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Teammates need to communicate with each other to
avoid collisions. Before the game, appoint the center
fielder to call off teammates for outfield fly balls.
Appoint the shortstop to do the same thing for infield fly
balls. Make sure they make calls in a clear, loud voice.
These precautions will keep players from running into
each other and possibly resulting in a tragedy such as
the one involving a highly skilled Navy technician.
While going for a fly ball, this technician collided with
another player; he never recovered from the impact and
eventually died.
Basketball
Many basketball injuries result from people
warming up improperly, wearing the wrong type of
shoes, and playing too aggressively. Taping your ankles
or using ankle supports with high-top shoes reduces the
severity of ankle injuries. Don’ t wear running shoes for
playing basketball. Your high top shoes should have 1/2
inch at the toe for clearance on the sudden stops and
pivots common to basketball. They should have nonslip
soles and provide adequate ventilation. In early season
workouts, paint the soles of your feet with benzoin to
lessen your chances of getting blisters. Wear an inner
sock of light cotton underneath a wool or heavier-weight
athletic sock.
Wear pads to protect your knees and elbows from
bruises and floor burns. Wear a knee brace if you need
knee support.
Setting up basketball courts on flight and hanger
decks provides recreation at sea, but these courts can
cause serious injuries. Twisting and pivoting on a
nonskid deck, as well as Falling, can result in a variety
of injuries. Be careful when playing on this type of
surface.
Boxing
All participants, including boxers, coaches,
referees, and physicians in a Navy boxing competition
must attend at least one precompetition meeting or
clinic. The purpose is to review concepts contained in
the Safety Awareness Manual and explain procedures
for training and competition. Other required
publications include: Official Boxing Rules, Physician’s
Ringside Manual, and the Introduction to Olympic
Boxing pamphlet. You can order copies of these
publications (at a nominal charge) from the following
address:
USA Boxing, Inc.
1750 East Bolder Street
Colorado Springs, CO 80909-5776
Boxers must wear a mouthpiece, U.S.A. Amateur
Boxing Federation approved protective headgear,
gloves, and a groin protector during sparring and com-
petition. All weight classes must wear 16-ounce gloves.
The gloves will be either the thumbless type or thumb-
attached type. Boxing gloves must be checked before
use. They should be clean, be free of lumps, and have
smooth surfaces. A boxer should be able to fasten them
securely.
Mouthpieces must be custom-made and individ-
ually fitted. When sparring and during actual matches,
boxers should wear protective headgear. Boxers should
wrap their hands to protect them while sparring, while
working out on the heavy bags, and for all matches.
Medical officers providing support must be familiar
with and must meet the requirements of the Physician’s
Ringside Manual. The professional qualifications of
these medical officers should include current compe-
tency in the emergency treatment of head trauma,
management of traumatic injury, certification in basic
and advanced cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR),
and experience in transporting unstable patients.
For additional information on Navy boxing compe-
tition, refer to enclosure (7) of BUPERSINST 1710.20.
Football
Football is one of the most hazardous of all team
sports because of the continuous heavy body contact.
Only trained, well-conditioned players should take part
in competitive football games. Players need not get hurt
if they apply various safeguards.
All players must wear full-weight football shoulder,
hip, thigh, and knee pads as well as headgear when they
expect body contact both in practice and in the actual
game. This gear must be properly fitted.
We recommend that anyone engaging in active
sports wear a mouthpiece. The mouthpiece is a relatively
inexpensive piece of equipment that reduces oral
damage considerably. It also provides the cushion
necessary to help prevent concussion from the shock of
blows sustained by the head and chin.
Helmets provide a method of holding the skull away
from the shell on impact. A helmet should have at least
a 1-inch clearance between the outer shell and the nylon
or canvas webbing into which the head fits. The helmet
should be lined with vinyl plastic, which is 15 times
more shock absorbent than foam rubber. The player
must be able to hear in a helmet. Discard old helmets.
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