Erin Hanson's Guardian Sports has launched the Guardian Flex chinstrap, engineered to reduce the impact of blows to the facemask, a common area of injury in football.
The chinstrap reportedly reduces Head Acceleration Response Metric (HARM) scores by up to 35 percent. Research indicates facemask impacts account for roughly half of all hits in football, an area where traditional helmets are less effective.
This new device follows Guardian Sports' earlier innovation, the Guardian Cap, a soft padded shell that fits over helmets. Studies showed the Guardian Cap reduced concussion risk by 15 to 34 percent. The chinstrap targets a critical safety gap by addressing the high frequency of facemask impacts.
The Guardian chinstrap features a hard outer shell with a foam insert and SoftShox technology, a hydraulic shock-absorbing mechanism designed to mitigate force from facemask collisions. It is compatible with all major helmets and retails for $69.
The Canadian Football League (CFL) has reviewed the product, with expectations that all nine franchises will adopt them this season. The CFL previously mandated Guardian Caps for certain positions during practices in 2023, contributing to a reported 42 percent decrease in training camp concussions. U Sports, the governing body for Canadian university sport, is also monitoring the chinstrap's advancement.