Middle School Sports Updates and Resources

Coaching Sports in Middle School
An online coach education course
Students ranging from 10 to 15 years old have a wide range of natural ability, learned skills, and physical development. Coaching Sports in Middle School, is an online course that recognizes that middle school sports should be developmentally appropriate for young adolescents. This course is designed for middle school coaches and administrators and was developed by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) in partnership with the Association for Middle Level Education, formerly National Middle School Association. Coaching Sports in Middle School is based on the book, Clearing the Hurdles: Issues and Answers in Middle School Sports.

Curriculum for Middle School Sports Coaches
In collaboration with the National Federation of High School Associations (NFHS), the Association for Middle Level Education (AMLE) has developed a course for middle school coaches about the issues involved in working with young adolescents. The NFHS is the rules-making body for interscholastic sports in the United States. Much of the content of the course for coaches is based on the AMLE book Clearing the Hurdles: Issues and Answers in Middle School Sports by John Swaim and Ken McEwin.

Middle School Sports Injuries
The NFHS Rules Committees follows three tenets when suggesting new rules changes: keeping the traditions of the sport, maintaining the balance between offense and defense, and minimizing the risks of injuries to the participants. An extensive nationwide research project on high school sports injuries is being conducted by the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. Through a unique online system called Reporting Information Online (RIO), information from schools across the country can be readily collected on injuries in 20 boys' and girls' sports and cheerleading. However, we know that middle grades students are developmentally different from high school students. The center is seeking to initiate a nationwide study of injuries in middle school sports.

Injury Prevention and Rehabilitation
As we face the issue of injury in sports, the focus turns to prevention of injury as well as rehabilitation of injuries when they occur. These aspects apply to more than just interscholastic sports in middle schools; they are also applicable to intramural sports, physical education classes, and community sponsored sports programs. Every coach, activities teacher, and community volunteer needs to understand injury prevention programs and how to administer them. Likewise, every student is entitled to the very best of preventative workouts and the very best care should an injury occur. The Department of Sports Medicine, also at Nationwide Children's Hospital, is on the cutting edge of prevention, diagnosis, care, and rehabilitation. They offer many free resources for coaches, parents, and students.