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“Never be afraid to fail. Always be eager to learn”. My father’s words echo in my head as I remember the first time I ever lost a tennis match. I was nine years old.

Now, as a retired professional, I ask myself, “What have I learned on my journey? What have I learned from sport?”

Although it seems like a complicated question, the answer is incredibly simple. Sport has taught me that learning is a long and never ending process.

Don’t believe me? Then, try it out yourself.

What do you feel before an important match? Is it something similar to how you feel before a difficult exam? I am sure you have felt the same nerves. I have been competing regularly from a young age and it has helped me deal with nervousness better.

Butterflies?

Have you ever found yourself in a tough situation with a big decision to make? I felt that way every time I played a match with the score tied at 5-5. And, regardless of whether I won or lost, I learned how to live with the consequences of my decision. The learning never stopped.

Talking about sporting experiences, I’m always drawn back to the days when times were difficult and excuses counted for nothing. Every year, I played the Nationals and my daily food budget was about R 100 a day (that is, for three meals). It was summer, and cramped in a tiny non-AC room were three friends and myself. The room cost us R250 a night. Despite the hardships, these are memories that I look back on fondly.

But, why is all of this important right now?

Most people think it’s the victories alone that make it worthwhile. But, that’s just a small part of it. The lessons learnt from success as well as failures added to the overall experience of hard work, is what makes it meaningful. Moreover, I find that today, I can apply all that I learnt along the way to both, my personal and professional life.

This is what makes sport timeless.

Most parents in our country want their children to play a sport to become famous and become champions. But, we must understand that sport offers us so much more than that. Sport will always give you an opportunity to learn about life and more importantly, learn about yourself. There’s no greater gift than that.

Are you sent to school with the sole purpose of winning the Nobel Prize? Or, is to broaden your minds and grow as a person?

Go out and play

Now for the best part. There is no need to memorise any of this. You don’t have to mug up the governing rules or dimensions of any play ground. In fact, in order to learn through sport, all you have to do is go out and play, and over time, you’ll experience all of the above and more.

Remember, the first step in a sport is to start playing. Then, the benefits are yours for the taking.

Life Is A Ball Public Charitable Trust is a non-profit organisation that provides sports programmes to kids, and teaches them life lessons through sport. It works with Corporation / Government / Government-aided schools, catering to economically disadvantaged children, and introduces organised sports at every partner school.