Picking up a new sport can be exciting and daunting. It’s an opportunity to get active and to learn something new at the same time. But so many people who commit to something new end up giving up before they’ve really had the chance to get started.
That’s the eventuality that you’ll probably be looking to avoid. There’s no point in starting something new if you’re going to throw in the towel not long after. So how can you avoid giving up and instead stay committed to playing the new sport that you’ve just picked up?
That’s the question we’re going to seek to answer today. Each of the tips and nuggets of advice discussed below will help you to stay committed once you pick up a new sport, you’re interested in playing.
Be Willing to Learn and Improve
If you go into this with a willingness to learn and improve, it’ll help you a lot. You won’t make it far with the sport you chose if you’re not willing to work at it and improve over time, so it should be your number one aim to do exactly that. If you’re willing to put in the effort and the hard work it takes to get to where you want to be, you’ll find that staying committed is a lot easier. If you give up at the first sign of a challenge and hard work, you probably won’t last for very long at all.
Don’t Hold Back or Be Afraid to Make Mistakes
When you’re learning something new for the first time, you need to be willing to make mistakes as well. You’re going to get things wrong along the way and you’re not going to be the best person on the pitch every time you play. That’s just the way it is and that’s totally fine. You learn through practice and by throwing yourself into the challenge without holding back. And then, when the mistakes happen, you’ll progress and learn from them. And when you do throw yourself in with full force, you’ll be more invested in the challenge too.
Find a Good Mentor
If you know someone who’s been playing the sport a lot longer than you, it makes sense to use them as a mentor when you’re just starting out. They’ll be able to show you the fundamentals while also giving you a model to follow. You can learn a lot just by watching other people and imitating what they do as you slowly develop your own way of playing the sport. And it’s much easier to do that if you have a mentor who’s happy to tutor you.
Take an Interest in the Professional Game
As well as playing the game as an amateur, you should also think about taking an active interest in watching the sport as it’s played by the professionals. Again, this gives you a glimpse in how the pros do it and what their approach is. If you really sit down and analyze the professional game, not only will you gain a much broader understanding of the sport itself, but you’ll also be able to adapt some of the lessons to your own skill level and put them into practice when you’re playing the sport.
Become a Part of the Sport’s Community Online
It can help a lot for you to become a part of the online community that exists around your chosen sport. These days, there’s an online community for just about everything, and you should make the most of it as a source of learning and inspiration when you’re getting started. When you see how passionate other people are about the sport that you’re new to, that feeling, and passion becomes infectious and spur you on. There’s a niche community for just about anything you could think of. For example, if you want to learn more about archery from people who are passionate about it, head to unitedbow.com to learn more.
Set Goals for Your Improvement
If you want to make sure that you’re always progressing and moving in the right direction, you’ll need to set regular goals for yourself. When you set goals, you’ll find that you have the motivation to stay committed and keep improving. You’ll always have something else to be aiming for and working towards and that’s exactly what you need. It gives you a reason to keep playing and keep improving. When you lack that, that’s when you feel tempted to give up.
Find People to Play Alongside or Join a Team
There comes a point when you have to start playing with others rather than playing with a coach or mentor. And if you’re learning a team sport, it’ll definitely help a lot for you to join an amateur team and compete against other teams on a regular basis. Competition is healthy and it’ll give you an idea of what it’s like to play against other people on a regular basis, as well as giving you experience of the game played at full speed. All of that’s very important and being in a team provides responsibility that’ll keep you committed to the sport.
Create a Routine
Finally, you should try to create an established routine that you can follow day after day. When playing the sport, routine creates consistency and that wards off any temptation you might feel to throw in the towel and simply quit. It could be a weekly or daily part of your routine, but some sort of routine will definitely serve you well, so work on putting that in place.
Be sure to make the most of the tips and ideas we’ve discussed here if you want to stay committed to a new sport. Doing so will help you to keep your activity levels high, which can only be a good thing for your health. And in the end, your commitment will translate into gains and improvements in your sporting performance.
