The Importance of Play in Sport
You got started in sport by just playing a game. A game that you fell in love with and continued to pursue. As you grew, you developed physically by getting bigger and stronger. You also got better by improving your technical skills and increasing your knowledge of the game. As you got better, you reached higher and higher levels.
Now that you’ve made it to this higher level, the game becomes much more work. You work to improve your physical abilities. You work to minimize your weaknesses and amplify your strengths. You work to understand all of the nuances so that you can handle anything that gets thrown at you. You work and work and work some more. Work can take you a long way, but you also need to add back in PLAY.
Play is critical in sport for so many reasons. First, it keeps you from burning out. It turns the job of sport back into a playtime passion. It adds back in the fun. Second, when you are playing, your focus isn’t on the outcome. This gives you freedom to explore what you are capable of, try new things, and be creative in your sport. It strips away the need to be perfect and allows you to test your abilities. Third, when you play it drops your brain out of thinking mode. You are usually in a new environment or maybe there are new or different rules for the “play,” so you stop thinking through all of the components and simplify your sport down to the most important thing. And that is when the magic happens and all of the work and training you’ve put in shines through.
Yes, work is important. Play is equally as important. Make sure you are incorporating play into your training at least every few weeks. Not sure what play can look like for you? Here are a few examples to get you started:
Play a pick up game with various level of athletes
Play a similar, but different version of your game (e.g., baseball player playing whiffle ball; basketball player playing HORSE)
Play a different sport (some overlap would be beneficial)
Change up the rules completely (e.g., playing tennis with only backhands allowed)
This is a chance to get creative. Whatever play you do, there is no need for it to have a “secondary purpose.” It is the actual act of playing that is beneficial. Play, smile, laugh, and have fun. After all, your sport is just a game.
Need help adding play back into your training?