7 Steps for Brain Safety
Minimum Recommended Guidelines for Youth Sports
Why Establish Guidelines? 
Medical research has exposed a brain trauma crisis in contact sports. In sports like football, soccer, and ice hockey, studies show that every season around 50% of athletes experience concussive symptoms after a hit to the head. Unfortunately, only a small percentage of these are reported and diagnosed. Additionally, many diagnosed concussions are not treated properly. These undiagnosed and poorly managed concussions put young athletes at risk of post-concussion syndrome and Second-Impact Syndrome, which can cause permanent injury or even death. Finally, repetitive brain trauma suffered in youth sports is believed to lead to some athletes developing the progressive neurodegenerative brain disease Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), which can eventually lead to dementia. While sports provide immense value both to athletes and our society in general, with current practices they are exposing children to unacceptable levels of brain damage. Much of this brain damage, however, is preventable with a few simple steps.
What are the Guidelines?
In 2010 Sports Legacy Institute first issued the “7 Steps to Brain Safety,” which are to be used as Minimum Recommended Guidelines for Brain Protection in Youth Sports.” The list comprises consensus best practices as well as progressive ideas. To be included, each guideline is required to be simple and free so that they can be adopted by any organized youth sports program. SLI hopes that programs choose to exceed these minimum guidelines. We ask that sports programs voluntarily adopt SLI’s Minimum Recommended Guidelines for Brain Protection in Youth Sports. 
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Recommended Free ProgramCDC’s “Heads Up” Online Training Course Recommended SLI ProgramOther Recommended Programs |
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Recommended Free ProgramCDC Fact Sheet for High School Athletes CDC Fact Sheet for Youth Athletes Recommended SLI ProgramAdditional Recommended Resources |
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Recommended Free ProgramCDC’s “Heads Up” Online Training Course Recommended SLI ProgramOther Recommended Resources: |
Action PlanIf you suspect that a player has a concussion, you should take the following steps: 1. Remove athlete from play. 2. Ensure athlete is evaluated by an appropriate health care professional. Do not try to judge the seriousness of the injury yourself. 3. Inform athlete’s parents or guardians about the known or possible concussion and give them the fact sheet on concussion. 4. Allow athlete to return to play only with permission from an appropriate health care professional. It is better to miss one game than the whole season.
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Recommended Free ProgramUse CDC Heads Up Clipboard Stickers |
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Recommended ProgramThere is not yet an officially recommended training program for neck strengthening. Please work with a local certified strength and conditioning coach to develop a plan for your team. Recommended Reading |
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Recommended ProgramIn 2010, there is no formal program available. SLI asks that coaches attempt to monitor brain trauma, and significantly reduce it going forward. Recommended Resources |
