There are few things in life that are more exciting than taking part in the rough and tumble of a contact sport. Whether you are a martial artist or you love the challenge of taking on another team in American Football, contact sports are a great way to stay fit, push your limits, and compete against others.
It has only been in recent years, however, that the medical and scientific communities have really started to understand some of the long- and short-term risks of contact sports on our bodies. Concussions, dislocations, and even brain damage are all real dangers. To help everyone stay safe, here are some ways to easily prevent injuries in contact sports.
1. Wear the Right Protective Equipment
The best way to protect yourself while playing a contact sports is to make sure that you are wearing all of the necessary protective equipment. For example, when you are boxing, you should always wear properly fitting hand-wraps, boxing gloves, headgear, and a mouthpiece. These will help protect you when you’re struck and will also help to protect your hands and wrists when you punch your opponent. American football has a whole range of different shoulder pads as well as specially designed helmets to protect the players during tackles and while hitting the turf.
2. Build Strong Muscles
A major reason that people get injured during contact sports is that they are not strong enough to withstand major impacts which occur. One of the best ways to change this is to strengthen your muscles. MMA fighters use a weighted neck harness in order to strengthen their neck muscles. This allows them to withstand most strikes to the head and neck without getting knocked out or ending up with significant injury. It also leads to better performance in fights as they are able to withstand chokeholds and perform better in the clinch.
3. Stretch Properly
Stretching is vital as increased flexibility as it allows your body to extend through a greater range of motion without strains, sprains or tears.. If you don’t stretch before a match or training session, your muscles and joints will still be cold and stiff and so any sudden turn, acceleration, or deceleration, as well as any big tackles or hits, are far more likely to cause an injury. Doing warm-up exercises before you stretch will maximize the efficacy of your pre-activity stretching routine. However, it’s a great idea to stretch throughout your day. Target major and minor muscle groups, especially those relevant to the way your body performs during your sport.
4. Do Everything With Proper Technique
Using the right form and technique will not only improve your performance and results but will assist in keeping you injury-free. Contact sports put a huge amount of pressure on the body and this is only compounded by incorrect technique. Practice repetition in training so that every movement and action is stored as muscle memory and you will be able to perform in a safe manner every time.
Contact sports are challenging and exciting but unfortunately can cause both minor and serious injuries. It is important to take the right steps to protect yourself when you are taking part.
