:SPORTS AND GAMES

What fun it is to jump into a pool or go swimming in a river in summer. How joyful and relaxing it is to have a game of table tennis after a day of study at school. And how exciting it is to play or watch a close game of basketball or volleyball. All over the world millions of people take part in different kinds of sports. Sports are perhaps the most popular form of relaxation that almost all can enjoy, whether boys or girls, men or women, young or old.

Some people seem to think that sports and games are unimportant things that people do, at times when they are not working, instead of going to the cinema, listening to the radio, or sleeping. But in fact sports and games can be of great value, especially to people who work with their brains most of the day. They should not be treated only as amusements.

Sports and games build our bodies, prevent us from getting too fat, and keep us healthy. But these are not their only uses. They give us valuable practice in helping the eyes, brain and muscles to work together. In table tennis, the eyes see the ball coming, judge its speed and direction, and pass this information on to the brain. The brain then has to decide what to do, and sends its orders to the muscles of the arms, legs, and so on, so that the ball is met and hit back where the players wants it to go. All this must happen with great speed, and only those who had a lot of practice at table tennis can do this successfully. For those who work with their brains, the practice of such skills is especially useful.

Sports and games are also very useful for character-training. In their lessons at school, boys and girls may learn about such virtues as unselfishness, courage, discipline and love of one's country; but what is learned in books cannot have the same deep effect on a child's character as what is learned through experience. The ordinary school cannot give much practical training in living, because most of the students' time is spent in classes, studying lessons. So what the students do in their spare time is of great importance. If each of them learns to go all out for his team and not for himself on the sports field, he will later find it natural to work for the good of society, for the good of his country.