Importance of Outdoor Games
Introduction: Outdoor games are games that are played in the open air. Games like cricket, football, hockey, tennis, and badminton are some of these outdoor games.
Advantages of Playing Outdoor Games
Outdoor Games play an important role in the overall development of mind and body of a child, a teenager, and even an adult. The advantages of playing outdoor games are mentioned below:
- Physical fitness: Outdoor games played in the open air exercise all the limbs of the body and make us physically fit.
- Pleasure: Every one taking part in a outdoor game tries his best to show his skill. These games benefit our health and give us pleasure.
- Learn to obey rules: All the players are to obey the rules of the outdoor games and sports that they play. If any player plays foul game, the referee at once pulls him up. In this way, they learn to play clean game according to rules.
- Discipline and team spirit: Again, several players have to combine together as a team. They have to play under the leadership of a captain. They learn discipline and develop team spirit.
- Virtues: These games call forth several manly virtues, such as courage, endurance, patience, and presence of mind.
- Learn to organize things: Every player has to sacrifice his personal gains and passions. The captain gives proper direction to his team without fear and bias. Thus, the players learn discipline and organization. The captains ripen into leaders of men in society in course of time.
- Learns to accept defeat with grace: When an outdoor game is fought and lost, the defeated party accepts the result in good grace. The victors do not cast a fling at the players who have lost the game. Thus, a sporting spirit develops and the players learn how to be generous and fair to others.
Disadvantages:
Too much of the outdoor games are harmful.
Sometimes boys may be inclined to sacrifice their studies to ambition for athletic distinction.
At times young boys and girls get so excited that they put lots of physical strain on their body. This causes harm to their physical and mental fitness.
Remedies: The abuses of the outdoor games can be checked under proper guidance. The games played under careful supervision and with moderation will do well to both the body and the mind of the players.
Conclusion
In the past, these outdoor games were much neglected. The guardians did not encourage them. They wrongly thought that these games would divert the minds of young learners from their studies. They also feared that the young boys might fall into bad company and get spoiled. However, there has been a change in attitude of the Indians
towards outdoor games. They have fully realized that boys lose their health without outdoor games. Therefore, these sports and games have now been made a compulsory part of school and college education.
