How Sports Build Character – More Than Just Gruesome Workouts

Sports are considered to build character, but many people think that long and difficult workout sessions are what helps you become better and more disciplined. It is, however, quite more than that and people often misunderstand the scope of how much can sport change you.

Discipline

Sport teaches you discipline. If you’re part of a team, volleyball, basketball or otherwise, you will have to go to schedules practices. This means showing up on time and giving it your all. This is a form of discipline. If you’re an individual athlete like a tennis player, you still have to show up for practice but you will not be able to hide behind a team.

Working out is just a part of sports. A healthy diet and lots of sleep are even more important, and those are 80% of your time, as compared to the 10-20% which go into workout sessions.

Responsibility

Everyone makes mistakes and doing so at the most important moment, like a match, can cost you a victory. That teaches you responsibility, especially in individual sports. Once you accept that you are prone to error and that even with workouts and lots of practice you can still lose and make mistakes, you can become accountable and responsible. This can take the weight from other people’s shoulders and even yours, as well. In knowing where your mistakes were, you can plan accordingly in order to become better.

Camaraderie

Team sports teach you camaraderie. That feeling of joy and bonding with fellow teammates is amazing. Everyone can cover for others’ weaknesses and make up a strong unit. Every team has a star player but if they are working together, they become a star unit. Individual talent can go a long way, but not as much as teamwork.

Confidence and Dedication

Becoming good at a certain activity requires time and effort. Talent helps but it can only go so far without the work to back it up and show its actual possibilities. Once you achieve a certain level at a sport, you will feel more confident and strive to do better.

Not reaching a goal can also teach you dedication. Some goals take more time and effort to reach. That is a great thing as you cannot just achieve things instantly, not in sports or in life.

While sports can change you and help you build your character, these things do not really happen on their own unless you are really thinking about it. It is the job of coaches and teachers to instruct their students on the benefits of sports and effort. That can help maximize the benefits of sports and working out in general.