I think athletics are one of the most important things that boys can participate in for their development. And I don’t think this changes once one becomes a man. And by participate I don’t mean drinking a beer and watching other men run around with a ball I mean getting out there into the ring, mat, field, or floor and doing the work yourself. Being a participant not a voyeur. Participating and competing in sports have helped forge me into the man that I am today as well as taught me some valuable life lessons.
The development of athletic ability and physical strength is just as important to man’s development as developing his mind and spirit. Too many people find a natural inclination to either mind or body and then ignore the other at their own expense. Which is why I encourage everyone to lift and read books. But what I see more and more is a shift to the mental and a loss of the physical. Man is a creature with three parts body, mind, and soul. And for complete development and harmony not a single one of these can be ignored.
Lesson #1 – The Adaptable Survive
This I learned from playing football. I was an outside linebacker and was often tackling running backs that had a good 10-20 lbs on me because I wasn’t a huge linebacker. I learned very quickly that sometimes there were some kids who I couldn’t catch or that would doze me over if I tried to lay them out. I learned that I had to adapt and doing something like just wrapping up around the legs was enough to get them to stop enough for my other teammates to pile on. Or if they were quicker how to head them off and lead them back towards my teammates so they could make the tackle.
Every play pretty much anything could happen. My favorite thing to do was blitz and lay out quarterbacks. Mostly because laying people out is fun and two it allows you to go full bore. But a play could change suddenly where in the middle of a blitz you have to change strategy. And even during a blitz you had to keep your eyes open for the fat ass pulling guard coming around the line to sick all 400 lbs of his fat ass on you (can you tell they got me a couple of times?). The adaptable survive.
Lesson #2 – Grit Matters, But So Does Genetics
There’s a reason they have weight classes in boxing. Even the toughest feather weight who was essentially the human form of a honey badger would have a hard time fighting a lackluster heavy weight boxer just because of the size difference. Same with wrestling and many other sports. No matter what genetics matters greatly in life and anyone who tells you otherwise is lying and no where is this more true then on the field/mat/ring. Luckily in things like business this doesn’t hold nearly as true (but still matters).
But with that being said that’s never an excuse to be a pussy. Grit still makes a huge difference and those with grit go a lot further then those without it. As the old saying goes “It’s not the size of the dog in the fight but the size of the fight in the dog”. The guy who busts his ass day in and day out and is scrappy as hell can achieve things that would seem impossible for someone his size, weight, genetics, whatever. So both grit and genetics matter, it’s foolish to think it’s only one or the other.
Lesson #3 – Physical Development Leads To A Better Life
There is no excuse to be out of shape, at all. If you’re out of shape you’re not living the best life that you could be period. I’m not saying it has to be the number one priority but if you weight 100 lbs soaking wet and a teenage girl could beat you up or your 400 lbs and can’t fit into a regular sized airline seat you’re not going to be living the best life you could be. People like to hide behind mental and spiritual development pretending as if this makes up for lack of physical development (it doesn’t). There is no excuse to not be in shape.
Again you don’t have to be a bodybuilder but just look like how a man was supposed to look when God created him. The same can be said of women whether your wife or women you choose to date. Physical degeneracy (when it can be prevented) is an affront to all that is good. Again different times in your life will change it’s priority the point is to never let yourself drift too far one way or the other. Never become so weak or fat to be an embarrassment to yourself and your ancestors. Don’t be a dumb jock but the only thing worse than a dumb jock is a scrawny nerd.
Athletics & Physical Development
Stop hating on athletics and start participating in them. It can be a combat sport such as boxing or wrestling, bodybuilding, powerlifting, strongman, or anything else that gets your body moving and developing. We were given physical bodies for a reason. They are our connection to this world. No matter who you are you should be participating in athletics of some sort for the physical development as well as the valuable lessons that you learn.
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-Charles Sledge
