We all love to play sports and the going can get rough, especially with contact sports like boxing and MMA, and even though the human body is extremely durable, injuries do occur. There are ways that you can protect your body when playing sports, which we outline in this short article; if your child is just starting out in a sport, do what you can to offer protection.
Mouth guard
Any contact sport demands protection for the teeth and gums; today’s mouth guards for sports mould around the teeth for a perfect fit. Losing a tooth due to a rugby tackle or left hook isn’t the end of the world, but it can easily be prevented by wearing a quality mouth guard; professionals have numerous sets and consider mouth guards to be essential.
Helmets
Of course, motorsports demand head protection, as do cycling, horse riding and skateboarding; any sport where speed is involved requires players to wear head protection, whether a close-in fielder or wicketkeeper, a heavy head shot is a very real possibility.
Elbows and knees
Skateboarders always wear knee and elbow pads, karate and MMA fighters wear sleeves to protect the skin when landing kicks. Gymnasts might wear them when they are starting out, when you fall and start to roll, the elbows and knees take a lot of punishment. Click here for ways to prepare your kids for a basketball camp.
Box
Both sexes wear genital protection in contact sports; there are no words to describe the pain for a male to receive a kick between the legs and it is painful for females too! Typically made from aluminium or high-grade plastic, fighters automatically reach for their box, it is one piece of equipment you will never forget to wear during a spar or fight. MMA or kickboxing, for example, involves lightning-fast kicks and it is easy to make a mistake and your opponent suffers.
Headgear
All combat sports require pugilists to wear headguards, at least in the amateur ranks; pro boxers wear them when sparring. In boxing, head clashes are a real risk, as with karate, MMA and a few other combat sports.
Shin pads
All soccer, Aussie Rules and rugby players wear shin pads; the shin bone is brittle and there is no tissue and that is very painful when you are kicked in the shins. Light and strong, the plastic pads have soft padding on the inside and ridges on the outside and do not slip down the leg, thanks to two pieces of elastic that are tensioned correctly so as not to stop blood flow. Some professionals take them off towards the end of the game and roll down their socks; attacking players are more at risk for obvious reasons, although any position runs the risk of a high tackle.
Search online for a leading Australian supplier of mouth guards and other forms of protection and help keep your kids safe when they play.
