How Are Team Sports And Personal Development Related?
Exercise is an inexhaustible source of physical and mental health. Not only does it help to release energy in a direct and controlled way, but it can also act as a stimulus for personal development. In this article, we look at how team sports and personal development are related.
Sport is a great tool at all stages of life and even more so when we are small and our personalities are just evolving.
Childhood and adolescence are crucial stages in life. In this case, we are the most vulnerable and the easiest to shape. What happens at these stages of life thus leaves either a positive or negative imprint on an individual’s development and affects personal growth.
In many cases, a sports field is the place where a person first begins to work towards some common goal, thereby sacrificing their own personal interests. For example, a child may want to act as an attacker on a football team, but it would be better for the team to play a defensive game. This is an opportunity to negotiate: either to stay steadfast or to appreciate the benefits of sacrifice.
In this article, we want to discuss all the benefits that team sports offer. We start by discussing personal development.
What is personal development?
Personal development is the process by which people strive to find or hone to the top all of their potential strengths, with the goal of achieving their own goals, aspirations, and goals. This is motivated, for example, by the need to give meaning to life (Dongil E. and Cano A., 2014).
This development depends on many factors, from the growth environment to individual traits or the society in which we live. It could be said that personal development is influenced by biological, individual and social processes.
According to Erikson’s epigenetic principle, all people have their own basic formula for development, all aspects of which mature at their own pace until they all work together (Bordignon, 2005).
Team sports and personal development are interrelated
Given the definition of personal development and what was mentioned in the introduction, we can see that it is related to the practice of sport.
In team sports, teammates work together to achieve the goals of the game. That common goal should be achieved through a jointly agreed strategy that should be accepted by all members of the team.
From this it could therefore be concluded that what motivates the team is the achievement of pre-set goals. It is important to understand that participating in team sports requires following strict rules. These rules relate to respect for the game, the team, and all the people involved.
If the rules are not followed, the referee will give a penalty and the consequences will certainly come from the opposing team and the player’s own team. This allows athletes not to break the rules, which protects the sport from the individual or team’s own efforts.
Because sports can lead to personal development, there are many benefits to playing team sports. Here are some skills and values that can be developed through sports:
- Feeling of togetherness
- Teamwork
- Respect
- Decision
- Loyalty
- Overcoming obstacles
- Discipline
- Responsibility
- Compassion
- Understanding equality and avoiding discrimination
- Active listening
- Better use of leisure time
Summary
Team sports can be played in different ways. The most popular sports are usually football and basketball, but there are other sports like rugby, handball, water polo, figure swimming, volleyball, rafting, etc. These can all develop the same values and teach the same skills.
It is important to pursue something that enables growth and development in all aspects of life. The kind that helps us to be independent and empowered people.
