Sport First Aid

High school and club coaches are often first responders when injuries occur amidst limited medical support. This guide equips them with clear flowcharts and protocols for over 40 conditions—including CPR, concussion, and heat illness—while outlining legal duties and emergency planning to safeguard athletes.

Approximately 90 percent of high school student-athletes report sustaining an injury while participating in sports. With only about one-third of high schools in the United States having full-time athletic trainers and another third lacking any athletic trainer services, you-the coach-are often the first responder when an injury occurs. This reality underscores the importance of providing you with proper training in first aid and injury prevention. Such training prepares you to act quickly and appropriately when an athlete is injured or becomes ill, ensuring the safety and well-being of your student-athletes.

As a current or aspiring high school or club coach, you can rely on Sport First Aid, Sixth Edition, for the information you need to be a capable and confident first responder. The sixth edition has been revised and restructured. It features an unparalleled author team of experts in athletic training, sports medicine, exercise science and physiology, strength and conditioning, and sport coaching. It reflects the leading health organizations’ latest emergency guidelines, including those for CPR, concussion, dehydration, and heat illness.

Tailored specifically to your needs as a coach, the text covers causes, symptoms, and action steps for more than 100 injuries and illnesses. In this sixth edition, the most common injuries and illnesses are described in greater detail and prioritized so they are easier to reference. Additionally, flowcharts for over 40 specific injuries and illnesses offer step-by-step visuals to guide you through the decision-making and response process.

Beyond specific first aid procedures, the text provides guidance on understanding your legal duties as a coach, assembling an athletic health care team and collaborating with other team members, minimizing the risk of injury, planning for medical emergencies, administering the plan during emergency situations, and assessing when and how to move injured and sick athletes.

An athletic trainer may not always be present at every practice and game. As a coach, it’s crucial to have a basic understanding of first aid and injury prevention. Sport First Aid is the most authoritative source for this potentially life-saving information. It will prepare you to respond appropriately in emergency situations, meet your legal obligations as a coach, and foster a safe environment for your athletes.