A helmet padding consists of sets of one or more tubes, with each set of tubes located at a crucial area of the shell of the helmet. An armature and tubes are connected together and mounted within the inner shell of the helmet. The helmet uses a new
fastener to fasten a cage to the helmet shell allowing sides of the cage to be mounted directly against the shell, reducing the width of the shell on each side. A ball is attached to a portion of a bar of the cage to act as a limit stop precluding movements of the cage with respect to the helmet. A
chin bar is fastened to the helmet at two points on each side of the shell. The shell is molded with recessed portions designed to receive the two branches of the
chin bar on each side where they will be fastened to the shell so that the outer surfaces of the
chin guard are flush with the shell at the locations of attachment to provide a smooth transition and reduce weight. An adjustment device to adjust the fit of the helmet to the user includes a star wheel on each side of the helmet attached to an arcuate flexible strip extending rearwardly around the occipital area of the
skull. A sliding mechanism attached to the strip allows the strip to be moved forward and backward to allow it to be tightened or loosened, respectively, with respect to the player's head. A ratcheting lateral adjustment device is also disclosed.