LITCHFIELD PARK (Feb. 13, 2024) ― On February 2, the National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment (NOCSAE), held its Winter Meeting in Litchfield Park, AZ. During the meeting, the Standards Committee reviewed and discussed the status of the development and production of redesigned Nine-Array Headforms for improved testing and data collection. The Committee also discussed next steps for finalizing the proposed youth football helmet standard.

The NOCSAE board of directors reviewed and approved the funding of several research grants, which include studying the effect of protective eyewear mandates on orbital, facial and concussion injuries in high school field hockey, and head impact exposure and effectiveness of headgear in youth flag football.

Scientific Advisory Committee Report
Dr. Robert Cantu, MA, MD, FACS, FACSM, FAANS, NOCSAE vice president, chair of the NOCSAE Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) and representative of the American College of Sports Medicine, shared key takeaways from the NFL Sponsored Cantu Concussion Center Summit. The Summit gathered clinicians and researchers with experience and expertise in brain injury and long-term cognitive disease to share their findings and identify gaps in current research. Featured sessions discussed the functional changes that accompany athletic concussions, concussion/RTBI prevention and diagnosing Traumatic Encephalopathy Syndrome (TES) and Repetitive Trauma Brain Injury (RTBI) in the living. Consensus statements from the summit include calls to action for:
• Eliminating intentional or avoidable head impact in contact and collision sports;
• Encouraging policies and rules that limit the number, duration and intensity of contact sport practices;
• Reinforcing proper and safer techniques that avoid head contact;
• Implementing rules of play that reduce and penalize intentional or avoidable contact to the head or neck;
• Investigating specific clinical signs and symptoms of TES; and
• Improving the criteria for diagnosing TES through further research.

Nine-Array Headform Redesign Update
NOCSAE has been at the forefront of developing variable-mass biofidelic headforms, which accurately simulate certain biomechanic responses of a human head during impact. NOCSAE headforms are unique in this aspect and allow for a more realistic measuring of human head responses during helmet testing.

The NOCSAE technical director reported on the development status of the enhanced Nine-Array NOCSAE headform, which includes several improvements that enhance the biofidelity and allow for expanded and more sophisticated data collection.

New Youth Football Helmet Standard
The NOCSAE Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) and technical director are actively advancing finalization of the proposed Youth Football Helmet Performance Standard (ND006-21). NOCSAE has invested over $1.1 million dollars in research to identify head injury risks and helmet performance parameters that are unique to youth tackle football. The data identified from these multiple research grants was used to inform, develop and publish a youth helmet standard for tackle football, which is currently in a proposed status, waiting to be finalized. Currently, the NOCSAE technical director is coordinating with licensees to provide reduced mass youth ram test equipment and enhanced headforms to facilitate an evaluation of the proposed criteria for the standard. NOCSAE welcomes feedback from all stakeholders as part of the ongoing public comment period and anticipates the Standards Committee could vote to finalize the standard in the next six to twelve months.

NOCSAE Standards Updates
The Standards Committee also revised and/or modified the following standards:

Football Helmet Recertification [ND004 – 24]
• The revision updated exterior warning label language to match ND002.

Batter’s/Catcher’s Helmet Recertification [ND026 – 24]
• The revision updated exterior warning label language to match ND022/ND024.

Lacrosse Helmet Recertification [ND043 – 24]
• The revision updated exterior warning label language to match ND041.

Catcher’s Helmet Performance Specification [ND024 – 24]
• The requested revision will include faceguard and helmet labeling to clearly distinguish “softball only” faceguards from baseball faceguards on catchers’ helmets.

Interested parties are invited to submit comments and questions to NOCSAE Executive Director Mike Oliver at mike.oliver@nocsae.org.

Information about all NOCSAE standards and future Standards Committee meetings is available at nocsae.org. The next NOCSAE Standards Committee Meeting will be held in Cleveland, OH, on July 26, 2024.

CHICAGO (July 25, 2023) ― On July 21, the National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment (NOCSAE) held its Summer Meeting in Chicago, Illinois. During the meeting, the Standards Committee deliberated on the proposed youth football helmet standard and shared updates on next steps for a new round of large-grant funding for research related to athletic equipment safety and in emerging equipment standards. Additionally, consideration was given to commotio cordis and the potential need for additional equipment standards beyond NOCSAE’s existing standards for baseball and lacrosse, sports which currently have the necessary protective equipment.

