From football to tennis to martial arts, if you coach a youth sport then it's essential that you take a first aid course. First aid training like the HLTAID003 Provide First Aid course will teach you a variety of crucial, life-saving skills like how to administer CPR, how to treat a fracture until an ambulance arrives and how to help someone in respiratory distress. But why are these first aid skills so important for kids sports coaches to learn? Here are 3 reasons to take a look at.

You Could Save Limbs and Lives

Given the physical intensity of most sports, it should come as no surprise that injuries are common on the pitch, the field and the court. And, while athletes of any age can hurt themselves while playing, the fragile bodies of developing children are even more likely to get injured. Thankfully, most accidents that occur during training sessions or games (such as cuts, bruises and slight sprains) are relatively minor. However, some injuries can be very serious. If a child breaks a bone and doesn't receive first aid on time, they could lose their ability to play their sport for good. Worse, if a child suffers a head injury, their life could be at stake. By undertaking a first aid course, you can ensure that you know exactly how to help a child in an emergency. Once you're trained, the medical care you administer while waiting for an ambulance could prevent both career-threatening and life-threatening injury complications.

You'll Attract More Parents

Taking a first aid course doesn't just benefit the children you coach. It benefits you too by making your sports club more attractive to local parents. Studies have shown that an overwhelming amount of parents worry about their child getting injured while participating in sports. As a result, they're far more likely to choose a sports club where they feel their child is safe, even if they could find better coaching elsewhere. Having a first aid certificate will show parents that you're qualified to treat their child in the event of an emergency, helping to put their minds at ease. In turn, this gives you an edge over the local competition and will help you secure more sign-ups each season.

Your Current Knowledge Could Be Flawed

One objection some sports coaches have to taking first aid courses is that they already have solid 'common sense' knowledge of how to treat wounds and injuries. While it's true that many minor injuries like cuts and scrapes can be treated perfectly well without professional first aid knowledge, the same doesn't go for more serious injuries. That's because much of the information most people 'know' about first aid is littered with myths that spread like old wives' tales. For example, have you heard that heat is good for a sprain or that relocating a dislocated joint is easy? Did a parent or grandparent tell you that peroxide is the best antiseptic for a wound or that breathing into a paper bag is a quick fix for hyperventilating? These treatments may seem like common knowledge, but they're actually all false—administering them to children in your care could actually worsen their injuries. A comprehensive first aid course will debunk all the first aid myths you've been fed throughout your life, ensuring that you can administer the right treatments to keep children safe and healthy.