Examples: classification of contact as a mechanism for sudden-onset injury
| Injury | Type of contact | Examples | |
| Non-contact | None | No evidence of disruption or perturbation of the player’s movement pattern | ACL tear in a basketball player landing with knee valgus/rotation after a jump, with no contact with other players. |
| Contact | Indirect | Through another athlete | ACL tear in a handball player landing, out of balance after being pushed on her shoulder by an opponent while in the air. |
| Indirect | Through an object | Downhill skier suffers a concussion from a crash, after being knocked off balance hitting the gate with his knee. | |
| Contact | Direct | With another athlete | ACL tear in a football player from a direct tackle to the anterior aspect of the knee, forcing the knee into hyperextension. |
| Direct | With an object | Volleyball player being hit in the face by a spiked ball, resulting in a concussion. | |