Requirements:

source: Boy Scout Requirements, 2011 Edition

The activities used to fulfill the requirements for the Sports Merit Badge may not be used to help fulfill requirements for other merit badges

1. Show that you know first aid for and how to prevent injuries or illnesses that could occur while playing sports, including sprains, strains, contusions, abrasions, fractures, blisters, muscle cramps, dehydration, heat and cold reactions, injured teeth, nausea, and suspected injuries to the head, neck, and back

2. Explain the importance of the following:

   1. The importance of the physical exam

   2. The importance of maintaining good health habits for life (such as exercising regularly), and how the use of tobacco products, alcohol, and other harmful substances can negatively affect your health and your performance in sports activities

   3. The importance of maintaining a healthy diet

3. Discuss the following:

   1. The importance of warming up and cooling down

   2. The importance of weight training

   3. What an amateur athlete is and the differences between an amateur and a professional athlete

   4. The attributes (qualities) of a good sport, the importance of sportsmanship, and the traits of a good team leader and player who exhibits Scout spirit on and off the playing field

4. Take part for one season (or four months) as a competitive individual or as a member of an organized team in TWO of the following sports: baseball, basketball, bowling, cross-country, field hockey, football, ice hockey, lacrosse, soccer, softball, table tennis, tennis, volleyball, water polo. Your counselor may approve in advance other recognized sports, but not any sport that is restricted and not authorized by the Boy Scouts of America. Then with your chosen sports do the following:

   1. Give the rules and etiquette for the two sports you picked

   2. List the equipment needed for the two sports you chose. Describe the protective equipment and appropriate clothing (if any) and explain why it is needed

   3. Draw diagrams of the playing areas for your two sports

5. With guidance from your counselor, establish a personal training program suited to the activities you chose for requirement 4. Then do the following:

   1. Organize a chart to track your training, practice, and development in these sports for one season (or four months)

   2. Demonstrate proper technique for your two chosen sports

   3. At the end of the season, share your completed chart with your counselor and discuss how your participation in the sports you chose has affected you mentally and physically