Helmets and Concussions

Hey Guys,

May I solicit your opinions please.  First off I know there is no helmet made that will prevent a concussion.  Many, many of my catchers have taken foul tips off the helmet and the face mask with no issue as most of these have been glancing blows.

What I am curious about is the hit that lands squarely in the face mask, or the area above the face mask in the forehead range.  I have been reading and searching for how a face mask will deflect the impact of a ball away from the head.  I have researched a helmet made by AllStar which has sent me down this path.  They claim the ibar design of the facemask and how it is mounted to the helmet and the physical shape, abosrbs and transfers the impact away from the face, around the side of the head (to where the face mask is attached to the helmet) and back towards the face again.  There was discussion that having two t-bolts at the forehead region, which the mask attaches to, stops the transfer of the energy from an impact and sends the energy towards the forehead.

I am not certainly not disputing this in any shape or form, rather would like to know the physics behind it.  This type of helmet has been in use in MLB for about 4 years and has been commented on favorably by those who have worn it.  Knowing some of you have played professionally and many others have extensive contacts within the baseball world, I thought I would ask your thoughts.

Kind Regards

Coach Kevin