As great as sports can be, it’s not all fun and games at all times. If you’re a coach, you have a huge responsibility to keep your team safe before the season begins. No matter what precautions you take, emergencies can still happen, and it’s important to be prepared. Discover why coaches should learn CPR before the season starts and equip yourself with the best tools to keep your kids safe in every situation that arises.
The Importance of Emergency Preparedness for Sports
You can be the best coach in the world, and accidents can still happen. That’s why it’s so important to prepare for emergencies before they occur. Emergency preparedness for any sport is crucial to caring for your team and ensuring they have the tools to feel safe.
CPR is one of the most important lessons you can learn to keep your team safe this season—especially if you take a combination first aid and CPR course. This combination course allows you to learn the basics so you can utilize the tools any time you need them—in both training and sports events.
When you’re training on your own, there’s no EMT present, and it’s more crucial than ever to have emergency response tools equipped in your head. Even at sports events when an EMT is present, it’s still important to have these tools. You’re the only one who’s present with your team at all times—in the locker room, on the bus, at a restaurant, etc. Preparing for an emergency where someone might stop breathing or get an injury on your watch can quite literally save a life. You know your team better than anyone, and you’ll be the first to know if they need help if an emergency happens.
Emergencies Can Happen at Any Time
Emergencies can happen anywhere—during practice, at sporting events, in the middle of team meals, on the bus—and the common denominator is the coach. A coach is the one who is always present and is the first one to respond in an emergency. Learning CPR is a huge step in protecting your team to the best of your ability.
In an ideal world, you’d never be put in an emergency situation. However, when you’re the sole person responsible for an entire team, there are no promises. Anything can happen at any time.
Equipping yourself with the highest education and the proper tools is the best way to keep your team safe. If someone bumps their head, stops breathing, or simply gets a minor injury, you’ll be the first one available (and able) to protect them with knowledge of CPR and first aid until professional help arrives.
Coaches Are the First Line of Defense
As a coach, you’re the closest one to your team. Whether you’re practicing, coaching at a sporting event, staying with them for away games or meets, or on the bus traveling to events, you’re the first person they rely on and the adult they know best (and who knows them just as well). You’re the closest one to your team (literally, especially when parents are watching from afar), and you know your players well. Sometimes, you’re closer than EMTs, and you’re the first one who can tell when something is wrong.
CPR Saves Lives—And It’s Easier Than You Think
No one wants to have to utilize CPR in their lives. It’s a scary situation, and you take on so much responsibility in a single moment. However, there’s also so much that could go wrong if you don’t learn to equip yourself with the knowledge of CPR and first aid practices. In an emergency, it can be scary if you don’t know what to do, and CPR can, quite literally, save lives—and it’s a lot easier than you might think.
“What goes into CPR?” you might ask. Here’s a quick summary of the basics that you would learn in a CPR course:
- Recognizing cardiac arrest (unresponsiveness, weak pulse, etc.)
- Applying chest compressions (proper hand depth, pacing, etc.)
- Learning rescue breaths (mouth-to-mouth)
- First aid skills (sometimes included in a CPR course)
In more specialized or advanced courses, you can also learn:
- How to use an AED
- Advanced CPR skills
- And more
Related Blog: How Long Does It Really Take to Get CPR Certified?
Set the Standard for a Team Rooted in Care and Safety
When you’re responsible for a whole team of kids or adults, you want to show you care and that you’re keeping them safe. The best way to set the standards for both your team and their parents is to get CPR-certified, so you can reassure everyone you’re prepared in any situation. This often sets a higher standard for other coaches to match and makes you stand out as someone who is both trustworthy and credible. Both parents and your team will appreciate the level of care and expertise gained.
Meet Standard Coaching Requirements
Not only is getting your CPR certification helpful, but it’s also sometimes required in certain coaching positions. Especially in more dangerous or high-contact sports like football, wrestling, hockey, swimming, etc. While CPR isn’t always required in specific states, certain schools might still mandate it according to their preferences and specific sports. If you’re not sure whether it’s a requirement, speak to your employer to ask more questions. Either way, it’s always better to err on the side of caution and get certified so you can keep your team safe in any situation thrown your way.
Get CPR-Certified Before the Season Starts
Understanding why coaches should learn CPR before the season starts is a great first step to being informed in emergency situations. The next step is learning more information or registering for a course.
Here at HeartCert CPR, we offer individual sign-up options, group courses, and even virtual CPR courses. Whether you’re a coach or the head of a school who needs to enlist your coaches, we can help. Our expert instructors can guide you through the class to help you gain your certification(s) in no time. Ready to register today?
Sign Up for CPR and First Aid Courses
HeartCert is your trusted training partner for CPR, ACLS, PALS, EMR, First Aid, CNA, IV, EKG and more, throughout the United States.
Courses include CPR/AED/First Aid, Basic Life Support (BLS), Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS), Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS), Certified Nursing Assistant training, IV training, EKG training, babysitter basics and more. Courses and certifications from both the American Heart Association and American Red Cross are available. We offer virtual courses and certifications, in all 50 states as well as in-person classes at our headquarters, HeartCert CPR Eagan and major cities in Iowa, Illinois, Georgia, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, Texas and Wisconsin.
