![]() Coaches, athletes, and parents must understand that the football helmet industry as an obvious example, has designed products that are in fact well made to do their assigned job but the nature of the sport will not allow for the prevention of all concussions or other injuries nor those specifically related to the helmet. The association with and to head and neck trauma has also received a great deal of study. Concussion and associated conditions such as CTE, early onset dementia, and even Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis have all fallen under scrutiny in recent years and rightly so. Perhaps the most important point for coaches to focus upon is that while performance is important, and weight room work is designed to enhance on-the-field performance, the reduction of injury frequency and severity is truly the most important purpose of any training program. Before reading to this point and stating, “I know this, I’m a responsible coach who cares about the well-being of my players,” take a moment to review the important points of neck and head injury and the possibility of reducing both the frequency and severity of damage. Kim Wood, the first full-time S&C Coach in the NFL is another who stressed specific training targeted for the neck, decades prior to anyone else in the field noting its importance for injury prevention. I have written numerous articles regarding neck training and its importance as has Mike Gittleson, the former long-time S&C Coach at the University of Michigan and the program’s founder. If they entered the training facility and pictured the neck development of a Silverback Gorilla or football players Takeo Spikes and Paul Posluszny for example, perhaps they would give more attention to this vital anatomical area. If every athlete and especially those of high school and college age understood the true importance of giving proper training emphasis to the muscles of the cervical spine, trapezius, and upper back regions, there would be a reduction in concussions and catastrophic cervical spine injuries. “Go Ape” as a rallying cry in one’s weight room, with no offense intended towards University of Tennessee football fans, is certainly no worse than the Vols “HTB – Hide The Ball” trash can call to arms that brought ridicule to their underachieving 2017 season.
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