Basketball belongs to games that most significantly affect the comprehensive development of a person, improving one’s physiological indicators. Basketball is based on natural movements — running, jumping, throwing, and passing, which is why it has a positive impact on a person’s musculoskeletal, respiratory, digestive, and nervous systems. Moreover, systematic basketball classes serve to strengthen health and cultivate will, perseverance, and courage.
Almost all types of muscles work very actively in this game, as people jump, run, walk, bend and straighten up. This often changes the intensity of work and accelerates or decelerates movement. Some of the exercises of modern basketball have been included in physical therapy. For example, throwing a ball into a basket develops the hand and leg muscles, which can prevent the onset of joint disease (Malm et al.). Regular training also helps to increase the vital capacity of the lungs. Basketball classes lead to an increase in the frequency of respiratory movements. This has a beneficial effect on human health, making people less receptive to infections.
Due to prolonged motor activity and intensive breathing, not only the lungs are well trained, but also the organs of the digestive system. Energy costs for one productive basketball game amount to approximately 900-1200 kilocalories. As a result, working muscles use a significant amount of fat deposits, and a person gets rid of extra pounds (Rinaldo et al.). Nowadays, this fact motivates many men and women suffering from excess weight to start health-improving basketball training to get a beautiful figure in the process of an exciting game. Basketball also has a beneficial influence on the nervous system.
While playing basketball, the nervous system constantly monitors and coordinates the movements of all organs. The need to switch from one level of activity to another determines the special nature of nervous processes. When muscles contract, a stream of nerve impulses enters the cerebral cortex (Herzog). The motor analyzer is considered by modern science as a mechanism of sensorimotor integration along with the frontal lobes.
Apart from having a positive impact on physical and mental development, basketball classes serve to develop a strong will and self-control. Team play helps to improve the communication skills and initiative of the individual. Systematic training leads to the formation of independence, perseverance and purposefulness. Basketball classes contribute to the development of positive qualities and character traits, such as the ability to subordinate personal interests to the interests of the team, mutual assistance, respect for partners and rivals in the game and a sense of responsibility.
Playing basketball is a great activity that fosters the physical and psychological development of children and adults alike. Apart from its positive impact on body systems, it gives players unforgettable emotions of victories and failures, joys and sorrows, which one’s life is made of. Enroll in a basketball section and see how it changes your life, making you a healthier and more self-confident individual than you used to be before you started playing this amazing game.
Works Cited
Rinaldo, Natascia, et al. “Effects of anthropometric growth and basketball experience on physical performance in pre-adolescent male players.” International journal of environmental research and public health vol. 17, no. 7, 2020. Web.
Herzog, Walter. “Do recreational team sports provide fitness and health benefits?.” Journal of sport and health science vol. 7, no. 2, 2018. Web.
Malm, C., Jakobsson, J., & Isaksson, A. (2019). Physical activity and sports—real health benefits: a review with insight into the public health of Sweden. Sports, vol. 7, no. 5. Web.