The benefits of playing a sport are well-known to everyone. Being physically active will improve your health, boost your confidence, help you deal with physical damage much better and generally make you much more capable of undertaking all kinds of physically challenging tasks. That being said, there are also potential risks and certain downsides that often get overlooked. Now, the point of this article is not to discourage anyone from taking up sports, but rather to inform people and help them understand what it takes to become proficient in a sport. Let these points serve as guidelines for engaging in sports the smart way.
- You may not be built/suited for a particular sport
Even if you enjoy playing a certain sport and have become fairly competent at it, it doesn't mean that your natural build allows you to perform at the top level, nor that you may not enjoy a different sport more. This is why it is good to experiment and try out several different sports before settling on one.
- It takes plenty of time and dedication to get good
You won't get anywhere if you only train a couple of times a week. If you want to be serious about it, you'll have to work nearly every day, possibly for hours at a time. There is such a thing as training too much or too hard, but most people have trouble managing to clock in the time it takes to really get good at a sport. It's not just about regular training sessions, but also about making it a part of your life.
- You need to repeat the basics over and over again
Reaching a skill level where you can perform smoothly, precisely and seemingly effortlessly like a machine requires tons of boring repetition. Hours and hours of mind-numbingly repetitive work. It's as they say, you can't build a big house if the foundation is weak, and in order to make sure you've got the basics down you need to keep coming back to them time and time again. However, all the boring stuff really pays off once you see just how better you've got during competition.
- There will be more injuries and setbacks the more you train
In order to reach the higher levels of skill, you need to put in a lot of regular practice, and this will make you more susceptible to injury. Now, there are ways to avoid developing serious sport injuries, like warming up and giving your body enough rest to heal, but just know that the harder you push the higher the chance you'll have to get hurt. Most sport injuries you'll encounter are sprains and bruising, but there will also likely be some kind of lasting damage that you'll have to live with.
- Reaching mastery will require a lot of sacrifices
If your goal is to get proficient and be relatively competitive on the local or regional level, then you won't have to rearrange your life too much, but truly mastering a sport is a different animal altogether. You will often need to reschedule dates, miss family events, say no to wild parties, and sacrifice some alone time with your partner in order to train. Living a healthy lifestyle will also mean that you have to give up all kinds of fun things, but you'll also get plenty of different things in return. When all’s said and done, engaging in regular physical activity, particularly when it's something that has a practical tactical and teamwork component like some sports have, will benefit you in a whole lot of ways, but it will take a lot of hard work to achieve these benefits. It's up to you to decide what makes you happier - having fun and sitting around, or having something that you are passionate about and which requires some sacrifices.