Oct. 13, 2014 Youth sports might not seem as dangerous as professional sports, but there are still physical risks involved.
Safety precautions should be taken in every sport, and at
Liberty Mutual Insurance Play Positive™ we encourage coaches and parents to educate themselves on where to find information on preventing and identifying head injuries, especially concussions.
In our
exclusive TAKE 5 interview, Josh told us that the top priority for everyone involved in water polo should always be to "keep your head above water."
"I think by being smart and keeping your head above water during training and competition, it's easy to avoid head injuries," said Josh. "By keeping your head up and being aware of the situation, you can avoid contact with the head."
Josh believes that coaches can play a strong role in keeping water polo players free from any costly head injuries.
"Coaches need to teach the fundamentals," said Josh. "If a player is fundamentally sound and has control of his or her body in the water, it will be easier to protect your body."
Josh sees parents' role as a bit lesser in this regard, but does believe that Positive Sport Parents always keep their own "heads up" when it comes to preventing and treating injuries in youth water polo.
"In our sport, it's hard for parents to have an influence on head protection,"
said Josh. "The main thing they can do is stay knowledgeable about the sport and pay attention to what coaches are teaching the kids."
Josh is confident that on the whole, water polo remains a sport that is relatively safe from serious concern when it comes to head injuries or trauma.
"I don't think there is too much concern about accidental head injuries in water polo," said Josh. "Our sport is pretty safe, especially considering the physicality. I don't see head injuries being a major issue in our sport."
At Liberty Mutual Insurance, we constantly look for ways to celebrate the countless acts of positivity shown by people every day. We created Play Positive, powered by Positive Coaching Alliance, as part of this belief to help ensure that our kids experience the best that sports have to offer in environments that promote and display positivity. We believe kids can learn valuable life lessons when coaches and parents come together to support winning in and out of the pool.
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