The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America, Canadian Orthopaedic Association, and American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine designed Play It Safe! to help parents, coaches, and children prevent sports injuries. Play It Safe! encourages children to...

• Be in proper physical condition to play a sport
• Know and abide by the rules of the sport
• Wear appropriate protective gear (for example, shin guards for soccer, a hard-shell helmet when facing a baseball pitcher, a helmet and body padding for ice hockey)
  Know how to use athletic equipment (for example, correctly adjusting the bindings on snow skis)
• Always warm up before playing
• Avoid playing when very tired or in pain

Aside from readying your child using the above steps, there are a few things every parent should know when preparing and choosing a sport for your child:

• Young athletes need proper training for sports. They should be encouraged to train for the sport rather than expecting the sport itself to get them into shape. Many injuries can be prevented if youths follow a regular conditioning program of exercises designed specifically for their chosen sport. A well-structured, closely supervised weight-training regimen may help youngsters prepare for athletic activities. Young athletes should have their coaches help them design a conditioning program suited to their needs.
• Parents should make sure their child's coaches have the appropriate qualifications to supervise a particular sport, provide well-maintained safety equipment, and help with proper conditioning for that sport.
• An estimated 500,000 young athletes, boys and girls, use black-market anabolic steroids to improve their athletic performance. Steroids have been shown to increase muscle mass, but they can cause serious and potentially life-threatening complications and should be avoided.
• Youth sports should always be fun. The "win at all costs" attitude of many parents, coaches, professional athletes, and peers can lead to injuries. A young athlete striving to meet the unrealistic expectations of others may ignore the warning signs of injury and continue to play with pain.
• Coaches and parents can prevent injuries by fostering an atmosphere of healthy competition that emphasizes self-reliance, confidence, cooperation, and a positive self-image, rather than just winning.