competitive sports teach us about life essay

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Beyond the Field: How Competitive Sports Teach Us About Life

Table of contents, resilience and perseverance, teamwork and collaboration, time management and discipline, handling pressure and stress, sportsmanship and respect, conclusion: lessons beyond the scoreboard.

• Coakley, J. (2015). Sports in society: Issues and controversies. McGraw-Hill Education.
• Weinberg, R. S., & Gould, D. (2014). Foundations of sport and exercise psychology. Human Kinetics.
• Lumpkin, A., & Stokowski, S. (2011). Psychological skills training in sport. In M. Murphy (Ed.), Sport psychology interventions (pp. 161-185). John Wiley & Sons.
• Larkin, P., & O'Connor, D. (2019). The role of personality factors in predicting athlete burnout and engagement. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 546.
• Smith, R. E., Smoll, F. L., & Cumming, S. P. (2007). Effects of a motivational climate intervention for coaches on young athletes' sport performance anxiety. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 29(1), 39-59.

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Competitive Sports Can Teach Us About Life

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How Sports Can Prepare You for Life

Sports are fun activities that help kids learn skills, like how to shoot a free throw or skate backwards. But what if sports could teach us more than physical skills and prepare us for life? If the environment is safe and welcoming, sports can also teach us skills that we can use in our lives— life skills ! Participating in sports can teach us about teamwork, being a leader, how to relax if we are upset, and much more! In this article, we discuss different ways that life skills can be developed through sports. We also talk about what you and your coaches can do to help you develop life skills. As you learn these skills in sports, you can use them anywhere, like at school or home. Life skills learned in sports can help you become a good person on whatever path you choose in life.

How Sports Can Prepare You For Life

Sports can be fun activities that help kids to learn different skills, like how to shoot a free throw, skate backwards, or hit a fastball. But what if sports can teach us more than physical skills? What if they can prepare us for life? Kids across the world engage in different types of organized sports, whether at school or in their communities. This makes sports an important context to help prepare kids for life. You might have heard the phrase “sports build character” before. Building positive character does not always happen by accident. It requires hard work from the kids participating, but also from their coaches and teammates.

Coaches play an important role in sports. If coaches make sports safe and welcoming, kids can have fun, learn new skills, and be part of a team or club. If coaches do not structure sports well, sports can lead to negative things, like not having fun, cheating, or bullying. In this article, we discuss how coaches can help kids learn life skills through playing sports.

What are Life Skills?

If the sports environment is safe and welcoming, sports can teach kids skills they can use in their lives— life skills ! Life skills means different things to different people. Sometimes people use words like values, assets, lessons, or character traits. In this article, we will call them life skills. Within sports, life skills can include:

• Respect : showing consideration and being kind to people (teammates, opponents, referees) and things (rules of the sport, equipment, sports facility);
• Honesty : always telling the truth to yourself and others;
• Teamwork : working together as a group to achieve a goal;
• Emotional regulation : having control over your emotions and staying calm; and
• Perseverance : always trying your best and never giving up.

You may learn about some of these skills at school, when you are working on a group project, or at home, from your parents and family. Learning life skills in many different contexts is an important part of your development. Developing life skills is a process , which means they take time and practice to develop. Sports can be one part of the process of developing life skills. Life skills can be learned, practiced, and improved upon in any sport, whether team or individual. Yet, for these skills to be called life skills, kids need to transfer these skills. Life skills transfer means that life skills learned in sports are used in other areas of your life, like at school, at home, or in other sports or activities [ 1 ].

Why is it Important to Develop Life Skills?

You may be asking yourself why developing life skills is important. Learning and practicing life skills in sports can help you be a good teammate and player, but they can also help you to be a good person outside of sports. Even if you do not become a professional athlete or play sports your whole life, you can still use life skills in other contexts. For example, learning relaxation techniques can be very helpful in sports. When stepping up to the plate for your first pitch in cricket or standing on the basketball free-throw line, you can learn different ways to relax, such as taking deep breaths or calming your mind by counting to five. Learning about relaxation techniques in sports can also help when you feel nervous or anxious at school. Before a test, you can take deep breaths to relax and calm your nerves. If you get into an argument with a friend or sibling, relaxation techniques, like deep breathing, can also help you act calmly, so you choose your words carefully and come to a peaceful solution.

How Can I Develop Life Skills in Sport?

There is a lot to focus on while playing sports—the rules, your position—without thinking about life skills. But do not worry; you do not have to go through this process on your own! As mentioned, coaches are important in helping kids develop life skills when playing sports. Life skills can be developed through sports in two different ways.

First, life skills can be developed based on how the sport is structured, including the rules, competition, and relationships developed with coaches and teammates [ 2 ]. In this implicit approach , coaches focus mainly on teaching sport-specific skills, like passing and shooting. They do not place any specific effort on discussing or practicing life skills. In cheerleading, kids can learn to communicate with their teammates during a routine. In golf, kids can learn to be respectful through the rules about respecting the course and one’s opponents. In these examples, coaches are not doing anything specific to support the development of life skills. Essentially, if coaches use this implicit approach, they leave life skills learning in sports up to chance.

Second, life skills can also be developed explicitly [ 2 ]. This explicit approach occurs when coaches take specific steps to teach kids life skills. There are different ways for coaches to teach life skills through sports. Below, we give an example of Coach Jane using an explicit approach during a handball practice or competition. This approach has five steps. First, Jane picks one life skill to teach—leadership. The theme of the entire session is to learn how to be a leader. Second, Jane works with players to define that life skill. Together, they come up with a definition of what it means to be a leader in handball, at home, and at school. Third, Jane gives players opportunities to practice being leaders during the session, including asking them to lead the warm-up or to act as the team captain. Jane provides feedback while they practice being leaders. She asks players to consider if their way of leading includes all of their teammates. Fourth, Jane finishes the session by reviewing the chosen life skill. She asks players questions like, “What activities required you to be a leader in today’s session?” and “Where else can you be a leader beyond handball?” Together, Jane and the players talk about how they can be leaders at home, at school, and even at work as they get older. The point of these discussions is for players to develop connections between their sports experiences and their lives outside of sports. Finally, Jane can provide opportunities for players to practice the life skills learned in handball in other contexts. As mentioned earlier, this is called life skills transfer. For example, to practice transferring leadership, Jane arranges for the players to lead activities at a younger team’s practice. Jane also works with the players’ teachers and parents to encourage players to practice being leaders in school, at home, or in other extracurricular activities, like mentoring a classmate who is struggling with their math homework. Overall, Coach Jane explicitly supports players’ leadership skills, within and beyond handball.

Researchers have found that using a combination of implicit and explicit approaches is most useful for kids to learn life skills in sports ( Figure 1 ) [ 4 ]. When coaches use both approaches, kids can have more opportunities to develop life skills based on how the sports environment is structured and what kinds of skills coaches choose to teach. Coach Jane supports her players’ leadership development by using the five steps outlined above (explicit approach), along with strategies like being a role model and setting clear rules about playing fairly (implicit approach). Research shows that using both approaches can help to increase kids’ awareness of how to transfer their life skills and strengthen their abilities for life skills transfer beyond sports, like at home and at school [ 5 ]. For example, if a player sees a classmate being bullied by a peer at school based on their gender identity or skin color, the player can transfer his or her leadership skills developed in sports by standing up for that classmate and leading the conversation toward kindness and inclusion rather than bullying.

• Figure 1 - We can imagine coaches who use implicit and explicit approaches as climbing a staircase.
• The first two steps represent the implicit approach, and the last two steps represent the explicit approach. Coaches need to climb the stairs in order to explicitly teach life skills. The stairs build on each other—to be on stair three, coaches need to also be using strategies from stairs one and two. This allows coaches to use a combination of implicit and explicit approaches for teaching life skills (Image credit: adapted from [ 3 ]).

So Now You Know!

In this article, we talked about ways sports and coaches can help you develop important skills that you can use in life. These life skills, like respect, leadership, and honesty, can improve your ability to perform in sports, but they also go beyond sports. What is important to remember is that YOU, as the athlete, also play an important role in this learning process. First, think about the different skills you are learning in sports. What are they? Look for important connections between your sport and your life in school or at home. Second, take initiative and use your life skills without your coach having to ask you. Stand up for a teammate who is being bullied or try to focus while waiting to receive a serve in tennis. Third, keep these skills in mind as you grow up. As you go to high school or secondary school and work your first job, there may be different life skills that are useful for you to transfer from your sports experiences. So, next time you are about to give a big class presentation, think about what you did on the court or field to help you relax and prepare. Practicing these life skills in sports and life can help you be a good athlete and a good person, on whatever path you choose in life.

