Lately, I’ve been reflecting on the importance of practicing a sport, especially during childhood. I remembered beautiful memories from my own childhood when I learned to ski and play tennis. I’m thankful to my parents for encouraging me to try different sports; in this way I developed skills that now, as an adult, I find very useful.

Sport is not just about health and a pleasant way of spending your spare time, instead of procrastinating in front of your computer. I think sport is a very useful educational tool. Those hours spent weekly on the sports ground, in the presence of coaches and colleagues, help you develop harmoniously both physically, emotionally and mentally. It’s certainly well-invested time.

Here are some benefits of practicing a sport.

Develops self-confidence: whenever we learn a new skill, when we try to do something on our own, we gain a little more confidence in ourselves. Sport took me out of my comfort zone and put me face to face with some fears. I chose to practice until I succeeded to overcome them. I fell often - it was painful, unpleasant, teary and frustrating many times, but now I enjoy the sport I learned by practicing it regularly. In addition to the joy of learning a sport, I also enjoyed the satisfaction of exceeding my personal limits. Who doesn’t like the feeling when, after so many tries, you finally score a basket? That moment of happiness when you can shout: "YES, I can do it!”

Develops self-discipline: the results can happen only if we respect a strict training program, a healthy diet and a balanced lifestyle.

Perseverance: you keep trying until you reach your goal. We learn not to give up on the way, but always to find resources to keep training, until one day we get to taste the victory.

Teamwork. We live in a society where competition is perhaps encouraged too much, sometimes starting from infancy. It is desirable to be the best and always get good results, but if we get to the top by sacrificing relationships with those around us, we are likely to lose more. Within a team, children are encouraged to be an example to others, to learn to collaborate, to support each other. They also become aware that they can’t get to the top if they don’t learn to rely on their team members, to become interdependent and united in order to achieve the same goal.

The benefits of practicing a sport, whether for pleasure or performance, can be observed in time. Sport builds strong personalities and shapes characters for a better future, a braver future.