Scientific Advisory Committee Report

Dr. Robert Cantu, MA, MD, FACS, FACSM, FAANS, NOCSAE vice president, chair of the NOCSAE Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) and representative of the American College of Sports Medicine, shared an update on a research project commissioned by NOCSAE in 2021 that looked at the interaction with the shoulder pad as a mechanism of concussive injury. It was concluded that implementing a shoulder pad standard would enhance shoulder protection only and further research on its efficacy in preventing concussions was deemed inconclusive and non-beneficial at this time. The SAC expects to review additional research from the NFL later this year and will evaluate further action at that time.

NOCSAE Large-Grant Research Funding

Facilitating research in sports injury and prevention is a core element of NOCSAE’s mission. Through its small- and large research-grant programs, NOCSAE funds research grants that drive advancements in medical and scientific knowledge pertaining to sports injury and prevention. Through our research grant programs, NOCSAE provides funding to innovative initiatives that delve into various aspects of sports injury and prevention, paving the way for new insights and improved strategies to inform the standards development process and enhance athlete protection.

For the first time since 2020, NOCSAE has issued a new funding opportunity for our Large-Grant Research Program. NOCSAE had a strong response to our application process this year, which closed at the end of June, bringing in more than 15 submissions for review by the board. The board selected six applications for submission of a full grant application this fall to be evaluated and graded by the Grant Review Committee. Applicants selected to submit their full applications will have until Oct. 31, 2023 to do so.

Revisiting Commotio Cordis

The incident involving Damar Hamlin of the Buffalo Bills in January of this year has propelled discussions around preventing cardiac incidents in sports and the threat of commotio cordis. While commotio cordis may be unfamiliar to many, NOCSAE has been at the forefront of the research to understand commotio cordis and establishing equipment safety standards to protect against it for lacrosse and baseball, where there has historically been a higher rate of injury. Looking ahead, the committee has emphasized the need to continue to evaluate commotio cordis injury data and consider the need to potentially extend the implementation of commotio cordis safety measures beyond just baseball and lacrosse. NOCSAE will continue to consult with governing bodies and stakeholders across sports to evaluate where additional protection against this injury could be necessary.

New Youth Football Helmet Standard

The NOCSAE Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) and technical director are actively advancing the development of the proposed Youth Football Helmet Performance Standard (ND006-21). For more than a decade, NOCSAE has invested in research to better comprehend the necessity for a distinct standard for youth football helmets. At the NOCSAE Winter Meeting in January 2020, the Standards Committee voted to initiate the formal development of this much-needed standard. NOCSAE continues to refine crucial criteria and testing protocols for the new standard. Currently, the technical director is coordinating with licensees to provide reduced mass youth ram test equipment and redesigned head forms to facilitate their review of the proposed criteria for the standard. NOCSAE welcomes feedback from all stakeholders as part of the ongoing public comment period and anticipates the Standards Committee could vote to finalize the standard in the next six to 12 months.

Nine-Array Headform Redesign Update

NOCSAE has been at the forefront of developing variable-mass biofidelic headforms, which accurately simulate the biomechanical responses of a human head. NOCSAE headforms replicate human head impedance and harmonics resulting from real impacts, enabling more precise testing of helmets and projectiles. In 2020, NOCSAE finalized plans to enhance data collection capabilities of NOCSAE headforms. The redesigned headform molds were delivered to the Southern Impact Research Center in November 2022.

A vital part of any headform redesign includes validation testing. The headforms are currently undergoing validation testing, including performance comparisons with the current NOCSAE headform, as well as comparisons with a standardized Hybrid III headform.

NOCSAE Standards Updates

Under NOCSAE’s rules, all standards which have not had action taken for five years must be submitted to a reaffirmation vote. The following standard was reaffirmed:

Standard Projectile Impact Test Method and Equipment Used in Evaluating the Performance Characteristics of Protective Headgear, Faceguards or Projectiles [ND021-18m19a]

• Request to Reaffirm

Modifications to a standard are changes that are only editorial or clarifying in nature. The Standards Committee affirmed these modifications in their current form:

Baseball/Softball Fielder’s Headgear Performance Spec [MD029 – 21m23]

• The modification clarifies the number of samples required for testing, five samples per ball type required.

