American Football
American Football is obviously a physical contact sport, resulting in 150,000 injuries to those aged below 15 in the US alone. Sprains and strains are the most frequent injuries amongst players of all age groups. For young children, injuries to the arms, hands, and shoulders are most common; older players most often injure the lower extremities, especially the knees. Correct clothing and playing surface will obviously help reduce these injuries.
Because of the nature of the game, players may spend time seated for long periods, before literally throwing their bodies at maximum effort into their opponents. The warm-up phase should be sufficient to warm and mobilise all of the joints and muscles prior to stretching, but more importantly it should be continued throughout the game to keep the body prepared for high levels of physical exertion.
Utilise the sidelines throughout the game and spend at least 2 minutes in every 10 jogging lightly up and down performing foot and hand drills with other players, even if you're not sure if you're going to be playing. Keep your body warm and hydrated whilst waiting to go onto the pitch, and aim to stretch whenever there is time to do so.
The stretches you perform after your warm-up should be initially static and then dynamic to mimic the movements about to be performed. Use the warm-up stretches then include these sports specific stretches.
Hold each stretch for 20 - 30 seconds, after every third stretch, spend 30 seconds running or skipping to keep the heart rate up to allow the body to stay warm.
Use the dynamic stretching routine and foot drills only after the static stretch. Prior to going on to the field, perform 5 push-ups and then 10 alternate leg squat thrusts, at 100% effort.
Your cool down should consist of drying any sweat away with a towel, and putting on warm clothing to prevent a chill. Follow this by performing the cool down static stretches again for 30 seconds, however after 15 seconds relax the stretch and aim to take the stretch further (developmental). After every fourth stretch, walk around for 30 seconds, shaking the arms and legs under control to help prevent blood pooling resulting in dizziness. Also if possible perform the PNF stretches for the hamstings and quadriceps.
Any injuries, regardless of how trivial should be treated at the earliest opportunity, likewise regular sports massage will help breakdown scarred tissue from heavy contact.