A Guide To Popular Sports For People With Disabilities
Sports, when compared to other contact sports, can pose greater physiological and psychological challenges. Because of this, athletes of any level typically require extensive training to overcome the challenges presented to them in the course of physical activity. In order to increase the athlete’s performance in sports, one must first realize and understand the primary differences between sports and sedentary activity. In addition, how these two types of activity affects the mind and body must also be examined.
The term sport is commonly applied to identify any contest in which participants utilize physical faculties. However, mind sports refers to a subset of games that involve mental acuity, such as chess, puzzles, and trivia games. International sports competitions such as the Olympics and the World Cup, for instance, are non-physical contests; the term mind sports therefore refers to competitive games of strategy and brainpower, requiring large investments in both time and money. To ensure fair competition, these games are separated by gender.
Sport and exercise activities have obvious physical components. For instance, the activities involved in running, jumping, throwing, and playing volleyball all demand both strong muscles and hand-eye coordination, as well as an intense level of mental acuity. Additionally, games such as ice hockey and baseball require a tremendous amount of physical dexterity and agility in order to successfully play the game.
Conversely, games of strategy and mind are clearly less physically demanding and more mentally stimulating. In games such as chess, puzzles, and riddles, the competitor’s strategy will ultimately determine their success. On the other hand, competitors in non-sport Olympic events such as swimming and water polo do not need to worry about hand-eye coordination and muscle strength. Instead, their success relies on their mental skills, which are determined largely by luck and chance. In addition, in most cases, the only real physical competition that exist in non-Olympic sports is found in wheelchair rugby, which is governed by rules similar to baseball and football. While these games obviously lack the competitive spirit that is so often present in Olympic sports, they do provide valuable practice to those lacking athletic ability.
The third category of popular sports are not necessarily associated with any particular sport or physical activity. Such examples include horseback riding, diving, and hang gliding. Interestingly, some argue that these less-recognized sports offer much more physical activity than the previously mentioned popular sports. Therefore, while it is true that most people associate wheelchair rugby with sport and physical prowess, many people who live with disabilities find it incredibly beneficial to participate in these less well-known sports.
As previously stated, the purpose of this article is to provide an explanation of the different types of sports, and how they are played. It should be noted that many of the activities in this list are not necessarily competitive, as they do not require any physical activity, skill, or talent. However, it is important to understand that while many of the listed sports do not require any physical fitness at all, others are competitive and require a level of skill. This is why it is important to both develop a love of the sport itself, as well as a love of one of the various disciplines. By engaging in a combination of all of these disciplines, anyone can enhance his or her overall physical fitness and level of skill. For those with limited mobility, this presents the opportunity to have as much skill as possible in a sport that requires minimal physical stamina.