Life Skills : ↑ Values, assets, or skills that help us in life. They can include respect, honesty, teamwork, emotional regulation, perseverance, and many more.

Life Skills Transfer : ↑ The process in which the life skills learned in sports are applied in other areas of a kid’s life, like at school, at home, in other sports, or in their community.

Implicit Approach : ↑ An approach to teaching life skills in which coaches focus on teaching sport-specific skills, without placing any specific effort on teaching life skills or providing time to practice life skills.

Explicit Approach : ↑ An approach to teaching life skills that occurs when coaches take specific steps to teach kids life skills.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

[1] ↑ Gould, D., and Carson, S. 2008. Life skills development through sport: Current status and future directions. Int. Rev. Sport Exerc. Psychol. 1:58–78. doi: 10.1080/17509840701834573

[2] ↑ Turnnidge, J., Côté, J., and Hancock, D. J. 2014. Positive youth development from sport to life: Explicit or implicit transfer? Quest 66:203–217. doi: 10.1080/00336297.2013.867275

[3] ↑ Bean, C., Kramers, S., Forneris, T., and Camiré, M. 2018. The implicit/explicit continuum of life skills development and transfer. Quest . 70:456–470. doi: 10.1080/00336297.2018.1451348

[4] ↑ Holt, N., Neely, K. C., Slater, L. G., Camiré, M., Côté, J., Fraser-Thomas, J., et al. 2017. A grounded theory of positive youth development through sport based on results from a qualitative meta-study. Int. Rev. Sport Exerc. Psychol. 10:1–49. doi: 10.1080/1750984X.2016.1180704

[5] ↑ Bean, C., and Forneris, T. 2016. Examining the importance of intentionally structuring the youth sport context to facilitate positive youth development. J. Appl. Sport Psychol. 28:410–425. doi: 10.1080/10413200.2016.1164764

What do Competitive Sports Can Teach Us about Life?

How it works

There are a lot of great points to competitive sports that extend far beyond the playful hitting and yelling. It is the life skills that they learn and will take with them forever.

There has been a lot of controversy about whether or not young children should begin to play football. As a mother, it is hard to watch your child be under a pile of other players, wondering if they are going to get up and listening to coaches yelling at them.

However, there are some great lessons learned from playing football that go far beyond hitting and yelling. These young children are learning life skills that they can use the rest of their lives.

According to Michigan State University Extension, these are the top four life skills children learn while participating in a sport:

1. Social skills

The social aspect of sports might be what entices children to play in the first place. Competitive sports participation lets children spend time with friends in a safe environment while practicing social skills that are likely to last a lifetime. Aside from bonding with peers, kids learn to solve conflicts effectively, reach common goals and learn to be more assertive, all while getting much-needed physical activity. A child’s communication skills are improved while playing a sport, giving a child needed life skills.

2. Competitive skills

Although there is such a thing as being too competitive, it’s important for a child to understand the positive aspects of competition. Adults are surrounded by competition, from getting a job to moving up in the work force. When children learn the basics of competition early, they have a better chance of succeeding. Sports participation helps children cope with competition in a friendly environment. Working to achieve a goal or being part of a team can help kids gain healthy competitive skills that they can use for the rest of their lives.

3. Sportsmanship

Sportsmanlike behavior is a lesson that children obtain from playing sports. Children learn to positively handle both the winning and losing aspect of playing a sport. Good sportsmanship is a trait that carries over from childhood to adulthood. Athletes who focus on mastering personal improvement have a good chance later on becoming good citizens and hard workers. A child who learns to be a good sport can translate that skill to better cooperating with others and making decisions based on their own morals rather than being ego-oriented individuals who behave badly, according to Education World, an online resource for educators .

4. Leadership abilities

Obtaining leadership qualities that range from being a good character to respecting others and being task oriented can be accomplished in both team and individual sports. A solid support system, such as a strong parental involvement and effective coaching can help mold a child into being a leader now, and later in life.

The coaching staff for my son’s team told them in the huddle that giving 100 percent on the field will help them to give 100 percent in whatever else they do in life. Do these boys understand that concept at this young age? Maybe not, but having the discipline to play as a team day after day and to give all they can to their team will certainly pay off for them in the long run as adults.

Need more parenting information? Check out MSU Extension’s Nurturing Families program.

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Game of Life: Lessons We Can Learn From Sports

Once upon a time, when you first suited up for a youth sporting event, your parents probably weren’t expecting you to become a pro athlete. They signed you up for T-ball, soccer or gymnastics despite your butterfingers or ox-like agility , in hopes that their kid might learn lessons about winning graciously, losing with dignity and sticking to it when things got tough. Yes, playing games was good exercise, but it was the life lessons that mattered most.

For too many of us, as recess became a distant memory, so did the idea that sports can transcend fitness. Instead of looking to improve our minds and spirits, we began gauging progress solely by the size of our muscles or the numbers on a scale. The notion that athletic competition is about greater life lessons and the building of character has been further undermined by headlines about professional athletes who abuse steroids, run into trouble with the law and demand ever-bigger paychecks.

And yet there’s still strong evidence that “sports strongly reinforce certain personal characteristics, things like respecting your opponent, responsibility, persistence and self-discipline,” says Angela Lumpkin, PhD, professor of health, sport and exercise sciences at the University of Kansas and coauthor of Sport Ethics: Applications for Fair Play (McGraw-Hill Humanities, 2002). And that’s true for athletes of any age.

Amateur sports provide a nonthreatening place for competition, with clearly defined rules and low stakes. They also provide a practice ground for managing stress.

The benefits of participating in a sport can seep into your professional life , too. In basketball, for example, “getting everyone to play the right role on the court is the key to success,” says Alan Arlt, founder of the Life Time Fitness basketball program Ultimate Hoops, which includes an adult league. “That certainly translates to the corporate world, where everyone understands their role in the organization.”

Career benefits notwithstanding, playing games like soccer or engaging in individual pursuits such as martial arts can also improve your emotional well-being. In 2005, 89 percent of Canadian adults who participated in sports reported a life satisfaction level of at least 7 on a scale of 1 to 10, compared with only 75 percent of nonparticipants.

This statistical variation may be due in part to the fact that the culture of sportsmanship tends to give participants positive feelings about themselves, win or lose. Those who engage in sports often gain a sense of self-confidence from their experience. “Adult athletes look at sport as helping define themselves as human,” says Lumpkin.

On the following pages, we hear about the unique experiences of three distinctly different athletes, including Saunders, a former basketball player and pro coach; world-champion triathlete Andy Potts; and Olympic tae kwon do martial artist Paige McPherson. They share the wisdom and life knowledge they’ve each gleaned from their respective games, and, in the process, illuminate what each of us might harvest  from the sporting activities that shape our own life stories.

Colorado Springs, Colo. 2004 Olympic Triathlete, 2007 Ironman 70.3 World Champion

Lesson 1: Seek new Passions

As a child, Andy Potts tried everything from football to tennis before he realized his talent and passion for swimming. Potts competed on the University of Michigan swim team and then made it to the 1996 U.S. Olympic Trials, where he placed fourth, one spot short of qualifying for the Games in Atlanta.

In 2000 the sport of triathlon debuted at the Olympic Games. Despite having no cycling experience (save riding his bike to school) and little training as a runner, Potts began pondering a career as a triathlete. It would be several years until he acted on his urge, though. “At 26 years old, nine months into a stint as a sales rep for a payroll company, I said, ‘I can’t do this. I’m going to buy a bike and do triathlons,’” recalls the 35-year-old.

Three races later, Potts was trying out for the United States Triathlon resident training camp in Colorado Springs, and in 2004 he competed at the Athens Olympic Games. Since then, Potts has won an Ironman 70.3 (Half Ironman) World Championship and has multiple victories in triathlons of that distance under his belt, as well as Olympic and Ironman triathlons.

“Sports have given me the opportunity to pursue my passions and see where my potential is,” Potts says. “Finding new passions is part of evolving as a person. If you ask my 5-year-old son his passion, he’ll tell you cars — he wants to be a racecar driver. And that passion is going to change through his experiences. But the one thing that will always stay is his thirst for learning and adventure. If you have this, you’ll be a much happier person and get more out of life.”

Lesson 2: Know the Limits of Your Control

“In life and sports, there’s a lot of uncertainty. One thing I’ve learned and continue to relearn is how to respond to the things I can and can’t control,” Potts says.

