Dribble, pass, score. Bump, set, spike. Dribble, pass, score. Pitch, hit, catch. Throw, catch, tackle. Serve, ground stroke, volley. Tee, fairway, green. These are the basics actions for basketball, volleyball, soccer, baseball, football, tennis, and golf. I’m passionate about all sports, but like any category with many choices, I do have my favorites. Today I want to talk about how functional it is to cross train, and experiment with many different sports, especially for the elementary school athlete.
Why play different sports? A simple yet complicated question. I think the main reasons are to have fun in different settings and experience getting out of your comfort zone at an early age. New settings and environments can provide unique challenges. A soccer game in November could be freezing, a baseball game in May could be 90 degrees, and a basketball court might be slippery. The elements are an added test to any contest, and each new opportunity provides the athlete with an additional challenge to overcome adversity.
During the school or work day there are many obstacles we face that “were not” supposed to happen that way. The teacher didn’t tell us the question was going to be on the test, or our boss didn’t give us thorough instructions on how to complete a task. If we learn at a young age to be nimble and quickly pivot with new information, it will help us in our problem solving later in life. As the economy shifts toward autonomous jobs with critical thinkers, we might as well give our kids an early start with the experience of trying a bunch of sports. To simply answer my question above, why play different sports? Because they are fun, great exercise, and they can help us become successful later on in life.
