RISK OF HEAD INJURY FROM FALLS ON TAEKWONDO MATS

Abstract

The aim of this project was to determine the risk of head injury from falls without protective headgear onto 5 different taekwondo mats. In addition, the combined shock absorption of the headgear and mats adopted by the Australian taekwondo team was assessed. An artificial headform with accelerometers was dropped from a height of 1.5 m onto the mats. The acceleration data were used to calculate the Head Injury Criterion (HIC). Results revealed that only one mat had sufficient shock absorption to generate a HIC value below the threshold for head injury for drops with the unprotected headfotm. The combination of the protective headgear and mats adopted by the Australian taekwondo team produced HIC values below the injury threshold. It is recommended that taekwondo athletes wear protective headgear at all times when training.