@Brianpeckin]

Shane Scolaro on top of that a nfl player weights on average a hundred pounds more than a rugby player

[@Woozie894]

Shane Scolaro in rugby they tackle by the stomach area

[@bradleythompson990]

in rugby they arm tackle. they get like 80% less head injuries than football.

[@dawsonvance2263]

they call it schutt cause when a player starts to get hit they say !! OH SCHUTT !! :)

[@mrcreeper7349]

bra back then they did not hit as hard as they do now because they did not have the power and would not do it ethier

[@FFEMTB08]

A TBI and concussion are 2 totally different things....

[@rodeocontentmedia4327]

Leather helmets ARE safer not because they have better perfection but because they have worse protection. Therefore defensive players won't lead with the head

[@Lolpy.]

Your forgetting one major thing the leather masks..... they don't have face masks you could easily get hit in a collision that could collide your face with another persons face instead of their heads

[@prestong515]

I have that feeling that there gonna switch to plastic face mask

[@user-nl8em6sy6e]

people wont be hitting each other as hard if they didnt have big ole plastic helmets and pads

[@markallenneal]

If the NFL REALLY cared about reducing concussions they would reverse the rule changes that favor pass-only offenses. The vast majority of brutal hits occur on receivers right after they catch a pass. If you're passing 80% of the time, you're going to get injuries.

[@dabearsproduction4992]

If you knew the rules of football you don’t tackle with your head down so that diagram where to heads collide are wrong you keep your head up and tackle there hips not their head

[@BitcoinMotorist]

The test is flawed. This test shows that playing with leather helmets when your opponents are wearing modern helmets is bad. But what if everyone was wearing a leather helmet? I have a theory that the NFL concussion problem would all but disappear if the players were not allowed to wear helmets.

[@Im.6k]

Patrick Dukemajian Exactly! Then we can just have skull fractures and many deaths just like in the leather cap era!

[@Lolpy.]

Sure there are chances of bad concussions but name the last time a player in the NFL got a concussion

[@kaiduncanproductions4373]

Patrick Thornberry like 1 in 50 players get a concussion each game. About 5 concussions every game day in the nfl, so..... Not long ago

[@Lolpy.]

Kai Duncan Productions Really? I literally never hear about

[@stevendern2543]

I didn't even earn $5 in the whole year of 1930

[@humzahhassan4521]

U can’t use ur head as a weapon with a leather helmet

[@bfrankmore]

the thing is its helmet on helmet so mabey leather on leather might be better

[@Yshtola.]

I got knocked out playing soccer before because everyone tackled me '-'

[@goatgarbage2548]

The leather helmet seems so unsafe. Who even thought of that

[@rjwalker6677]

He says that if a player used a leather helmet today he would have much greater risk of concussion. But the question is would he have a greater risk if "everyone" used a leather helmet ?. That's the question. Also, he say's today's helmet's are far superior than leather helmets for absorbing impact, and gives all these math equations. No one disputes that though, and it isn't the question. The question is if everyone wore leather, would they still use it as weapon and lead head first injuring players ? Some think not. That is the question they needed to answer instead of giving these math equations. Sometimes math equations sound convincing, but they are proving the wrong point.