The Benefits of Team Sport
The term ‘Team sport’ refers to sports that require at least two people and can only be played as a team. Generally, these sports involve a combination of athletic skill, teamwork, and strategy. Some examples include football, soccer, hockey, baseball, lacrosse, cricket, water polo and rugby.
The team members are required to work together, share the load and communicate effectively for the good of the whole. In addition to the physical health benefits, team sport also teaches life skills such as selflessness, respect and character development. It also helps to build a strong social network and encourages children to be more independent and develop a good sense of responsibility, discipline and commitment.
Moreover, team sport is often a competitive activity that requires extensive practice and dedication from the players. As a result, it increases their drive to work hard in school and at the workplace and this translates into improved academic performance.
Additionally, team athletes learn the importance of time management and time-based goal setting. As Forbes magazine reported, Olympic women’s gymnast Shannon Miller kept a minute-by-minute schedule when she was playing, and this helped her reach her goals faster. The same principles can be applied to other aspects of a person’s life such as work and home. This enables a person to focus on the task at hand rather than getting distracted by other unimportant tasks. Lastly, team sports teach children to deal with adversity and how to be resilient in the face of defeat, all of which are important skills for living in modern society.
