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I’ve always hated sports. No matter how much I tried, I was horrible. All my school stress stemmed from PE and sports, and with how much of a focus “coolness” i

by fiblye 6y ago

I’ve always hated sports. No matter how much I tried, I was horrible. All my school stress stemmed from PE and sports, and with how much of a focus “coolness” in school stems from sports performance, pressure simply grew and grew until I finally graduated. After graduating, I actively rejected sports and fitness because I associated it with the people who were good and I hated to be around, and it was nothing but negative connections in my mind. It wasn’t until a friend introduced me to weightlifting that I learned that I can not only enjoy exercise, but I can do it completely alone without anybody looking at me. A weight set and a bench to sit on are as close to meditation as exercise can get for me. I’m stronger than the average person. Visibly fit to the point that people comment on it. But every time someone has expected me to catch something or throw something to them, it’s a disaster. People can’t believe it because there’s the association of fitness level == sports ability, but there’s as connected as math and programming. It’s definitely good to be good at both and they definitely benefit each other, but you can also be incompetent at one and good at the other. I’ve definitely known some people who’ve never cared about basketball and don’t really exercise but almost never miss a shot if someone asks them to try.

huffmsa 6y ago
Some people are naturally good throwers and catchers, some need practice (myself). I've said it in other comments, but PE class is skewed towards those who can do well in random, infrequent "games". That's not the same as playing the same sport, with a team, every morning or afternoon.
a-nikolaev 6y ago
This is a great story. On my part, I enjoyed playing soccer with my friends when I was a kid: We didn't have to perform or run fast, but we just did our best, and it was fun and fulfilling. On the other hand, our PE classes were often bland and not very fun: running, pull ups, push ups, occasionally basketball, which I struggled with a lot. (It was not in the US, so no one was getting much social benefits from being good at sports. But I see why your experience with school PE and sports feels so devastating.)

by fiblye 6y ago

huffmsa 6y ago

Some people are naturally good throwers and catchers, some need practice (myself). I've said it in other comments, but PE class is skewed towards those who can do well in random, infrequent "games". That's not the same as playing the same sport, with a team, every morning or afternoon.

a-nikolaev 6y ago

This is a great story. On my part, I enjoyed playing soccer with my friends when I was a kid: We didn't have to perform or run fast, but we just did our best, and it was fun and fulfilling. On the other hand, our PE classes were often bland and not very fun: running, pull ups, push ups, occasionally basketball, which I struggled with a lot. (It was not in the US, so no one was getting much social benefits from being good at sports. But I see why your experience with school PE and sports feels so devastating.)