Seniority or Skill: What Matters More?
Seniority or Skill: What Matters More?
By: Mary Jonica R. De Los Reyes
What is the meaning of the word Sports? Sports is an activity involving physical and/or mental exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against other players for entertainment. Competing in sports, a promising athlete must have the right traits to be successful. “What are these traits?” you might ask. Other than self-discipline, focus, resiliency, and perseverance, one of the key characteristics are experience and skill.
How do experience and skill come in handy when it comes to sports? Experience can be used as an advantage as the player gains extra knowledge such as techniques and skills in time. With skills, however, we can achieve our full potential and show our capabilities in the sport. But if you had to pick which among the two is more advantageous, which one would you pick?
Two players have applied to be a part of the local soccer team of their town. Player A is an experienced player as he was a member of the soccer team of their school while Player B had no experience in being in a team, but he had remarkable skills. Which one of them has the upper hand and which one of them is more qualified to join the team?
“Experience is the best teacher”, so goes the saying. Unlike skills, the wisdom we earn from our experiences cannot be taught by one person to another. These experiences allow you to put the theory about what you learned into practice. Someone with experience is someone who has an advantage because of the extra knowledge they learned from the past such as techniques, self-confidence, and self-understanding.
Experience also comes with seniority. You become a senior by having more experience than others. But that does not necessarily mean that an athlete with experience is an athlete more skilled than their opponent. Someone who is more experienced than others is not automatically someone who is the best in their team. Players can be more skilled than their seniors at times.
Some people are still talented even if they lack experience. It could be because of the thing we call “natural talent.” Inexperienced people still have room to improve and achieve their full potential over time.
Having great skills is also essential for an athlete, may it be in terms of skills in leadership, teamwork, analysis, and mastery for the sport itself. A highly skilled player is someone who can adapt well to various situations. Having great skills is truly beneficial when it comes to sports. But how do we develop our skills? We can improve our skills by training and practice. One of the keys to having outstanding skills is experience.
Since skill can be developed through experience and experience makes us skillful, it is safe to say that both are required to become a better athlete. But both experience and skill are not just convenient in sports. These are also useful in careers, academics, and in other fields of interest.
In conclusion, experience and skill are both essential in making a competent player. In certain scenarios, it may be that experience is more needed, or skill is more needed depending on the situation. As for the situation mentioned before, it is better to choose the player who will be more essential in improving the team.
Sources:
https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/400656/word-for-mental-exertion
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