Engaging in sports can bring a lot of benefits to people. Such an activity helps strengthen the body and keep a person healthy. Sports also help develop an individual’s character and teach him the value of hard work, discipline, dedication, and most of all, team work. That is why many parents are encouraging their children to join various sports club for them to grow up as better members of the society.

If you want to lose weight or if you are just simply bored and want to try new things, there are numerous types of sports that you might want to try. These include contact and non-contact sports. To help you decide, here are some of the most popular sports in the world today.

If you are looking for an adrenaline-filled activity with your friends, you might want to try basketball. First played in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1891, basketball is a team sport in which two teams composed of five players each try to score as much points as possible by shooting the ball through a hoop. The game is considered as one of the most popular spectator sports in the world and only few people are unfamiliar with the rules of basketball and how the game is played. However, playing basketball requires a lot of endurance, physical strength, and accuracy when draining the ball into the basket.

Tennis is another adrenaline-filled game that requires you to have a good pair of tennis shoes, a tennis racket, and strong legs and arms, which can be developed overtime. Playing tennis can improve a person’s hand-eye coordination and his or her staying power. It is widely believe that athletes who started young have an edge in competitive tennis probably because of their high levels of endurance. Unlike other sports, the rules of tennis, as well as the game itself, are easier to understand.

Golf, on the other hand, is more of a “laid-back” sport that requires you to sink a dimpled white ball into the cup with as few strokes as possible. However, do not underestimate this highly-esteemed game because like basketball and tennis, it requires physical endurance for you to last a whole day strolling back and forth along a golf course under the glaring heat of the sun. Playing golf is said to improve one’s mental focus and powers of concentration. Its downside, however, is that this particular sport could place a big burden on your pocket because you need to buy several equipments like a good set of golf clubs, balls, and apparels.

If none of these usual sports appeal to you, then why don’t you try martial arts? Various forms of martial arts, such as karate, taekwondo, and aikido, teach the concept of discipline. Although these combat sports are designed to hurt other people, some of the core values of martial arts are non-violence and non-aggression. Most practitioners believe that you should not strike an opponent unless in defense. Studying martial arts can help you learn self-defense, as well as help you stay fit and healthy.

So do something productive by learning a new sport today.

Image Credit: christ_fierro

Watching your favorite sports personality win an important competition can really brighten your day. The thrill of seeing your favorite sprinter cross the finish line ahead of his or her opponents can really makes you feel giddy and makes you wonder what this particular person have endured to be the best in his or her chosen field. Indeed, idolizing a great sports figure can be a good thing for many people, especially the children, because these amazing athletes can inspire them to become better at what they are doing.

Over the years, many notable names have been included in the list of the greatest sportsmen in the world. In basketball, there is Michael Jordan, who was dubbed by his colleagues as the greatest basketball player of all time. There is also the Brazilian football legend Pele, who proved that poverty is not a hindrance in being named as the Athlete of the Century by the International Olympic Committee. Although these great athletes and their contemporaries have long retired from the playing field, many young players are picking up where they left off and are starting to create names for themselves. Listed below are some of the names of young athletes who are making a mark in the sporting world.

Michael Phelps

At the age of 23, Michael Fred Phelps is holding the current record of having won the most gold medals at a single Olympics. Before the age of seven, the young Phelps was diagnosed with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). He was encouraged to take up swimming to channel his pent-up energy. This has borne fruit because at ten years old, Phelps held the U.S. record in swimming for his age group. Thirteen years later, Phelps amazed the world by winning eight gold medals at the Beijing Olympics, surpassing the record held by Mark Spitz in 1972. As of 2008, he has 14 Olympic gold medals, the most by any Olympian.

Rafael Nadal

Dubbed the King of Clay, Rafael Nadal is currently the top tennis player in world. By the age of 22, Nadal has won six Grand Slam titles and an Olympic gold medal. The young Spaniard climbed to the top of the rankings after defeating former world No. 1 Roger Federer, who is considered as one of the world’s greatest tennis players of all time, in a series of matches. Although Nadal is born right-handed, the King of Clay plays tennis using his left hand as instructed by his uncle and coach, Toni Nadal.

Yelena Isinbayeva

Yelena Isinbayeva is a Russian athlete who currently holds the world record for both indoor and outdoor pole-vaulting. Coming from a poor family in Volgograd, this charming 26-year-old is another living testament that poverty is not a hindrance in achieving your dreams. Isinbayeva was named Female Athlete of the Year by the International Association of Athletics Federation for three separate years and World Sportswoman of the Year by the sports award-giving body Laureaus. Sports critics hailed the pole vaulter as one of the greatest and most successful sports personalities of her generation.

Image credit: chrisamichaels