Sports 101- Making Fundamentals Fun by Following Phil Thow’s Advice

No one likes training. Children and adults alike want to go out and play sports without having to worry about silly drills, stretching exercises, or learning the exact method for doing a certain action on the sports field or court. However, learning the basics of the game is essential to anyone’s success, whether they’re playing tennis or football. Instead of getting bored or tired of learning about things that aren’t nearly as fun as actually playing, take the basics and find a way to make them enjoyable. According to Phil Thow, the fundamentals of any sport are like the foundation of a house. If the foundation isn’t solid, the house will fall. In sports, you are the house.

Take the time, whether it’s for a child or an adult, to make the basics something that they can enjoy, according to Phil Thow. Be creative and think of various ways that you can make fundamentals more interesting and fun to learn. Make sure that you aren’t harsh and military-like when training them, because this can make the boredom and lack of enthusiasm even worse. If people ask why they have to learn something ‘silly’ before they can play, explain it to them. People tend to take instruction better when they know why they’re doing it.

If you just tell someone that they have to run 20 laps before they can play soccer, they’re likely not going to enjoy the activity says Phil Thow. However, if you explain to them that it will increase their stamina and give them more playing time then this might be incentive to get the job done. If you want to take it one step further, take them to a public place, such as a park or an open lot, and have them run a certain course, or give them a task to complete while they’re running. Drop them off a mile away from somewhere, and tell them that they have to run to get their reward. At the end of their run, have some sort of reward waiting, such as an ice cream shop or a store that they like.

Making the fundamentals of sports fun is all about finding each player’s passion according to Phil Thow. If you tap into that passion and figure out what will make them be willing to work for it, you’re much more likely to have a happy team than if you just say ‘run 20 laps because I said so.’ These are just a few ways to make things more enjoyable, but feel free to get creative and do your own thing.