What is a concussion?
A concussion is a short-lived brain injury caused by a bump, blow or jolt to the head. A concussion changes how the cells in the brain normally work. A variety of symptoms may develop, including impaired physical, cognitive, emotional and behavioral functioning, which typically resolve over time. Most concussions occur without loss of consciousness and rarely are structural injuries noted on MRI or CT scans. Concussion can be related to a fall, car accident or moderate blow to the head, but the majority are sports related. An athlete can suffer a concussion in any sport or activity. Even when the physical, and sometimes emotional, symptoms of a concussion have diminished, the brain may not be healed.
NFL reports remain inconsistent
ESPN's "Outside the Lines" and PBS "Frontline" sought to clarify the number of concussions in the NFL and established Concussion Watch, a database that uses the league's weekly regular-season injury reports to track every concussion and head injury this year.
The analysis shows that the number of players with concussions listed on injury reports is on pace to increase more than 9 percent from last year, to an average of nearly 9 per week. The NFL averaged 5.4 per week in 2009, 7.6 in 2010, and 8.4 last year.
According to Concussion Watch, teams had 128 players with concussions or head injuries on weekly regular-season injury reports through the first 14 weeks and are on pace to report 155 for the regular season. That's up from 92 who appeared on injury reports in 2009 and 129 in 2010. Last season, 142 players who sustained concussions or head injuries were reported.
The 155 players who are projected to show up on an injury report with a head injury or concussion during the regular season this year would represent a 68 percent increase over those listed on injury reports from 2009.
Heads Up Online Training Course
Get prepared for the new season in less than 30 minutes
Heads Up: Concussion in Youth Sports is a free, online course available to coaches, parents, and others helping to keep athletes safe from concussion. It features interviews with leading experts, dynamic graphics and interactive exercises, and compelling storytelling to help you recognize a concussion and know how to respond if you think that your athlete might have a concussion.
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.
This course will help you:
- Understand a concussion and the potential consequences of this injury,
- Recognize concussion signs and symptoms and how to respond,
- Learn about steps for returning to activity (play and school) after a concussion, and
- Focus on prevention and preparedness to help keep athletes safe season-to-season.
We can help athletes stay active and healthy by knowing the facts about concussion and when it is safe for athletes to return to play.
This training works best on an up-to-date computer (for example, one with a multi core processor) with a broadband internet connection, as well as an up-to-date web browser and operating system. Older computers may crash while using the training resulting in a loss of your progress through the training. Please do not close or refresh your browser as this will restart the training. We do not collect any personal information or track or record any individual’s use of this training, so if you need to exit the training, you will be returned to the start of the training.
At the end of the training, you will be able to print one or more copies and/or save an electronic version of your certificate of completion to your desktop. In order to print your certificate of completion, please use the print button found within the training. You will not be able to print the certificate using your tool bar or keyboard. While this training does run on smart phones and tablets, a printer connection or a PDF writer is needed to print your certificate of completion.
Please feel free to contact [email protected] if you are having trouble accessing the course.
Unfortunately, we are unable to provide replacement copies of certificates, as we do not collect any personal information or track or record any individual’s use of this training.
How often the Heads Up online training needs to be taken varies by individual states, leagues, and schools. We recommend that you check with your state, league, or school regarding their specific requirements on how often you need to complete this training.
If you would like to host a group training using this course, you are able to order a copy of the course on CD-Rom. Please note that the CD-Rom does not include a certificate of completion. Instead, we can provide you with a group training certificate. The group training certificate does require a signature from the training facilitator or person hosting the training. If you would like to obtain a copy of the CD-Rom and the group training certificate, please contact[email protected].
The video above shows the steps to heads up tackling. These steps are also listed below.
1. BREAKDOWN Position The foundation starting point for all movements and drills
2. BUZZING THE FEET Technique for coming to balance and regaining breakdown position prior to contact.
3. HIT Position
Correct body posture at moment of impact for safer tackling. Head and eyes are up, using the front of shoulder as point of contact.
4.The SHOOT
The opening of the hips to generate power and create an ascending tackle.
5. RIP Position
With head to the side and away from contact, throw double uppercuts and ‘grab cloth’ on the back of jersey to secure the tackle.