Tackle football has the highest number of injuries in contact sports. Certain injuries in the head and neck may severely impact the player's physical, neurological, and physiological functionality, even sudden death, as well as the quality of their personal life in the long run. These injuries commonly occur during a collision when a defender is…

Among the body's mechanical systems that contribute to anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries, hamstrings, quadriceps, and knee flexor muscles are the most prominent components. A strength imbalance to any of these muscles can cause damage to ACL-associated ligaments (Takahashi et al., 2019). To reduce the incidence of such injuries, it is…

Coaches play an important role in ensuring that safety measures, including proper helmet fit, are practiced in youth and high school football. If proper guidelines and safety checks are adhered to, helmets will function as they are intended for in injury prevention and protection. Studies have shown that approximately 84% of youth and high school…

Skateboarding has become a common means of transportation and physical activity among adolescents and adults going to and from work or across college campuses, further highlighting why its implementation as a physical education unit makes sense. This article gives readers a more robust understanding of skateboarding, why it could be advantageous…

Coaches serve in a unique role to oversee health and safety with their athletes especially when traveling with the team to sporting events. If there is no athletic trainer to take charge in prevention or management of injuries, the coach will need to assume that role. Coaches should understand the importance of their role and know how to implement…

Pitching velocity is a crucial factor in effective baseball pitching performance. Upper-body-focused training is prevalent in baseball training to increase pitching velocity. However, significant pitchers, including youth league baseball players, suffer from upper body injuries due to the heavy training load of the throwing arm. This article…

This article discusses what we currently know about overuse arm injuries, current recommendations and guidelines that are in place, and proposed universal guidelines for number of pitches, days of rest, and post-pitching positional play for youth baseball players through the age of 18 in the United States.

The physical educator can play an important role in the successful return to learn (RTL) process for young athletes' post-concussion (PC) recovery. In addition to a key component on the school's management team, the physical educator can serve as another source in identifying those young athletes who suffer a concussion in sports outside the…

A recent debate has raised controversy over the implementation of helmets in the game of women's lacrosse. Women have been participating in this game of finesse and skill without the need for safety equipment, yet in the past decade goggles have been mandated to compensate for the technological advancements in equipment that has increased the…

The improvement and mastery of balance has been considered an important motor-skill concept for children in the past and incorporating new dynamic balance routines in the curriculum could lead to positive outcomes in children's motor development. This article describes dynamic balance routines and drills that can be used as a unit to promote…

This article discusses the Concussion in Sport Group's (CISG) new consensus statement from 2017 pertaining to symptom-limited physical activity and issues relating to return to play (RTP) and return to school (RTS) for coaches and physical education teachers.

The catastrophic consequences associated with the mismanagement of concussions can threaten the health and well-being of student-athletes. The primary purpose of this article is to increase awareness of concussions and provide stakeholders--parents, coaches and athletic trainers--with an appropriate framework for concussion care at every level of…

The purpose of this article is to inform physical educators, coaches and administrators of the common features and variation between concussion policies among states, which will help them advocate for the health and safety of their students.

When examining recess within a school's comprehensive school physical activity program (CSPAP), stakeholders should consider that 30% to 70% of school injuries occur during this part of the school day (Posner, 2000). Thus, existing frameworks to prevent and manage recess injuries may require a thorough review. The purpose of this article is to…

The purpose of this article is to provide physical educators with practical strategies that can assist in preventing injuries in the classroom. The dynamic nature of physical education and the numerous tasks physical educators must complete daily can be challenging. Embedded in these challenges is the constant risk of student injury. Fortunately,…