“In a race, the things you can control are your attitude and effort. I’m always measuring these: ‘Was I excited and passionate to race? Did I bring my training to the race, or did I leave something at home?’”

There’s also an endless list of things you can’t control, though. “A few years ago at a race in Chicago, someone rode his bike into Andy and he went down,” says Mike Doane, Potts’s coach since 2002. “At first, Andy was upset. His season was in jeopardy. But he put all his energy into healing — letting go of his frustration and the uncertainty of racing [at the world championships] in Kona. That is the lesson he drew from the mishap: Focus on healing, be positive and let go.”

Just a few months after Potts and his wife, Lisa, were married — and right before his Olympic debut at the 2004 Games — Lisa found a cancerous lump on her neck. She didn’t want to affect his race, so she waited until after the Olympics to break the news, while she and Andy were honeymooning in Greece.

“When the love of your life tells you she has cancer, you really acknowledge your mortality. But you’re 27 years old and not supposed to be thinking about dying,” Potts says. “So we didn’t. We knew it would be a long road to eradicating cancer, but we decided along the road we would build experiences, as opposed to living in fear of the worst or in constant paralysis of the unknown.”

Potts continued his career as a triathlete while supporting Lisa through two surgeries and radiation ablation therapy. She has been cancer free since 2009, and the couple has added 5-year-old Boston and 2-year-old Sloan to their family. “ We decided to call the shots,” says Potts. “We’re only here for a short time, so let’s make the most of it.”

Paige McPherson

Miami, Fla. 2012 Olympian, Tae Kwon Do

Lesson 1: Persevere

Paige McPherson, 22, an Olympic tae kwon do bronze medalist, is one of those people who make you believe you can do anything you set your mind to — even if it means defying other people’s expectations.

Adopted at four days old, she was raised in Sturgis, S.D., a town of 6,500 best known as a motorcycle mecca. But from an early age, her interests ran toward something entirely different: martial arts.

Initially, that path didn’t seem feasible for her. When a 5-year-old McPherson showed up for her first tae kwon do lesson, she was so hyperactive that the instructor sent her home for two separate, six-month “maturity periods.”

“He said, ‘I can’t teach a class and watch her, too,’” recalls Paige’s father, Dave McPherson. But Paige was persistent. She eventually got back on the mat and stayed there.

Seven years later, the same coach was taking McPherson and a small team to the tae kwon do national championships.

Gradually, McPherson’s friends dropped out of the activity to play other sports, but she believed she was on to something. She stuck it out and, for a few years, went to nationals by herself.

In 2007 she made her first USA Juniors team and competed at the Pan Am Championships, where she won in her weight class. In 2009 she moved to Miami to pursue her Olympic dream.

Beyond all her medals and awards, though, McPherson says her athletic pursuits have given her something far more valuable — the opportunity to identify and hone her own inherent strengths, including the inclination toward perseverance she now sees as one of her defining traits.

“Sport gives you a chance to really see and understand who you are and what you are capable of,” she says. “There have been times when I’ve wanted to give up, when I’ve wondered if it’s worth the sacrifice, but those moments of victory make it feel worthwhile.”

Lesson 2: Be Confident, not Cocky

When you’re one of only two women in your sport to represent the United States in international competition, it’s tough not to get a big head. But McPherson, who competed this summer in her first Olympic Games and took home a bronze medal, doesn’t do conceit.

“When I was a teenager, whenever I was cocky before a match, I never won. When you’re cocky, you feel like you have to live up to that,” says McPherson. “When I was probably 17, I was like, ‘Lord, help me. This attitude isn’t working.’”

McPherson’s reference to a higher power is not rhetorical. She feels a strong tie between her athleticism and her relationship with God, and this informs her sense of humility. Rather than counting victories before they happen, McPherson approaches each match without expectations, drawing her confidence, in part, from her faith.

“I just trusted in myself and in God. That’s when I made my first Juniors team,” she says. “I realized that when I was simply confident, I felt a lot less pressure.”

For some people, it’s hard to distinguish between confidence and arrogance, but McPherson, whose nickname is “McFierce,” draws a thick black line between the two. She never doubts her abilities. Yet she is known for treating everyone as her equal. “If you were to show up at the end of a match and couldn’t see the scoreboard, you would never know who won,” says her father.

McPherson also counts on her support system to stay grounded. “I know I didn’t make it here alone. God, my parents, coaches, teammates, friends — all those people around me. It’s not a personal victory,” she says. “Having resources around you makes the victory more important.”

Flip Saunders

Brooklyn Heights, Ohio Former NBA head coach of the Washington Wizards, Detroit Pistons and Minnesota Timberwolves

Lesson 1: Prepare

One thing Flip Saunders recalls from playing high school basketball was the sense that the team had his back. “I had a coach who said, ‘Just go out and do what you have to do; don’t worry about making mistakes .’ I always played at a higher confidence level because of that,” he says.

“When I became a coach, I never wanted my players thinking I was questioning what they were doing. I wanted them to go out and play as hard as they could.”

But for Saunders to feel that sense of confidence in his players (and himself), everyone has to do his homework — on the court and off.

“Because basketball is a game that relies so much on reaction, preparation gives you a calming effect, both from an imagery standpoint of thinking about the game you’re going to play, and from an experience standpoint, knowing that you’ve been in that situation before,” says Saunders.

Winning isn’t just about calling the right plays, he says; it’s about what happens during practices, meetings, workouts and even the moments in the locker room just before a game.

“[Flip] learns the other team’s tendencies and he lays down that foundation for all his players,” says Don Zierden, Saunders’s longtime friend and assistant coach. “This contributes to his teams’ success.”

The 57-year-old Saunders, who is married with one son and three daughters, says he takes the same approach toward family life: “There’s no question that in order to have success in life, you need to prepare — to get a job, to take care of the people in your family, to put money away for your kids to go to college. In athletics, the preparation never stops. It’s the same in real life: It’s ever-changing and you’re always working.”

Lesson 2: Respect Your Team

At every level of play, teamwork and good sportsmanship are the goals . “At the pro level, everyone has a different type of ego,” Saunders says. “Sometimes players have to set part of that aside for the betterment of the team.”

Saunders says during his childhood, his parents and brother instilled in him a strong value for cooperation and collaboration. As a coach, Saunders has grown to appreciate the individual sacrifice and dedication it takes to keep a group moving in the same direction.

“Part of teamwork, more than anything else, is understanding what everyone’s role is. For a team to have success, one player might have to score 30 points a game, but in order for him to score 30 points, someone else has to pass him the ball, someone else has to rebound the ball and get it to him, someone else has to set screens to get him open,” he says. “Some roles might be more prestigious, and some people might have to do more dirty work, but ultimately, it’s not the individual glory that matters, it’s the team’s success.”

That’s a lesson that transcends the locker room, he notes. “It happens in a lot of families, too,” says Saunders. “Mothers tend to be the ones who hold the family together, but a lot of times they might not get the glory.”

He believes the main ingredient necessary for success is respect: respect of the game (whether it’s basketball, your job or your family life), your team and yourself.

“If you respect the way the game is played, you’re going to respect your team; you’re not going to play as an individual. The two go hand in hand,” Saunders says. “Teamwork is the ultimate goal.”

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Competitive Sports Can Teach Valuable Life Skills

by Faze Staff

The term ‘competitive sports’ may seem like an obvious combination, even redundant. Well, not really, as not all sports are  competitive. While a sport is an activity involving physical exertion and skills, competitive sports include the element of individuals or teams competing against one another, sometimes for a reward or simply for an exhibition, or just sheer enjoyment of playing.

According to the World Sports Encyclopedia, there are over 8,000 competitive sports. As one goes through each of these, a familiar pattern of life lessons begins to shape up. It seems competitive sports are designed to teach us a thing or two about life.

Life lessons taught by competitive sports

The skills taught are learned whether we win or lose. From either position we learn what was never taught in educational settings.

We play sports to win. But when we’re losing, we may learn either one or all of the following lessons:

We need help

We can get behind sometimes, learn from defeats.

When you’re losing, you get plenty of motivation to reassess your current options and realize your need for help. Without losing in competition, our complacency can be easily excused.

Liverpool’s 2005 Champions League final win is partially owed to important tactical changes and substitution by coach Rafael Benitez. He realized he could overrun the midfield by playing five midfielders instead of the initial four midfielders and replaced Steven Finnan with Dietmar Hamann. The resulting victory teaches us when the chips are down, we get down and get help to change what needs to be changed.

