Do you have a favorite activity that even if you do it everyday you won't get tired of it? What’s your preferred hobby when you’re bored? What game can you play with your friends? Well my favorite activity, my hobby, and my game is basketball.
Basically, basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules. Basketball is also one of the most popular and widely viewed sports in the world. It can also be played in different variations and perhaps the single most common variation is the half court game. Only one basket is used, and the ball must be "cleared" – passed or dribbled outside the half-court or three-point line -each time possession of the ball changes from one team to the other. Basketball can also have social forms like recreational basketball-where fun, entertainment and camaraderie rule rather than winning a game.
When I was a child, my father put a very small basketball in my hand and helped me put it in the basket. A few years passed by, I got really interested into basketball as a child and I asked my father to teach me some basics. He taught me dribbling, passing and shooting. I practiced a lot but I was not really getting better. I needed more exposure in playing with other people.
Then in Grade 6 of elementary, our school had a basketball court but only one basket. We would just play recreational basketball during our free time. I would say that this is time when I first developed my confidence in basketball because I played with my classmates and different schoolmates. I really enjoyed playing because I felt that all my problems and worries didn’t really matter while we were playing. Freshman year of high school came. I was really nervous because I only had few friends to talk to. As the year progressed, I find myself on another playing court shooting the basketball. This time my new friends and I we’re playing on a small parking lot (LOL). It was kinda weird to play there because a few cars we’re parked and we we’re afraid to hit them. This experience was also fun because I spent a lot of my time playing basketball here. Last year, I had another year of high school- that time a sophomore. I again met new friends and classmates in the Science section and I was lucky because some of them also played basketball. They we’re my friends but I didn’t start to play with them until the end of the school year because we we’re not that close. When I played basketball with them, I felt that basketball is really a gift given to me ‘coz I had met new friends and created a special bond with them.
Currently, I am now a junior and surprisingly still in the Science section. I see the same faces, the same classmates. With my friends (basketball buddies), I was introduced to some of their friends in the regular section who were also their classmates before. We all had one thing in common- and that was the game of basketball. We play recreational basketball almost every day during our recess or lunch break in the basketball court. The school’s covered court had many baskets to shoot in so that many people can play. Sometimes a lot of students play basketball and all the courts would be occupied so we simply watch some games. Also, the administration schedules some friendly games and the student body would watch the dazzling moves and great shots by the players. One time, we had our class team game and almost all the boys in the class would play. Our team was led by my two classmates and me. It was very tiring and in the end we lost the game. The game was an experience I would never forget because even though we lost, we had a sense of teamwork.
I have also learned a few life lessons from basketball. Some of these are:
1. Learn and master the fundamentals of the game.
Before you can play the game of basketball you must learn the basics or the fundamentals - how to play the game, how to pass, to dribble, run the court and shoot the ball. You have to develop the necessary skills to play at an acceptable level.
Lesson: In life you must also learn the basics. You must establish what it (life) is, what it means to you and want you from it. You must then develop the requisite skills and strategies for attaining it.
2. Be prepared both mentally and physically.
Elite athletes know that you can't function optimally or win games if you're not prepared both mentally and physically. You must be in great physical shape to withstand a long, grueling and demanding basketball season. Equally important, you must have mental fitness. Mental fitness includes a positive, willing and winning mindset. One without the other will not win games.
Lesson: Being prepared mentally and physically is equally essential in life.
3. Be unselfish and a team player.
Basketball is a team sport, which means it requires contribution and co-operation from every member in order to play well and win. Everyone must focus, work together and fulfill their individual role for the common good of the team.
Lesson: So it is with life. Contribute, co-operate and share.
4. Be alert and aware. Anticipate the play.
Lesson: Being conscious and aware in life sets the stage for achievement.
5. If the plays aren't working, re-adjust the game plan.
Lesson: Life presents us with many challenges for which we must adjust our game plan.
6. Never give up on the play. Persevere.
7. Win more games than you lose, but accept both victory and defeat graciously.
Everything will not always go your way. There will be both losses and wins. If you give everything your best shot and learn the lessons along the way, you will come out a winner.
I would thank Dr. James Naismith for inventing the game of basketball because without it I would not be in the position where I am now, I would not have met my best friends and I would not have learned a lot of life lessons. In basketball and in life we experience problems and we find ways to solve them. We win some, we lose some Indeed the game of basketball ball is a game of life .
My group mates and I had some companions from another section (3-Mapagmalasakit) and we started to work on our website. We didn’t communicate very well because we had different schedules and dismissals and that became a problem. We tried to resolve this problem by taking our free time during recess and lunch to talk about the creation of our website.
