Strategies for Preventing Youth Sports Injuries

There are several strategies that coaches, parents, and athletes can follow to help prevent sports injuries. Most importantly, athletes should:

Proper protective gear for a baseball catcher.

• Be in proper physical condition to play a sport (a pre-participation sports physical examinations can be very useful in screening for potential problems)
• Know and abide by the rules of a sport
• Wear appropriate protective gear (for example, shin guards for soccer, a hard-shell helmet when facing a baseball pitcher, a helmet and body padding for ice hockey)
• Know how to correctly use athletic equipment (for example, correctly adjusting the bindings on snow skis)
• Always warm up before playing
• Stay hydrated
• Avoid playing when very tired or in pain