Ways to Make Sports Safer for Kids

A lot of children are playing on teams these days: over 28 million, in fact, in line with the Sports & Fitness Industry Association. The following tips can help keep your child healthy and safe.

Protect the head
Knocks to the noggin may be dangerous and put players in danger of concussion. Additionally, to wearing the designated headgear for his or her sport, kids should learn the acceptable techniques for tackling in football, body checking in hockey, and heading the ball in soccer, says Ingrid Ichesco, MD, a pediatric medicine specialist at the University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital. If a baby does experience success to the pinnacle, “be responsive to any headache, dizziness, confusion, or emotional issues,” she says.

Be sensitive to pain
Kids may feel pressure to induce back out on the sector after tweaking a muscle, but that doesn’t mean they must. “‘No pain, no gain’ is actually about muscle soreness during endurance training,” says a professor within the Department of Rehabilitation and Human Performance at mountain peak Health System.

Limit playtime
Don’t underestimate the psychological and physical power of taking time off—one to 2 days per week, and two to 3 months annually during a given sport advises Dr. Ichesco. In general, remember that sports should be fun and our goal is to undertake to encourage lifelong physical activity and a healthy lifestyle.

Know the rules of the sport
When players know the principles of the sport, fewer injuries happen. You and also the other players know what to expect from one another. It’s better — and safer — to travel after the ball instead of the player. With sports that use plays, it helps to grasp the plays and what your role is in everyone. Being where you’re speculated to be can facilitate your stay out of harm’s way, too.