Baseball/Softball Fielder’s Face Protector Performance Spec [ND072 – 21m23]

• The modification includes updated numbering in Section 8, Face Protector Labeling.

Interested parties are invited to submit comments and questions to NOCASE Executive Director Mike Oliver at mike.oliver@nocsae.org.

Information about all NOCSAE standards and future Standards Committee meetings is available at nocsae.org. The next NOCSAE Standards Committee meeting will be held in Litchfield Park, Arizona, on February 2, 2024.

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (Jan. 28, 2023) ― The National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment (NOCSAE) convened its Winter Meeting on Jan. 27 in Litchfield Park, Arizona. The Standards Committee discussed advancements for the proposed youth football helmet standard and reported progress on the advanced Nine Array Headform redesign. The Committee also continued to evaluate the potential development of a headgear standard for non-tackle football and discussed updates to 2023 NCAA and NFHS rules for lacrosse stick designs.

NOCSAE Appoints New Technical Director

At the Winter Meeting, NOCSAE appointed Elizabeth McCalley, BSBME, as the organization’s new Technical Director, effective immediately. McCalley has worked closely on NOCSAE testing protocols and standards developments for more than 16 years and has been instrumental in NOCSAE’s work on the performance standard to protect against commotio cordis (ND200-22m22), the Nine Array Headform redesign and involved in all other aspects of NOCSAE technical programs related to testing and assessment of equipment. She holds a degree in biomedical engineering from the University of Tennessee and has worked with the team at Southern Impact Research Center since 2007. Dave Halstead, who served as NOCSAE’s Technical Director for more than 28 years, has been named Technical Director Emeritus.

Scientific Advisory Committee Report

Dr. Robert Cantu, MA, MD, FACS, FACSM, FAANS, NOCSAE vice president, chair of the Scientific Advisory Committee and representative of the American College of Sports Medicine, shared an update on NFL concussion protocols and developments at the 6^th International Consensus Conference on Concussion in Sport held in Amsterdam in October 2022. International experts gathered at the conference to assess the latest research related to concussions and brain injuries in sports and establish protocols for treatment and diagnosis. Dr. Cantu, who served on the leadership group for the conference’s scientific committee, shared insights on key considerations that will shape a new international consensus statement on concussions, which is expected to be released later this year in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

Proposed Youth Football Helmet Standard

The NOCSAE Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) and Technical Director continue to advance work on the proposed Youth Football Helmet Performance Standard (ND006-21). For more than 10 years, NOCSAE has funded research to better understand the need for a unique standard on football helmets designed for youth. At the NOCSAE Winter Meeting in January 2020, the Standards Committee voted to formally begin the development of such a standard. NOCSAE continues to refine key criteria and testing protocols for the new standard and anticipates the Standards Committee will move to finalize the standard within the next year.

To clarify the level of play for the new standard, NOCSAE revised the definition of youth football as follows: football played at a level below high school. In addition, the Standards Committee voted to approve the following updates to the proposed standard:

• Removing one of the two highest level drop test impacts (17.94 ft/s). One impact each at ambient and high temperature is adequate to assess helmet performance at impact velocities that are extremely rare in youth football.
• Eliminating pneumatic ram testing for helmets that fit large headforms due to an inappropriate anatomical combination that puts excessive stress on the Hybrid III youth neck surrogate which connects the large headform to the testing apparatus. Pneumatic ram testing will still be required for helmets fitting small and medium headforms.
• Clarifying that the 3.5-pound weight limit for youth helmets with a faceguard will only be required for helmets that fit the small headform.

The Technical Director also shared updates on the status of youth-specific impactor ram equipment needed for necessary round-robin testing. Currently, Southern Impact Research Center is the only facility that has equipment needed for the required testing. The Technical Director will begin round-robin testing among multiple accredited testing laboratories and manufacturer test labs, once supplies have been received and shipped out to other facilities.

