Helmet
Protective headgear with a hard shell and energy-absorbing liner, worn to reduce the force of impacts to the head.
Definition
A helmet is protective headgear built from a hard outer shell over an energy-absorbing liner, designed to spread and cushion impact forces before they reach the head. Its shape, coverage and fittings differ by sport, from the ventilated shell of a cycling helmet to the caged, padded helmets of cricket, ice hockey, baseball and American football.
Depending on the sport and level of competition, helmets may be mandatory and are typically expected to meet a recognised safety standard for that activity. Because a helmet is engineered to absorb energy on impact, one that has taken a significant blow is generally retired rather than reused.
Scope: Educational overview only; the certification standards and usage rules set by the relevant sport's governing body should be followed.
Where you’ll hear “helmet”
Sports that use this term:
Cycling
A low-impact endurance sport that doubles as transport, exercise and adventure.
Cricket
A bat-and-ball team sport where sides take turns to bat and to bowl and field, scoring runs.
Baseball
A bat-and-ball team sport where two sides alternate between batting and fielding to score runs.
Ice Hockey
A fast team sport on ice that combines skating skill with quick passing and goal-scoring.
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Equipment
- Bike helmetA hard-shelled head covering worn while cycling and riding bikes.
- Shin guardsProtective pads worn over the shins in football and other field sports.
- Cricket batA flat-fronted wooden bat used by batters to hit the ball in cricket.
- MouthguardA moulded guard worn over the teeth in contact and combat sports.
- Golf clubA shafted club with a specialised head used to strike the ball around a golf course.
Tactics
- DraftingRiding, running or swimming close behind another competitor to save energy in their slipstream.
- Full-court pressAn aggressive basketball defence that pressures the ball across the whole court to force turnovers.
- Interval-training strategyStructuring a workout as bursts of hard effort separated by recovery to build fitness efficiently.
- Pacing strategyPlanning how to distribute effort across a race so energy lasts the full distance without fading.
- Breakaway and pelotonThe cycling tension between the main pack riding together and small groups that break clear to gain time.
Movement patterns
- CatchReceiving a moving object and securing it under control, absorbing its momentum by yielding along its path so kinetic energy is dissipated rather than rebounded away.
- LandingThe controlled absorption of force at ground contact that ends an airborne phase, dissipating impact through eccentric triple flexion of the ankle, knee and hip.
- DecelerationThe athletic pattern of actively braking and absorbing momentum to slow or stop under control, producing eccentric forces that oppose the direction of travel.