Sports is a very popular recreational activity both socially and physically challenging. Most physical activities, such as exercise, strengthen strength, stamina, and overall energy. Sports are generally competitive, and the aspects of strategy, skill, and competition inherent in most sports will improve one’s skill to compete against other competitors. The skills developed during athletic competitions are fundamental principles of discipline learned by all children, which translate well into everyday life where sportsmanship is always put on the back burner for lack of time, money, or other distractions. For those who participate in sports seriously, the competition in the area of sport itself can be very intense, but the mental game and mental preparation that are practiced throughout the year to help athletes and other professionals to persevere.

While most people enjoy some form of sports, few engage in professional sports. Professional sports require physical fitness that surpasses the level of physical activity seen in casual recreation, such as walking around the block. Professional sportsmen and women to train and compete at an extreme level, pushing their bodies to the limit and beyond, to maintain their professional careers and win games. However, to stay in peak physical condition, even when not playing sports, many professionals find it necessary to regularly engage in physical fitness. In fact, to be able to perform to the best of their abilities, professional sportspeople must train their muscles and their minds to adapt to an intense level of physical fitness and training. They follow strict diets and engage in intense physical activity in order to keep their bodies in peak physical condition for every match.

In contrast to the professional athlete, the youth sport athlete is usually not involved in regular exercise or physical fitness routines. The typical youth sport athlete is usually encouraged to play sports that do not require great skill, which is why most youth sports are not based on skill but rather on luck, timing, agility, and good form. The skill required in skill oriented sports comes from training and strategy. The strategy required in fast-paced sports comes from a blend of training in speed and agility, strategy and sport-specific strength and conditioning programs. For the youth-sport athlete, the focus on skill and technique should be substituted with an emphasis on the mind and body.