A team sport is a game that involves teammates facilitating the movement of a ball or similar object in accordance with a set of rules in order to score points. Some popular examples of team sports include basketball, football, soccer, baseball and hockey. However, many other types of sporting activities can be considered team sports if they involve teammates working together towards a shared objective. These can include rowing, sailing, cricket and handball.
While individual sports can also be described as a team sport, they often do not require cooperation during competition. This is because the competitive demands of individual sports generally do not call for athletes to outperform teammates in a cooperative context, except for the case of relay competitions. In addition, individual athletes do not typically participate in team training. However, a recent study from two Scandinavian handball clubs (Storm, 2015) shows that such proximal interactions between youth and senior teams can promote athlete development.
In team sports, players communicate with each other both verbally and non-verbally to achieve their common goal. This includes listening to locker room pep talks, observing their teammates’ reactions during a game and picking up on their cues as they prepare for a play. It also requires communication between coaches and players as they develop a game plan.
Team athletes learn how to value every second, as they strive to get better every day, while fostering a positive relationship with failure. As a result, they have a stronger sense of self-esteem than those who choose to compete solo.