Why Play Basketball? – The Perks and Downsides Explained

Basketball is a wildly popular game among Americans. It also attracts a wider range of viewers from different aged people. It is indeed a very good game for the young generation.

Anyone who plays basketball or has been playing basketball can easily tell you the positive aspects of this game. This amazing game can lift up your physical and mental strength in a very enjoyable way.

You can feel it that it is not merely a game. By playing it for a long time, you will see yourself becoming a good team leader and gaining an enormous amount of self-confidence.

Nevertheless, it has both perks and downsides. And in this article, we’re going to talk about them in detail.

Advantages of Playing Basketball

There are many positive sides related to the basketball game. These are explained in a very short detail in the following portion:

Won’t Cost You Much Money

Unlike many other games, it is a game that will not cost you very much. You don’t need to be worried about buying stuff continuously. The money you spend on the equipment will be a one-time investment.

In addition, basketball equipment isn’t very expensive to buy. You can easily buy them from any sports gear showroom or even in the big super shop. If you own a normal running shoe with that, you can easily go for a basketball match or practice.

Weather Is Not a Problem

Most of the basketball courts are indoor though people play outside in schools and parks. Because of the high availability of indoor basketball courts, the weather can’t have any impact on the game.

You can easily play on a rainy or snowy day without facing any kind of problem. The best part of this game is that it does not require a very large place, thus makes it easy to build an indoor court for the children and students.

Improves Team Work Ability

Every time you are at a basketball match, you need to work every moment with your team player. It will increase your teamwork skills.

And when you will be doing professional work, it will help you to accomplish any group task. This teamwork skill will also help you to progress and move forward in your family life too.

Increases Your Ability to Focus

While playing the basketball game, you are bound to keep your focus if you really like to get the ball into the basket. Not even for a single moment, you can lose your attention from the opposite team players.

It is definitely going to increase your focus skills. The best thing is that you will become a person who has a precise focus while enjoying a very good game.

Makes You A Competitive Person

In basketball games, you really need to have a competitive mindset to win a game. A competitive mindset will help you to score a goal in the playing court. This will also help you to become a very competitive person in every aspect of your life.

You may be well familiar with the phrase “survival of the fittest.” In the modern world, It can’t be any less than true. Facing competition is inevitable in every walk of life. So, it’s only the competitive mindset that will prepare you for the fierce contests that await you.

Makes You A Tough Person

Winning and losing is a part of any sports. While playing a game with your strong opponent, you might lose a game or can lose 2-3 games consecutively.

But you really need to move on and practice hard if you want to win over your opponent team. In the process of doing this thing, you will eventually become a mentally tough person.

Very Easy to Learn

You do not require a lot of skill and preparation before entering the game. The rules of a basketball game are very easy. Dribbling, passing, and shooting are the main three things you need to learn.

By playing the game and keeping a mentor, you can easily learn these skills. One of the main rules is to avoid any hard body contact. Especially when the opponent is going to shoot the ball.

A Great Form of Fun

Very few people may not like basketball, but most of the young boys just love this game due to the nature of this game. It is indeed a type of sport which gives you a lot of fun. And the fun doubles or triples sometimes when you score some points with some amazing shots.

Even when you are alone, and there is a basket on the upper wall of your garage or backyard, you can play and have fun by yourself.

Helps You Grow Confidence

Remember that every time you are scoring a point, it immediately increases your confidence level.

If you see yourself becoming a good player day by day that will help to grow your confidence at a very fast rate.

Whenever you are playing well, you will get praise and supports from your team players and supporters, which will boost your self-confidence. With that confidence, you will be able to deal with many tough situations in your life.

Helps You Learn to Deal with Stress

You’ll often find games poised in a way that the only way to ensure a victory is by scoring at the very last moment.

On that type of condition, you really need to maintain your stress with full efficiency and make a score to win. And when you are able to do it, then you are already a person who knows how to manage stress. This management skill will help you in a great way in your working life and other activities.