When a child gets failing grades,  the ability to ask for help will work for her. She could ask herself “Where can I find resources to help me with my math homework ?” 

There’s no shame in getting help. Make that tactical change and substitution if necessary, and you will have a great comeback.

Sometimes we do everything right, but victory is still elusive;, we appear to be on the back foot. Competitive sports teach us that with grit and determination we can overcome any setback. Olympic gold medalist,Usain Bolt quipped, “There are better starters than me, but I’m a great finisher.”

Are others you started business with already making profit while you’re yet to break even?

You could choose to cry wolf and sleep in the cozy pillow of self-pity, or you can channel your inner competitive sportsman and the sentiments of Tennis legend Tiger Woods: “The greatest thing about tomorrow is I will be better than I am today.”

Very young children are often told, “You’re all winners!” They are rewarded for participation.  Children who compete find out that winning has a meaning beyond ribbons and prizes. The children who engage in competition are more emotionally able to handle life’s challenges.

Kids who grow up without dealing with failure are in for a rude shock in life when they encounter failure at school, work or relationships.

Competitive sports let us know that while it is great to win the trophy, losing doesn’t make us losers.

Tennis star Serena Williams states, “I don’t like to lose — at anything …. Yet I’ve grown most not from victories, but setbacks. If winning is God’s reward, then losing is how he teaches us.”

When we win we learn about teamwork and rewards for hard work. When we lose we also learn that doesn’t have to be the end to our story.

Competitive sports teach us that it’s okay to lose, and we should learn from our mistakes, not repeat them.

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Five Essential Life Lessons You Can Learn by Playing Sports

Playing sports is fun, but the practice field teaches more than just athletic skills. As any athlete will tell you, learning to play within the confines of the rules of a game teaches invaluable life lessons that will apply to just about anything you pursue for the rest of your life.

Practice Makes…Better

The discipline to practice a skill isn’t about perfection. In sports as in life, perfection is a concept often discussed but rarely seen. But the pursuit of an ideal is valuable in and of itself, both on the field and off. Playing sports reinforces the idea that honing a skill is valuable not just because it will increase your efficacy, but also because becoming better at something is a reward all its own. So training doesn’t just improve the mechanics of your free throw or your putt, it resets your instincts so that when you get into the game, you respond the right way.

Check Your Priorities

Becoming a skillful player of any sport requires significant sacrifices of time and energy. It requires commitment and, above all, prioritization. In order to make time to practice, a certain amount of leisure time will have to be given up. And once you’re practicing, every minute of batting practice means forgoing a minute of fielding practice. This means players have to understand how and when to spend their best energy and must know when it’s time to say no. The skill to discern between what is absolutely necessary in the moment and what can be sacrificed is absolutely essential to any academic or professional pursuit. How many professionals can you think of who have difficulty saying no or managing their own time? Playing sports directly develops this skill.

Play Well With Others—and Share the Credit

Nobody likes a ball hog. It is a cliché at this point to say that sports teach teamwork, but it’s such a commonplace expression for a reason. Not only that, but “learning teamwork” isn’t just about learning to trust others. It’s also about learning to share credit for success…and for failure. Being a good teammate means passing the ball to somebody else. If they score a goal? Their success is your success and everyone celebrates. And if they miss the net? You pass it to them again next time. Knowing how to congratulate others and celebrate their wins is as vital as forgiving them for their losses, and negotiating the divide between these is an essential life skill.

Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained

Risk is concomitant with reward. As the saying goes, you miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take. Unspoken in this old adage is the fact that you definitely don’t make 100 percent of the shots that you do take. This isn’t just true on the courts and fields where your game is played. No matter where you go in life, the principle holds that in order to achieve great success, you must take risks. But this is not a recommendation for recklessness: Sports are filled with opportunities for risk-taking, and repeated exposure to these opportunities is the best training for developing a sense of when it’s a good time to take the shot and when it might be better to pass it up.

You Won’t Always Win—and That’s Okay

On both micro and macro levels, sports teach us about the value of failure. Whether practicing or competing, athletic pursuits are built out of moments of triumph and moments of defeat. No matter what game you’re playing, it’s important to accept success with humility and to experience defeat with dignity. Accepting that every risk won’t pay off, that every game will not be a W and that every play won’t go your way is key to being able to play effectively. Becoming paralyzed by loss is not an option. The same holds for life.

Experiential learning opportunities don’t end with team sports. If you’re interested in making sports part of your impact on the world, consider the online Master's in Sport Management* program from the University of Kansas.

*This program is a Master of Science in Education (M.S.E.) degree in health, sport management, and exercise science with an emphasis in sport management.

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The Importance of Sports in Life

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Sport is an Important Part of Life

Here I shall persuade you that sport is an important part of life and one that would severely damage our country if it were removed. I explain how competition is important because of the many functions it serves within our country and our community.

Sport offers competition without violence

This is true for most sports, although there are a few sports where violence is expected such as hockey. Otherwise sport is about matching physical fitness and wit with other participants. That is one of the great things about sport and is why it is an important part of life and our society.

Sport can bring people together

It brings together teams of people who would not have usually been seen together. This includes people in teams and includes people who go to watch sports. Teams tend to have supporters that are there together as a big group supporting what they love. Sport is able to bring people together which is why it is important within our lives.

Sport makes people feel as if they belong

Some people may be socially awkward and have no friends, but if they have a little sporting ability then they will be made welcome in sports. Even if they have no friends they will not be picked last in a team, they will be made to feel like part of the group.

Sport encourages good health

It is a great motivator and has people going out and taking exercise. It is something that even makes spectators want to get into shape. It is quite common for more people to join gyms and start taking more exercise when big sporting events exist.

Sport has been around as long as homo-sapians have

All types of sport are important to us because they have been around since humans first started to walk upright. They are a deep part of our competitive and playful base instincts. It is no coincidence that infant animals play with each other and compete. It is because such behavior is genetically programmed into them. The same is true of humans and we may enjoy such activities because we have sports.

Sports are a good thing because they help to stop violence and help people come together in harmony. Sports help us to release our competitive urges and help us get more exercise. Sport is a great motivator for people to get into shape and is also a business that generates millions for our country. Sport provides a lot of jobs for people and the elements within sport such as competition, exercise and working as a team have been around for a long time. Sport embodies the ideas of friendly competition and may work on a very healthy team basis. Joining a group so that the group may complete a task or a goal is a very good thing for humans as humans are pack animals. It helps to build interpersonal bonds and often has elements of wish fulfillment within, not to mention elements of camaraderie.

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A Speech on Competitive Sports Can Teach Us About Life

Now days many parents insist that they wants to enrol their kids in school sports teams or wants their kids to attend sports sections with their peers. Physical activities are well known to improve the resistance of the body to outer components and prevent any deviations at the time of their kid’s growth such as a bad posture, if someone practices it regularly.

But competitive sports are a totally different concept. It is drastically different from regular sports. Competitive sports contain the aspect of individuals or teams competing against one another, sometimes for a simple reward or simply for a ceremony, or just mere enjoyment of playing, on the other hand normal sport is just an activity which has involvement of physical effort and skills. The word or term ‘competitive sports’ seem too many of us like a very common combination even redundant. But it is not reality and, all sports are not as competitive. 

The World Sports Encyclopaedia, tells us that over eight thousands competitive sports are there. As a person who will be able to go through each of these competitive sports, can have a familiar pattern of life lesso ns which will starts to take a shape from it. It seems like competitive sports are constructed to teach us a thing or two about life. Do you know what these lessons that competitive sports teach us are?

There are too many lessons which are taught by competitive sports. For an example, at that time when we are about to win or lose, particularly the latter. From either position, we learn so many good skills that have never been taught in regular educational environments.

We all play sports to win or minimum we want to win but when we are at a situation that we know we will lose, we can learn either one or all of the following lessons and not for sports only, and it can have an effect on our real life too. The skills are able to motivate us in our low time. For example, it is ok to lose some time, we can learn more things from our defeats and perform better in future..

Liverpool’s 2005 Champions League final win is partly owed to some crucial tactical changes and alteration by Coach Rafael Benitez. He understood that he could invade the midfield by playing five midfielders rather than the preliminary four midfielders and restored the position of Steven Finnan with  Hamann.

The outcome was a victory, and that teaches us when the chips are down, we also need to get down and need to get a help make the change when it needs to be changed. There is nothing to be ashamed of in getting help from certain one when you need. It is indeed very important for us also to seek for help when we need and Make that tactical changes and variation if necessary, and with this method you can have a great comeback.

