Modified by BMMPlay · Photo: U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Apprentice Kyle Steckler · Public domain · Source: Wikimedia Commons
Protective equipment is easy to treat as a shopping list: helmet, pads, guard, mouthpiece, shoes, done. The real safety work begins after the item is acquired. Gear must match the activity, fit the individual athlete, remain in serviceable condition, and be worn as intended. A preseason check gives a team time to solve problems before the pressure of a game or tournament.
No helmet or pad makes risky play harmless, and equipment cannot prevent every injury. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns that there is no concussion-proof helmet. The practical goal is to reduce avoidable risk while combining appropriate gear with sound technique, enforced rules, supervision, and prompt reporting of symptoms.
Turn the check into a scheduled fitting clinic rather than a five-minute line before practice. Set up stations for identification, cleaning status, fit, closures, movement, and documentation. Provide privacy where equipment must be adjusted around the body. A final station can issue a pass, send an item for repair, or record the exact replacement needed. Clear outcomes prevent a failed item from drifting back into a team bag.
Plan for cost and access before identifying problems. Keep a small range of replacement sizes when possible, publish the process for requesting help, and avoid singling out families who cannot immediately buy new gear. Safety standards should not depend on a player’s ability to absorb an unexpected expense. Programs can budget for replacement cycles, loaner inventory, and qualified inspection as ordinary operating costs.
Match each item to the actual activity
Start with the rules and standards for the athlete’s sport, age group, position, and league. A helmet designed for one activity may be tested for a different pattern of impact than another. The Consumer Product Safety Commission maintains information on recreational helmets and notes that bicycle helmets sold in the United States must meet the federal bicycle-helmet standard, while other sports rely on relevant voluntary standards and governing-body requirements.
Create a roster by item rather than asking families whether they have everything. Record the equipment type, size, identifying number if used by the program, certification label, date issued, and person who checked it. This reveals expired, shared, or missing items and prevents a hurried handoff from becoming the final inspection.
Read the current manufacturer instructions and the organization’s policy. Do not drill holes, remove padding, mix parts, add unapproved accessories, or repaint equipment in a way that may affect performance or inspection. When the instructions are unclear, ask the manufacturer, an authorized reconditioner, or the appropriate sport organization rather than improvising.
Bmmplay may earn a commission from qualifying purchases made through these links.
Fit the athlete who will wear it
Schedule fittings when athletes can attend, because sizing from an old form or a sibling’s gear is not enough. Hair, growth, body changes, position, and the layers worn underneath can alter fit. The CDC’s helmet guidance says equipment should be age appropriate, properly fitted, well maintained, appropriately certified, and worn consistently and correctly.
For helmets, follow the sport-specific fitting instructions and verify stability, coverage, vision, and secure straps. The athlete should be able to describe pressure, movement, and discomfort. A snug fit should not create pain or headache. Do not solve looseness by stuffing in unrelated material or solve tightness by removing required pads.
Check the rest of the system, not just the most visible item. Guards should cover the intended area without blocking normal movement. Shoes should suit the surface and rules. Straps, buckles, fasteners, and closures should work through a full range of sport-specific motion. Have the athlete practice putting everything on correctly without a coach doing every step.
Inspect condition and certification
Use bright light and a repeatable checklist. Look for cracks, compressed or missing padding, rust, sharp edges, loose hardware, stretched straps, damaged shells, altered labels, and parts that no longer remain secured. Remove questionable equipment from circulation and label it so another volunteer does not return it to the rack.
Some athletic helmets can be professionally reconditioned and recertified under applicable standards and manufacturer instructions. The National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment explains that recertification tests whether previously certified equipment continues to meet the original requirements and that the allowed interval depends on manufacturer rules. A coach’s visual check is not a substitute for required professional work.
Keep service records with the program instead of on a volunteer’s personal phone. Note inspection dates, repairs, reconditioning, recertification, and retirement. If the label is unreadable or the history cannot be confirmed, seek qualified guidance. Never invent a service date to keep an item available for opening day.
Teach reporting and repeat the check
Show athletes how to report a hard impact, new looseness, broken fastener, missing pad, or change in comfort. They should know that taking equipment out of use is not punishment. A problem discovered during warm-up should go to a designated adult who has replacement authority, not be hidden to preserve a starting spot.
Build quick checks into the season. Coaches can scan fit and closures before activity, while a deeper inspection happens on a set schedule and after relevant impacts or incidents. Clean and store equipment according to instructions so heat, moisture, chemicals, or careless stacking do not create new damage between uses.
End the preseason session with ownership. Give families the correct care information for personally owned gear, tell players which changes require a new fitting, and explain where team-issued items must be returned. A strong equipment program is not a bin of objects. It is a documented loop of selection, fit, inspection, correct use, reporting, maintenance, and retirement.
