Many of us are playing sports with our friends recreationally. And by “sports”, I mean the more traditional, physical time. Sorry, eSports! Not to disparage you, – you’re great and everything – but you’re much easier to do than the other sports. Sorry.
When we play sports recreationally, we’re generally just out to have a bit of fun. Nothing too serious. But don’t let that prevent you from looking for ways to improve your game. Not sure what I mean? Here are some tips you might find useful.
Learn how to play rough
A lot of people who play amateur sports are afraid to get as rough as they do on television. There are, of course, people who have the opposite problem and play all-out prison rules soccer, for example. But many of us are a bit afraid to get too rough with our friends, or our own bodies.
To be honest, this is a pretty sensible way to go about things. Professionals tend to know how to do these things safely. But aren’t slide kicks in football and tackles in rugby part of what makes them so thrilling? Don’t just start playing rough. Learn how to play a little rougher. For example, learning how to safely rugby tackle can add that extra thrill to your friendly rugby games.
Set up an amateur league
Something that really helps make recreational sporting fun is some sort of long-term score-keeping. Of course, for some people, this may be moving a bit too close to professional sports. Things like long-term points and formal team set-ups? Surely that’s getting a bit too serious?
But these things don’t have to make your games any more serious. You can still be just as casual and fun about it, even with amateur leagues set up. Setting up amateur leagues can help add an exciting edge to your fun and games. Try reaching out to other people in your area who are playing the same sport for fun. You can encourage people to join if you have good equipment and kits available. Great quality swim caps from SwimCapz can help encourage people to join an amateur swimming team. For example, a similar effect can occur when it comes to custom sporting kits for soccer and the like.
Don’t be afraid to play by your own rules
Even in recreational sports, there are people out there who are taking it too seriously. They’ll research all the rules that professionals follow and try to make everyone follow those rules exactly. I’ve seen it happen even with rules that don’t even make sense outside of the professional arena!
Remember the main reason that you’re doing this. It’s to have fun. Sure, there are some rules that you have to follow. Otherwise, it’s not much of a sport, right? But don’t be afraid to think outside the box and drop a few rules that don’t fit the playing style of you and your friends. And hey, maybe you could even make up some new, fun rules to make things more exciting. How about every time someone scores a goal, three more balls get thrown into play on the pitch! Okay, that one might be a little stupid. But don’t be afraid to get creative!
