Individually-Oriented Sports

Exercise is important for health and mental well-being. It can be hard to motivate one’s self to partake, though, without other reasons for doing so. Combined support-and-accountability exercise-oriented relationships and growth planning are typical ways people keep themselves on track.

However, a lot of people find making and keeping these relationships difficult. Competition can be a powerful performance driver, but it can also be uncomfortable in a space where people feel vulnerable. Culture is important, as good culture keeps people coming back, and toxic culture makes it even less likely people will continue than if they partake solo.

The goal is to find a culture that fits. For different types of people, this culture will be different. For a lot of people, the extrovert-driven culture of classic group sports (soccer, basketball, etc.) fits well (though I should note culture can vary considerably from team to team in these sports). For others, this group orientation is exhausting, with its politics and constant high-energy, often high-emotion interaction.

There is a middle ground, however, between solo exercise and group sports.

Things like swimming, running, and tennis have a mixture of individual and team elements. Individual performance is at the center, as everyone typically (double matches and relays aside) competes on their own. However, team scores are aggregated out of these individual competitions.

As such, teams in these sports have a different character. It’s in everyone’s best interest for everyone to reach their full potential and succeed, but a bit of poor performance doesn’t have the same immediate effect on everyone. Competition is as much against one’s self as much as it is others, to be better, but with a team around to encourage growth and progress.

With everyone focused on their own battles, interpersonal dynamics are often different. They tend to be supportive, but less interaction-oriented. There’s no reason to develop hand signals or anything, and individual-but-with-a-group practice is usually the expectation.

Frankly, exercise is supposed to challenging and, if not growth-oriented, focused on maintaining capability. Adding social and group dynamics on top can make it even more exhausting. Finding a place where things feel comfortable is critical for long-term engagement and success. If you find solo activity doesn’t work but you’re not a fan of big group sports, there are other options. Seek them out!