Stay in the Game: 3 Ways to Prevent Injury Youth sports injuries are frustrating and demoralizing. There are few things more detrimental to a young athlete’s game - not just physically, but mentally, as well - than a season-ending injury. Recovering from these setbacks can be a sport unto itself, so it’s important to do whatever possible to prevent injuries from occurring. While some injuries are unavoidable - accidents do happen - many of them are the result of carelessness, neglect and playing through pain. Sports websites have all sorts of advice, and the proper research could yield many strategies. Outlined here are three ways young athletes can prevent injuries. Warm up and cool down It may be a tedious process, but it is essential to adequately warm up and cool down before and after every practice and game. As a coach, you should be insisting on at least 10 minutes on either end of workouts. Especially in the colder months - but it’s true year-round - muscles require time acclimate to the heightened use. Otherwise, tendons can tense up, muscles will not fire properly and the resulting lack of balance will enhance the chances of injury. Stretching and getting the right nutrients in after a workout is just as important, as it will allow the muscles to repair themselves before the next effort. Listen to the body Teach your young athletes the difference between pain and discomfort. Discomfort is okay - often good. It means they body is working hard and putting forth a winning effort. But pain is an indicator of a structural problem that can be debilitating and will worsen with further exertion. Sharp, shooting distress is a sign that something is wrong. If joints are aching, specific muscles have excessive tenderness, or swelling occurs anywhere, the athlete should stop. Playing through discomfort is fine - not through pain. Come into the season prepared The offseason is a good time to rest and recover, but not to a fault. Athletes should not be exerting themselves in their time off like they will during the season, but they should still maintain a level of fitness as a base. If an athlete comes into the season out of shape and then ramps up efforts all at once, that individual will be at greater risk of getting injured early on. As a coach, you are responsible for instilling a sense of preparedness into your young athletes. Using this advice and that of other sports team websites, you can develop a strategy for informing your young athletes on injury prevention. tags in this article Athlete Fan Issues & Advice SportsEngine