Influence of Athletics on My Academic Performance Free Essay Example

I have been participating in sports since I was four. Athletics is a big part of my life, and that’s the way I love it. I tried a lot of sports including running, swimming, basketball, and tennis. I also enjoy some side-hobbies with my friends such as football and volleyball. Partaking in in athletics has had an extremely positive influence over my life and my development as a person, specifically, joining the tennis team for Hebron.

Backtracking a couple months before joining the tennis team, I was a laid-back person, not caring much about my academic classes.

I never took any class seriously and I never actually cared too much about time management. My standards were average and my overall life direction was average. However, I have been practicing tennis with my family and I heard that Hebron had a team that was starting soon. It caught my attention because I wanted to participate in something besides a monotonous academic lifestyle.

As complacent of a person I was, I wanted to put my tennis skills to use for a team. I thought it would benefit the team and others around me. Not putting much deep thought into it, I finally decided to take an opportunity and joined. At first, all four courts were filled due to the high number of people trying out. I was admittedly intimidated by the amount of people present. The two coaches welcomed us and told us to play a couple matches. A few days later, I found out that I was one of the top three on the team.

Not only I was excited, but it gave me motivation to not only play, but to improve others on the team. While it may not seem like a big deal to many outsiders, to me, it represented a transformation not only in my sports life, but my academic lifestyle too.

For one thing, it taught me cooperation and teamwork. Before joining the tennis team, I was always a self-reliant person. While it has its pros and cons, ultimately, humans were meant to communicate, and that’s what I learned to do more. I called balls in and out, taught others proper technique, and helped others when they struggled on their serves. I had to work with others in a variety of ways to understand their struggles and grievances, which vastly improved my cooperation with others and teamwork abilities.

It also taught me what being a leader was. Because I was so highly-ranked in the team, I had to help others with technique and their skills. Of course, it was a bit uncomfortable for me because I never taught others tennis. As time passed and the more often I did it, I was more comfortable exposing myself to others and taking risks. I had to plan ahead for what was to come. For instance, if there was something difficult to master, I would have to assume some questions the person would have.

Furthermore, I feel like partaking in a tennis team immensely improved my self-discipline. As aforementioned, I was a laid-back complacent student who lived a boring academic life. Because the tennis team took so much time, I had to reorganize myself and structure my time management skills. It also made me realize that if I didn’t start homework right after practice ended, then I would start failing classes. In a way, the irony is that the less time given to me, the more efficient I am.

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