Sport is good for you

What’s sport?Sport is physical games like football, netball, hockey, cricket, softball, basketball, swimming, fencing, bike racing, or skateboarding and even indoor sports like dance, gymnastics, callisthenics, or martial arts.What if you don’t like sport?Lots of kids say that they don’t like sport because:They don’t have good skills in a particular sport.They had a bad time when playing organised sport.They don’t really know the rules, and feel like they don’t know what they’re doing anyway!Of course, there are some kids who may have a physical problem which means that they can’t do sport - but some kids don’t want to do sport because they just don’t have the confidence to try anything where they think they are going to make mistakes or not ‘look good’.If you have a physical problem or there is some other reason why you can’t join in sports, then you can still be in the conversations that are about sport. Go to watch people playing, watch games on TV, and read about sport in newspapers so that you can join in when others talk about sport. Why is sport important?Sport involves exercise, and that is good for your body, your mind and your feelings. Exercise keeps you busy, works your muscles, helps your body work better and releases chemicals into your brain which gives you a ‘feel good’ mood.Team sport is about learning to be part of a team rather than an individual. It’s about learning to do your best, encouraging others rather than putting them down, and most of all it’s about being involved and having fun!If ball games are not your scene, look for where you can learn martial arts, marching, fencing, archery, cross country running, Little Athletics, dancing, or any of the dozens of ways in which you can join in, get fit and feel good doing some type of sporting activity.Most schools nowadays have lots of different sports other than the usual “girls’ sports” and “boys’ sports”. Have a go - you may surprise yourself!And if you really cannot cope with team sports, and then look around for an individual sport where you can try to improve your skills rather than compete against others.www.cyh.com