In the last 4 days alone, I’ve had 7 girls’ hockey parents email me with concussion concerns.  Some were worried that their daughter had one and others were scared they might end up with one.

It’s hockey season, which means it’s concussion season, so I thought I would send you some critical information about the concussion problem in girls hockey and share my thoughts on some possible concussion solutions.

Did you know….

That girls’ hockey players are TWO TIMES more likely to suffer a concussion than male hockey players and almost THREE TIMES more likely than football players!

Last year, I shared these (and other) scary concussion statistics, as well as my own concussion story, with the media here in Toronto and the story spread like wildfire.

All that coverage sparked a great debate about WHY these injuries are happening and IF the research numbers are accurate.    It’s true that these stats came from a single study and don’t necessarily represent a trend across the entire female hockey world.  And after spending two years doing my master’s research on the brain activity of elite hockey
players, I know that researchers will sometimes skew their numbers towards the result they are looking for.

BUT the concussion stories that players, parents and coaches like you have shared with me tell me that these numbers are “bang-on”:

I’ve heard heart-wrenching stories from parents who have had to help their 13 year-olds cope with the lingering effects of a head injury for over 6 months. I’ve heard from 16 year-olds who have had to quit hockey after suffering from
multiple concussions.  One university coach even told me that her team had 12 concussions in just 1 season!

These stats and stories tell me one thing…

==>  This is a problem that needs a solution NOW.

We can debate the statistics and the causes until we are blue in the face. But I am NOT willing to wait for more girls to sustain serious head injuries to support (or refute) the numbers before I start taking action.

And you shouldn’t wait either.

To tell you the truth, I am tired of talking about IF and WHY concussions are a problem in girls’ hockey.

They are.

So please read the important information below and please feel free to pass this along to any player, parent or coach who you think might benefit from reading it.

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What’s the most devastating injury in female hockey?

1) Knee injuries
2) Shoulder injuries
3) Back injuries

The answer is…

None of the above.

One injury has by far the most devastating effects of all.

Concussions are one the most common injuries in women’s hockey. In fact, the NCAA sport with the highest concussion rate (by far) iis women’s hockey. Not men’s hockey.  Not men’s football.

At the university level, female hockey players suffer 1 concussion for every 1000 “exposures” to the game – with each practice and game counting as one exposure. On a team of 20 players, that means 1 concussion every 50 exposures!

Female hockey players are TWO TIMES more likely to suffer a concussion than male hockey players and almost THREE TIMES more likely than football players.

Pretty amazing for a sport that doesn’t allow full body-checking, isn’t it?

Although statistics on younger players are harder to come by, I would guess that their concussion rate would be just as high (and maybe even higher) than with the women. Girls are having more exposures than ever to the sport – they compete on school teams, club teams, travel teams, Olympic development teams and weekend tournament teams.
Girls’ hockey players are playing just as much as the boys – but are getting hurt twice as often.

So what’s the solution?

* New helmets?
* Mouthguards?
* New rules?
* Neck exercises?

One injury researcher said that:

“If the numbers in women’s hockey are even close to correct, they should just stop playing until they figure out how to lower them”.

I definitely wouldn’t go that far – but have to find a way to prevent these potentially devastating injuries from happening.

Knee, shoulder and back injuries can be devastating to a young player who wants nothing more than to play the sport they love at the highest level possible…But they rarely have the same long-term effects as a concussion.

=> So what’s the SOLUTION?

These are the 2 suggestions for prevention that I recommend
at all of the Concussion Clinics I run for teams and associations:

1)  Girls Have To Be Better Prepared Physically.

A lack of overall strength and conditioning is a big reason for the alarmingly high incidence of concussions in girls’ hockey.
The stronger a player is, the better she will be able to hold her ground when she is hit unexpectedly (which is how a large number of concussions happen in girls’ hockey).

By building better core stability, balance and overall strength, players are better able to control their bodies in space and
withstand the force of impact.

2)  Girls Need To Be Taught How To Take A Hit.

In every girls’ or women’s game I have ever watched or played, there is always at least one instance where I think,
“Good thing we don’t have full body-checking because that player would have been run-over”.

The female game may not have full body-checking, but girls are going to get hit – and most of them have never been taught how to take a hit properly.  We are doing our players a great disservice by not teaching them how they can protect themselves if (and when) they do get hit.

If more coaches, teams and associations start showing girls how to take a hit properly, it will go a long way towards preventing concussions, as well as a whole slew of other injuries.

Bottom Line:

It is our responsibility to make sure that our players are prepared each and every time they step out on the ice.  If we don’t teach girls how to take a hit, or how to build strength and stability out on the ice, we can’t be surprised when they are getting hurt. That’s why I’ve created a basic body-weight strength and stability program that players can use off the ice to make sure they are protected on the ice.  It will not only help prevent injuries, but also make the girls stronger, faster and better players.

To find out how this training program will help you “bullet-proof” your players, click on the link below:

==>  https://totalfemalehockey.com/strength/

Work Hard, Dream BIG and Stay Safe.

Your friend and coach,

~ Coach Kim