Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) on Hit Count®
1. Which sports is this appropriate for?
Hit Count® is appropriate for any activity that involves exposure to repetitive brain trauma including football, soccer, ice hockey, lacrosse, wrestling, rugby, skiing, snowboarding, and action sports.
2. What is the sensor measuring?
Hit Count® certified products are designed to measure acceleration of the brain. Sensors attached to the helmet, chinstrap, mouthpiece, and against the skull in headbands or beanies measure movement of the head from a fixed point or multiple fixed points.
3. What is the threshold for a Hit?
SLI and a group of volunteer medical advisors reviewed the published literature and theory on brain trauma, and determined that a 20 g linear acceleration in a 50 millisecond window was the most logical based on current science.
An acceleration or deceleration of the head that reaches 20 g’s is not known to occur with normal activities associated with sports, like running and jumping. It represents an abnormal movement of the head that is associated with direct impact to the head or an impact to the body that causes a whiplash like movement. Learn more in the Hit Count® White Paper at HitCount.org.
4. Why is there only one threshold for a Hit?
There is only one threshold for a Hit because the goal of Hit Count® is to create a simple, actionable metric for brain trauma exposure. That may change as more is learned about brain trauma. Learn more in the Hit Count® White Paper.
5. What is a safe Hit Count® for a season or for a year?
There is not a definitive number. But we expect that programs will use Hit Count® as a behavior modification tool, assessing each athlete’s Hit Count® every day and using the Hit Count® Calculator along with the Hit Count® Comparison Tool to project an athlete’s Hit Count® at the end of the season, and make appropriate adjustments during the season. The SLI Medical Advisory Board regularly reviews new research and will update Hit Count® guidelines accordingly. To learn the latest updates, subscribe to the newsletter at HitCount.org and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
6. What is the Hit Count® Calculator?
The Hit Count® Calculator is a tool that allows you to enter Hit Count® data at any point during the season and project forward to a full season Hit Count® and full year Hit Count®.SLI recommends using the Hit Count® Calculator in conjunction with the Hit Count® Comparison Tool.
7. What is the Hit Count® Comparison Tool?
The Hit Count® Comparison Tool is way to compare your Hit Count® data to that of other athletes and teams in the same sport. For example, in the Virginia Tech-Wake Forest study referenced three different teams had average Hit Counts® of 61, 106, and 145. Therefore, a team of 9 to 12 year olds might use this as a frame of reference to set a goal to be close to or below a Hit Count® of 61. In general, the lower the Hit Count®, the better.
8. How should I set a Hit Count® goal for a season?
There is currently no scientific way to determine a Hit Count® goal. SLI recommends utilizing the Hit Count® Comparison Tool to evaluate peer players and teams. SLI is constantly reviewing research publications and available data on brain trauma exposure in each sport to share how some sports manage to play successfully and safely with a lower Hit Count®.
9. What sports and positions are the most dangerous?
Sensors have only been used in a limited number of sports, so it is too soon to say which sports and positions are associated with the highest Hit Count®. The most important variable may be how the particular sport is practiced, played, and coached.
10. Who is responsible for counting Hits?
1. Parents
Parents have an important role in advocating for greater safety in youth sports. They areencouraged to monitor their child’s Hit Count® on a daily basis, use the Hit Count® Calculator and Hit Count® Comparison Tool, and work with their child and his/her coach to identify ways to minimize Hit Count®.
2. Coaches
Coaches should monitor their athletes’ Hit Count® and play an important role in reducing Hit Count® through changes in practice planning, teaching technique, and changing dangerous behaviors.
3. Athletic Trainers
Athletic trainers, who are vital resources for teams, should work with all parties to monitor Hit Count® and eliminate unnecessary brain trauma.
4. Sports Administrators
Administrators are the ultimate decision makers on Hit Count®. We encourage them to learn about Hit Count®, the science behind it, and adopt it for their contact sports.
5. Athletes
Athletes can take an active role in reducing their risk of negative outcomes by monitoring their Hit Count® and taking personal responsibility for their future.
11. Does it matter how many Hits one has in a single day?
Yes, there is pilot data showing that high levels of brain trauma exposure in a single day has been associated with increased risk of brain damage. However, few studies have looked at this phenomenon, and we hope Hit Count® leads to more research on the effects of one day’s worth of repetitive subconcussive brain trauma.
12. Are there differences by age or gender?
There are probably differences, but there hasn’t been enough research to provide guidelines.
13. Does SLI make Hit Count® products?
No, SLI does not make Hit Count® products. SLI tests Hit Count® products and licenses the Hit Count® trademark for no fee to qualified sensor companies .
14. What does it mean if a product is Hit Count® certified?
If a product is Hit Count® Certified, it has passed the Hit Count® Certification Test. This means that a product meets a standard for accurately measuring acceleration at the Hit Count® threshold. As other tests of accuracy become available in the near future, including the Virginia Tech Star Sensor program, SLI will accept those tests to qualify for certification. Click here to learn more about the Hit Count® certification process.
15. How do I know if my product is Hit Count® Certified?
Look for the Hit Count® Certified Mark.
16. How can I access my data?
Every Hit Count® Certified product is unique. Check with the manufacturer.
17. Does my Hit Count® data remain private or can it be accessed by anyone?
Check with the manufacturer. Personal medical information is protected by HIPAA laws. Data collected by a company should not be associated with any identifying information, like your name, and should not be able to be tracked back to you.
18. If my data is collected, what would it be used for?
Hit Count® and other sensor data is being collected so that researchers can help identify safer ways to play sports and understand how certain levels of trauma can affect the brain.
19. What is SLI’s relationship with the Hit Count® Companies?
SLI provides Hit Count® as a public service, and will not derive revenue from sensor companies to run the program. Hit Count® Companies must pass the Hit Count® Certification Test. 100% of all testing fees go to the testing facility. In addition, the company must become a licensee of the Hit Count® program. There are no fees associated with licensing Hit Count®, but a sensor company has to have passed a testing standard accepted by SLI to establish accuracy. Some sensor companies initially provided support to develop the Hit Count® test as well as support the process to develop the Hit Count threshold, but beginning in 2015 SLI supports Hit Count® through philanthropy.
20. What if I cannot afford a Hit Count® product?
It is SLI’s goal that by understanding the effects of brain trauma, we can learn safer ways to play sports. We hope that as we discover safer ways to play, the changes will be adopted by all sports programs, whether or not they use Hit Count® products.
