WHO'S WORLD OF FANTASY WILL YOU DIVE INTO NEXT?

WHEN IT comes to team or individual sports, there are both pros and cons in the practice of either whether as an athlete or coach. Deciding which is the best match for you is dependent on your interests, and whether you are willing to face the hurdles on your path head-on. Oh, and this is for both recreational and competitive persons.

Now, there are some sports that are, by default, team sports. Rugby Union is an example since it requires a minimum of 7 (Sevens rugby) and a maximum of 15 players (Fifteens). Another one is volleyball which has a minimum of 2 (beach volleyball) and a maximum of 6 (sitting and standing volleyball).

Then there are sports that could be either individual or team-based. Or rather, they are individual sports that could have a team element. Competitive swimming is an example with the relay being the team option. Athletics is another individual sport (think Kipchoge) with the option of teams (relay). A final example, one that I have interacted with, is tennis. Singles tennis is individual while doubles is team-based.

Brilliant! By now you have an idea of what your preference is as far as sports is concerned, right? I mean, what do you fancy? Swimming? Figure skating? Gymnastics? Rugby? Baseball? Cycling? Athletics…? I think that knowing your preferred sport is the first step rather than looking at the pros and cons of being in that sport. Why? Because then your motivation to practice it then comes from within, meaning that your drive will be stronger.

For the purposes of this article, I will use rugby to illustrate the team sports and both tennis and swimming to illustrate the individual sports. I recently fell in love with tennis after learning it as part of my Bachelor of Physical Education course; forgive my over-enthusiasm.

Rugby Union, excluding the reserve players, requires a minimum of 7 and a maximum of 15 players. This implies that for the success of the team, there must be team coherence. Depending on the version being played (7s, 10s or 15s), a training session CANNOT have less than the required players. Otherwise, it turns into a fitness session instead of a team-training session. The term used is “extras”.

But extras do not win championships; they add finesse and perfection to the team’s performance. Team training wins championships because then you get to play rehearsed moves, play with teammates whose strengths and weaknesses you are aware of, play without overstretching your abilities (hence avoiding injuries)….

This implies that team sports require a high sense of discipline among its members. Discipline here covers accountability, reliability, respect, courtesy, sacrifice…. The team cannot survive without discipline. Let alone survive, it cannot progress.

It can be very frustrating for both the coach and player who invest much of their time and energy into their sport with little to no ROI due to certain individuals. It almost becomes a waste of time.

Suppose there’s a team preparing to play a 7s tournament, and the only consistent players are, on average, 5. What do you think will be the ROI for the persons involved? The higher ups could cancel funding or support for the team; they could also withdraw the team from the tournament…and what does that leave you with? Nothing but a whole sack-full of wastedness and wasted time and energy. And that can be very frustrating.

The question, though, is: whose responsibility is it for the team’s discipline? The captain? The coach? The patron? Who makes the team rules? Who ensures that they are followed?

I would definitely love to hear your feedback on the matter in the comments below.

On the other hand, there are benefits to being in a team sport. For one, you have someone looking out for you, apart from the coach, ie. In case you’re having a bad day or are running low on funds, your teammates are your immediate resource, and they can really come through in a huge way.

There’s a sense of family…of belonging. In a world where there are lots of stories and cases of loneliness, team sports are one place where, regardless of where you come from or your relationship with others in your other circles, you will always actively belong…even when out on injury.

There are lots of activities you could do as a team. For example, a visit to the poor could be arranged or even a vacation to the beach. You get to interact with others out of the field….

The values one picks up in sports teams include generosity, respect, integrity, accountability, selflessness….

TO BE CONTINUED…

(This is a fully opined article, so please feel free to agree or disagree in the comments below)