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Fit the Gear Before the Game: Run a Team Equipment Check That Protects Players
Fit the Gear Before the Game: Run a Team Equipment Check That Protects Players
Protective equipment is easy to treat as a shopping list: helmet, pads, guard, mouthpiece, shoes, done. The real safety work begins after the item is acquired. Gear must match the activity, fit the individual athlete, remain in serviceable condition, and be worn as intended. A preseason check gives a team time to solve problems before the pressure of a game or tournament.
No helmet or pad makes risky play harmless, and equipment cannot prevent every injury. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns that there is no concussion-proof helmet. The practical goal is to reduce avoidable risk while combining appropriate gear with sound technique, enforced rules, supervision, and prompt reporting of symptoms.
Turn the check into a scheduled fitting clinic rather than a five-minute line before practice. Set up stations for identification, cleaning status, fit, closures, movement, and documentation. Provide privacy where equipment must be adjusted around the body. A final station can issue a pass, send an item for repair, or record the exact replacement needed. Clear outcomes prevent a failed item from drifting back into a team bag.
Plan for cost and access before identifying problems. Keep a small range of replacement sizes when possible, publish the process for requesting help, and avoid singling out families who cannot immediately buy new gear. Safety standards should not depend on a player’s ability to absorb an unexpected expense. Programs can budget for replacement cycles, loaner inventory, and qualified inspection as ordinary operating costs.
Match each item to the actual activity
Start with the rules and standards for the athlete’s sport, age group, position, and league. A helmet designed for one activity may be tested for a different pattern of impact than another. The Consumer Product Safety Commission maintains information on recreational helmets and notes that bicycle helmets sold in the United States must meet the federal bicycle-helmet standard, while other sports rely on relevant voluntary standards and governing-body requirements.
Create a roster by item rather than asking families whether they have everything. Record the equipment type, size, identifying number if used by the program, certification label, date issued, and person who checked it. This reveals expired, shared, or missing items and prevents a hurried handoff from becoming the final inspection.
Read the current manufacturer instructions and the organization’s policy. Do not drill holes, remove padding, mix parts, add unapproved accessories, or repaint equipment in a way that may affect performance or inspection. When the instructions are unclear, ask the manufacturer, an authorized reconditioner, or the appropriate sport organization rather than improvising.
Bmmplay may earn a commission from qualifying purchases made through these links.
Fit the athlete who will wear it
Schedule fittings when athletes can attend, because sizing from an old form or a sibling’s gear is not enough. Hair, growth, body changes, position, and the layers worn underneath can alter fit. The CDC’s helmet guidance says equipment should be age appropriate, properly fitted, well maintained, appropriately certified, and worn consistently and correctly.
For helmets, follow the sport-specific fitting instructions and verify stability, coverage, vision, and secure straps. The athlete should be able to describe pressure, movement, and discomfort. A snug fit should not create pain or headache. Do not solve looseness by stuffing in unrelated material or solve tightness by removing required pads.
Check the rest of the system, not just the most visible item. Guards should cover the intended area without blocking normal movement. Shoes should suit the surface and rules. Straps, buckles, fasteners, and closures should work through a full range of sport-specific motion. Have the athlete practice putting everything on correctly without a coach doing every step.
Inspect condition and certification
Use bright light and a repeatable checklist. Look for cracks, compressed or missing padding, rust, sharp edges, loose hardware, stretched straps, damaged shells, altered labels, and parts that no longer remain secured. Remove questionable equipment from circulation and label it so another volunteer does not return it to the rack.
Some athletic helmets can be professionally reconditioned and recertified under applicable standards and manufacturer instructions. The National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment explains that recertification tests whether previously certified equipment continues to meet the original requirements and that the allowed interval depends on manufacturer rules. A coach’s visual check is not a substitute for required professional work.
Keep service records with the program instead of on a volunteer’s personal phone. Note inspection dates, repairs, reconditioning, recertification, and retirement. If the label is unreadable or the history cannot be confirmed, seek qualified guidance. Never invent a service date to keep an item available for opening day.
Teach reporting and repeat the check
Show athletes how to report a hard impact, new looseness, broken fastener, missing pad, or change in comfort. They should know that taking equipment out of use is not punishment. A problem discovered during warm-up should go to a designated adult who has replacement authority, not be hidden to preserve a starting spot.
Build quick checks into the season. Coaches can scan fit and closures before activity, while a deeper inspection happens on a set schedule and after relevant impacts or incidents. Clean and store equipment according to instructions so heat, moisture, chemicals, or careless stacking do not create new damage between uses.
End the preseason session with ownership. Give families the correct care information for personally owned gear, tell players which changes require a new fitting, and explain where team-issued items must be returned. A strong equipment program is not a bin of objects. It is a documented loop of selection, fit, inspection, correct use, reporting, maintenance, and retirement.