WHY GUARDIAN CAPS?
The Guardian Cap is the leading soft shell helmet cover engineered for impact reduction. It brings a padded, soft-shell layer to the outside of the decades old hard-shell football helmet and reduces impact.
The Guardian Cap was created in 2010 to address the clear need to advance the standard helmet, which has changed little since the 1960’s. Erin and Lee Hanson, owners of The Hanson Group LLC, utilized their 20+ years in the material science business to engineer, patent, and manufacture the Guardian Cap.
They began the process consulting with another company on a fully encompassed soft-shelled helmet. They presented the helmet to sport executives but did not get the buy in. Erin and Lee realized that changing the look and sound of the game was a big “no” for a lot of players, fans, and coaches. They decided to take to market the affordable Guardian Cap that could be easily attached to the helmet during practices and taken off during games. Reducing impact in practice was more than nothing.
Guardian continues to push the importance reducing impacts in youth – pro practices.
Physics say that an outer “soft” material of the proper density, stiffness and energy absorbing properties reduces the initial severity of the impact. The hard shell then has lower forces transmitted to it, and in turn conveys lower forces to the interior soft helmet padding and then lower forces to the head. Very similar to a NASCAR driver and the soft wall technology that tracks have adopted or even automobiles and the soft bumpers and airbags that are now required. The Guardian serves the same purpose for an athlete’s head—a soft shell barrier between it and impact.
Wondering which Guardian Cap is best for you?
- Guardian Caps XT – Original Cap. Tested, Validated, Mandated. Youth – College.
- Guardian Caps NXT – Original Cap for college and pro players 250+ lbs. Tested, Validated, Mandated.
- Guardian Caps XT 2.0 – Same Science, Same Technology, Sleeker Design. Youth – College.
- Guardian Caps NXT 2.0 – Same Science, Same Technology, Sleeker Design. College & Pros 250+ lbs.
The Guardian Cap brings a padded, soft-shell layer worn on the outside of the decades old hard-shell helmet for football, lacrosse and hockey:
- Guardian XT reduces impact of hits
- Guardian NXT (NFL version) reduces HARM (Head Acceleration Response Metric) up to 40%
- Guardian Caps are permitted for in-game use for the 2024 NFL season
- Addresses the impact severity of blows for athletes
- Pads blows to knees, hands, abdomen, etc. during position drills
- The leading helmet impact reducer is now available for hockey
- Protects helmet/decal wear and tear
- Reduces radiant heat up to 20°
Utilizing facilities at Rutgers, Virginia Tech, BioCore and Stanford, Guardian continues building upon its current base of research in impact reduction and material development.
- Rutgers
- Youth focused clinical study conducted by Robert Heary, MD, Neurosurgeon. Demonstrated that by using Guardian Caps & safe tackling techniques at the middle school level there are fewer head impacts over the course of an entire season.
- Virginia Tech
- “Helmet shell add-ons have been shown to decrease linear and rotational acceleration, thereby helping to reduce risk of injury.”
- BioCore
- On average, the Guardian Cap NXT reduced HARM (head acceleration response metric) by 9%, while the ProTech reduced HARM by 5%, which was a statistically significant difference.
- Stanford
- Overall, by incorporating a Guardian Cap, HARM values were reduced in laboratory impact tests by an average of 25% at 3.5 m/s (range: 9.7 – 39.6%), 18% at 5.5 m/s (range: -5.5% – 40.5), and 10% at 7.4 m/s (range: -6.0 – 31.0%)
The Guardian team is always open to more research on the Guardian Cap to further build on the current base of research and continue to bridge the gap that exists between biomechanical testing to the end injuries. Until the gap is bridged, claims will be held only to what has been empirically proven.
In 2017, Guardian won the NFL HeadHealthTECH Challenge. In 2020, the Guardian Cap was seen on multiple NFL teams during practices. After a year of data collection and lab testing that showed a “statistically significant” improvement over helmets alone, the NFL permitted Guardian Caps in the 2021 season. In early 2022, the NFL owners announced that the league would mandate the use of Guardian Caps during the early part of training camp for all OL, DL, TEs, and LBs. In 2023, the NFL expanded the mandate of Guardian Caps to include all preseason, regular season, and post season contact practices, while adding RBs and FBs to the list of mandated positions. For the 2024 season, the NFL has once again expanded their mandate by adding receiver and defensive backs to the list of positions mandated to wear Guardian Caps. The mandated position groups now include: OL, DL, LB, DB, TE, RB, FB, WR. Additionally, due to the efficacy of the Guardian Cap in practice, the NFL has now permitted players to wear the Guardian Cap, if they so choose, during games for the 2024-2025
GUARDIAN CAP BENEFITS
IN ACTION
Guardian Caps are worn by 500,000+ athletes nationwide to reduce impact during practice.
WORN BY:
Stay up to date with the latest announcements & teams using Caps.
Worn by 500+ colleges, 5000+ high schools, 1000+ youth programs, 32 NFL Teams, and 9 CFL Teams.
Mandated by the NFL for the early part of the 2024 training season.
Permitted by the NFL to wear in games if the player choses to do so.
READ THESE BLOGS TO LEARN MORE
“We’ve got two years of data now showing significant concussion reductions in those players that wear Guardian Caps in the NFL,” said Dr. Allen Sills, MD, FACS, Chief Medical Officer of the NFL. “We might actually see a Guardian Cap on a player in a game this year.”
“It’s really become a norm here. The players know the Caps. They’ve seen the data, it works. The Guardian Caps have become another piece of equipment that they take to practice. You think about all the head impacts that we’re reducing from players wearing them and it’s second nature now.”
“We have tested Guardian Caps in labs and have seen significant reduction in the impact forces that the head sees when the Guardian Cap is on the helmet. It is very promising in the lab and on the field.”
“We have expanded the mandate to all players with the option for quarterback, kicker, and punter. There is also the option for the player to wear it in the game if he so chooses”
“We’re trying to take head contact out entirely in some fashions. The Guardian Cap has been a very important change for us as it’s shown to reduce impact. It has been very effective and reduced concussions by 52%.”
