How Sports Create Confident Girls

All my life, I’ve always envied the athletic girls. They’ve always seemed so self-assured; ready to handle anything life throws in their path. They’re fit, they’re healthy, and they have a confidence in themselves and their bodies that so many others of us lack.

Getting your girls involved in sports at an early age is, to me, a necessity for their futures. Not only does it teach them a healthy lifestyle, but it instills them with a self-confidence that is not easily shaken. No matter what the sport, regular practice, exercise, and the chance to continue learning new skills keeps the activity interesting and stimulating.

Confidence in the Body

Playing sports leads to confidence in the body. Routinely practicing and playing a sport like basketball teaches girls that they can rely on their bodies to perform in the manner they are needed. Being strong and fit and trim allows a girl to know that she can do anything. She can go rock climbing, ride horses, or roller-blade to school if she so desires, because she has the confidence in the strength of her body. Plus, for the adolescent girl, being involved in a sport helps keep her figure looking great (something most of them are worried about). The strength of her body makes her feel like she can do anything!

Confidence in the Mind

Staying active and participating in a sport such as basketball builds confidence in the mind, too. A girl who is busy thinking of strategy, implementing plays and how to defeat her opponent is using her brain every second. The more we use this powerful organ, the stronger it gets. Challenging the brain in this way helps make it stronger, and naturally leads to more confidence. A girl who feels confident when playing sports will be able to transfer that confidence to other areas of her life, and she will most likely feel able to tackle most anything life throws her way.

Confidence in Spirit

Being active in sports, practicing, and playing games against opponents will also help build a girl’s confidence in her own spirit. Being successful – whether that means winning the game, or getting out on the court or field and giving it her all (and knowing she did so) regardless of the final score will strengthen a girl’s confidence. Setting a goal for herself, the athletic girl takes pride in her achievement of that goal and this in turn builds her confidence in spirit – she believes in herself and what she can do.

Participating in sports can do all of these things for our girls. In a society that is becoming more and more sensitive to the problems of obesity and all of the emotional strings attached to it, getting our daughters, sisters, nieces, and friends involved in athletic activities will help combat this and lead to stronger, healthier, and most importantly, confident girls.