We are all aware that sports are good for your health, mind and body but there is more to it, there are actually more things sports can teach you about life than you can learn in a classroom. They can represent life scenarios and instill character qualities in you that you would need later down the line. Sports are more than just something we do for fun and to prove that, here are 7 beneficial things sports can teach you about life.
One of the most important things sports can teach you is that there is no success without hard work. Whether it is tennis, basketball, lacrosse or soccer, you have to do drills and practice techniques everyday to become a strong opponent. If you don’t put in hard work, you won’t be able to automatically become a great player. Same things apply to life; you don’t get things handed to you so you have to work hard in order to get that promotion you’ve been waiting for or a better grade on the next test.
Sports teach you to keep your head in the game and not allow failures to affect your play. If you remain positive during your game and don't give up hope, you’ll eventually be able to help out your team and get some points. Life is the same concept. There are times when we mess up and end up being hard on ourselves, but what good is that? It’s crucial to remain optimistic during all situations in you life and help positivity push you through it.
There are moments in our lives when isolation and time for ourselves is most needed, but there are other times when we have to know how to work with others. If you don’t know how to be a team player, life can get a little complicated. However, sports teach you that there is no winning without teamwork! Every person on the team is valuable and every person has something to contribute.
Just like in life, sports have their ups and downs. There are times when your winning steak doesn’t seem to end but there are other times when the team is at its all time low. To be a good player you need to learn how to lose so you can improve yourself. Similarly, in life, sometimes things seem to never go your way, but we need to learn to accept the losses and learn from them because you can never stay on top forever.
Let's use hurdling as an example to prove this point. In order to jump the hurdles as fast as you can without falling, you have to overcome the fear of getting hurt. You have to realize that your mind deters your body because your body is capable of more than you think it can do. Life is just as simple as that, we are often scared to get out of our comfort zone so we end up missing out on the experiences. But sports can teach us to overcome our fears in the game and in life.
Observation is the key in sports! Every one of your teammates may be good at something different so observing their techniques and applying them to your game play can radically change you as a player and improve your skills. Same thing occurs in life, you don’t always have to learn your mistakes directly. There are easier ways to avoid problems by learning from the mistakes of others. Yet you can also learn how to be a better person by observing your role models.
In the end, no matter how many times you win or lose, no matter how much sweat and hard work you put in, sports always remain fun! This is something that we should apply to our lives, because in the end of it all we need to learn how to enjoy life and not let things get in our way.
Sports are more than just hobbies or extracurricular activities, they can really give you discipline and shape you as a person. They don’t just benefit health and body, but also mind, soul and life experiences. What has sports taught you over the years? Share in the comments!