No one comes with polished skills by birth. Learning specific skills, techniques and qualities take years of dedicated efforts and, most importantly, CONSISTENT PRACTICE!
It’s all the more applicable to the sports champs who engage in different sports and field activities. If you’re one of them, you may know that sportsmanship is the pillar of your performance as an individual and as a team member.
Sportsmanship comes in various forms. It enables you to turn competitive sports or games into fun and enjoyable. But are you a good sport? A good sport fosters positive habits and life skills in and out of the ground.
The Essence of Sportsmanship
When the viewers or competitors of competitive sports or events treat one another with regard and exhibit appropriate behavior is sportsmanship. Being a good sport or reflecting sportsmanship also means being ethical and fair to those you’re playing with – both your teammates and opponents – crucial for athletes of all ages to learn. Aggression is indeed part of the game but being a good sport means that your conduct is gracious and polite, and you perform without disrespecting other players.
Good Sportsmanship Qualities
- Positive Attitude: Your attitude dramatically influences how you behave and perform on the field. Having a negative attitude will not only bring down your entire team but also make the general spirit of the competition less fun for everyone. Inappropriate behavior or conduct is pretty demeaning to a sportsperson’s reputation. Stay true to yourself and demonstrate a positive attitude, especially when playing team sports.
- Be Encouraging: Sportsmanship is much more than being friendly or respectful. You also have to be there for your teammates in any way possible. For instance, if you’re losing a match, avoid taking your frustrations out on the other players in your team. Rather, indulge in positive reinforcement. A few words of encouragement or high-fives may go a long way in ensuring your teammates that you got them!
- Be Enthusiastic and Willing to Learn: There’s always something to learn, every day. Even if you’ve poorly scored, take this opportunity to learn from your mistakes. Understand what went wrong! If you identify those weaknesses, turn them into your strengths. Practice and perfect those moves or shots that you were lagging at. Work on the techniques until you master them. This way, you increase your chances of winning in the future.
- Self-Control: During a game, your focus should be only on the game itself. Sometimes, matches or games get emotional, but they can distract you from your main goal. If you want to hit the bullseye, you should put a conscious effort into controlling your emotions. This is something you can also learn from a sports life coach. The trait of self-control is essential in and out of the field.
- Respect and Shake Hands: Whether you or your team wins or loses, it is imperative to respect others. Insulting or embarrassing your peers over their gameplay may create a wrong impression about you. Such things demonstrate if a person has unsportsmanlike conduct. As a sign of respect, shake hands and appreciate every player’s efforts. There’s always scope for improvement, so the best way to perform well next time is by amping up the spirit of your game with respect.
TIP: A sports life coach aims to bring out the best of yourself as an individual, bringing life-changing results and improved bottom-line results.
These skills are not constricted to a game; these are traits essential to our lives too. Want to become a better athlete? Consult the best life coach for athletes – Dora Kurimay.