During big games, high-stakes competitions, nail-biting tiebreakers, or just playing against your biggest rival, things can easily get heated and emotions can flare.  It’s easy to lose our cool.  It happens to all of us – parents, coaches, officials and athletes.  But maintaining self-control in the face of challenges, adversity and disappointment is one of the great life lessons that sports can uniquely teach our kids.

Liberty Mutual Insurance Play Positive® asks parents and coaches, what do you find is the biggest ‘trigger’ for your youth athlete to lose their cool?

Remember that doing things like taking deep breaths, walking it off and refocusing on the game are great ways to keep your cool.  But recognizing ‘triggers’ before they happen is just as important to maintain control.

To learn more about what you and your athlete can do to maintain control and not lose your cool, read the article “Keeping Your Cool”.

For tips from professional athletes on keeping your cool when things aren’t going your way, see “5 Tips from The Pros on Keeping Your Cool”.

At Liberty Mutual Insurance, we constantly look for ways to celebrate the countless acts of sportsmanship and integrity 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 good sportsmanship. We believe kids can learn valuable life lessons when coaches and parents come together to support winning on and off the ice.

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