NOCSAE Standards Updates

The Standards Committee also voted on the following modifications to NOCSAE standards:

• Language for the Standard on Corrosion Testing and Performance Specifications (ND015-15m23) was amended to clarify the definition of “set of hardware.”
• Test Methods for Evaluating the Performance Characteristics of Headgear/Equipment (ND001-17m23) were modified to include a “1-inch dimension” clarification in the Front Boss impact location description which had been inadvertently removed in section 19.4.
• The Pneumatic Ram Test Method (ND081-23) was modified to clarify the required test data acquisition filtering specification and sampling rates referenced in other related documents.

Under NOCSAE’s rules, all standards which have not had action taken for 5 years must be submitted to a Reaffirmation vote. The Standards Committee voted to reaffirm these standards in their current form:

• Lacrosse Helmet Performance Specifications (ND041-15m18)
• Lacrosse Face Protector Specifications (ND045-17m17b)
• Field Hockey Ball Performance Specifications (ND069-14m17)
• Soccer Shin Guard Testing Methods and Performance Specifications (ND090-06m18)

Headform Innovation: Update on Nine Array Headform Redesign

NOCSAE was a pioneer in the development of variable mass biofidelic headforms. Because they are designed to model the biomechanics of a human head, including the impedance and harmonics caused by an actual impact, NOCSAE headforms allow for more accurate testing of helmets and projectiles. In 2020, NOCSAE finalized plans to redesign its headforms for enhanced biofidelity and testing capabilities by accommodating internal placement of state-of-the-art impact acceleration data collection arrays.

At the Winter Meeting, NOCSAE’s Technical Director reported on the status of the new headforms and upcoming milestones in their development. The redesigned headform molds were delivered to the Southern Impact Research Center in November 2022. After testing and analysis, the Technical Director ordered additional updates to the manufacturing process to ensure consistency in headform parts. An initial set of three headforms has been ordered and comparative tests will be conducted before the new headforms are shared with other interested parties. The Technical Director anticipates NOCSAE will be able to order headforms for other labs in the coming months and will provide a status report at the 2023 Summer Standards Committee Meeting.

Potential Non-Tackle Football Headgear Standard

The Standards Committee continues to evaluate the potential development of a non-tackle football headgear standard in response to the rise in popularity of flag football and 7-on-7. At the 2022 Summer Meeting, NOCSAE Research Director, Kim Barber Foss, presented findings from her PhD dissertation study on non-tackle football that indicate the majority of injuries in the sport are minor, with 25% occurring to the head and face. The data also demonstrated that 75% of all injuries were related to some form of contact in a limited contact sport. Key considerations for NOCSAE include whether a soft or hard helmet is appropriate, and if the helmet should be designed for single impact or multi-impacts. As a next step in assessing the need for a standard, NOCSAE will gather input from leading governing bodies and leagues in non-tackle football and share these findings at the 2023 Summer Standards Committee Meeting.

Interested parties are invited to submit comments and questions to NOCASE Executive Director Mike Oliver at mike.oliver@nocsae.org.

The next NOCSAE Standards Committee Meeting will be held in Chicago, IL, on July 21, 2023.

The National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment (NOCSAE) convened its Summer Meeting on July 22 in Portland, Oregon, welcoming remote and in-person attendees. The meeting included reports from the Scientific Advisory Committee chair on the latest understanding of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) and the research director on injuries in non-tackle youth football. The Standards Committee also took voting action on revisions and modifications for the Commotio Cordis Test Method Standard and the Proposed Youth Football Helmet Performance Standard. The technical director also shared an update on the redesign of NOCSAE’s nine array headforms.

Scientific Advisory Committee Report

Dr. Robert Cantu, MA, MD, FACS, FACSM, FAANS, NOCSAE vice president, chair of the Scientific Advisory Committee and representative of the American College of Sports Medicine, shared a report on the latest understanding of CTE. The report examined new research efforts to diagnose CTE in the living through a multiyear collaboration that includes international clinical experts and research institutions. A breakthrough in diagnosing CTE in living persons would allow clinicians to advance clinical trials for treatment. If successful, this could help detect the disease earlier in its course and provide a path to prevention.

