CONTRIBUTING EDITOR ~ JORDAN
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Sports participation among youth in the U.S.
is on the rise and has been for some time. Over 30 million kids take part in a
youth sport. As the number of
players increases, so too does the number of injuries – both mild and serious.
More than 3.5 million children aged under 14
go to the hospital from sports injuries every year. And it is not just sports
like football that are affected; most major sports involve injury.
Physical injury in sports is one of a parent’s
biggest concerns. Kids that are involved in sports can reap countless benefits.
They can have fun, get some exercise, and learn crucial life skills such as
teamwork and goal-setting. But every time a child enters a field or court,
parents can’t help but worry that they may get hurt.
The likelihood of injury depends on the sport.
Coaches and parents must take a more active role in these injury-prone
activities to help reduce the risk. The type of gear the children wear, certain
restrictions on playing depending on the child’s age, and behavior discipline
all contribute to reducing the risk of getting hurt.
Rising
Incidence
As sports get more competitive, there is a
higher chance of injuries. This is especially true of football. Injuries are more common in football than in
most other sports. Over the 18 years between 1990 and 2008, youth football
injuries rose by nearly 30%. Sprains
and strains represented the most common types of injuries. Kids ages 12 to 17
were the ones most likely to suffer from football injuries.
Among team sports, basketball comes in second
in terms of youth injuries.
In-game injuries are one thing, while injuries
during practice represent a whole
other problem. Most youth sport injuries (62%) occur in practice. Part of the
reason is that a third of parents don’t require kids take the same precautions
in practice as they do in games.
For those who used to think that boys have it
worse off, the numbers show otherwise. Girls and boys get injured with similar
frequencies, and in some sports (those in which girls and boys play together)
girls suffer from more injuries.
Reducing youth sports injury is clearly
important and achieving that reduction requires better gear and rule changes in
terms of in-game play and general behavior.
Changing
the Rules
In response to the growing incidence of injury,
major youth sports programs are taking action. Among other things, they are
advising on gear and monitoring and changing the rules of gameplay.
Gear
Youth organizations like USA Basketball and
Pop Warner (for football) are acknowledging injury and advising the use of more
protective gear. Pro basketball-quality mouth guards, for
example, can help to greatly reduce injury in youth basketball.
In football, better protective sleeves/shorts,,a mouth guard, and chin strap are all welcome measures to help
reduce injury.
Play
Pop Warner decided to test a smaller version
of football to reduce incidents of injury. The changes involved include a
smaller field, fewer players per team, the prohibition against linemen taking a
three-point stance (they must crouch), mandatory rotation of positions for
players and matching up of similar-sized players.
Other sports have seen similar gameplay rule
changes in recent years. In 2014, the U.S. Soccer Federation officially ruled
out the use of headers for children under ten. U.S. ice hockey also followed
suit.
The objective in all these cases, and with all
these changes, is to ensure children play sports longer by reducing their rate
of injury. Reducing contact, or navigating how it occurs, is a big part of
that.
Behavior
With its safety-first approach, Pop Warner has
always instituted an age and weight matrix in its team formation to reduce the
risk of injury. Now, they are also focused on how coaches monitor the athletes
while they are in games and practice.
Behavioral changes also mean young athletes
learn the importance of fair play, especially in football. The Heads-Up
Football program launched in 2014 by USA Football attempted to teach kids
better, safer ways to tackle. Pop Warner also reduced the amount of contact
allowed in practices, showing again that injuries are not just problems during
games.
Evolving
programs
The goal of any youth sports program should be
to let kids have fun while promoting health, their sense of responsibility, and
teamwork. A focus on safety is an integral aspect. The trend these days, as
shown by Pop Warner, is to focus on developing better players.
For example, there is no tallying of
touchdowns by a player in a Pop Warner football game. USA Basketball gives extensive advice on preventing basketball injuries.
These two programs and others like them today
work to produce kids that know how to work together, on and off the field or
court, and who have a larger sense of purpose. Keeping the children safe is
part of that package.
With the rule changes instituted by the
programs, the greater attention that coaches are giving to the athletes in
practice and in games, as well as the care and attention of their parents, kids
who are active in sports are better protected than ever before.
Well-Rounded
Players
Just as research on football injuries in pro
football led to public awareness and then better safety measures at the top
level of the game, it is research into youth injuries that is causing youth
programs to change their rules.
The Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC) states that nearly half of all youth sports
injuries are preventable. Changing the rules to improve safety is, therefore, a
solution that’s a long time coming. Importantly, it is not just changes in the
rules that will produce the effect desired. There must be greater awareness
among kids, parents, and coaches alike about the importance of safety measures.
While it may be too soon to assess the full
impact of these rule changes, they are made in good faith and will lead to
better play, better teams, and more well-rounded players. These players will
develop a better respect for the game and for each other.
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Affiliate links are included in this post, which means if you make a purchase using one of the links, I will earn a small commission, however it will not cost you one penny. But it does help to keep my blog running. Thank you!
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