Head's UP: Concussion in Youth Sports

Concerned about Concussions in Sports? A New FREE Online Training Helps Prepare Coaches in Less than 30 Minutes

Each day in our nation, hundreds of thousands of young athletes head out to fields, ice and gymnasiums to practice and compete in a wide variety of sports. There's no doubt that these sports are a great way for kids and teens to stay healthy, as well as learn important leadership and team-building skills. But medical researchers have discovered young athletes, especially kids and teens, often don't recognize their own limitations; especially when they have a concussion.

A concussion can have long term impacts on young athletes such as their health, memory, learning and even their survival. This has lead to a new effort to improve prevention, recognition and response to sports-related concussion.

That's where you come in. It's your responsibility, as a coach or parent, to help recognize and make the call to pull an athlete off the field, ice, or court if you think that player might have a concussion.

...So with all of the growing attention on concussion in sports many of you may be wondering:

• How Can I Recognize a Possible Concussion?
• What Should I Do if I Suspect an Athlete Has a Concussion?
• How Can I Help Prevent or Prepare for Concussions?

The good news is that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and its partners have developed the FREE Heads Up: Concussion in Youth Sports online training for coaches that can help answer these questions.

You can be prepared for the new season in less than 30 minutes. Simply go online and take the self-guided training. Once you complete the training and quiz, you can print out a certificate, making it easy to show your league or school you are ready for the season. 

Complete the FREE training today by visiting: www.cdc.gov/Concussion.