Occasional Tournaments will give you a Permanent Edge.
– Nayan Karnavat (Cofounder, spyn)
(approx 2min)
Few casual sports players participate in competitive tournaments. The reasons given are lack of opportunities or time. However, I believe motivation is the biggest culprit. Once you know the benefits, you will never miss an opportunity to compete. Here are the most significant ones…
Accelerate Learning
Improve Endurance
Identify strengths & weaknesses
Physical
A competitive environment heightens your sense of learning. Why? Humans, like other animals, have the survival instinct which is aroused when it’s a matter of winning or losing. Although competition is everywhere, it is particularly faced by students, business leaders and … tournament players. Higher the stake, more is the need for survival and hence higher the learning. Survival instinct brings the best in you and imparts lessons beyond the scope of regular practice. When in a game, we push a little harder and in doing so, are often surprised at what we are capable of accomplishing. It helps you identify strengths and weaknesses which go a long way in producing results you desire. And the fact that your opponent is pushing equally hard is a lesson in endurance. Win or lose, you get to take all the benefits home.
When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro.
– Hunter S. Thompson
Get Mentally Tough
Strategize
Overcome Stage Fright
Psychological
Majority of adults fear the stage. Why? Because they are not on it often enough. When you give yourself ample opportunity to perform in front of a crowd – you are slowly winning this war against fear. Once stage fright is conquered, it becomes easier to perform under pressure. What the world perceives as mental toughness is years of lessons learnt under pressure. Champions aren’t born tough – they just weathered enough storms. And storms are best created by competitions.
The stormy experiences helps you react to different situations and opponents better. A few years in business will tell you that expectations are seldom close to reality. And experienced businessmen are not experts in predicting the markets; they rather react well to it. It is no different in sport. Tournaments teach you how best to negate your competitor’s moves. And just like business, it takes enough time on the floor to learn this skill.
Experience is a hard teacher because she gives the test first, the lesson afterward.
– Vernon Law
Learn Teamwork
Practice Leadership
Get Noticed
Social
Besides individual skills, competition teaches a lot about teamwork. The more teams you are a part of, the faster you will learn to adapt to different people and places. If you take initiative, it will bring out the leader in you too. And besides the colleagues, there is always a large audience waiting to hail and encourage players in a healthy competition. Like most artists, sportsmen enjoy the attention they get. Make the most of it by shaking hands and making friends. Become a part of new communities wherever you go. ‘Be a sport’ and win hearts.
One man practicing sportsmanship is far better than a hundred teaching it.
-Knute Rockne
Tournaments are not all about clenched fists and grinding teeth. Survival instinct is taken over by camaraderie after the referee blows the final whistle. So don’t wait for someone to push you, find tournaments and activities near you and register yourself for a whole lot of learning. Do your best and have fun!
Compete, do your best and have fun!
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