How to Improve Your Sportsmanship
Sports are generally governed by some kind of unwritten code or traditions, that allow fair play, and ensure consistent adjudication of the final winner. In other organised sports, records of past performance are kept, and for more popular sports, this data can be widely advertised or given to the media. However, the playing environment in most sports is highly competitive, with many ‘clans’ competing against each other, vying for the best players and positions on the team. In these situations there is a need for teams and sports professionals to have a system in place to regulate and award games fairly.
The first element that any ‘sports’ programme will consider is skill. There is often a level of skill required for a sport to be played properly. This may be skill based such as in table tennis, or level based like in badminton and golf. Competitions may also involve skill tests, such as the shooting section in swimming, or high jumpers in basketball. For international sports such as baseball and soccer, skill testing is combined with general conditioning. The physical fitness section needs to keep a close eye on any athletes who may not meet the standards of their sports sections due to health issues or other factors.
Many governing bodies have developed methods to award prize money and bonuses to those performers who exhibit the required attributes. However, with many sports, such as football, rugby and baseball, there is no clear winner, but rather, a point system is used to determine the outcome of the game. In non-physical competitions such as chess and checkers, the role of strategy and tactics may well be considered more important. Therefore, those participating in mind sports may not necessarily exhibit physical prowess, but their ability to use their mind is often awarded a higher prize.
Most governing bodies for both association football and American football have rules governing the physical conditions of players. These rules are designed to reduce injuries and increase the number of games completed by each team. As in sports that require skill, those players who are able to think quickly and make decisions under pressure are more likely to succeed in these competitive sports. This is why American football players must pay careful attention to the mental aspects of the game, such as practice techniques and how to focus during a game. They need to learn how to deal with pressure and how to calm their nerves, especially when playing under heavy pressure.
Many people may not realize that non-physical skill competitions are in place to ensure fair competition among participants. However, if you look closely at many of these games, you will see that all participants are subjected to rigorous physical tests to determine their suitability for that particular sport. In non-physical mind sports such as mind reading and psychics card readings, it is the mental performance which determines the outcome. As in any competitive sport, if one player is better than the others, they are given a chance to play against each other. The winner is the one with the highest mental ability.
There is great importance placed on non-physical and mental skill in modern day Olympic Games. This is evident in the fact that all competitors in the games are thoroughly examined before being allowed to compete. It is the athletes who exhibit the highest levels of mental acuity and physical dexterity who win the most gold, silver and Olympic medals. If you want to be part of this select group of Olympic champions, you will first need to improve your mental and physical dexterity, regardless of what kind of sports you choose.
