New Year

New Year, New You: Choosing Athletic Training Kits

 

Attention Athletic Trainers! It’s time to consider your athletic training kit options.

Choosing an athletic training kit by Mueller Sports Medicine

With all that training, however, you need an athletic training kit that’s going to handle all your needs when you’re at the gym, working out with your teammates, or simply hitting the trails to run. From injury prevention to dealing with sprains, strains, and other issues that could prevent you from meeting your goals, you want an athletic training kit that will provide you with everything you need to handle whatever your workout throws at you. This year, be prepared for anything with an athletic training kit that’s already been put together for you. Choosing the one that’s best for you is simple: it starts with knowing what your individual needs are and what injuries you’re likely to face in your sport of choice.

Basic First Aid: A Necessity for All Athletes

If you’ve already got a good training kit put together, but you’re aware of the injuries that can occur on the field and in the gym, a basic first aid kit is the perfect addition to your bag. No athlete should be without a basic first aid kit no matter where they’re working out or what they’re doing. Even exercising in the gym can bring its own unique hazards! Ideally, there are several characteristics you want your small, portable first aid kit to have.

  • It contains everything you need to handle minor injuries: scrapes, bruises, and small cuts as well as occasional sprains or strains.
  • It’s bright red and easy to find when you’ve tossed it into your bag or the back of your car so that you won’t be fumbling for it when you need it most.
  • It’s lightweight and compact so that it won’t take up vital room in your bag. 

Make sure to check and replenish your first aid kit on a regular basis. You might not think about how many of those band-aids you’ve used, but when you reach into the bag and they aren’t there, you’ll be sure to miss them! Make sure hot packs, cold packs, and sprays aren’t past their expiration dates. Checking out your first aid kit at the beginning of every year is a great way to be sure you won’t end up without it when you need it most.

Basic First Aid for a Team: Being Prepared for Everyone

Are you a coach who handles a junior league or a regular member of a pickup game filled with guys who can be clumsy at the best of times? Having a first aid kit on hand that will handle your entire team’s needs allows you to take care of minor injuries yourselves and get back to training. Chances are, your team will go through plenty of minor injuries over the course of a season. If you’re working with kids, many of them can be dealt with by applying a little ice and a bandage or two. Adults may need a hot or cold pack, a couple of Advil, and a bandage of their own. Be the guy that’s prepared for anything and anyone on your team will be able to quickly take care of a minor injury, then get back in the game as soon as possible. These kits need:

  • Extras of all those important items so that if you forget to replenish them once, there will still be plenty. 
  • A clever organization system that makes it easy for anyone on the team to find anything that’s been tucked in the bag.
  • All the first aid essentials you would keep in your basic kit.
  • A bright color that makes it easy to find no matter where it’s been tossed, whether it’s in your gear bag with the rest of your stuff or in the back of your car, waiting to be needed.

More Than the Basics: First Aid for the Team

Some teams are simply more accident-prone than others–and some coaches and parents are more comfortable with providing more than basic first aid. When you need a first aid kit that will allow you to clean wounds, wrap injuries, and apply cold at need, this Sport Care Jr. Soft Kit is your ideal solution. This kit includes gauze pads, bandages, tape rolls, and medical sprays that will help take care of germs and get your team members back on the field and back in action as soon as possible. This is your medical kit for the season. Ideally, you hope you’ll never have to use it. With this kit, however, you’re prepared to hit the field with the full knowledge that you’re ready for whatever the team throws at you. It’s designed to be easily visible in low light and already fully organized for your convenience, making this the perfect athletic training kit for your entire season. 

Prepared for Anything: First Aid to the Max

This is the first aid kit that every other kit wants to be when it grows up. For professional trainers with experience administering first aid, coaches who want to be sure that they’re prepared for whatever happens to their team members, and those who know their teammates are more accident prone than usual, the Complete Sport Care Soft Kit provides everything you’ll need to handle minor injuries throughout an entire season. From gauze rolls and elastic wraps to gloves, nasal plugs, and more, this kit is designed to allow you to handle plenty of minor injuries and keep rolling. If you’re looking for a complete first aid kit with all the trimmings, this is the first aid kit for you.

Choosing Your Kit

Which athletic training kit is right for your needs? It depends on who you are, what kind of injuries you’re likely to see, and how often you find yourself needing to replenish your existing kit. Ask yourself several key questions.

How often do you reach for your kit? If you’re using it at every practice, you might be better off with a bigger kit. If you rarely have to dig it out more than once a season, a smaller first aid kit will suffice.

Who are you treating? An athletic training kit that’s just for you can be smaller than a kit that’s designed for an entire team or league.

What’s your sport of choice? If you’re engaged in a rugged sport where minor injuries are fairly common, you’ll spend more time using your first aid kit than someone who participates in a sport where scrapes and strains don’t happen on a regular basis.

Choosing the athletic training kit that’s right for you is critical for your training success in 2018. You don’t want to have to go home or rely on those around you to supply bandages, cold packs, and other first aid essentials.