Cricket is a team sport. All of us love to engage in a game of cricket and go gaga over our favourite team. However, there are a passionate few who indulge in playing the game of cricket all by themselves. Be it gully cricket, indoor cricket, club level, or tournaments, the enthusiasm for this game is not showing any signs of stopping soon. Cricket highlights today on your mobile phones are a trend that is catching up big time.
Even if you are not able to watch the game, a sneak can be obtained online. In fact, there are numerous benefits of playing a game of cricket that is hard to ignore.
The Health Benefits of playing cricket
Playing cricket is beneficial for your muscles and body. Overall, there are a series of benefits associated with playing the game of cricket that is as follows.
1. Stamina
The game of cricket involves a lot of stamina. You need to run between the wickets. From a long run-up, you need to bowl or even chase the ball to save crucial runs. The constant movement on the field enhances your stamina levels.
2. Endurance
The levels of endurance are important in a cricket game. Be it a 20-over game, a 50-over game, or test cricket, lengthy sessions are part of the game. This perked-up stamina enables you to remain active and agile for hectic cricketing sessions. This ensures that the body has relevant endurance to withstand wear and tear.
3. Balance
This is a game where the concentration levels need to be of the highest order. When you are playing a game of cricket, your physical and mental balance comes into prominence. Balance happens to be the core of athletic ability as it is known to control all body movements.
4. Hand Eye coordination
Among the significant advantages of the game of cricket, hand-eye coordination is of utmost importance. A bowler releases a ball, the batsman plays the short, and the fielder runs to grab the ball. Each and every action in the game is a synchronization of the hands and eye contributing to the overall development in terms of the balance of the body.
5. Burns calories
For amateurs, cricket is a full game of workout. It enables them to shed those extra calories faster. A professional cricket goes on to follow a strict fitness regime considering the training regime and fitness schedule.
6. Muscle building
From striking, catching, or running, every action in this game involves some form of creativity. It contributes to the overall development of the muscles, and the body tends to be in perfect shape. In a way, it is one of the best exercises that help you to gain and tone the body muscles.
7. Flexibility
It is identical to the shape of a cricket field. The health benefits of indulging in a game of cricket extend to 360 degrees. A player has to move with greater agility or flexibility to remain ahead in the game. When you have increased flexibility, the muscle strength is bound to improve, which prevents injuries due to over-stretching of the muscles.
8. Motor skills
Playing a game of cricket is a perfect way to enhance your motor skills. Though gross motor skills are of importance, it plays an important role in putting the large body muscles to work.
9. Heart health
Unlike other physical games that enhance the condition of the heart that is manifold, cricket involves distant peaks. A short duration of peaks followed by a short recouping time is better for the condition of the heart. Even a periodic spike in heart rate is good for your heart as it prevents the blocking of the blood vessels and arteries.
10. Metabolism
As discussed earlier, playing cricket ensures that the body needs to be in workout mode. It improves metabolism and puts a check on your weight gain.
The psychological benefits of playing cricket
Playing a game of cricket is not on the field but on the mind. Some of the psychological benefits of playing cricket are as follows.
1. Team skills
Playing a game of cricket is all about concentration and team-building skills. With 11 players on either side, it is important to develop skills and strategies and allow the players to play the game. One of the important psychological benefits of playing a game of cricket is that it is a team game.
2. Social skills
Interacting with your team members or even the competitors help you develop social skills. You are going to win some games and lose some as it provides you with a scope of tackling numerous situations in life.
3. Concentration
The game of cricket is all about quick decision-making with precise skills. It requires a degree of concentration with top-tier judgment skills. Not only does it sharpen your mind, but you are able to develop your analytical skills too.
Cathartic skills Playing a game of cricket is a less harmful way to showcase high-centric emotions. Perfect delivery to get a batsman out or strike a ball over the ropes are moments that are hard to describe in the world of cricket.
The purpose of playing cricket may be manifold. It can be played for competition or fun, and it helps to achieve your fitness goals. A perfect toned body, maintaining proper body weight, superior hand-eye coordination, enhanced stamina, and strong mental abilities are some of the benefits. It would be hard to restrict the benefits of playing cricket to a selected few. But it is important that you need to start slow if you are playing the game at a professional level.
A lot of the players are prone to constant physical along with muscular injuries or muscle cramps on a recurring basis. A protein-rich diet with adequate nutrition enables the body to sustain the long-playing sessions that are going to help you reap the benefits of playing cricket.
