How to prevent injuries To help you avoid injuries on the fields, courts, and tracks where you play, our team of sports medicine experts at Mount Sinai Health System have compiled the following recommendations. Maintain flexibility. It is extremely important that you do dynamic stretches before starting your activity. Cold muscles are more prone to injury, so, while it may be tempting to start playing immediately, you should take a few minutes to do some jumping jacks, butt kicks, or arm circles first. Strengthen your core. A strong core improves your balance and stability, which is crucial in all sports and can help you avoid injury. Exercises that strengthen the core include abdominal crunches and planks. Abdominal crunches involve lying on your back and putting your feet on a wall so that your knees and hips make a 90-degree angle with your legs. Then, raise your head and shoulders off the floor, and hold that position for a few seconds. A plank e...