Saturday, March 26, 2011

Proven Hockey Safety Tips To Help You Avoid A Season Ending Injury

By Jason Nieder


Due to the nature of the game, you can't protect yourself from injuries in hockey if you aren't aware of all the safety tips. You encounter all sorts of problems from the sharp blades on skates, to hockey sticks being thrown about and a hard rubber puck that is frozen before play. You will suffer with a good bruise at the very least if you get hit by a puck. If that's the only injury you sustain in hockey, you will consider yourself very lucky. Then there are considerations involving getting hurt from muscle pulls and various sprains, etc. Hockey is definitely a dangerous sport. That is why it is critical for players to be sharply aware of everything taking place around them. This article will present a few hockey safety tips vital to preventing any serious injuries from occurring.

It can take only a few seconds for such serious injuries to occur, if you think about it. There isn't much a player can do once the events have been set into motion. All we aim to achieve is to make sure that you are safer when playing the game with these critical hockey safety tips. A helmet is one of the most critical elements of your safety equipment.

Obviously an injury to your head can lead to all kinds of very serious injuries and even death. NHL players were obligated to wear helmets as a result of the death of a professional hockey player. He fell back and hit his head on the ice, and that injury killed him. Therefore, when purchasing a helmet, you must ensure that it is certified by the Hockey Equipment Certification Council or the HECC. The helmet you wear needs to have a protective shield welded to the front of it. You also have to ensure that the helmet is a good fit and you should always fix the strap when playing. Perhaps the only piece of protective equipment that hockey shares with other sports is the cup that is used to protect the groin area. While that is not obviously peculiar to hockey, nevertheless it is a very important part of hockey safety gear.

One piece of hockey safety equipment that should be used more often is the protective visor. However, you do see some pro hockey players wearing them which is actually a smart thing to do. Your face and eyes are protected from injury because the visor is made of hard plastic. You can end up with serious injuries if you get hit by a flying hockey stick blade or a puck, and that isn't as rare as you might think. There isn't a piece of safety equipment that is 100% infallible.

However, wearing it and wearing it properly can seriously reduce the chances of injury. Taking safety seriously is important for players of all ages and skill levels in all sports. Younger players though often need additional safety equipment to ensure the best possible sports experience. If you have a child in youth league hockey, it's important to stay involved. It is important for everyone to learn about all that is available as well as the potential dangers involved with the sport.




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