Any sport is tough, but adding teammates to the mix makes sports even tougher. Team sports are different than individual sports because other people’s actions affect you and vise versa. There is so much that goes into a successful team, and it often goes unnoticed how important it is for kids to learn these traits.

The number one lesson learned from working with a team is how to work with other people. Throughout my life, I’ve been on teams with tons of people I didn’t like. It doesn’t matter if your teammates are your best friends or not, you have to work with them anyway if you want to win. This is a life skill that can be applied to so many other situations as well. At school, we do group projects and discussions all the time. In most classes, we don’t get to choose who we work with, but with the teamwork skills I’ve learned, I’m able to work with anyone. In the workplace, it’s likely I’m not going to love every single one of my coworkers, but that’s just how it goes. I have to be able to get the job done and to do that, I need to be able to interact with anybody.

Another really important skill people can learn from team sports is time management. With a team, I can’t pick and choose when I go to practice or what time practice will be. I have to work around practice times, my team is relying on me. If my teammates can make it to practice, then so can I. Sometimes this can be really hard, but by figuring out my schedule ahead of time, I’m able to prepare for myself for whatever I have coming up. When I was younger, I had to do my homework in the car on the way to my practices. It wasn’t exactly ideal, but that’s what I had to do for my team.

Accountability is another important skill developed through team sport involvement. When there is a whole team counting on me to do my job, that’s a lot of pressure. I handle this by giving my all at every single practice. I also know that I need to practice on my own, improve my skills, and bring those improvements to the team. A team is only as good as their weakest link, right?

Team sports are important for so many reasons, and I’ve been able to learn so much from my involvement in them. The lessons I’ve learned from team sports, teammates, and coaches are lessons I can apply to my life every day. I think it’s really important for all kids to be involved in a team sport if possible. Besides learning a lot from them, it’s also a great way to have fun!