Concussions don’t just occur on the football field – they can happen in any sport.

Here Robin Rostratter of the Cal Bears women’s volleyball team wears a helmet.

California’s sophomore libero, Robin Rostratter, suffered a concussion last season after colliding with a teammate on the volleyball court. She began wearing a blue, foam-padded helmet in practice, and now uses it in matches, as well. Although rarely used, a helmet complies with NCAA uniform regulations.

As you might guess, Rostratter hears the taunts when Cal plays on the road, but she’s attracted quite a fan club for the Bears’ home matches. Cal fans are now showing up wearing blue hard hats.

How to Buy a Volleyball Helmet

Volleyball is a very physical game, and although Robin Rostratter has caused quite a stir by wearing a blue helmet, it is hopefully only a matter of time before others follow where she leads.

So what features are important when you are looking to purchase a volleyball helmet, after all, volleyball helmets are not that common place just yet in any sports store. Which helmets are suitable?

Important Features of a Volleyball Helmet

• Volleyball helmets need to be very secure, after all, you can’t risk it jiggling about and obstructing your vision when you’re in the middle of a play can you?
• Volleyball helmets need to be light and comfortable. Volleyball is an extremely energetic game and you’re sure to get extremely hot very quickly (and if you don’t you’re not trying hard enough), so your volleyball helmet must be light and comfortable.
• Volleyball helmets need to be well vented, so that you can get as much air as possible to keep your head cool.
• Volleyball helmets must not pose a danger to other players. This is extremely important. If you wore a helmet which, for example, resembled a bicycle helmet with a visor, just think about how much damage you could do to your team-mate if you collided. It’s important to keep yourself safe, but not at the expense of everyone else around you.

If we just go back to the photo of Robin Rostratter for a minute, you can clearly see that the helmet is securely fastened, does not have any protruding parts which may injure other players, does not obstruct her vision in any way and has plenty of ventilation. The design of it is not actually unlike the head protectors which are often worn in the sport of rugby, so if you are looking for a suitable helmet to wear while playing volleyball that might be a good place to start.

Hopefully though, it’s only a matter of time before a volleyball helmet is readily available, designed specifically for the job. Maybe Robin will patent one (or maybe she already has!)