In conclusion competitive sport is very important for us because it teach us different aspects of life.

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LIFE LESSONS SPORTS TEACHES US

Now more than ever, we are reminded how many life lessons can be taught by participating in sports.  Coaches are teachers that can lead others in lessons such as how to stay positive, how to overcome adversity, how to work together for a common purpose, how to be resilient and how to be there for others.  Achieving goals and overcoming obstacles can help teens persevere in uncertain times like these.  Students can find a sense of belonging and accomplishment through individual sports and team dynamics.

Sports are symbolic of life.  Life requires teamwork, discipline, resiliency, respect, compassion, and character.  Sports can develop those skills to apply on the playing field and in their life.

We recently spoke with several different coaches from all over New Mexico, in a variety of sports, about the importance of sports and the lessons it can teach.

For coaches, sports are an extension of the classroom.  They encourage their athletes to always do their best on the field, in the classroom, and in life.  Champions can be determined by their commitment to goals.

“I remember a conversation with a former athlete of mine and they were contemplating dropping out of college.  Then this person told me, ‘Coach, I thought to myself that is not who I am.  I never quit! I will fight to the end!’ I was never more proud as a coach and, yes, he graduated!” -Ryan Galindo, Carlsbad High School Tennis

Self-Discipline

Tough times don’t last, but tough people do.  It’s a saying coaches are used to preaching.  Get up when you get knocked down.  The self-discipline taught in sports allows a person to thrive in life with a work ethic to improve.  Self-discipline spills over into every aspect of life and is a highly common trait among successful people.

“For me, the example that resonates over and over is that of the kid with a less than optimal home life. A kid that doesn’t have the nice clothes, fancy shoes, or even a car to drive to school. This specific kid has every excuse to ‘not make it’ and no one would judge him for that. Yet, he decides to get involved in sports and realizes that dreams can come true through hard work and determination. Through the experiences and lessons learned in sports, new things are possible and maybe even attainable with the right mindset. Goals can be reached regardless of where you begin. Success can be achieved at any level if the proper self-discipline and work ethic are put in place. This example happens very often. A player falls in love with a sport, a coach, or a program and it drastically changes their attitude towards life and propels them to seek a future that once wasn’t an option for them.  I guess this life lesson can be summed up in one word that sports can provide… HOPE. Players need HOPE.” -Heath Ridenour, Sue V. Cleveland High School Football

Mental Toughness

Sports can teach a person to be strong in body and mind.  Athletes learn to push their bodies beyond what they ever believed they could to achieve their goal.  Whether it’s in practice or competition, a person can learn to overcome adversity they may not have faced without sports.

“The life-lesson I learned through volleyball came my Junior season in college when I tore my ACL & MCL during a spring workout.  Volleyball was my life, my days revolved around the game and my teammates.  I was devastated.  However, through this injury and set back I learned what mental and physical toughness truly meant.  My rehab took 9 months, many hours a day, was very painful and caused separation from my teammates.  Nevertheless, it taught me so much about what I was really made of.  The injury helped me develop a stronger faith in God, established new friends outside the game and led me to other passions as well as volleyball.  I came back to the game stronger and a more complete player.  I now use my injury every time a player in our program is injured…because, I lived it as well.” -Kristen Scanlan, Texico High School Volleyball

Learning To Work With Others

Everyone doesn’t come from the same place.  Everyone has different skills and talents to contribute, but everyone has value.  Athletes learn quickly that a team can achieve success when everyone contributes.  Through collective hard work, kids learn to contribute to a greater good.

“I had a young lady from our program who authored ‘How to Survive Piedra Vista Softball: A guide by the 2016 Varsity Team’.  I opened it up and read it again and, as always, got choked up on some of the things the girls wrote.” -Kevin Werth, Piedra Vista High School Softball

Sample from the Guide

• “I want everyone in this program to know the joy of a hard-fought win, and also learn how to be gracious in defeat. I want everyone in the program to understand that adversity is inevitable, but that doesn’t mean you still can’t kick its butt. I want everyone in the program to believe in themselves and each other.” -Haley Parson
• “Probably just knowing that there’s going to be a next pitch coming, there’s going to be another day to come, that things are going to get better no matter what.” – Katie Jensen
• Try to gain respect by giving respect the best you can, and love your teammates.” – Tyra Garcia

Sacrificing one’s personal gain for the better of the group is a lesson taught in all team sports.  Athletes understand how they can best contribute using their strengths. Together Everyone Achieves More (T.E.A.M.).  Players learn quickly that their best chance at success will be through cooperation with the teammates.

“I had a young man back in 2001 by the name of Phil Sakala who had won the 800 meters and 1600 meters at the State Track Meet.  He was favored to win the 3200 meters the next day and become one the first distance runners to sweep all three distance events.  My 800-meter anchor leg, Frank Hemingway, in the Medley Relay developed a stress fracture in the prelims and could not run the Medley in the finals the next day.  I spoke with Phil that night explaining to him that I know he has a chance of becoming a state champion in all three distance events, but we really need him to anchor our Medley since we had no other backup 800-meter runner.  The next day, Phil sacrificed his personal individual 3200-meter opportunity for the principle of teamwork and he anchored our Medley relay to a state champion finish. Phil was quoted in our local paper as saying ‘I just helped three of my best friends win a state title’.  Phil went on to attend and graduate from the West Point Academy where today he carries a rank of Major continuing to apply the concept of teamwork, leading soldiers in military endeavors.” –David Nunez, Onate High School Track and Field

Handling Fear and Failure

Whether it’s striking out, making an error, or just losing a game, failures happen in sports as well as life.  Learning that not everyone gets to win can be a valuable lesson in someone’s early development.  Life isn’t always fair.  Injuries happen, calls are missed.  Players learn that getting angry or frustrated doesn’t always help and can affect their performance.  Losing with dignity is just as important as winning with class. A person can find success after learning from their failures.

“I try to give as many life lessons through the game of baseball.  I think sports closely parallels everyday life and the lessons you learn on the field can be applied to successful living.  We teach kids to deal with frustration, controlling their emotions and adjusting to change.  By playing sports you can learn maturity, honesty, loyalty, and patience.” -Gil Padilla, Las Cruces High School Baseball

Not everything always goes according to plan.  Sometimes you get thrown a curveball at the plate, and in life.  Athletes need to know how to bounce back.  It’s ok to make a mistake, but how you come back from the setback will define you.

“The biggest life lesson that I have learned as a coach is that the sun will come up the next day.  No matter the outcome of the day, process it, learn from it and make the best of the next day that has been given to you.  Bad things are going to happen as a competitor and as a coach; how you react to those bad things are ultimately going to shape and mold you into the person you are.” -Evan Copeland, Cleveland High School Wrestling

Goal Setting

Setting a goal in place and finding a way to accomplish that goal in the face of adversity is a useful skill.  After setting a goal, an athlete knows to work hard to reach it.  That goal can be a motivator for improvement.

“The best example I can think of was when our golf team played in the 2017 NMAA State Championship in Roswell.  Our boys team put in the work all year and gotten their brains beat in by Cleveland High School, which was the best team in the state by far.  The boys played with poise and a ‘no-fear’ attitude and ended up winning the tournament by 8 shots…until they didn’t.  One of our players got disqualified for signing an incorrect scorecard and we ended up losing by 3 shots instead of winning the school’s first blue trophy in boys golf.  The team had to juggle an emotional roller coaster of the highest high and the lowest low and also console a devastated teammate.  The boys not only handled it with grace, but also put together a plan on the bus ride home to start preparing the very next day for 2018. They named the season ‘The Redemption Tour’ and ended up working harder than this coach thought was possible.  In 2018, they left no doubt in winning their first ever state championship at Pinon Hills Golf Course.  I have never seen a group of boys handle adversity of that magnitude and then channel their emotions into a positive goal for the next year.  It truly was a story of redemption and it was quite a journey as a coach…and one I will never forget!” -Tom Yost, Piedra Vista High School Golf

Time Management

Being a successful athlete takes a lot of dedication, but it also takes a lot of time.  Athletes have to juggle their time between school, practice, and sometimes a job.  Being on a team can be a job in itself.  Sports teaches a person how to organize, prioritize, and focus on the importance of academics.  Athletes know what they need to do and when to do it.

