I was chit-chatting with my friends when the conversation turned towards the extra-curricular and sports related facets of our kids’ lives. I shared how my son, now 13, has been playing long tennis in a local club since he was probably six or seven, and how he had recently completely lost interest in the game and had begun insisting on joining an academy for table tennis. I also shared that we were trying to convince him to stick to long tennis. A friend then told how her son, (probably seven or eight years old) kept changing his sport quite frequently and that her family and herself allowed him as they felt that it was imperative to let him explore and experiment. The disclosure sort of opened me up regarding my son’s changing interests, too; after all any sport is as good as any other sport. So why limit oneself? Sports, be it in any form, serves multiple purposes; and that’s why we see so much emphasis being put on it by various agencies. This summer vacation my son had already prepared me, despite my initial inhibitions, for letting him join both long tennis (yes, he eventually returned to that!) and football. It’s all sports, and I knew for sure that it’d always augment both his physical and mental health. Let’s sneak a peek into some ways that sports activities do this so efficiently (and entertainingly).
- Perseverance: When one is engrossed in a game, whether outdoor or indoor, the person tries hard to rise above the obstacles and emerge victorious. This dedication becomes a way of living, thus, helping on many other fronts as well, and ultimately enhancing the quality of life.
- Flow: This is a concept every sports psychologist should be aware of. First presented by Hungarian-American psychologist Mihály Csíkszentmihályi in 1975, it denotes a completely immersed state in an activity whereby the person is enjoying and even loses the sense of time. It develops with practice, patience and determination – all key ingredients of a good sportsperson. Also, it comes with time, and indicates efficiency as well. Again, this flow is not limited to sports.
- Hones team-spirit: Haven’t we all experienced goosebumps when a team we support won a game and all the players excitedly hugged each other. Every member contributes to the team, and rejoices/ grieves equally. Team spirit is about overlooking / filling up for each other’s drawbacks, building up on individual strengths, and picking from a famous theory of psychology propounded by Gestalt school of thought – The whole is always greater than the sum of its parts. It applies beautifully to every group-sport.
- Inculcates leadership qualities: In present times, genuine leadership is a highly needed capacity. Field games undoubtedly serve in inculcating this skill. For one, there’s usually a role-model present in the form of a coach. Secondly, the player learns to adjust, adapt and grows to finely differentiate between when to change himself/ herself and when to mould others’ behaviour. Also, there’s a propel for an authentic concern for other players’ well-being.
- Motivation: Motivation doesn’t serve much if it’s a one-time or infrequent affair. Sustenance of motivation and inspiration, though tough, are highly called for. Track-events can provide us with essential strategies to create, maintain and maximize motivation. The person sticks to making efforts, begins to appreciate consistency, and overtimes reaps results – fuelling further inspiration.
All in all, though sports are desirably mandatory at most educational levels, we need to encourage similar mandates even at workplaces and for adults. While steps are definitely being taken in the right direction, more thrust is required. It will channelize energies, build passion and confidence, grant versatility to personalities and contribute to one’s life-lessons and fulfil the need for achievement.
(The above article is authored by Dr. Reema Bansal, assistant professor of Psychology at Rajiv Gandhi Govt. College, Saha (Ambala))
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