Sports Coaching Practice Test

Talking with the athlete is the first step in the TOTAPS injury assessment sequence. This component gathers immediate subjective information about what happened, where it hurts, how severe the pain is, how it started, and whether there are any numbness or previous injuries. Getting this firsthand information helps you decide what to look for next and flags any signs that require urgent care.

TOTAPS is a structured on-field assessment process that goes Talk, Observe, Touch, Active movement, Passive movement, and Skills test. The other options—recording data, sprinting, or focusing on hydration—aren’t defined parts of this sequence, though they may be relevant in other contexts.