Sample Sports Studies Personal Statement
Playing and being successful in sports and the fulfilment I have gained from my A Level course in Sports Studies have proved to be decisive influences on my future study and career ambitions. Participating in sports has strengthened my love of physical pursuits and my belief in the many different positive influences sports can have on individuals and groups, while studying sports science has allowed me to appreciate and understand exactly how and why the body responds so positively to physical exertion. I see studying a sports-related degree as the perfect opportunity to build on this outlook and in turn prepare myself for a career in coaching.
I feel that much of my personal development can be attributed to my involvement in sports. Having found a passion for sports in the summer of 2005, within two years I was an established member of the Oxfordshire Cricket County squad and part of the Oxford City Football Team, though I ultimately gave up football to concentrate on cricket. Eager to gain as broad an experience of sports as possible, I have also enjoyed being part my schools athletics team and playing boxing and rugby out of school.
A good friend of my father’s told him the best way to keep a person out of trouble is to put him in a sports club; from my own experiences I can attest to the truth of this advice, with my involvement in cricket and football giving a great sense of purpose to my life and teaching me important values. I learnt, for example, the importance of self-belief and determination when, in the second year of playing at my local cricket club, my manager sent me to county trials. Becoming involved in this much more competitive level of cricket in turn taught me self-discipline and the importance of going that extra mile and putting in as much effort as I expected from my team mates. I have discovered that sport is unique in its ability to instil such values in people through real-life experience, and I would be delighted to gain the skills and knowledge to help future generations physically and psychologically mature through sports coaching.
I have applied some of the skills that I have learnt through sport to my studies. For example, I have found that being part of competitive teams in a range of sports has helped my ability to communicate my ideas with others, something which has been a great help in completing group work and participating in class discussions. Indeed, I’ve enjoyed transferring my on-field determination to the classroom, and I am looking forward to drawing further on my sportsman’s attributes as I face the demands of university study.
My passion and commitment to cricket has also helped me to develop a much stronger understanding of the scientific and motivational elements of coaching, such as leading training sessions and devising strategies for targeting areas for improvement. I have enjoyed putting to use through assisting my PE teachers in practical sessions for primary-age children. I enjoyed implementing activities that I had experienced to create sessions that were both engaging and enjoyable. This first-hand experience in coaching and training groups and individuals has helped me to reflect a lot more on what teaching and coaching methods are most effective and how some people require different approaches relative to their classmates, whether it is because of a lack of confidence or ability.
Studying a sports-related degree represents to me a fantastic opportunity to be able to understand the theoretical side of sport and improve my coaching abilities so that I can train young people more efficiently and effectively. Recognising the power of sport to improve lives, I am particularly keen to one day be involved in sports coaching in Afghanistan, where I was born and raised. Equipped with the skills of a degree and my boundless enthusiasm for sport, I feel that I could go back to Afghanistan and help bring sport’s many positive influences to my home country.
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