NOCSAE Research

As part of NOCSAE’s mission to enhance athletic safety through scientific research, the board of directors oversees a long-standing formal Research Grant Funding program. In 2021, NOCSAE added a targeted research function that solicits Requests for Proposals on specific topics of immediate interest. NOCSAE patterns its research grant funding program on the NIH model and has awarded over $13 million toward research since 1994. In January 2022, the board unanimously voted to reactivate the small grants program to fund research under $50,000. More information about NOCSAE research programs and current opportunities to submit grant applications is available here.
In 2021, former NOCSAE board member, Kim D. Barber Foss PhD ATC, was appointed to the role of NOCSAE Research Director. Dr. Barber Foss has published extensively in the areas of injury epidemiology, biomechanics and brain injury, and has 29 years of experience as a certified athletic trainer. She is currently an associate research scientist at the Emory University Sports Performance and Research Center and earned her PhD in Health Science earlier this year. At the Summer Standards Committee Meeting, Dr. Barber Foss presented key findings from her dissertation, An Epidemiological Assessment of Youth Flag Football Injuries. The study examines injuries in flag football, which is often promoted as a safer alternative to tackle football. Dr. Barber Foss found that while injuries in flag football are less frequent than tackle football, they are still not without consequence. The research findings are helping to inform the Standards Committee’s ongoing evaluation of the need for a headgear standard for non-tackle football.

Procedures for Adoption and Implementation of NOCSAE Standards

As an American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Accredited Standards Developer, NOCSAE standards adoption procedures follow the ANSI Essential Requirements due process to insure fairness, transparency and consensus.

All NOCSAE standards follow the following development path: 1) Draft, 2) Proposed and 3) Final Document. Public input on NOCSAE standards is welcomed and encouraged at every step of the process, in accordance with ANSI requirements. Changes to NOCSAE standards are classified as modifications or revisions.

• Modifications include minor document changes that do not affect the pass/fail of a product and are effective immediately following a vote of the Standards Committee. Modifications do not require a vote of the Standards Committee.
• Revisions are substantive changes that may affect the pass/fail status of a product.

More information about the NOCSAE standards adoption and implementation procedures is available here.

Standards Updates

• Commotio Cordis Test Method (ND200-22m22)
  • Modification: The Standards Committee acknowledged a modification to replace a test surrogate illustration that was inadvertently removed from the document.

• Change to Proposed Youth Football Helmet Performance Standard (ND006-21)
  • Changes: The Standards Committee approved two changes including:
    • Change to Section 7.2 that clarifies the pneumatic ram test equipment should be used for testing, consistent with ND081 Section 6.13.
    • Changed the pneumatic ram pass/fail test criteria from 2,000 rad/s² to 5,000 rad/s² based on input from the Scientific Advisory Committee and the Southern Impact Research Center testing of current youth models.
  • Round Robin Testing: The technical director shared that youth-specific ram equipment is available for manufacturers to order to replace the current Biokinetics equipment. Parties interested in participating in the round robin should order equipment from the technical director. To do so, please contact estordahl@soimpact.com or emccalley@soimpact.com.

Nine Array Headform Redesign

NOCSAE was a pioneer in the development of variable mass biofidelic headforms that model the biomechanics of a human head, including the impedance and harmonics caused by an actual impact. The NOCSAE headforms allow for more accurate testing of helmets and projectiles. In 2020, NOCSAE finalized plans to redesign the headforms with enhanced biofidelity and testing capabilities. At the Summer Standards Committee Meeting, the technical director provided an update on the status of the new headforms and next steps for testing. The design of the headforms had to be updated over the last year since several of the materials used in the original headforms are no longer available. In the last few months, the technical director has received one headform in each size with the new materials and has begun preliminary validation testing. Testing will continue in the coming months, and the technical director will provide a report at the 2023 Winter Standards Committee Meeting.

Potential Non-Tackle Football Headgear Standard

The Standards Committee continues to evaluate the potential development of a non-tackle football helmet standard. The Committee is considering the range of non-contact football sports, from flag football to 7v7, and evaluating potential options for a protective equipment standard. Key considerations include how best to protect against facial injuries, whether a soft or hard helmet is appropriate, and if the helmet should be designed for single impact or multi-impacts.

Interested parties are invited to submit comments and questions to NOCSAE Executive Director Mike Oliver at mike.oliver@nocsae.org. Information about all NOCSAE standards and future Standards Committee meetings is available at nocsae.org. The next NOCSAE Standards Committee Meeting will be held in Litchfield Park, Illinois on January 27, 2023.