When you really think about, Sport is an absurd activity!!
Published: 05/03/2010 by Leah Fogarty (Sports Psychologist)
We all have a general definition of what is a sport (Dictionary.com = an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature) and are aware of the positive effects it can have on our health, development and wellbeing, so let me first state that this article is not written to persuade people to turn away from sport. On the contrary, it is designed to help readers to understand sport better and be more purposeful about their sport involvement. Let me explain by taking you back to the Ancient Olympic Games in Greece. The Olympic Games originally contained one event - a short sprint measuring between 180 and 240 metres, or the length of the stadium. However, after many years and champions of the race were discovered, it was decided that another event needed to be created where a greater challenge was posed on the athletes. Thus, athletes then raced one another for a single lap of the stadium, which is approximately 400 metres. Again, once the champions of the 400m event were revealed, many years later a third foot race was introduced, where the distance of the race was extended so far that an athlete’s endurance level was pushed to the human extreme, that being the marathon! Over the years, more events were added: boxing, wrestling, full-contact fighting, chariot racing and several other running events, as well as a pentathlon, consisting of wrestling, short sprint, long jump, javelin throw, and discus throw. This generation of sporting events continued, guided by the principle that the competitors needed to be challenged by the physical and mental demands of the event – the distance they ran, combating an opposing competitor, propelling objects or themselves into the air, jumping from a certain point or to a certain height, or being able to do all these events one after the other!! As a result, every sport has evolved from this concept. Dissect any sport you are involved in and you will discover that these simple challenging principles are embedded. On that note, if you were to dissect a given sport and describe the demands and restrictions that are placed on its athletes then it would probably make you laugh at how absurd it sounds! For example let’s look at the sport of Ice Hockey which is a team event at the current Winter Olympics in Vancouver. Ice hockey = two teams, with up to 6 players from each team on the playing surface (ICE!) at one time, chase a small black puck around a 60m x 29m rink, wearing skates which have fine blades, trying to hit and knock their opposition to the ground (“boxing on ice”), so competitors are weighted down by padding, uniform, and helmet, plus they hold a “stick” and attempt to hit the fast puck into a restricted netted area as many times as possible during the three 20 minute periods of play!!! And there lies my point! Sport is an absurd activity where we choose to place ourselves in highly challenging situations that has so many restrictions and conditions that our mind and bodies are pushed to extremes and the chances of failure are high. Therefore, why do we do it?? That is a question every athlete needs to ask themselves, and it is a question I directly ask them when we start working together. Is it for: • the health and exercise component, • the social benefits, • a sense of accomplishment (e.g. skills development, selection into higher levels of competition), • fun, or • the social recognition (ie. money, awards, praise)? Whatever the answer, they need to acknowledge it and have a clear understanding so they can direct their attention and energy in order to achieve their desired goal. This clarity of purpose will also help them when the going gets tough, and it certainly will, may it be when they have to complete an intense training program, when they suffer an injury, when the team personnel changes, when they face a loss or failure, or don’t get selected for representation. Once competitors have a grasp on why they participate in sport, it is now time to keep things in perspective by balancing the importance of sport with the other important areas of life, such as relationships, school/work, and emotional management, because success in sport depends upon this balance! I will discuss this Life Balance concept in the April Click Sport Newsletter so keep an eye out for it. In the meantime, if you want to learn more about me and my psychological coaching strategies, check out the website (www.betweentheears.com.au) or contact me direct (0407 996 383, info@betweentheears.com.au). Otherwise post a comment on the Click Sport, Sport Psychology Forum page. Until next time, LIVE YOUR DREAMS! Leah Fogarty
