A Review of Sports Requiring Personal Protective Equipment

Why you might need it

To achieve high quality performance, and obviously to stay safe, athletes, as a general term, may require protective equipment.  You may say, also, that it is the choice of which workwear you need that is equally as important.

The importance of protective equipment

The most critical part that PPE plays in sport is to keep you safe, but the element of increased performance should not be ignored, allowing for a longer playing career in your chosen profession.

Technology plays a part too, with advancements in material design making the quality of the equipment that much better. They are obviously, specifically designed too, making their use optimised. There are, for example, helmets, currently in use with impact sensors in-built to tell medical staff if a player has taken a severe hit.

Allowing you to feel more secure to deliver a better performance is making sports participation that much more dynamic, pushing you to limits otherwise unachievable.

Types of sports using PPE

American football is a good one to start with as this has pushed the technological development of PPE to another level and is ongoing. Helmets have evolved to make use of advanced cushioning to aid with concussion causing impacts. Also, you are required to use shoulder pads, mouthguards and knee pads as standard.

Ice hockey is a very physical game with contesting tackles bringing the need for multiple layers of protection. most notably head protection in the form of helmets and face guards, not forgetting padded jerseys and shin guards. Their skates have also seen the need for development with reinforcements to protect their toes now a staple.

Baseball takes its lead from other sports in necessitating helmets for batters and keepers behind the batters, while sliding shorts and protective cups are also a norm in the modern-day game.

Motor racing goes beyond shields and pads with fire-resistant suits an absolute must, with helmets that are made of space age materials coupled with strong neck braces in the event of a crash.

Innovations in sports PPE

It is therefore obvious that safety equipment in sport has come a long way in the last few decades. It is also easier to wear, enhancing both safety and performance.

The users of sensors in helmets have allowed for the physicality of contact sports like American Football and Ice Hockey to be taken to a degree probably unknown to those playing the sport thirty years ago. They are probably preventing injuries suffered in these sports from compounding in a revolutionary sense.

The modern materials such as carbon fibre and Kevlar are being used in sport to provide a strong defence, while being lightweight too. This allows freedom of movement without compromising on safety.

Those that rely on quick movement and agility are benefitting from custom-made safety gear, with ergonomics in mind. The custom-fitted padding allows for a high degree of comfort with better protection.

We require sustainability in the new age and sport is playing its part in using recyclable materials for the equipment therein. As sports evolve, so do the tools involved in designing and producing the PPE. We must stay informed about these modifications and developments to provide for a safe environment, allowing athletes to do what they do best, with added confidence and safety.

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