How Team Sports Prepares You for Life
Most of us when we were young, participated in a team sport. It got us a chance to get together with friends, get regular exercise, and learn lessons about winning and losing and how to compete. These lessons are valuable in every area of our lives throughout our lives. As we get older many of us continue to participate in team sports with some like Blake Rubin regularly engaging in semi-professional cycling races. The benefits Blake gets from being part of a team during these races, provides him with a host of skills that he constantly sharpens each time he races. Here are some of the great benefits Blake gets from competing in team sports.
Improves your focus
Team sports require coordinating with your team members to reach the best outcome. This requires an ability to focus on each other and your goals. Doing this for prolonged periods of time releases chemicals in the brain that enhances and sharpens brain activity. So playing team sports helps you to focus better and this skill can be used in many areas of your life.
Teaches Fair Play
In life fair play is the process we all adhere to and in team sports it is the primary rule. Of course as in life there will always be those who skirt the rules, but we all learn that those who do get penalized when caught, so we are pushed to play fairly. In sports if you are found to be a cheat you may even be eliminated from playing at all. With these types of consequences, we learn to do the right thing, even if it means we may lose a competition. Many people have been taught to play fair because of playing on a team sport.
Eliminates stress
Although the push to win in can create stress in an individual at different times, overall the result of playing in team sports is a lowering of stress and reduction or eliminating of really debilitating illnesses like depression. Team sports keep you physically active which helps in triggering the production of endorphins. These natural mood lifter automatically keeps you feeling more relaxed and optimistic.
Creates Lifelong Friendships
Sports is akin to going to war and like war it can create relationships that last a lifetime. The passion and sacrifice needed to compete creates camaraderie and closeness that only those who compete can appreciate. This great social benefit can create relationships that last forever.
Teaches Teamwork
So much of life is about learning how to operate within and play a vital role on a team. Being a part of a team sport can help you learn the vital skills of a good team member. We have all observed that it is often not the most athletically gifted that pushes a team toward victory, it is someone who understands the team members and how to get the most out of each and every one of them. This appreciation and understanding of team translates to relationships outside of the sport, whether it is at work, at a charitable organization or within a family unit.
Team sports can provide a foundation for learning life skills. Many of today’s leaders got much of their training from participating in team sports.
