Missing the Moment
Being in the adolescent stage of life playing sports is one of the main ways to stay healthy and active. Teens in this time period are slowly steering away from sports and more towards technology. More teens need to indulge in sports for their general health and for their mental health. Football, Basketball, even Martial arts or some form of activity should be a priority in the lives of the teenagers of our generation. We stay inside and play video games, or play on the computer. No More! We need to become a part of something greater than ourselves. We need to become a part of a team, or group. The young adults of America need to do something more productive with their time regardless of whether it is taking art classes, or joining the wrestling team. Now I’m going to explain my reasoning.

Sports can do a variety of things for your body, mind and emotions. Let’s take Football for example. Football requires a lot of strength, will, and Confidence. Football requires regular weight lifting sessions to build explosive muscle strength to help you dominate on the field, and in everyday life. Think about it if someone during everyday life has an accident of any kind they would be much better off if they’re physically fit and strong. The Recovery would be faster and more effective if the person is healthy. Football players are also fantastic cardiovascular athletes. They have to be a part of grueling interval sprints going from the end zone to each yard line and back before going to the next. Agility and speed are also two of the most important skills that are learned and built upon. Football requires someone fast and agile to run the ball through the defense up the field. But that is not the only reason that one might need to be quick. What if some guy is texting while driving and doesn’t see the man in front of him? That man that is in front of the car could definitely benefit from the lifesaving agility learned as a football player (Silverman). Overall Football is just a sport where the grass stains on one’s jersey, the blood trickling down his leg, and the pain suffered from the will to push forward are all part of one day’s practice. It truly shows what someone is made of. It makes one mentally tough which will come in handy when later in life when one is dealing with boatloads of unwanted stress. Football also helps someone pick out detail while they are watching game film or even while learning plays which could help players in school while taking notes or following directions. The most important part though is how each and every player connects with each other and creates this unbreakable bond within the team. I love Football, but it’s not the only sport where you constantly strive to be great.

The physical and mental demands to play a sport like Basketball are only part of a much larger picture when you look at the sport as a whole and what it truly does for one’s self. The passion for which this game is played is matched by no other. This sport is beneficial to the player in every way. Basketball is a surprisingly physical sport. One must be extremely strong, quick, and have good awareness. When it comes to the strength portion of the game one has to be extremely physical underneath the basket, and while driving to the basket. Strength is needed to power through the defender in all situations. The quickness part is needed because the player has to be very fast to beat the defender one on one. Awareness is important because of the different situations you can be caught in, passing to teammates, and to be able to stop the offense as you are playing on ball defense, and zone defense. Basketball is also a good way to burn calories. The fast paced nature of the game requires a lot of running and can burn up to 600 calories in a one hour session if the player is a 165 pound man (Howard). Motor coordination is also a skill that develops very quickly after playing the game for just a few weeks. Basketball requires dribbling skills, passing, and shooting all help motor coordination by creating the muscle memory and hand-eye coordination (Howard). Basketball also helps one have faster reflexes in real life so that they can make that quick save in any situation. Last basketball is a sport that teaches someone to have a motor. What I mean by that is it gives you the strength to just keep going and going which is a good thing to be able to do once we advance in our lives and have to find a job. Overall basketball is an amazing sport dominated at all levels by amazing athletes all around the world. Let’s take a look at a type of sport that is a little more worldwide.
Martial arts are a way of life more than anything. Martial arts teach people to be confident, be humble, and to live a respectful lifestyle. You learn to defend yourself with swift movements, and to strike hard. Martial arts are not all about fighting but about being humble and living with a specific set of values. I was taught to persevere, be courteous, respectful, to have self-control, and to always have integrity. Respect goes a long way in the world, with work and people you meet which will always help build one’s self along with courtesy. Self-control is one of the most if not the most important thing learned because throughout life many rude people will cross someone’s path and having self-control can keep that person out of a very unpleasant position. Martial arts are fantastic for learning to become mentally superior because of the discipline that is integrated into one’s life. Personally I believe that everyone should learn at least one discipline of this nature. Martial arts are also a great way to learn about foreign cultures, traditions, and morals. Martial arts are done through emotion and are a great release for stress all throughout high school. In general martial arts are beneficial in almost every way possible.

As a whole I believe that more people should take advantage of the benefits provided by playing sports. The physical, emotional, and mental things that become a part of your everyday life outweigh the advantages from technology in every way from my view. All it takes to take advantage is taking the initiative to find out what sport you like. Not only football, basketball, and martial arts are good sports. Hockey, tennis, biking, volleyball, lacrosse, and baseball are all great sports as well. Just take the time and find the sport that interests you or even compliments your current talents. Become part of that team that supports you and your interests. Make friends ,and use the sports as an outlet. Regardless of what everyone else thinks go and find a sport that truly suits you and be yourself.