Advantages and Disadvantages of Adventure Sports

Advantages and Disadvantages of Adventure Sports

'It’s not for the faint hearted' - You must have come across these words in many television and reality shows. Another area which proudly hosts this tagline is the adventure sports or sometimes we call it extreme sports. It is something we don’t normally do every day. Did you swim with the dolphins? Or gone scuba-diving or deep sea diving? Or been sailing? Have you ridden on an elephant or a camel? Or been sky diving? All these and many more things form the adventure sports. They seem really very exciting and fascinating. But how exciting they remain when we fall in the other lot? The lot in which sports like sky diving, bungee jumping from a cliff, etc. evoke fear.

Advantages of extreme sports –

1. It keeps us extremely fit. It helps to burn calories and keeps the blood flowing. It stretches the limits of our body little by little thus helping us become stronger.

2. It is a great way of having fun. Just like any other sport, it relaxes one's mind and rejuvenates it.

3. It provides us with new experiences. It gives an opportunity to live life to the fullest and to escape from everyday routine. It gives some thrill to life and these experiences become great memories to cherish during the routine life.

4. It also gives a sense of achievement.

5. It helps build confidence and motivation. This in turn helps people to take risks in their work where sometimes when needed, people are too timid to take a risk or hard decision.

6. They help get rid of monotonous life as well as frustration, stress, bad emotions, etc.

7. It also helps overcome fear and builds strength - physical and mental, endurance, will-power, responsibility, etc.

8. Added to this, many of the extreme sports are outdoor activities and help us get in touch with nature.

Disadvantages of extreme sports –

1. They are very dangerous.

2. It is like putting your life in unnecessary danger just for recreational purpose.

3. There is a very high possibility of injuries even with the safety precautions. Many even die trying and performing these feats. It is straining the body out of the comfort zone and may not go down well if the body is not prepared for such heavy workout or one is not a regular practitioner of adventure sports.

4. Also, sometimes a person may not realize the fragility of one's health and may get into trouble. He or she might think they are fit but such adventure sports increase heart rate, give an adrenaline boost, etc. which can cause even heart attacks. So there is no way to determine accurately whether a person is fit for these sports or not.

5. These sports can be traumatic too.

6. Also if a person is unable to perform satisfactorily in such sports, it can dent the confidence as many see these sports as a proof of guts, daring and many a times masculinity.

7. Equipment or gears needed may be very expensive. Also the gear and equipment are mostly for safety purposes. So safety is costly in such sports.

8. Some might get into trouble with law. E.g. Extreme sports’ athletes also are commonly prosecuted for defacing property and trespassing as in skateboarders, BMX riders, etc.

9. Also family, relatives and friends worry about us and our safety. So choosing such a sport takes a toll on them too. They live in fear of our safety.

10. For some sports, to enjoy them in a better manner one needs to train properly. In such a hectic schedule and fast paced life it is difficult to find time for such things.

Like two sides of a coin, extreme sports come with their own set of advantages and disadvantages. Many a times the disadvantages outnumber the advantages. They are not compulsory. It is voluntary to be a part of them. But one needs to understand that these extreme sports are mostly meant as a break from life and not something to be included in your regular life. If they are to be included in a regular life, then no person can go far without proper training and equipment. It’s up to us to decide what we need to do, how cautious we must be and what limits we must follow. Proper precautions and training can help us enjoy the sports to the fullest.