Sports teach an individual a variety of important life lessons that you may not necessarily learn in classrooms. A sport usually involves teamwork, handwork and sacrifice.
These cannot be effectively taught within the confines of four walls and a teacher. Children must always be encouraged to take part in any kind of physical activity as it will provide them with a lot more lessons that they can apply in their day to day life.
Here are a few lessons that sports teaches you :
Sports also teaches individuals how to deal with a win or a loss with dignity and grace. It also mainly teaches you to be persistent and work hard till you reach your goal.
How to Lead: In a team sport, every player acts as a leader of their team. A team has a common goal and every player will strive to achieve it. Sports also teach a player how to be a follower as well. This teaches the individual how to be confident, develop their leadership skills, how to interpret instructions effectively, how to respect authority and have patience.
Time Management: While having to participate in sports while also doing their other daily activities, players learn how to manage their time effectively. This also makes them prioritise important factors in their life. The school may just teach a kid how to follow a timetable but not how and why to make them, unlike sports.
Goal Achievement: Children learn how to set their own goals, both individually and as a team. They then learn how to achieve these goals efficiently and effectively through hard work and strategising. Schools have curriculum and kids are only supposed to get good marks but playing a sport will open a new horizon of winning and losing to them.
Success Requires Hard Work: Players are aware that the only way you can get better at your game is if you work harder at it and put in your maximum effort. They learn that there are no shortcuts to getting what you want. Well, the kid understands that to get the first rank in class, he should study hard like to win a match, he practices harder.
How to Win/Lose with Dignity: Sports is the ideal environment for an individual to experience feelings and emotions arising from failure or success. Players are always made to shake hands with their opponents after a match regardless of the outcome. They are taught not to blame external sources and always treat a game as a learning experience.
Health: Players who play sports in their young age have a greater chance of staying fit later in life. Individuals who take part in sports are expected to maintain a certain level of fitness. This is incorporated into their daily lifestyle and helps them lead a healthier life.
How to Deal with Pressure & Stress: A lot of pressure and stress is involved in sports. Players learn to deal with it in a safe environment and in an effective manner. Whereas, schools teach only subjects, playing a sport will help the kid learn a bit more about life.
Responsibility: Children learn that they’re responsible for themselves. Also, if they want something, they have to make it happen themselves and not rely on others.
Teamwork: A team will always be more successful if all the teammates are in agreement and are focused on achieving the same goal. Kids learn that their best chance at reaching their goal is if they co-operate and work together.
These are a few lessons that sports teach an individual. All of these lessons can be applied in the day to day life of a player.
These lessons not only make the individual’s life easier and better but also more efficient and fulfilling.
It is very important to educate the young mind, which is why children should be motivated to take up a sport as they can develop into intelligent individuals with overall growth and knowledge.
