Sport and education: two fundamental pillars in the training of young people
Johan Cruyff, one of the best soccer players and coaches in history, eternal myth of FC Barcelona and Ajax Amsterdam, was one of the pioneers in the world of soccer in linking sport and education.
Some of Barça’s best youth players passed through his hands and he always said that La Masia, beyond being a sports school to train athletes, should become a space capable of teaching young people about academic and personal matters.
Children with a passion for sport are trained for life. We just have to try to take advantage of the values offered by sport and transfer them to the educational sphere, something that is not always easy.
Sport and education in the training of young people
When talking about education, we must focus on the acquisition of knowledge and take this objective to a more ambitious goal, the integral formation of the human being. Under this conception, education and sport go hand in hand.
Physical activity and competition provide a series of essential health benefits in the early stages of life, so it is worth integrating sport into education and doing so effectively.
This means that it is not enough just to include physical education as a compulsory subject in primary and secondary education, but that complementary systems must be designed. Educationalists and experts in education, as well as health specialists, point to the need to promote sport beyond school, with extracurricular activities that encourage companionship, healthy living and learning through leisure and enjoyment.
In this sense, it is important to adequately introduce the concept of competition, encouraging children to be better athletes, but assuming a healthy idea of this term. In the first years of life, in infancy and primary school, it is preferable for children to learn the rules of sport rather than trying to achieve very competitive results.
Likewise, it is a good idea to introduce them to several modalities and let them decide for themselves which one suits them best. Once they acquire a certain competitive level, when their results are already remarkable, is when they can choose one sport or another.
SLAM School, education and sport all in one
At SLAM School we offer personalized academic programs for each student. In them, we place special emphasis on the world of sports, with the promotion of modalities such as golf, soccer, equestrian or sailing.
Our facilities have all the necessary equipment to train the leaders of the future and serve as the first step in the careers of professional athletes. The school has sufficient space, and amply equipped, to provide all the training needs of students.
At the same time, in this combo of disciplines we also introduce art. Therefore, we can speak of education, culture and sport. Our desire is that the children and young people who pass through the center enjoy and mature during their formative stage, leaving it as boys and girls capable of facing the competitive world of work today.
How sport helps to have a better education
Sport is another means of education, especially school sports. When people train or compete, they experience emotions, and it is in those moments where the focus can be placed on values such as companionship, respect, humility, the ability to excel or the sense of belonging. All of this ends up helping children develop as individuals.
Better organize your time
Children who practice sports learn to manage their time better. The training hours must be compatible with their daily routine and accompanied by good educational results. This will take hold internally until they achieve better time control in their day-to-day life.
Culture of effort
Another of the benefits of sport is that children value positively the results and the effort involved in achieving them. This is a great learning for the future, because in their adult life they will not achieve everything quickly and easily. Sports competition develops patience.
Accepting defeat and managing frustration
This point is closely related to the previous one. In sports, you don’t always win. Michael Jordan, perhaps the most iconic athlete in history, reflected on this idea, assuming that it was precisely losing so many games that led him to success.
Enjoying leisure and quality time
Sport is also a very enriching, playful and fun way to learn. It allows learning from enjoyment, dedicating quality time and health to this activity.
Sport and education are two concepts that go hand in hand. There is no quality training and adequate cognitive and physical development that does not combine both ideas. At SLAM School we are fully aware of this, hence our interest in including both facets in an integrated manner.