By Favour Norberth
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The founder and Chief Coach of Hope Basketball Academy, Tosin Olajubutu, has harped on the need for students to combine sporting activities with their studies.
Olajubutu, who condemned many parents and guardians from discouraging their wards from partaking in sporting activities, said the students are losing out on many benefits sports offer them.
“Sports help students be mentally alerted as it helps them be alive mentally. The running, jumping, bouncing of the ball, running up and down widen the brain of an individual and give them the ability to be alert mentally, and it helps with reflex too, and when I say reflex, the ability to be able to dodge,” he explained.
The basketball coach added that sports help the students to be disciplined and smart at all times.
“It helps with physical fitness because we run, jumps and everything. These activities build your muscles in the brain, the body, the flesh and everything. All this, together, expands the brain to absorb bigger than it used to have.
In basketball, you need to make at least three of four decisions in less than two seconds; if you can do that successfully in training, in a sport where you can control two or three of your body parts sumptuously and be able to decide as quickly as you can, it will help you in learning quickly and fast compare to somebody that is not into sport.
It makes the students more active. Their reactions to things will be quick. They won’t be sluggish. I have not seen a dull sports person because you run up and down, you need to jump, you need to do all these things together.
“Then decision making; it helps the students to decide on time just like I said in basketball, you need to either pass, dribble or shoot the ball in the space of one or two seconds, and you have to decide correctly,” he explained.
The ‘Play Against Drug Abuse’ convener advised parents not to deter their wards from combining sports with education.
He also advised schools to ensure they have sporting facilities and encourage their students to partake in sports.
“Aside from all we have highlighted, sports is another source of employment. Look at Messi, Lebron James, Tobi Amusa and other big athletes.
“Nigeria has a lot of unemployed youths. With sports, they can be sure of having an alternative source of income, and they will be known globally,” he concluded.
