MAKE THE FIRST STEP
Athletes Team Work As they say...teamwork makes the dream work! Cheesy it may be, it is also a valid and vital element of sports performance. Be it team sports or the team of coaches, physio’s, psychologists that assist you in your individual sport, a team that doesn’t work together doesn’t succeed altogether! Understanding that cooperation and cohesion with others aiming for a common goal in sports is what builds character, creates friendships and teaches you valuable skills is a key element in a successful sporting life. The camaraderie built within a team can last a lifetime and highs and lows of a season/competition lived together will be the most memorable. Remember that happiness is contagious so when you are sharing the happiness of winning with your team, it gets amplified and the effects are stronger and longer lasting. Of course you can have situations where new unknown members join the team or you could even find yourself playing on the same side with someone you may not like. It is essential that in situations like these, the common goal of the team and the desire to win for the team cancel our any anxiety or animosity you may be experiencing. Some coaches will say that the name on the front is more important than the name on the back! No one player is greater than the whole of the team. Think of Real Madrid, the famous football club who went through a stage of accumulating all the best players but ended up having mediocre results. Why? Because each player, with their multi million dollar price tags, thought theywere better than the others. Better than the coaches, better than the staff. Cooperation was non-existent. Forget about team spirit, it was all about ego. And it didn’t work. Sports like football, rugby, volleyball, hockey are very physical sports and require a lot of dedicating nd commitment to achieving results. By the end of a season or a competition, players who have been bruised and battered, been side by side by the grind of the season and all the key matches, will tend to feel a strong bond with each other. Several initiatives active around the world focus on team sports as a way of providing kids and young adults with an alternative to a sedentary lifestyle or criminal activities. It provides a chance for them to socialise and meet new people with the same goals and aspirations. The teamwork involved in sport allows them to feel part of something of value and teaches the importance of helping others, offering and
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