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A study published this week reveals that a simple rule change in Ivy League football matches has resulted in a significant drop in the number of concussions.
After the Ivy League changed its kickoff rules in 2016, adjusting kick and throw lines by just five yards, the concussion rate per 1,000 hit matches Sending went from 11 to two, according to the study published Monday in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
The kick-offs, in which players sprint on the court and can hit each other at full speed, had already accounted for a disproportionate number of concussions.
This study fits into a broader effort to adjust kick-off rules at all levels of football and clearly shows that touch points can help reduce the risk of head injury in a sport struggling with competing priorities to entertain its audience and protect its players.
"We are really seeing compelling evidence that, in fact, the introduction of the experimental launch rule seems to be associated with a significant reduction in concussions," said Douglas Wiebe, lead author of the study and director. Penn Injury Science Center of the University of Pennsylvania.
In 2015, launches at Ivy League games accounted for 6% of all games, but 21% of concussions, the study said. The football coaches of the Ivy League have therefore decided to change the rules to encourage shots on goal in the end zone.
Under the new system, teams started from the 40-yard instead of 35-yard line and rollbacks started from the 20-yard line instead of the 25-yard line.
The result? An increase in the number of touch points – and "a dramatic reduction in the rate of concussions," said Dr. Wiebe.
The study examined the concussion rate over three seasons before the rule change (2013 to 2015) and two seasons after this one (from 2016 to 2017). The researchers found a greater reduction in the number of concussions at the kickoff after the rule change compared to other types of patches, such as directed games and bloating, which did not occur. have experienced only a slight decline.
The Ivy League – an NCA.A. conference that includes Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Pennsylvania, Princeton and Yale – has been one of the most aggressive academic conferences to address the risks associated with collisions that are endemic to football. In 2016, Ivy League football coaches have taken an extraordinary step: eliminating all the complete successes of the training during the regular season.
But the N.C.A.A. as a whole has also taken steps to target the picks. For example, a new rule this season allows the home teams to claim a fair take anywhere inside the 25-yard line and get a touchdown.
In a statement Monday, the NAC. said he had taken a look at the concussion data of the Ivy League before approving his new rule.
"The concussion data from the Ivy League were first presented to the NAC. and many other stakeholders early in 2018, "the statement said. This data was among the information, he said, which "contributed significantly to the discussions and analysis that resulted in new football kickoff rules for the 2018 season. ".
N.F.L. also changed the kick-off rules and found a reduction in the number of concussions after moving his 30-yard line-up line to 35 before the 2011 season, according to figures from the league.
He has also put in place a new rule this year that requires players to line up near the kickoff line, rather than allowing them to get a good start.
Dr. Wiebe, lead author of the Ivy League study, said, "It's great to see a story of success here." But he noted that games other than punt-kickers also lead to concussions. .
"We need to step back and think about the rest of the game," he said.
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