By Jeff Chambers October 4, 2019

Tips for Parents

Sports have always been a big part of my life. Growing up in Nebraska, fall meant football, and it was everything to win that week’s game! While I enjoyed playing basketball, I absolutely loved football. During each practice, we learned much about each other — and about life. We talked about each other’s family, and […]

By Guardian Athletics March 7, 2018

Football has a Problem

This is how we win again. We let them play. Kato Collar helps keep players safe in the game by decelerating the head by up to 30% after an impact. This helps prevent concussions, burner/stingers, and other injuries. To learn more about the collar, click here. Kato Collar helps keep players safe in the game […]

By Jeff Chambers March 7, 2018

What is Heads Up Training?

Over my years as a trainer, I always kept abreast of the latest in techniques and researched/implemented parts that worked best to improve player safety. I’m often asked what I think about these programs, and I’m happy to share my thoughts with you here. There are two main Heads Up Programs: CDC’s Heads Up Concussion […]

By Jeff Chambers January 17, 2018

What’s Active Range of Motion?

When someone or something indicates that there is full range of motion (ROM) it is important to understand the context in which it is being used for description. Active Range of Motion (AROM) and Passive Range of Motion (PROM) may be very different, and the terms are generally used to describe the movement of various […]

By Guardian Athletics December 19, 2017

Guardian Athletics Manifesto

Concussion.The big, scary, 10-letter word. The fear of them is getting in the way of the protection of our athletes and the game we love.The game that’s been handed down through generations. The game that entire communities are built around. But our game has been under attack because of legitimate safety concerns. And it ends […]

By Jeff Chambers December 19, 2017

Field Tester: Marcus Gooden

Marcus Gooden was a 5th year senior from Illinois who played linebacker and long snapper on punts and extra points for the 2015 Minnesota State Mavericks. He suffered from repeated burner/stingers, averaging 1-2 every game. Unfortunately, Marcus would have to leave for a series of plays to recover every time he sustained the injury in […]

By Jeff Chambers December 19, 2017

How We Started

In the fall of 1997, I was the head athletic trainer at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. During this time, I had a football player named Greg Herlihy who suffered from repeated burner/stingers. Every time he got hit on the helmet it would force his head in a motion to his left and his left arm […]

By Jeff Chambers December 19, 2017

Burner/Stingers: We Can Help

Unless you are well versed in football, you likely haven’t heard of a burner/stinger. Let’s start with the technical definition: The brachial plexus is a network of nerves that send signals from your spine to your shoulder, arm, and hand. When you have a brachial plexus injury or a BPI, it is when these nerves […]

By Guardian Athletics October 12, 2017

Our Purpose

The fear of concussions and other head injuries is preventing athletes of all ages from playing a game they love — football. Our passion was ignited when we realized that the industry simply wasn’t innovating fast enough. Football has been passed down through generations and has built tight communities of athletes, coaches, and fans all around […]

By Guardian Athletics October 11, 2017

Our Team

Football is in our DNA. After years of research, prototyping, and development we’ve launched a product like none other. Our team works to create confidence with the football community to help players at all level of play, inspiring the next generation of athletes. With the launch in ’17 of Kato Collar, our flagship product, we’re […]

By Jeff Chambers October 11, 2017

Concussions & CTE: What We Know

Over my 35 years of experience as an athletic trainer, I needed to communicate with athletes, coaches, parents, and physicians in a way that each understood what had occurred. In the most basic of words, a concussion is any blow to the head or the body that causes enough injury to the brain to elicit […]