“ I had a student-athlete that wasn’t living up to the expectations of our volleyball team and herself. As a result, she did not attend a week-long summer trip/team camp as an upperclassman, and it definitely sent a message to the player. Years later, and after college, the player contacted me and said ‘Thank you, coach. That was an experience that changed my life for the better, I owe a lot to you coach. My path to be successful began with the expectations/discipline that you provided a young kid.’ ” -Toby Mananares, Rio Rancho High School Volleyball

Every athletic season has a beginning and an end.  Coaches preach to their kids to finish what you start.  It’s one of the foundations of sport.  Everyone wants to quit at some point, but dedication to improvement and becoming the best you can be is what keeps the athlete going.

“Sometimes my kids don’t understand why I get on them for being ‘a few minutes late to practice’.  But in life, ‘a few minutes late’ here and there can cost you a job or an opportunity.  Life is about dedicating and committing yourself to something you believe in and giving yourself to that belief even when it is hard and isn’t maybe always going your way.  You don’t quit, you keep moving and giving everything you have.” -Stacy Salinas, Rio Rancho/Sue V. Cleveland Swimming

Overcoming Adversity

In sports, there are hurdles to get over, much like in life.  Sometimes things can surprise you or catch you off guard.  They say life is not about what happens to you, but how you deal with it.

“I had a player who lost both his parents.  He lost his mom when he was 5 and dad when he was 15.  This young man had several offers from families to move in with them, but he was a very proud young man and refused.  Well, he was able to find housing and remained in the school district and on the team.  The year after his dad died, he had many ups and downs but fought his way through it as he had a lot of support from friends, families, and coaches.  This young man ended up contributing to 3 Cross Country Championships, 1 State Track Championship, and 2 State Basketball Championships.  He more than overcame his adversity!” -Ira Harge, Espanola High School Athletic Director

Perseverance

Having the tenacity and determination to accomplish something despite the level of difficulty doesn’t just apply to student-athletes, sports can teach the same perseverance to coaches too.  Fight through it, don’t run from a situation when adversity strikes.  There will be setbacks.  There will be obstacles, but success doesn’t happen overnight.

“There was a girl who I coached almost 15 years ago, she was a good player, and was starting at the beginning of the year. But through the end of September, she could not keep her breath and was having a hard time running.  Well, she went to the doctor and they could not find out what was wrong, but she was not getting any better.  She was so loyal to the team, never missed practice and was at every game. Even her senior year she still was around for everything, but would get sick quite often and had a hard time playing, but we kept a great relationship through all this.  She went off to college and we always would meet when she came back into town. We talked life lessons each time, and each time she said how playing soccer taught her so much. She now has a wonderful professional job in New York City and what she has learned through sports has helped her with everything she has accomplished in her professional life.  She still gets sick and has a hard time with her heath, but she never gave up and always pushed forward. Sports teaches you things like that.” -Amber Ashcraft, La Cueva High School Soccer

Winning takes time.  Championship teams aren’t built overnight.  In sports you have a coach and in life you have a boss.  You learn to take instruction, develop patience and become a member of a team.

“I tell my players that when we do something, we do it right and we do it that way every time.  I give our players and parents a booklet every year.  It talks about how to perform under pressure.  They understand that the role of discipline and self-sacrifice play an important part of being successful.  Experiencing the pains of commitment and the thrill and joy of success is an integral part of being a basketball player; those same feelings that will be experienced in the real world.” -Marty Zeller, Los Lunas High School Girls Basketball, 41 Years of Coaching

Athletes must respect their coaches, officials, teammates, and their opponent.  It is important to recognize the worth of another.

“As an athlete, I think the biggest thing I gained was confidence to pursue. I learned how to set my sights on something and be willing to put in the work even if I had underlying doubts.  It’s the idea of relentlessly putting one foot in front of the other, even when things get hard.  Along with that came an ability to give to and receive from others in a collective effort.” -Kathy Hipwood, Los Alamos High School Cross Country

Morals and ethics come into play every day in sports.  Honesty and adherence to the rules is a foundation of every game. Many coaches will tell you that with some athletes it takes time and patience for them to realize their self-worth and value, but people can develop into some of the strongest members of their team when they realize there are no short cuts.

“My suggestions are to smile when the headwind makes us work harder, laugh when we fall down bleeding, and never let anyone else control our emotions.” -Tim Host, ATC Cross Country

Responsibility

Taking accountability is a major characteristic of successful student athletes. Participating in sports brings many obligations, to your teammates, to your coach,  and to your academics.

“I had a athlete that started wrestling his sophomore year with no prior experience. He was failing in school and was ineligible to compete. His junior year, he was 2.8 GPA student with a less than .500 win percentage. His senior year, he was a 3.4 GPA student and made the state finials! I believe the lessons he learned on the mat has transformed him to the man he is today, being a highly well-respected police officer.” -Nate Sellers, Miyamura High School Wrestling

Athletes can learn about caring for another as their coach cares for them.  Young adults can witness, first hand, the sympathy and care for the suffering of others.  Coaches themselves can relate to another’s pain because it’s something they might have gone through themselves at one time.

“ The one incident that stands out to me was a life-long lesson learned by one of my athletes that decided they were going to run away from home with their significant other as a sophomore in high school.  The couple had purchased bus tickets, and this athlete informed their grandparents they were living with, that they were leaving.  The athlete was begged to stay and of course did not.  The grandmother called me in the middle of the night begging me to talk to this individual as the departure time was getting closer.  At first I was hesitant, but then I thought – ‘what if this was my kid doing this and I had the confidence in their coach to try and assist during this time of need?’  So, of course, I jumped in the car and headed to the bus station. By the time I arrived, my athlete was on the bus, the grandmother was crying in the parking lot and I was thinking to myself – ‘What am I going to be able to say to change their mind?’  I boarded the bus, looked my athlete in the eye and explained how disappointed I was that they could disrespect their grandmother like this, disrespect themselves and let their teammates down.  The responsibility/commitment they made when becoming a part of the team was just about to be broken.  I cried, they cried….we talked about feelings, respect, etc., and just as the time for departure arrived, the athlete grabbed their belongings and got off the bus.  At this point, I don’t know who cried more…me, the athlete or the grandmother.  This event that happened was unfortunate, however, I believe the athlete learned some very valuable life lessons, as did I, having children of my own.  This individual had a very successful high school career both on and off the court and went on to play at the next level on a scholarship, graduated from college, married and has 3 beautiful children.  To me, this is what coaching is all about.” -George Maya, Mayfield High School Girls Basketball, 37 Years of Coaching

Dream Big, Anything Is Possible

At all levels, sports have given us memorable moments when we say ‘I can’t believe that just happened!’  Athletes think about what they want and forget all the reasons why it can’t become a reality.  They work hard to make their dreams come true.  If you believe it, you can achieve it.

“I had a student athlete who happened to have down syndrome.  She was on the dance team all 4 years of high school.  She participated in everything but competition.  Every year she would put on her uniform and get hair and makeup done for State.  She would join me up front and cheer on the team.  Her senior year, this young lady got to do the one thing left undone.  She walked down the ramp and this time her teammates joined me upfront and cheered her on as she performed on the PIT floor in front of 15,000 people.  I hope the lesson learned by my team and others, is that nothing is impossible.  We can all achieve our dreams, and maybe help someone else achieve theirs.” -Nicole List, Cheer/Dance Coach

All of those lessons we learn from competing.  We haven’t even touched on how sports can teach loyalty, leadership, and maturity. Sometimes self-improvement can’t be measured in wins, losses, time or distance.  Self-improvement is connected to one’s determination in the face of unexpected obstacles.

I’d like to finish with this thought.  Adversity is a part of life. Never quit.  That’s the lesson Heath Ridenour says sports taught him, both as a player and a coach.  “Find the light amidst the darkness,” he reminds others.  “Overwhelm the negative thought with a positive action.  Choose to wake up and win every single day.  This applies to athletics, but it is 100% relevant in every aspect of life as well.”

Spoken like a true coach.

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Does competitive sport in school do more harm than good?

With so much of the curriculum already target driven, journalist Matthew Jenkin questions whether the incentive to win in PE is either necessary or effective

D ouble Olympic champion Mo Farah’s athletic talent was spotted at an early age by his physical education teacher at Feltham community college in west London. Alan Watkinson was instrumental in channelling Farah’s energies into athletics and says this also helped the young athlete focus on his studies.

But not everyone shares Watkinson’s enthusiasm for competitive sports, least of all students. According to a survey by Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and the Chance to Shine charity, almost two thirds (64%) of eight to 16-year-olds said they would be “relieved, not bothered or happier” if winning or losing were not a factor.