Helps You with Social Anxiety

As this sport is one of the high-intensity sports, it allows you to move a lot. It is one kind of physical exercise for anyone. Whenever you are playing basketball in a court, your body is going to release a lot of stress. As a result, you will have more positive energy to accomplish your daily tasks.

These sports will also allow you to become more social in your life and thus reduce any kind of depression. And then you will feel very much energetic, and your immune system will boost as well.

Burn A Lot of Calories

Any kind of sports activity will activate and engage some portion of the muscle of your body. In the case of basketball, you have to engage your upper body and lower body both at the same time.

When you are going to jump for the shooting, you need to engage your lower body and upper body both. And this thing makes you burn a lot of calories. For an average person, a one hour play of basketball can burn around 500+ calories.

Increases Cardiovascular Power

The basketball game includes a long time of running. It increases your heart rate to a great extent. While you are dodging and passing the opponent players, your heart is going to pump like a machine that will increase blood flow in your body.

As a result, you will have a very healthy heart and will possess a less chance to face any heart-related health problems.

Helps You Build Lean Muscle and Core

In the process of playing basketball, you will notice that your body will start to change after 4-5 months. When you are jumping and dribbling, you are developing your lean muscle without even noticing it.

You will become stronger than before if you continue to play regularly. In every match, your deltoids, knees, and legs are frequently used. Most of the powerful shoot you generate comes as a combination use of leg muscle, core muscle, and hand muscle. So it is great for your lean muscle.

Disadvantages of Playing Basketball

There are few negative sides related to any sports and the same for the basketball game. These are the following:

Initial Pain

If you are going to play basketball for the first time, then you need to be a bit cautious. After the play, you may notice and feel pain in your whole body.

It will happen due to the overall exhaustion of the body muscle all of a sudden. You just need to continue to play, and the pain will disappear for sure.

Minor Injury

Due to the high jumping in the basketball court, you might face problems like ankle pain, minor fractures in lower legs. Though you can easily overcome this injury after a short time of bed rest. But still, it will have a permanent impact on your body in the long run.

Cheap Shoes Can Be Problematic

If you decide to play with any normal shoe that isn’t made for heavy use or sports activities, then you can face leg injuries. Because in the playing court you need a good shoe which provides a good amount of traction and grip.

Without proper traction of the shoe, it would not be easy to pass through your opponent. If you really want to play on any sporting club in college oruniversity, then you must buy an expensive shoe which provides good traction.

Knee Injuries

When you are continuously jumping and landing, it will have an impact on your knees. A small landing mistake can simply cause some serious problems in your knee caps. So, do not even dare to play this game if you have previous knee injuries in your life.

Spinal Complexity

Jumping is a must part of the basketball game. It is very tough for anyone to score without a good jump. Thus, it can lead to major problems like a spinal injury, which includes problems related to spinal disks.

The worst thing anyone might face is a problem like a dislocated disk. Having this problem, it is very risky even to ride a car or bike on any bumpy roads. You can also end up with injuries like a ruptured disk.

Difficult for a Short Person

If you are not tall, then it is a great disadvantage in the basketball ground. Sometimes you will generate a magnificent shoot, but the taller opponent can easily make a block by catching the ball with their long hands. It may seem unfair, but this is the nature of this game.

Physical Restriction for Some People

People who are suffering from asthma and thalassemia carrier or low hemoglobin problem can’t play this game due to the very high intensity of this game.

You really need to hold a good amount of breath, but in these two types of cases, you will not be able to hold too much breathe; rather, you will have less oxygen in your body to perform for a long time.

Bottom Line

After going over the article, you can clearly see both the side of playing a basketball game. But still, the positive aspects seem to a bit more than the negative stuff.

It is up to you to decide whether to play it or not after going through the ins and outs of this game. But, without any hesitation, you can play it if you are a strong and able person. For sure, you will have a good time with it.

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