Teams sports at the highest level in this day and age are fast paced, highly commercial and enjoyed by people in their millions every day.
We are captivated by the likes of Ronaldo dribbling past three players and smashing a ball in the top corner or LeBron James shooting a buzzer beater to win a game in the last seconds. Much emphasis is put up on the athletic excellence which team sport can nurture, however from the grassroots to the highest level there are hidden skills which are taught! Social skills.
In this blog we are going to look at the five key ways that team sport helps children develop those all important social skills which reach out further that the pitch or court!
We over me
Perhaps the greatest lesson of team sport is learning how to work with your peers. A sports team cannot be successful without a joint effort to achieve a positive result. Sometimes this may means sacrificing for the good of team. This feeds into the ideas of shared responsibility, winning and losing as a team. These are powerful values which will help children throughout life.
Communication
Team sport will place children in a diverse range of social situations. From communicating with teammates on the run during practice or games to expressing themselves in team talks and chatting with friends post game. Sport helps build self-esteem and will feed into you children communicating with confidence.
Respect
Team sport teaches respect right from the get go. Respect for official, your coach and of course your teammates. Respect directly aligns with sportsmanship and how to lose or win respectfully. To be part of successful cohesive team everyone in the team must feel valued and a huge part of that feeling respected.
Fair Play
This is a key aspect of all team sport. There is a reason why cheating is disparaged, as it relates to dishonesty and fraudulent actions. These types of acts are not respected by our teammates and society in general. Sport encourages honesty and fairness which are respected and recognized qualities in life.
Friendship
One of the greatest social skills which is developed from team sport is friendship. Sharing a passion for sport and common goals with people is a fantastic way to build close bonds with people. This allows children to grow their social circle and make new friends. Feeling part of a community is beneficial for peoples mental state and having a good network of people around you with healthy common interest has huge positive implications in people lives.
So, there you have it! Our five key ways that team sport helps children develop those all important social skills. It is important to mention that these five points are just the tip of the iceberg. The ability for personal growth through team sport is vast. It can lead into leadership, problem solving goals and expectation and much, much more.