Childhood obesity is worryingly high in Britain and it’s hard to find an argument against the need for students to engage in strenuous physical activity during physical education (PE) lessons. But with so much of the curriculum already fiercely target driven, why must these sessions include an element of competition?

The incentive to win gives students the motivation for taking part in the physical activity or games, says Chris Tully, head of PE at a secondary school in west Yorkshire. It’s a belief shared by 22% of parents, questioned in the survey above, who said they would have less interest in watching school sport if it was not competitive.

While Tully sympathises with children who may have less interest in or talent for sport, the answer is not to abolish the competitive element but to apply a more tailored approach to teaching according to each student’s needs.

He explains: “Some children are more introverted and less inclined to want to compete. That doesn’t mean, however, that we should just sit back and let them opt out. There should be careful management to encourage them into some element of competition.”

At Tully’s school, teachers make sure students are matched appropriately and fairly to activities and competitors according to ability. The result is that no girl or boy plays against a peer who is much more physically developed or experienced. It wouldn’t be beneficial for either pupil, he says.

Students are allowed to choose activities that suit them, whether it is team games such as football, netball and hockey or fitness-based things such as boxercise or circuit training. They also offer more creative options such as gymnastics, dance and trampolining.

The competition element, however, does not always involve going up against peers. Tully is keen to encourage the idea of personal bests, asking students to reflect on their own performance and how well they did in this lesson compared to the last. Making comparisons with others can be demotivating for some pupils.

Gareth Hamer, a PE and maths teacher at Stourport high school and sixth form in Worcestershire, agrees that competition is healthy. He adds that physical education has the ability to offer so much more than the experience of winning and losing. Lessons also look at technical, physical, social and psychological aspects.

Competitive sports, Hamer says, can teach you how to keep your temper and how to respect others: “It helps students become good people who can contribute to the community in a variety of ways, whether that is in leadership roles or supporting others. PE is obviously not the sole contributor to these skills, but it is definitely something that can bring all of those qualities out.”

The key is helping pupils understand why they are playing a particular sport. Students need to understand the point of what they are doing and the value of the lesson. Competition, Hamer insists, is a crucial element in every adult life, whether it’s going for a job or buying a house.

Young people need to know what it’s like to succeed, but equally how it feels to fail. Jon Clack, headteacher at Great Ponton primary , in Grantham, Lincolnshire, set up a charity called Inspire Plus to encourage sport in his small rural school and the local community after the government cut its school sports partnership funding. Since then he has been working to ensure PE is a bigger priority.

He recently started a football club and invited children as young as six or seven up to the age of 11 to join. Instead of the older students using it as an opportunity to show off and the younger children crumbling under the weight of failure, he says, the more mature players showed a genuine concern for their junior peers – supporting them and helping them enjoy a fair game.

Failure, Clack reveals, is almost an expectation at his school of just 70 pupils. If you are playing in external competitions against teams which have been chosen from a much wider pool of talent, there is a strong possibility of losing. It’s therefore important that the students set themselves their own individual goals, such as aiming to score at least one goal. Clack says the students recognise that failing is a fact of life and so they see it as a learning experience.

“A little bit of failure is good for you,” says Clack. “In every lesson it is better to give a wrong answer rather than nothing at all. In PE, everyone has to have a go. Competitive sports helps students learn what can go right or wrong and arms them with tactics that they can use to do better in the future.”

He adds that it doesn’t matter about your age or your skill, competitive sports give students the opportunity to explore the standard of their skill versus others’ because many are much better than they think.

“The key thing is developing the whole child who is prepared for life and work,” Clack says. “Win, lose or draw – your life will never pan out like you expect it to, so you need to be prepared.”

The PE and school sports series is funded by the Youth Sport Trust . All content is editorially independent except for pieces labelled “brought to you by”. Find out more here .

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• The skills sports teach us that we take into other areas of life

Almost all children take part in sports, or physical activities as they are growing up. Whether at school or during their leisure time, playing sport is something that most children enjoy, and many will eagerly wait all week for. This is great news because the importance of sport in young children has never been clearer with the obesity crisis that we are now facing. However, it is not only the physical benefits of sports that are important. Playing sport, interacting with others, and being part of a team enables people to develop numerous skills. These skills are essential skills that are important throughout our lives.

“All too often, we focus on results, rather than the process.” – Marguerita Cheng, Blue Ocean Global Wealth

This blog post will look at a number of different sports, and the life skills they require to succeed, as well as enable you to develop through taking part. The aim is to get an idea of how participating in a mixture of sports can aid the development of numerous life skills.

It’s important to remember that life skills are developed and gradually adopted rather than simply taught and learnt. Therefore, the perfect environment for achieving this is during an extracurricular sporting activity.

“Sport teaches us development. It helps us learn things such as resilience, leadership, accountability, respect and patience. Lessons that sports teach us can help us develop as players and all round good people too.” – Dean Evans co-founder of  The Football Centre .

Skills all sports can teach us

Emmanuella Grace, Voice and Peak Performance Coach and Expert at Find Your Voice , outlines 3 reasons why “playing sport is a vital part of our development.” These are:

1. Sport teaches tenacity. The ability to fail and learn from the setback and move forward is a vital life skill. Learning that failure is not the end, but part of the learning experience has far-reaching implications, affecting our self-esteem, our resilience, and our mental agility. These skills are vital for success as we grow into adults to survive and thrive life’s setbacks and challenges.

2. Sport teaches teamwork . Even if you are naturally someone who is happy with your own company or more introverted, there are times when you will need to collaborate. Sport encourages the development of this skill set.

3. Sport teaches discipline. Motivation is finite but our capacity for motivation can be bolstered. If from a young age we are taught the benefits of “type 2 fun” and hone the ability to work towards a greater reward, evidence show s that people are less likely to suffer from depression and experience greater life satisfaction.

Coach Renee Lopez , a Recruiting Educator & Consultant, International Speaker, Author, Coaching Educator, Sport & Leadership Expert, says: “. truly believe that participating in sports is not just a hobby, dream or job, but incredibly valuable in learning life skills. Learning to work with other people as a team is a skill that goes beyond the soccer field (or any sport you are playing)!

“Learning to respect authorities (such as your coaches) and developing self-discipline are just a few prime examples of how playing sports teaches crucial life skills.”

Dr Joann Lukins  adds: “Sport is a great vehicle for teaching and developing qualities within children. Some of the many benefits of sport is it’s capacity to develop self-esteem, regulate behaviour and habits, learn leadership and communication skills, learn patience and develop resilience when things don’t go to plan.

“There are certainly a broad range of skills that benefit us across sports – for example an ability to narrow your focus and concentrate is important for the gymnast performing an aerial on beam, the archer shooting at the target and the rugby league player attempting a goal conversion. Similarly the ability to be assertive is useful when contesting the ball in basketball or soccer, to have poise and confidence as the netballer shooting a penalty shot under time pressure, or the ability to regulate breathing when taking the blocks in swimming.”

Another opinion is offered by Niro Thambipillay, the founder of Family Focused Fathers . “Sports can help children build self-confidence and emotional self-control as long as they have the right support and coaching, primarily from their parents. If a parent encourages his kids to win at all costs and makes them feel bad for playing poorly or losing, that will only damage the child’s self-confidence. On the flip side, a loss or an unfair ruling in sport provides a great opportunity for the dad to coach his kids on how to overcome adversity, stay calm in a crisis and come back more determined. Ultimately, sports will help children prepare for real life in a simply and more controlled environment.”

Additionally, developing technique is important for succeeding in all sports. Speaking to Rapid Mentoring , three time Australian Motocross champion Dean Ferris, shares the following tips on riding: “Practice good technique EVERYWHERE, even when riding down to the track. You don’t see pro riders riding around looking sloppy; perfect technique is how they ride! In a similar vein, quality is doing the right thing even when no one is watching. Make it a habit to make your work the highest quality even when no one is looking.”

Cricket for patience

Indian fast bowler, Jasprit Bumrah says that Test Cricket is about patience and consistency. With Test  matches lasting up to 5 days and each day consisting of at least 90 overs and 6 hours, it’s easy to see why! Test Cricket is extreme, though the sport has been developed to cater for younger players. This includes the introduction of shorter versions (such as One Day Cricket) that is played over 100 overs, Twenty20 Cricket that is played over 40 overs, and Kwik Cricket that is for children under 11. Each of these versions have helped to make the game more accessible for younger audiences.

