Protecting your head in polo is essential. A fall can easily lead to a concussion or other serious injuries. That’s why the sport has rules about the right-of-way and how to approach the ball, and why players generally move in a line—these rules help reduce collisions and dangerous situations. Buying a helmet is one of the most important pieces of preparation, but it’s worth thinking carefully about safety. Some helmets are inexpensive, others are costly, but what truly matters is the level of protection they provide from concussion. The study below explains how helmet quality is measured and why it plays such an important role in keeping players safe.
“Evaluating Polo Helmet Performance Across Different Impact Test Systems” (PMID: 40246778):
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Purpose: Assessed how different laboratory impact test systems compare when measuring how ten polo helmet models protect the head.
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Test systems used:
• Twin-wire guided drop tower
• Oblique drop tower
• Impact pendulum
All tests were done at matched impact locations (front, side, rear) and two speeds. -
Measurements taken: Peak linear acceleration (PLA), peak rotational acceleration (PRA), peak rotational velocity (PRV), and estimated concussion risk for each helmet.
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Key result #1: There were notable differences in rotational accelerations and concussion risk between helmets depending on the impact test system, especially between the oblique and pendulum systems.
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Key result #2: The range of acceleration responses varied widely across helmet models, showing substantial performance differences between designs.
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Key result #3: Despite differences in absolute test values, rankings of helmet performance were relatively similar across systems — helmets that performed better in one system tended to perform better in others.
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Implication: Differences in headform accelerations resulted in meaningful differences in estimated concussion risk among helmets.
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Conclusion: Selecting an appropriate test system that reflects real-world impact conditions is important for evaluating protective performance, and a combination of different test conditions may best represent actual impact scenarios experienced in polo.
Evaluating Polo Helmet Performance Across Different Impact Test Systems E-P Stark, N., Begonia, M. & Rowson, S. (2025). PubMed https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40246778/
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