‘Heads Up, Don’t Duck,’ Say Mayo Clinic, USA Hockey to Youth Hockey Players

As youth hockey players fly toward the boards, they almost instinctively duck their heads, which is exactly the wrong thing to do. According to experts, this fast-paced sport can be safer if players follow some simple advice. USA Hockey, the national governing body for the sport, worked with Mayo Clinic to release a video with animation demonstrating the dangers of players ducking their heads as they crash into the boards during play. A training program, titled “Heads Up, Don’t Duck,” teaches players to automatically choose the safest posture for impact.

With more than a half-million U.S. children playing the sport, there is a renewed push to keep them from getting hurt. In collaboration with USA Hockey, the Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine Center has been collecting catastrophic hockey injury data since 2008. Cervical spine fractures are the most prominent injury in the database, and the spine and head are the two most injured body parts. For more information, click here to read the full release.