KAP7 Launches the Tuff-Cap: The First Game-Legal Protective Water Polo Cap, Built by Athletes and Backed by Science

Irvine, CA – KAP7 International is proud to announce the debut of the KAP7 Tuff-Cap®, a first-of-its-kind game-legal protective headgear for water polo, designed by water polo athletes and validated by scientific research. The Tuff-Cap marks a major step forward in player safety—combining elite-level performance, comfort, and protection in a cap that looks and feels like the traditional standard.

Built by athletes with a deep understanding of water polo and its unique demands, the Tuff-Cap was developed in collaboration with leading engineers and scientists specializing in helmet design and materials science. This partnership brought cutting-edge protective technology into the pool for the first time, addressing the growing awareness of head impact risks in aquatic sports.

“We’ve lived the sport of water polo our whole lives. Our goal wasn’t just to make a safer cap—it was to make one that athletes actually want to wear,” said Bradley Schumacher, Co-Founder of KAP7 International.

Founded in Science
Peer-reviewed research from a study conducted at UC Irvine has demonstrated that Tuff-Cap technology significantly reduces impact forces from ball impacts across a range of ball speeds spanning 25 to 55 mph, representing shots across youth to elite competition. The study fired water polo balls at a crash test dummy equipped with impact sensors to show that rotational head accelerations with the Tuff-Cap were on the scale of approximately 33% lower on average, when compared to standard water polo caps. This reduction in rotational acceleration—a key risk factor for concussions—highlights the meaningful protective benefits achievable through scientifically informed design.

“Achieving a significant reduction in both linear and rotational impact forces with a regulation-approved cap is a remarkable advancement that future generations of water polo players will benefit from. The Tuff-Cap is pioneer safety product in the sport,” said Nicholas Cecchi, PhD, the leading author of the study and co-creator of the Tuff-Cap®.

Patented, Streamlined Design
Featuring a patented, streamlined design, the Tuff-Cap® delivers maximum protection and comfort while maintaining the classic silhouette of a standard cap. The result is protective headgear that’s indistinguishable in appearance, ensuring that performance, visibility, and comfort remain uncompromised. At its core, the Tuff-Cap integrates – Poron XRD® – an advanced padding material engineered to absorb and dissipate high-energy impacts while maintaining a lightweight, flexible fit. Soft and pliable during play, the XRD® layer stiffens momentarily upon impact, helping to reduce the transmission of force from impact.

“The Tuff-Cap® looks and feels just like a traditional water polo cap—but when you take a hard hit to the head, the viscoelastic XRD padding instantly reacts to absorb and dissipate impact energy” said TJ Oros, a Materials Science PhD student at USC that co-created the product.

Game-Legal and Competition-Ready
The Tuff-Cap is fully compliant with USA Water Polo Rule 4.5 and NFHS Rule 1-26, making it entirely legal for competition use. It is the first water polo headgear product to combine competition approval, patented design, and science-backed impact reduction in one package.

“Water polo is faster and more physical than ever,” said Wolf Wigo, Co-Founder at KAP7 International. “The Tuff-Cap® ensures protective equipment evolves with the sport—delivering real protection that players barely notice in play, until it matters.”

The KAP7 Tuff-Cap® is available for field players and goalies here.