UNESCO has defined Sports as “Any physical activity which has the character of play and which involves struggle with oneself or with others, or a confrontation with natural elements”. They also added that “if this activity involves competition, it must then be performed in a spirit of sportsmanship. There can be no true sports without the idea of fair play”. Rules are the most important part of sports which are formed to establish quality and increase competition in every sport. Participation in sports is a great way of staying active and improves our mental and physical health too. Sports offer an enjoyable and exciting environment where you learn to handle both failure and success. Learning how to cope with the success and failure can improve your mental health. Some sports such as hunting, fishing, running, swimming, originated from the rhythms and work requirements of primitive everyday life whereas some, such as riding, shooting, throwing the javelin, or archery originated from early military practices. Still others like boxing, wrestling and jumping arose from challenges and hostilities that accompanied human interaction. Sports refer to the activities in which the physical capacities or abilities of the competitor primarily determines the outcome i.e. winning or losing but its not right in the case of mind sports such as card and board games and motor sports where equipment quality is a major factor.
REQUIREMENTS OF MODERN SPORTS
Specialist equipment – latest or technologically advanced equipment is used to gain significant advantages over other competitors in sports.
Technical and Motor skills – here, the technical and motor skills of sportspersons are improved by the coaches who have in-depth knowledge in motor skill learning and biomechanical analysis in sports ranging from gymnastics to football.
Tactical Innovations – weaknesses of the opposing team is found out through videotaping and notational analysis.
Sports Psychology – ranges from stress handling and motivation to acceptance of defeat and injury.
Sports Nutrition and Biochemistry – its very important with techniques such as carbohydrate loading for muscle glycogen boosting and importance of maintaining fluid balance is recognized.
Sports Medicine – used to treat or even prevent injury.
Team Selection – is of major importance and demands a broad range of managerial, organizational and personal skills.
Physical fitness – usually sportspersons require high level of physical fitness.
SOME COMMON SPORTS
Tennis
Football
Rugby
Cricket
Chess
Archery
Boxing
Martial arts
Racing
Athletics
Shooting
Swimming
Wrestling
Hockey
Billiards
Basketball
Volleyball
Cycling |