Combining Sport and Education
Morgan Stevenson explains how to balance your time with sport and education successfully.
We live in a world where there is a constant power struggle. Money, fame, and physical strength are a few of the things that can put you ahead of your peers and set you in a class of your own. There was a time in history when being a mammoth of a man would make you commander of armies or king over territories. During those eras, kingdoms were claimed through brute force, and being strong and muscular was top desirable quality.
But even back then kings and powerful warriors still had wise advisers and philosophers. The kings who won more battles were usually those who were smart and could maximize their army of strong muscular men using intelligent strategies.
Today the power play continues. Athletes with their speed, agility and well-toned body still steal hearts all over the world. But while muscles can earn you money, fame, and all the good things of life, developing your mind through education remains one of the surest paths to greatness. Even the most successful players in the world attest to how much they had to leverage the power of their minds to train and achieve better results.
The world still rewards smart people, perhaps even more than muscular ones. A picture of a heavily built bodyguard guarding a diminutive politician while he sits and discusses matters of international significance with the world powers says a lot about where the true powers lie. Even if the POTUS cannot ride a bike without a helmet, he still has the nuclear codes, and that, my friends, is true power. Things like these will help you put brain vs muscle confusion into perspective.
Now, this is not to say that developing your physical abilities is not good. Sport is an indispensable part of society, and athletes all over the world continue to make their nations and themselves proud. We cannot all be scholars. But everyone loves someone with the right amount of brain and brawn.
Tips for combining education with sport
Get Help
You will typically get less time to do things than others since you have to train and learn at the same time. A straightforward way to navigate this issue is to get help with schoolwork. Suppose you have an assignment, for example. In that case, you can make things easier for yourself by using a free essay topic generator tool or any of the other "grade my paper" or "do my essay" tools online to navigate quickly and finish your assignment faster. There are also loads of free papers databases you can assess to look for some free paper samples or use a plagiarism checker to vet the quality of your work before submitting it. All of these make things more comfortable and more convenient for you.
Plan your Schedule
This is one of the most common pieces of advice those who try to combine sports and school get. It is hard enough to plan your time even as a regular student. But it is even a more significant challenge for those who combine school with sports. But it is compulsory if you want the best of both worlds. Mastering how to combine learning and your sporting activities without clashes will make all the difference for you.
Dedicate time to learning and personal self-development
There are great sportsmen and women with incredibly intelligent minds. They are proof that you can develop your muscles and your mind at the same time. Education is not about what you learn in classrooms alone, be ready to dedicate time for your personal development in every way possible. Try simple mind development exercises like reading books, listening to tapes, practicing public speaking, and so on while you train. Mohammed Ali was one of the greatest boxers and is also one of the greatest orators in the modern world.
Do not cut corners
Some people think it is okay to cheat in class but wrong to cheat in sports. Such double standards should not be part of your life if you want to excel in sports and as a student. Be willing to put in all the effort you put in at the gym to your work in the class.
Try remote learning
If sports puts you on the road often, one simple and effective solution is to try online learning. Technology has made it easy to take your education with you wherever you go. Put in for online courses that let you learn at your pace.
Conclusion
A good sports record will look cool on a college admission application, but combining that with good grades in your exams will improve your chances of getting in even more. Of course, it will be harder. But you must learn to develop your mind while you learn how to make muscles strong too. You will have to put in more work, but you will be a lot better off when you have the best of both worlds.
Page Reference
If you quote information from this page in your work, then the reference for this page is:
- STEVENSON, M. (2019) Combining Sport and Education [WWW] Available from: https://www.brianmac.co.uk/articles/article444.htm [Accessed
About the Author
Morgan Stevenson is a traveler, budding entrepreneur, writer, and amateur musician.