A Newsletter About Sport Safety #4

Richard P. Borkowski, Ed. D., C. M. A. A. Sport and Recreation Safety Consultant Phone/Fax (610-664-3593) ([email protected])

A NEWSLETTER ABOUT SPORT SAFETY– #4

My topic for newsletter #4 is a simple yet often neglected strategy to lower the chance of injuries in sports.

Every Athlete Needs His/her Space

Space, not the Star Trek kind, but those clear unobstructed areas between the boundary lines and walls, hills and spectators lowers the chance of injury. Whether you call these safety zones or buffer zones, they are a risk management procedure often neglected. We need to remember, players do not always stay inside the boundary lines.

Rulebooks and manuals suggest buffer zone areas of various sizes. A buffer zone of at least six feet to separate courts is suggested. Others suggest 30 feet of space outside of all field boundary lines. The 1998 high school rulebook still suggests a minimum of 3 feet and preferably 10 feet outside the court.

How much buffer space should you have to lower the chance of running into things? As much as possible - and at least the minimum suggested for the sport you are playing. If you don’t have adequate space outside the playing area, adjust the situation. That might mean padding the potential hazard, adjusting the playing field and/or number of participants.

Check out the following suggestions:

1. Remember that players don't always remain in the playing area. A colleague of mine moved his boy's basketball team into the junior high gym because the high school gym was busy with a girl's game. The backboards were three feet from the unpadded wall. The sidelines were two feet to the unpadded walls. It took two collisions into the wall to change the practice plan.

2. Read the rulebook for your sport.

3. Look at the situation and ask yourself, "what if my player leaves the playing area? Are there hazards?" A common sideline for two soccer fields is an example. Not only do you have bodies crossing into other playing fields; you also have misdirected balls.

4. The problem is when you don't have the appropriate space. The best example is when outdoor sports move inside because of weather. Balls bounce off walls, lacrosse teams of 30

1 are on a court built for ten and bats are being swung. The basketball court sideline should not be the buffer zone for the field hockey team. Use cones or flat disks to create a boundary line far from a wall.

5. Another problem is when you have a proper buffer area but you permit that overflowing crowd to sit or stand in that zone. How many times have you seen parents, photographers practically on the field at a local game? Secure and define the buffer zone by some form of barrier. Assign security people in the area if required and maintain the separation between players and spectator. Be able to say no!

6. Here are some other buffer zone problems and how to correct them.

a. You don't have the suggested buffer space. Pad the hazard. Pad those areas that offer the biggest problem. A wall mat only the width of the foul lines used to be reasonable. Most level of today's game requires more padding.

b. Most gyms have bleachers that fold back and permit two side court games. Generally, the folded bleachers are not padded. They can and should be covered with portable mats and Velcro strips.

c. Basketball coaches often use both the side baskets and main court basket for practice, at the same time, creating three condensed games that can spill over into each other's space. Limit the number of people playing or turn the middle game into an instruction station. Separate all areas with cones. The best answer is only play two games. d. A hazardous area is properly padded, but sections of the pad are removed for air vents, windows and outlets that remain potential problems. Manufacturers will make mat plugs to fill these "holes" during activity.

e. You have appropriate space and all obstructions are padded. That's a problem if everyone forgets to warn participants about crashing into padded areas. Mats are not fail-safe. People can still be injured. Don't create a drill or game that makes it probable participants will run into padded walls.

f. You practice near a sidewalk, hill or other possible danger. Don’t practice in such an area is step one. Moving the action as far away from the hazard is step two. A very quick whistle is another step.

g. A school built two regulation soccer/lacrosse fields. Their endlines are 30 feet apart. They should be at least 60 feet apart. Both fields had to be used simultaneously. This buffer zone problem is not unusual. The lacrosse coach built a twenty-foot net system between the endlines. It solved the problem of balls flying into the other field.

Walk through every situation and ask yourself, "Do I have appropriate buffer zones?" Safety is not a part time job.

2 PLAY WELL – PLAY SAFE