Did the ball hit their nose?
Six first-aid steps for a bleeding nose and the red flags that mean more.
Read about a bleeding noseChild Winded by a Football: What to Do and When to Worry
Kit, Rules & Safety
Stay calm and sit them up. If the ball has knocked the wind out of your child, here are the first-minute steps, how long it should last and the signs that mean more than winded.
A child winded by a football is having a short spasm of the muscle under the lungs. Sit them up and help them take slow breaths in through the nose and out through the mouth, and most children feel better in a few minutes (KidsHealth; SportMed BC). If they are not better by then, or they cannot breathe, will not wake or have severe tummy pain, get help. Call 999 if they are struggling for breath or unaware, go to A&E for severe pain and ring 111 if you are unsure (NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde).
The first time it happened to us I froze, and my child picked that up straight away. This is first-aid orientation, not medical advice, so when you are unsure ring 111.
Calm voice, slow breaths
Ball Hit My Child in the Stomach: The First Minute
When the ball hits a child in the stomach, the next sixty seconds matter more for calm than for medicine. Five small steps keep everyone steady, and the middle one is a single sentence you can say out loud.
- 1
Stop the game. Everyone stands still and one adult goes to the child. The ball can wait where it landed.
- 2
Sit them up. Let them find a comfortable position. Drawing the knees towards the tummy can help (SportMed BC).
- 3
Say one calm line. "You've been winded. It feels scary and it passes. Breathe in through your nose, out through your mouth, with me."
- 4
Slow breaths with them. Slow in through the nose, out through the mouth (SportMed BC). Most children feel better in a few minutes (KidsHealth).
- 5
Stay close and watch. Check their breathing and colour, and do not rush them back onto the pitch.
If you are worried at any point, ring 111 rather than working it out alone.
It's the diaphragm, not the air
What Is Getting the Wind Knocked Out?
A hard hit to the stomach or back can make the diaphragm spasm. The diaphragm is the muscle under the lungs, and for a moment it cannot do its usual job of helping them breathe (KidsHealth; SportMed BC).
That is why a winded child gasps and looks frightened, even though nothing is blocking the air. It feels awful and it usually passes in a few minutes (KidsHealth).
Some children bounce back faster and some take longer. If yours is not better after a few minutes, ring 111 rather than guessing.
If your child has asthma, follow their asthma action plan as you would for any breathing trouble (SportMed BC).
Sort it in two minutes
When to Worry After a Ball Hits the Stomach
The NHS lists emergency signs for tummy injuries and says to call 111 if you are unsure (the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde page on tummy injuries).
| What you see | What to do |
|---|---|
| Stops breathing; struggling for breath; unconscious or unaware of what is going on; will not wake up (NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde). | Call 999 now |
| Severe tummy pain (NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde). | Go to A&E |
| Not better after a few minutes of slow breaths (KidsHealth); pain that keeps going or grows; being sick; you are unsure (NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde). | Call NHS 111 |
| Gasping and frightened for a few minutes, then breathing settles and they are themselves again (KidsHealth; SportMed BC). | Rest, then follow the stages below |
One line from SportMed BC is worth keeping in mind: "if there's any persistence of symptoms, that may indicate some serious internal injury" (SportMed BC). A child who still hurts later that day is not "just winded".
Children can also become more poorly quickly, so get further advice if their condition gets worse (NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde). Keep an adult close that evening, and ask 111 if the pain, sickness or anything else worries you.
When in doubt, call 111.
Slow and soft
Back to Football After Being Winded
I used to wave them straight back on. Now I wait for breathing to settle and for them to say, in their own words, that they are ready.
SportMed BC says an athlete is ready to return when breathing and pulse are back to normal and there is no pain in the area (SportMed BC). Three small stages follow that idea.
| Stage | What it looks like | Move on when |
|---|---|---|
| Rest and drink | Sit out for a few minutes with a drink and a calm chat. | Breathing is normal and there is no pain (SportMed BC). |
| Gentle ball play | Soft passing along the ground, no shooting at close range. | Breathing and pulse stay normal, with no pain and no shortness of breath. |
| Full play | Normal games, once gentle play has felt fine. | Nothing further to move on to. If pain or breathlessness returns, go back a stage. |
It is fine for a child to say "that was horrible" and to skip goalkeeping for the day. If they are now wary of the ball, helping a child who is afraid of contact has a gentle way back.
If the ball caught their face instead, what to do for a bleeding nose has the first-aid steps.
What is known and what is not
What the Sources Say, and Where They Stop
A hit to the stomach spasms the diaphragm, and slow deep breaths help (KidsHealth's explainer on being winded; SportMed BC's page on being winded). Both pages are short explainers that say most children feel better quickly.
The NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde page gives the 999, A&E and 111 lines used in the table above.
These are patient pages from a health charity, a sports medicine group and a Scottish NHS board, not a study of children's football, and there is no nhs.uk page on being winded. They cannot say how long your child specifically needs.
Quick answers
Common Questions About a Child Winded by a Ball
What do I do if the ball hits my child in the stomach?
Stop play, sit them up, take slow breaths with them and stay close (KidsHealth; SportMed BC). Call 999, go to A&E or call 111 if any warning sign appears (NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde).
How long does it take to recover from being winded?
Most children feel better in a few minutes. If they do not, get them checked (KidsHealth).
Why does being winded feel like I can't breathe?
A hit to the stomach or back can spasm the diaphragm so it cannot help with breathing for a moment (KidsHealth; SportMed BC).
When should I worry after a ball hits the stomach?
If they cannot breathe, will not wake, have severe tummy pain, are not better after a few minutes or get worse (NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde; KidsHealth).
Can my child go back to playing after being winded?
Yes, when breathing and pulse are back to normal and there is no pain (SportMed BC). Keep an adult close for the rest of the day and ring 111 if anything worries you.
Keep going
Where to Go From Here
Three places to go next, depending on what happened. More on kit and safety is in Kit, Rules & Safety.
Now scared of the ball?
A gentle five-rung ladder for a child afraid of contact.
Read about fear of contactDid it hit their head?
Red flags, a tonight watch and a slow way back after a head knock.
Read about a head knockTonight's five minutes
Know your first minute before the next knock.
Read the script once now, while nobody is gasping. Then a winded child gets a calm voice and slow breaths, not a panic.