LIFE LESSONS FROM SPORTS

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The movie Sachin – A Billon Dreams opens with Sachin echoing his father’s words, “Cricket is going to be just one chapter in your life, what will stay with you forever is the human in you, when people will tell me, more than a cricketer, you are a good human being, I will be happier as a father.”

The God of Cricket turned 50 this year with 24 long sporting years behind him, and in these years, the man has stood out to the world for his attributes that go beyond cricket and the world of sports. His down to earth nature, his discipline, his dedication and his respect for the people, the game and country are unrivalled, and for everything the man gives the entire credit to two things – his upbringing and to the sport.

Why out of the blue speak about Sachin? What is it that always makes us think of that golden era? They say change is the only constant in life. All of us have seen huge changes in our lives in the past few years owing to the Pandemic, changes that will have long echoing effects on our lives, especially of the younger generation. For almost two years, with their schools closed, these younger ones were locked in their homes, forced to sit in front of talking screens, without any contact with the outer world. The effects of such a detachment are seen widely today. Learned experiences from the environment shape children’s lifetime behaviour and go a long in determining their success. School is the primary place to develop social competencies and life skills, such as self-confidence, friendships, empathy, participation, respect, gratitude, compassion, and responsibility, and this generation, nevertheless the smartest till date, is somewhere lacking these essential life skills.

But why are these life skills being talked about now? Why are they so important?

Any skill is an ability to carry out a particular activity, which can also be learnt. For example, the skill to bat or bowl in cricket or the skill to play a guitar. In our lives too, all of us need certain skills to live with as less difficulty as possible. By that logic, Life Skills are abilities that we can develop to live a good and fruitful life. Every moment during our lives, at times without even realizing it, we rely on things we’ve learned to help us manage our daily life and have an impact on our physical and emotional health. Be it going to school every day or giving exams or simply going on a vacation. Respect, Perseverance, Self-Esteem, Decision-Making are some examples of life skills we require in our day-to-day lives. Life Skills help us gain confidence in communication as well as in cooperative and teamwork skills, they also help us discover innovative ways of thinking and problem-solving, and teach us how to socialize, make new friends, and recognize the effect of one’s actions and behaviours. They give us the courage to face the struggle in order to achieve our goals and the strength to deal with any kind of circumstance that comes our way.

All said and done, how do we really inculcate these skills in our kids? The kids today are busier than the adults. A lot of schools include a life skills education module, but can we really learn these hands-on skills from reading the texts? Life Skills are not learnt from textbooks, they are learnt on the field. So, what do we do? There is a simple answer…Sports. Having been an athlete myself and as a psychologist, I feel Sports are one of the best ways to teach children Life Skills. Sport need not always mean competition. Sports, at times, can just be fun and games. They are a good opportunity to teach children numerous abilities and soft skills. Through sports children are not only equipped to deal with challenges that might come their way, but also become prepared cognitively to learn, solve problems creatively and make decisions. The structure of sports is such that it inherently teaches children values that are essential throughout life. For instance, attending regular practice sessions, following the drills, keeping up with your training routines, habituates children to managing their time appropriately and builds a foundation for self-discipline. Another excellent example is the rule of shaking hands with your opponents at the end of every match, no matter the result. This simple gesture, so subtly and aptly, instils the value of respect in these young minds that it is bound to reflect in their lives outside of sport too. The best lesson I learned from sports was of resilience, no matter how bad the failure was, there is always a new day which you can make the best of, and it has helped me keep going in toughest of the times throughout my life.

Learning can happen at any age, however, Late Childhood or the Pre-teen years of a child are considered to be very crucial for their overall development. This is a phase of their Physical, Cognitive and Social growth. It’s the beginning of them becoming independent individuals, for e.g., They start dressing up by themselves, can use different objects independently, understand time and other events in context. This is a time when they need to be provided with the right direction and guidance as they begin to move away from the protective shells of home, to help them grow into better and well-adjusted individuals of the society, and as they gradually excel in the sport of their choice, they also build a positive sense of self, and ultimately a positive and resilient approach to life.

Sachin, a naughty, mischievous boy grows up to be called the God of Cricket. The Master Blaster while telling the anecdotes of his coaching days under Achrekar Sir, says that it was cricket that molded him into the focused and determined individual that he is today. Sachin is just one but the most apt example of how sports can shape your life beyond the competitive experiences. In a game sometimes you may win, sometimes may lose, but with sports you always win…at life.

Rasika Kalgutkar,

Sports Psychologist, Mindsports