However, the sport still demands patience. In all versions, players must wait for their turn to bat and they cannot bat for the entire game as every player gets to bat. When waiting to bat, players simply spectate. Additionally, on the fielding team, even if you are a bowler this doesn’t mean that you are always involved in the game. Bowlers bowl certain overs (though in children’s games all participants tend to bowl), and the rest of the time they are fielding. Depending on where the team batting hits the ball, some players would have to wait patiently for action.

Patience is something that everyone must develop. Everything that is achieved is done so through patience as very few successes happen overnight.

Tennis for mental endurance

Tennis is a sport that demands endurance at any level. It’s fast-paced and demands quick reactions, as well as explosive power and stamina. Professional games typically last around 3 hours and require extreme concentration. Even at a younger age, tennis is a sport that can be played recreationally for hours.

With points decided by the smallest of margins, and the constant pressure of trying to judge how aggressively to attack, the mental strain is huge.  Tennis has regularly been deemed an endurance sport by professionals, who advice training for tennis as you would train for any endurance sport. This requires developing muscular endurance, cardiovascular stamina and mental persistence.

Mental endurance is important throughout life, whether when revising for long exam periods or applying for jobs. Endurance comes in many forms that aren’t all fitness related. The lesson is to work hard and train yourself so that you can endure the tougher times. This will allow you to enjoy the great times that follow as a result.

Football for teamwork

Teamwork is a key part of any team sport, and this is something that will develop simply by being part of a team. Football is, however, a sport that requires a strong team which in turn creates true camaraderie between team mates.

Football requires a team of 11 players to organise themselves, follow instructions and use their players to the best advantage. Not only does this take great communication to ensure everyone understands the team goals, but it is also essential for players to know their role within the team. Football is a great way for children to start understanding team roles.  If players do not play as a team, they will get fatigued and be ineffective. A tip that footballers are taught early on in school is that a ball travels faster than a player. The way to win is the use the teammates as the ball to outplay opponents.

Luke Heapes, Head of Fitness at Aura Leisure adds that “being part of a team teaches children the effects of responsibility and accountability. When this is nurtured and taught to the kids properly, it turns into discipline. The kids who really want to help the team over themselves take responsibility and accountability over their cause, leading to better personal effect, leading to better outcomes for the team. The hard part is getting the kids to value the team performance over their own individual performance.”

Outside of sport, working as a team is essential in most jobs. Teamwork is regularly ranked as a top factor to recruiters and is pinnacle to success, as well as general safety and well-being according to locally based fire safety experts FireRite .

Rugby for conflict management and respect

Rugby is one of the most physical sports. From a young age, rugby gets physical. Even in very young children who play tag rugby (which is a sport that involved pulling Velcro tags off players as a tackle), the sport is more personal and physical than others.

As players get older, the sport does become more physical and this can cause confrontation. The game is always fast-paced, physical, and emotional. This is the ideal environment for a great sporting experience, however, it is also the typical environment for confrontation. Confrontation in sport is something that needs to be managed and controlled by players and teammates. Additionally, what is great to see and great to encourage in children is the respect for the referee in this sport. In rugby, the referee is very involved in the game. They are close to the action, and they communicate closely and continuously with the players.

Importantly, confrontation and disagreements are expected, yet it is how they are dealt with that proves important. Again, this is a skill that is essential throughout life. Additionally, respecting the referee will help young sportsman develop a respect and understanding of authority, which will be needed in all working environments.

Running to focus the mind

Running has seen a surge of popularity in the last 10 years, especially in adults.  With less reliance on teams and other people, running is a very individual sport. Athletic running or cross country running races can involve long periods in relative solitude, and even more during training.

Running is a great way to develop great self-control, mental stamina and of course physical fitness. Alongside requiring physical fitness and stamina, a large part of being able to run long distances is having mental discipline and control to ‘run your own race’ and apply effort at the right time and not be drawn into what the competition is doing. This has huge applicability in the modern world.  With large elements of our life beyond our control, ‘running your own race’ is an important skill to pick up.

“Long Distance Races- Life is a lengthy journey so you must pace yourself and run with patience.” – Damon Nailer, Educator, Consultant (Life Coach), Author, Speaker, and Music Producer

Golf for social skills

Social skills are essential for a child’s development, and they are also an integral part of playing a meaningful role in modern culture and society. This skill is important for development in children, but it is also something that should be maintained throughout life. Sport clubs, sport tours and being part of a team absolutely allows anyone in society to come out of their shell and enjoy socialising. This is why inspiresport put so much effort into organising superb trips.

Golf at all levels is a very social sport. Golfers play individually yet are continuously surrounded by other players that they are socialising with. Instantly from a young age, golfers get into the notion of Golf being a game that goes alongside nice weather, social outings, social events at the club house, as well as social rules such as a dress code. In opposition to many other sports, the game itself is as much about playing as it is about being with people and belonging to a club. It’s also an activity which can be enjoyed well into old age, helping to kind the mind sharp according to Eden Retirement Living . The World Health Organisation found that positive interpersonal interactions, social participation and being outdoors helps reduce the risk of mental health problems, stress and a stroke.

Hockey for leadership

Hockey is a team sport that relies on leadership, something that British Hockey Captain Alex Danson knows all too well. This leadership is required both on and off the field. In an interview following the gold medal performance at the 2016 Olympics, Danson talks about the importance of working hard, setting goals, and having a great team surrounding her. She also focuses on managing the team off the field with mobile and social media bans, along with alternating daily habits and mutual values.

Leadership takes pride position in all walks of life, whether in a job, in a family, or something as simple as in a group on a trip. However, having a leader doesn’t necessarily mean having a boss; it means having a figure that a team of any size respects and revolves themselves around. Being a leader requires numerous skills such as listening, negotiating, delegating, reasoning, and most importantly, communicating. A successful leader will understand the importance of the relationship between them and their team, and they will also understand how to best manage the team as a whole (as well as the individual members within it).

Skiing for planning and  control  

The sport itself takes forward thinking and discipline. Manoeuvring the slopes is something that is essential to having fun while being safe. In addition to this, planning for the weather is also essential. So is planning which slopes to approach based on skill level and experience. Even more importantly is organising the routes to descend. These need to be chosen and envisioned in advance, along with ensuring the skier’s speed is all well controlled.

Forward planning and control is necessary in school and throughout adult life. Jobs, tasks, chores and life itself needs forward planning and organisation, along with self-control and discipline.

Extreme Sports

“Largely because of the element of danger involved, adventure sports like rock climbing exercise the mind in different ways to other sports. Climbing encourages intense focus and concentration because of the potentially severe consequences of making a mistake. And to perform well you often need to overcome fear, which requires a high degree of mental self-control. So practising these sports can strengthen the ability to keep a clear mind and to stay composed under pressure, skills that can be very valuable in all aspects of life.” – Andrew Dawson , Unleashed-Unlimited

What the experts think

Ella Grimwade from education specialist Tutor House

“While sports are, and should be, a means of staying fit, having fun, and forming friendships, a recreational endeavour, they also have a plethora of advantages when it comes to instilling skills that will prove essential in their education, employment, and daily life.

Children who play sports learn the importance of practice, of repeating the same tasks again and again in order to improve. Sport also teaches children resilience, not to give up even in the face of adversity and to learn from mistakes. On a more practical level, participation in sports requires organisation skills, remembering kit and fitting in practice around lessons and social commitments.

Team sports such as rugby and football help children develop vital teamworking skills, such as clear communication, the ability to take feedback and adjust to the needs of around them, and an appreciation of the benefits in collaboration.

Kids who play sport s can also become highly adept at working independently and taking responsibility for themselves and their work, from team sports this often comes from a desire not to let down teammates, while in solo sports such as boxing, horseriding or running, this comes from the competitive element of the sport.”

Benjamine Vie from Monsterball 

“Sport isn’t just for fun but it could actually help your kids become healthier both physically and mentally. Any sports will be a great choice as long as your kids love it. But I highly recommend team sports like basketball, volleyball, and swimming. In this way, they can learn teamwork and they will feel a sense of belonging. They can also cope well with highs and lows in life, losing can help them cope with disappointments and winning can help them build confidence.

As a father, I’ve seen a lot of improvement in my kids when I started to bring them to a sports clinic. Their discipline has improved and I can see a positive sporting attitude in them. This is also the reason why I started my amusement business Monsterball , because I also want to help parents in improving their kids’ overall health while having fun.”

We plan memorable sporting trips to ensure children see the benefits of sport form a young age. Developing key skills through sport is a fantastic way of making learning fun. Find out more about our range of sports tours , or find out more about us through our inspiresport information page .

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