Twenty-one days, not negotiable

How we work

Why the protocol beats the coach's judgement

The UK Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Sport say something deliberately blunt: if in doubt, sit them out. A suspected head injury means immediate removal from the session and no return to activity that day, regardless of how well the participant says they feel. That phrasing exists because judgement in the minutes after a head impact is exactly what cannot be trusted — not the athlete's, who wants to continue, and not the coach's, who wants the session to run.

What follows is equally specific. Relative rest, then a graduated return through stages, each completed without symptoms before the next begins, and a minimum of twenty-one days before any return to competitive or contact activity. The reason for the length is the risk of a second impact while the brain is still recovering, which is the scenario that causes lasting harm. A club that treats twenty-one days as a guideline to be negotiated around a fight date has misunderstood what it is for.

The rest of how we run follows from the same logic. Most training volume sits on pads and bags rather than on heads, because repeated sub-concussive contact is a real long-term concern and skill can be built without it. Sparring is supervised, matched and optional — a member can decline a round, or sparring altogether, and remain a full member. And we do not run rapid weight cuts, because dehydration before a contact sport compounds every risk already present.