What is the best protective equipment for field hockey players?
Protective equipment in field hockey reduces visible injuries but does not protect the brain. Players commonly wear mouthguards, shin pads, gloves and face masks for short corners. While these protect teeth, bones and skin, they do not protect the most important organ at risk during play: the brain. Rezon Halos® is designed to protect the brain in hockey. Brain protection should be worn throughout play, not only during short corners.
Head impacts in field hockey occur through high-speed ball contact, stick contact, collisions, falls and ground impact. These impacts expose players to concussion and sub-concussions (small-force impacts that damage the brain without any signs of symptoms of concussion). Brain protection therefore requires a different approach to traditional hockey equipment.
Rezon Halos® is designed specifically to reduce rotational force transmission to the brain, addressing the primary mechanism of brain injury rather than surface trauma [1].
What protective equipment do field hockey players typically wear?
Field hockey protection is designed primarily to prevent external injury, not brain injury.
Most in-field players wear:
- Mouthguards to protect teeth
- Shin pads to protect the lower legs
- Gloves to protect fingers and hands
- Face masks during short corners to prevent facial fractures
This equipment is effective for surface injuries, but it does not address brain injury risk. Face masks and mouthguards do not reduce the rotational forces that cause the brain to rotate inside the skull during head impacts.
This gap is critical, because brain injury can occur without fractures, bleeding or visible trauma. In every concussion and sub-concussion, rotational forces are present, which cause the brain to rotate inside the skull. This is associated with tearing of tiny blood vessels and brain cells. Over time, this can lead to breakdown of the blood–brain barrier and damaging neuro-inflammation [2]. Neuro-inflammation is a common feature in neurodegenerative diseases such as CTE, Parkinson’s disease and motor neurone disease.
Why protecting the face is not the same as protecting the brain
Face protection is essential in field hockey, particularly during short corners. However, facial protection and brain protection serve different purposes.
Face masks are designed to:
- Prevent fractures to the nose, cheekbones and jaw
- Protect teeth and soft tissue
They are not designed to:
- Reduce rotational acceleration
- Protect brain tissue
- Reduce concussion or sub-concussion risk
Brain injury occurs when rotational forces cause the brain to rotate within the skull, leading to microscopic damage to brain cells, blood vessels and the blood–brain barrier. This mechanism is not addressed by face masks or dental protection.
What is the best protection to wear for short corners in field hockey?
Short corners present a high risk of head and facial injury due to elevated balls, deflections and close-range strikes. Face protection is therefore essential.
However, face protection alone does not protect the brain.
The most effective approach during short corners is:
- Face protection to prevent fractures and dental injury
- Brain protection worn underneath, to reduce rotational forces transmitted to the brain
Rezon Halos® can be worn comfortably under short-corner face masks, adding brain protection without interfering with visibility, fit or movement. This layered approach addresses both visible injury and invisible brain injury risk.
Should field hockey players wear brain protection throughout the game?
Yes. Brain protection should not be limited to short corners.
Many head impacts in field hockey occur during open play due to:
- Accidental stick lifts
- Mis-hit balls
- Collisions
- Falls and ground contact
Even if these impacts are low-force, sub-concussive impacts, they still transmit damaging forces to the brain. Repeated exposure to these sub-concussive impacts contributes to cumulative brain injury risk [3].
Brain protection is most effective when worn consistently throughout training and matches, not only during set pieces.
Parent Testimonial: Returning to feild hockey after a serious concussion, which left Aaron unable to sit his GCSE exams.
Is brain injury risk different at beginner vs elite levels?
Brain injury risk exists at all levels of field hockey, but the source of risk changes with experience.
At beginner and junior levels:
- Poor stick and body control increases accidental head contact
- Inexperience leads to unpredictable ball trajectories
At advanced and elite levels:
- Ball speed is significantly higher
- Impacts carry greater force
- Physicality and intensity increase
In both cases, head impacts occur. While elite players may have better technique, the forces involved are greater. This means brain injury risk does not disappear with skill level. It changes.
Why doesn’t traditional head protection, including scrum caps, protect against sub-concussions?
Traditional padded headgear focuses on foam padding and surface coverage. While padding can reduce linear force and superficial injury, it has limited effect on rotational forces.
Rotational forces:
- Cause shear strain within brain tissue
- Tear fine blood vessels
- Disrupt the blood–brain barrier
- Trigger damaging neuro-inflammation over time
Biomechanics research shows rotational acceleration is more strongly linked to brain injury than linear acceleration alone [4].
Independent testing demonstrates that padded headgear does not meaningfully reduce concussion risk and may increase rotational torque due to added mass and surface area [5].
How does Rezon Halos® protect the brain in field hockey?
Rezon Halos® is not padded headgear. It is a CE/UKCA Category II PPE-certified and Virginia Tech Five Star rated protective headband designed specifically for brain protection in sport.
Key features:
- Designed around rotational biomechanics
- Reduces rotational force transmission by at least 60%*
- Proven to reduce concussion risk by 74%*
- Designed to reduce the cumulative damage of sub-concussive impacts
- Holds an internationally recognised Virginia Tech 5-star safety rating
By reducing the transmission of damaging forces before they reach the brain, Halos® lowers cumulative exposure during training and competition.
*based on independent testing
“After a serious concussion from a hockey ball impact, Aaron was really apprehensive about returning to the sport he loves. Rezon Halos® helped make that return to hockey possible — for him, and for us as parents. Even if they haven’t had an injury, it’s worth wearing to prevent serious injury.”
— Andrew Brompton | Parent & Rezon Customer | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Author: Alex Reily
