American Football Protective Equipment

American Football protective equipment is really important for football players as it helps to protect the body during football games. Basic equipments worn by almost all football players are:-

Helmet

The helmet has evolved a lot. It was originally made of leather. Nowadays, the helmet is really improved and is taking modern technology to protect the health of the players.  A more recent addition to the football helmet is a visor or eyeshield, traditionally used to protect players from eye injuries or glare.

The helmet is the same for any player but the face mask can vary much depending on the position of the player. It is clear that certain players need more protection and others need more space to view the field. New design for the helmet includes an integrated faceguard featuring shock absorbing "Energy Wedges" that reduce the force of impacts to the faceguard.

There are several distinct parts of professional football helmet which are the shell, jaw pads and air bladders, face mask, chin strap, and mouth guard. The shell is constructed of hard plastic with thick padding on the inside, a face mask made of one or more metal bars, and a chinstrap used to secure the helmet. Although they are protective, players can and do still suffer head injuries such as concussion.

Shoulder pads

Shoulder pads is important for a football player as they will help to absorb some of the shock of impact through deformation (the pads at the shoulders are strung on tight webbing and deform on impact) and they will also distribute the shock through a larger area so there is less pressure at the point of impact.

The shoulder pads are made of a hard plastic outer shell with shock-absorbing foam padding underneath. The pads fit over the shoulders and the chest and rib area, and are secured with various snaps and buckles. Various styles of shoulder pads exist for different positions played. Pads for linemen are designed with few flaps and epaulets, thus reducing the opportunity for being grabbed by the opposition. On the other hand, pads for a quarterback are lightweight and offer freedom of movement.

Shoes

Shoes are worn depending on the turf on which the game is played. If it is nice weather typical cleats are thick on the outside and thin on the inside of the bottom of the shoe. ON the other hand, during rainy weather, football players will use longer and thicker cleats to allow good grip on the wet grass.

Gloves

Gloves also can be worn. Usually there are 2 types of gloves that the football players wear. The types are sticky in the palm who usually being used by receiver, or thickly protective for the linemen. The gloves worn by linemen usually are lined with very thick padding to better protect fingers and hands, which sometimes are caught in an opponent's face mask or are stepped on.