Adaptive Sports and Its Benefits
Adapted sports or para sports are modified versions of existing sports meant for individuals with disability. Mainstream sports like basketball and soccer are ‘adapted’ in terms of equipment and rules keeping in mind physical limitations of differently-abled persons. Adaptive sports differ from special sports in that special sports are meant for individuals with intellectual disabilities. The most interesting aspect of adaptive sports is that it uses a classification system so as to create an even playing field for individuals with varying degrees of disability.
Whether you’re a differently-abled individual yourself or are have a loved one who has physical limitations, sports can play a key role in rehabilitation as well as have a positive impact on all the other spheres of a person’s life. You can get involved in your local adaptive sports teams and start with learning the ‘adapted rules’ of the sport of your choice. To spice things up, you can wear urSTORE’s amazing lineup of sports apparel and accessories which you can personalize to express yourself and your team. What’s more, once you create your free store and your team members buy their favorite customized gear, urSTORE gives your team a boost for each item sold in the form of a 10% kickback.
If you’re still wondering whether it’s worth it for differently-abled individuals to play sports, urSTORE would like to point out five benefits of getting involved in adaptive sports.
1. Adaptive sports can lead to better health and increased physical stamina and endurance. Staying active results in the excretion of ‘happy’ hormones such as endorphins, dopamine and serotonin resulting in lower levels of anxiety and depression among differently-abled individuals.
2. Adaptive sports can teach skills such as determination, healthy competition and team work. For individuals who have recently undergone a trauma resulting in their disability, playing sports can be a productive way of gaining back confidence and optimism.
3. Adaptive sports can become a means for building a community of like-minded individuals who can relate to each other because they are faced with similar challenges. Moreover, getting involved in sports can help individuals in integrate into their societies thereby preventing individuals from confinement and loneliness.
4. It promotes a healthy lifestyle for individuals who may otherwise be forced into a sedentary lifestyle due to the nature of their physical (dis)ability. Today, technology allows differently-abled individuals to partake in every sphere of life – from work to sports and beyond. Sometimes, the only limitation is what our minds create for us in what we think we are capable of doing. Adaptive sports can play a key role in shifting attitudes to create more inclusive society for all people alike.
5. Adaptive or para sports can broaden your horizon by demonstrating that despite your limitations, you can live the type of lifestyle you desire. More than just a hobby, para sports teach that with enough will power and determination, you can achieve what would otherwise be thought as unachievable. You start to focus on all that you can do instead of dwelling on the things you can’t, teaching you to make the best of your situation.
