It is difficult to be able prevent injuries in sports and try to keep them from happening, but there are some simple steps and tips athletes, coaches, parents, etc, can follow and apply before, after and during the sports activities. Some tips on how to help prevent preventable injuries from occurring and how to play safely are the following. Stretching before starting your warm up is highly recommended before an athlete performs. This helps the blood flow through muscles, increases flexibility for performance and will eliminate aggravating or starting a new injury. Warming up before exercising is a very useful and important tip. Jogging, cycling or any movement for 5 to 15 minutes (depending on how intense your main activity will be) that gradually warms up your muscles and increases intensity for a slight sweat is considered a proper warm up. After playing a sport, a light, cool down period can help wear off muscle stiffness and soreness. Cooling down (low intensity stretching, or jogging) can also remove waste products from muscles, which then will replace them with nutrients and oxygen. A final step in a gentle cool down would be ended with some sustained stretches. Hydration and correct equipment for sports is an extremely important key to help prevent injuries too. Drinking water before, during and after your physical activity will help you be kept hydrated. Proper equipment is a must in some sports involving contact and collisions. Using protective gear such as mouthguards, shoulder, knee, shin and elbow pads, and eye protection if needed in a sport similar to squash, can help lower the chances of getting injured badly. One final tip on playing safely in sports is to make sure all athletes participating in the sport learn, understand and follow the rules properly in the course of the game. Proper behavior will help kids avoid unnecessary injuries, and continue to play safely.