The Benefits of Team Sport
Team sport is a term used to describe any form of sporting activity that involves teams of players. In sports such as basketball, football, hockey, soccer, baseball and others, each member of a team contributes to the overall goal of the team by performing a specific skill or set of skills in order to win the game.
Team sports also often include a coach, and team members may be encouraged to seek out positive role models from their coaches and other teammates who can teach them important life lessons that they will carry with them for the rest of their lives. The positive mentorship experienced while young in team sports can help athletes grow into positive, effective, caring and supportive adults.
Athletes in team sports also learn to value their time and work hard to achieve their goals. As Shannon Miller, a member of the United States Olympic women’s gymnastics team told Forbes magazine, “I always kept my schedule minute by minute in team sports.” This careful planning and focus helped her reach her goals sooner than she would have as an individual.
The value of time is something that all people should understand and strive to practice throughout their lives. In team sports, time is valued more than in other activities because team members have to keep their commitments to their coaches and teammates as well as perform their tasks.
Another reason that team sports are more beneficial than individual sports is that they teach young athletes to accept mistakes and learn from them as they become better athletes. This can help them to develop more patience and persistence, which will be needed for achieving their goals in other areas of their lives.
Communication is an essential part of any team activity, and it is a crucial skill for athletes to have. They need to know how to communicate with their coaches and teammates about their goals, expectations, and strategies. They also need to be able to listen to what their teammates are saying and respond appropriately.
Group norms are a key component of group membership, including sport teams (Carron, 1988). They reflect the expectations that members of a group have about what is expected of other members in their context and behavior. These expectations can affect how team members interact with each other and their relationships with coaches, parents, and other adults in the sport community.
When it comes to youth development, team sport can be an effective context in which youth are exposed to challenging social situations that encourage them to develop both sport-specific and life skills (Bruner, Eys, & Turnnidge, 2013; Fraser-Thomas, Cote, & Deakin, 2005). However, group norms can also lead to risky behaviors that can impede the youth athlete’s growth and development.
As a result, it is important that sport teams are carefully selected and monitored to ensure that they are appropriate for the age and developmental level of their participants. In addition, the youth athletes’ experiences in sport teams should be consistent with the values and behaviors they are learning at home. This requires an active, consistent, and ongoing approach to team sports coaching.