Team sport is a sport in which a group of people act together to compete against another group. In team sports each member of the team is required to perform a specific task and contribute to the overall success of the team. The team members work closely together to achieve the goals of the competition. They celebrate wins and share the burden of losses. They also learn to respect others and themselves.
Team sports are popular worldwide. The most popular team sport is soccer, followed by baseball, basketball and football. Many track and field events feature teams running relays.
The most obvious benefit of team sports is that they provide physical fitness and promote a healthy lifestyle. They also teach children the importance of cooperation, persistence and delayed gratification. Teammates and coaches can have as much of an influence on a child as their parents.
In most team sports, the game is played over several periods of high-intensity activity interrupted by low-intensity activities. During the high-intensity activity players sprint to gain possession of the ball or to make defensive tackles. The duration of these sprints is rarely longer than 2-4 seconds and recovery usually takes a few minutes during breaks in play. In full contact sports such as rugby, American football and field or ice hockey whole body collisions are the norm when attempting to wrestle the ball away from opponents (Duthie et al., 2003).
To be successful in a team sport, athletes need to be able to rely on their teammates. In a team where the Steadiness style (S) is under represented other styles may find it difficult to implement and execute game plans. This could cause the team to lose focus and ultimately the competitive advantage.