The document provides advice for avoiding injury in youth sports. It outlines several tips that parents can follow to lessen the frequency and severity of injuries, including encouraging open communication so that kids report any pain, enforcing warm-up routines before practices and games, allowing for adequate rest after activities, ensuring hydration by providing water, and emphasizing proper technique to minimize technical mistakes that could lead to injury.

1. Advice for
Avoiding Injury
in Youth
Sports
PHILIP WARD SEATTLE

2. Youth sports can be stressful.
Young athletes play with an attitude that broadcasts invincibility. They
kick, tumble, and dodge their way to a goal, paying no mind to
potential broken bones or gashed knees. Their tenacity is admirable –
and stressful for their sideline-bound parents! Kids who give their all
on the field are often subject to the scrapes and breaks that come part
and parcel with Injuries are nearly impossible to avoid in youth sports,
but parents can take steps to lessen their frequency and severity. Here,
I outline a few tips that may lessen the stress for parents and young
athletes alike.

3. Communicate
Kids who do sports need to tell their
coaches and parents when they feel pain;
not doing so can lead to irreparable injury
if the hurt is left unchecked and
untreated. To circumvent this, parents
should encourage open communication
and build a healthy rapport with their
children around the subject of sports.

4. Set Warm-Ups
Dance, football, swim: no matter your
sport, warming up is a must. Athletes
need to stretch and warm their muscles
before they start practice, else they risk
overtaxing their muscles and injuring
themselves. Given that young athletes
are still growing, skipping a warm-up
routine can be even more damaging for
kids than it might otherwise be for
adults. Always enforce the warm-up,
even if the team wants to leap into the
game!

5. Allow for Rest
Every athlete needs a good night’s sleep to
thrive. Without proper rest, the body’s
stamina levels drop dramatically, thereby
increasing the risk of on-field exhaustion
or injury. Encourage your child to rest
after game days and practices! They need
the time to recover more than you might
think.

6. Hydrate Often
Every athlete knows that staying
hydrated is vital to performance,
especially during the summertime. Not
drinking adequate amounts of water can
ultimately lead to lessened performance,
exhaustion, and even fainting. Make
sure that you have water and
electrolytes on-hand during sporting
events to ensure that your child stays
hydrated!

7. Encourage Proper
Technique
A young athlete is only as good as the
techniques that they use. When it comes
to sports, there is very little margin for
error. A technical mistake in form or
stance could do serious harm to a young
athlete, so it’s vital that they learn and
practice proper technique.

8. Thank
You!
PhilipWardSeattle.org