If you're into sports or fitness, you know picking an activity to do takes a lot of time and thinking. After all, from a fitness perspective you've got to know how this activity can benefit your body. Likewise, from a sports perspective, it's got to be something you'd consider fun.
How exactly are we going to do this, when there's hundreds of exercises - and even sports! - to choose from? Well, if you're reading this article, you might want to consider picking soccer as a sport.
Why soccer, though? Of all sports in the world - both individual and team sports - why exactly pick soccer as the go-to sport for your needs? Turns out, soccer has a ton of benefits and perks you'd get when you both pursue a fitness routine and a lot of other sports combined. Curious as to why we've made such a bold claim? Here's why you should pick soccer as your sport:
- Engage in whole-body fitness while having fun. One of the most important aspects of working out and maintaining a good body isn’t really just about consistency - it’s to love and have fun with the activity enough that you’d want to do it all the time. Aside from the overall health benefits of soccer, we can’t deny it’s an extremely fun and engaging sport. You can spend hours training and playing with yourself and with your friends, and you won’t even notice it’s getting dark. This is especially considering if you’re participating in a tournament, or even a local game - soccer matches can last hours on end, and they can get extremely engaging and fun once you find yourself “in the mood.”
- Soccer consists of a full body workout. You constantly engage the whole body while you run around the field for entire periods of matches. Specifically, soccer that you work on your lower body strength and accuracy as you have to kick the ball around with your feet and your knees in order to pass them around or shoot. This means you can actually forego your typical gym workout and instead just play matches of soccer with your friends for an entire day and you'd still be fit.
- Soccer, as a physical activity, helps you release adrenaline and acquire dopamine in your system. These neurotransmitters engage your body and at the same time boosts your mood. This means you might get tired playing soccer, but you would still feel very content and happy in the process. This can eventually lead to increased metabolism and higher chances of increased weight loss and overall increase in happiness.
- Look good with a more flexible set of clothing. Unlike other team sports like basketball, soccer doesn't limit you to wearing just jerseys, shorts, and shoes. Soccer is more versatile in terms of clothing, particularly because it has a more diverse lineup of clothes you can wear. As a sport that heavily involves footwork, soccer is really very invested with shoes. But you can really play soccer wearing almost anything - be it actual team uniforms, your casual clothes, or even your pajamas. If you want a team sport that lets you look good even when you get sweaty, soccer is the way to go. And remember - nothing's more awesome than customizing a team shirt you can wear both on games, or when you casually want something to flex to your friends.
- Soccer has a wide variety of sportswear you can wear. Aside from the usual shirt there are different socks, shoes, bands, and other materials you can wear for your convenience. This allows you to choose whatever combination of clothes you want to wear so you can remain comfortable and at the same time ready to play a soccer match at any time.
- Soccer also has a slate of special or trademark clothes and equipment you can purchase. Players often have exclusive merchandise fans can purchase that they can wear in matches or even casually. Soccer has a huge merchandise that allows funds to express their support to their favorite teams and players by buying clothes and other equipment their favorite idols wear. If basketball has exclusive jerseys and shoes, well soccer has them, too.
- Get to know multiple players and develop new friendships with matches. Perhaps the biggest social appeal of soccer lies in its capacity to build friendships and foster camaraderie by virtue of team matches. Soccer is a team sport, which means you really only get the full experience once you play with a team. Regardless if you find a local club, play at a school, or even play with your friends, soccer is a great way to foster and form new friendships because of its nature as a community activity. If you've always wanted a new team sport to try, this is definitely for you.
- Soccer is a hugely competitive team sport, meaning you get to interact with other people and players whenever you attend matches. These can be in the form of fellow teammates, coaches, and even other viewers. If you're not so interested in a huge fan community, soccer can at least help you form friendships as you play the game in real life.
- Soccer is very accessible as a sport. Whether or not you're near a local soccer club or if your school has a soccer team, it's very easy to purchase a soccer ball online, grab a few friends, and go to the nearby park just to practice and have fun games with them. Unlike other team sports such as basketball, you really just need a ball to play soccer. Other sports like basketball still need other materials and equipment such as a ring, nets, or even bats.
- Join a huge community of teams, coaches, players, organizations, and supporters. Soccer is a huge sport, with hundreds of thousands of supporters located everywhere in the globe. Even countries without a local or national soccer team has a market for the sport - and that's because soccer in itself is a community that's perhaps just as huge as basketball. Unlike basketball, though, soccer is a bit more niche and specific into itself. This makes it a much less toxic and a more inclusive sports community. You can join countless groups and forums and engage with like-minded individuals who love the sport and would be willing to help you out.
- Soccer actually has a huge worldwide following, with fans and fan groups watching games together, celebrating wins and losses, and even staying up to date with the many happenings with their favorite players and teams. While we could argue other sports may have this as well, it does set you apart from the mainstream thanks to the more technical nature of soccer. If you want to feel "elite" with your sports fandom, soccer is definitely the sport to love and try out.
- Social media with soccer never disappoints. In speaking of being part of a huge community, it doesn't matter if you're far from your local soccer club or soccer fan group. The online space has been penetrated by soccer fans and it's made following the sport easier than ever. Thanks to online forums, social media groups, and soccer websites you can finally stay up-to-date with the latest in soccer happening with just a click of a button or your smartphone. And you don’t even have to worry about interacting with soccer fans from other countries, as we have voice translator apps and even website translation features that help us talk with them.
Soccer: It's All in the Ball
Soccer is a pretty interesting sport, despite how people might look at it as something similar to the likes of basketball, baseball, or even rugby. However, with the above taken into consideration, it's important to remember that soccer isn't just a team sport - it's a phenomenon in on itself. And if you want to pursue a sport that isn't basketball but still has the same kind of intensity and engagement, soccer is guaranteed to pique your interest.
Remember, a lot of people love soccer not just because of the fandom. Rather, players love soccer because of the kind of technical demand it wants from players - the creative play between footwork, balancing the ball, and coordinating your tactics are all equally-interesting and engaging elements to look forward to.
Author bio:
John Salazar is a certified techie-at-heart, but he shares a love for all things science and technology, health and wellness, and even a bit of music on the side. As a creative writer, John makes sure to write both informative and entertaining pieces. He loves writing, and he plays the guitar when he has free time.