As they say, reaching your destination is important, but the journey is equally important. It is not all about the end but also the path, undertaken to achieve that end. The journey of the sportsmen is analogous to that of the ordinary men. It surely can inspire a common man to achieve greater success in his life only if one sees the road taken by a sportsperson to achieve greatness. We can see it in different phases, and each phase is crucial as crossing each means a step closer to write your name in the history books.
Let us look at the various stages a sports person lives in:
1) The Beginning - The start of any sportsman’s career is a payoff for the hard work done since childhood. An opportunity arrives at those who do extraordinary in the initial phase of the start with sports. In technical terms, it is the debut of a sportsman taking his little infant steps towards achieving immortality. It is a critical phase as the only people who keep their confidence always up to the hurdles they face, move forward with their glittering confidence in their eyes. And, those who can’t push themselves harder against the obstacles, loose in the pages of history. Remember the names like Dinesh Mongia, Ajay Ratra, Sanjay Bangar who scored in one or two games but that was it, and now nobody remembers them.
2) THE GROWTH PHASE - This phase is the glittering period for any sportsperson where anything he touches turns to gold, and he taps into his full potential and utilizes his talent to the full effect. It is the phase when whatever he does, does right! I remember the period from 2004-2009 when Roger Federer was in this phase; he won everything that was there in the world of tennis. Hold on! Post this period there is a downfall coming, and the real test is about to begin.
3) THE 1ST DOWNFALL PHASE - A Sportsperson usually enters this phase after injuries or when his opponents have understood his game and chalked out a plan to exploit his weaknesses. Nothing goes right in this period, and few athletes fail this test and move on to different ways. But those who pass this obstacle with flying colors are people full of guts, strength, determination and never say die attitude. One great example of this is Saurav Ganguly Everyone thought he was done after the Greg Chapell catastrophe, but the man came back to cement his legacy into the hearts of Indian fans.
4) THE REJUVENATION PHASE - This is the period when an athlete has reinvented himself to adapt to the changing demands of the sport and to nullify his opponents’ tactics. The sportsman finds new life during this period with continuous learning and hard work in the process of becoming more effective and efficient. Shane Warne best fits into this category. A shoulder injury had weakened the biggest weapon in his arsenal –the orthodox leg-spin. But he adapted himself by including the slider, flipper and googly into his weaponry to become the greatest leg-spinner of all time.
5) THE 2ND DOWNFALL PHASE - This proves to be the end of many sportspersons' career when age and injuries start to take a toll on one’s body. When a body becomes too fragile, and reflexes get too dull, then most of them realize it is time to hang up the boots and quit. Rahul Dravid bowled a couple of occasions in Australia in 2012. He knew his time was up as he had lost his reflexes and his hand-eye coordination and he bowed out in silence for the team.
6) THE IMMORTALITY PHASE- There are only a few who reach this phase but who do so, not only becomes a legend but also becomes immortal. The two people who instantly come to mind are The Great Sachin Tendulkar and The Magical Roger Federer . How these two have witnessed ups and downs throughout their careers, but they never gave up. Sachin retired after scoring 100 centuries and that too by choice! Federer recently won his 18th Grand Slam and still many more achievements are yet to come.
Virat Kohli is looking exceptional currently :)
No matter what a sportsman achieves or eventually fails, one can draw the various sources of inspiration from his life. Don’t judge any athlete with his failures and success but with the path, he/she follows. Sports Social salutes all the athletes all across the world with a deep sense of gratitude.
Read Also | The Unsung Heroes in sports
