Not every sport is the optimal choice for every athlete or athlete to be. Some sports may be more in line with what an athlete can do than other sports. Taller athletes might excel at basketball or volleyball, while they would do poorly in gymnastics, or rather, their height might be a hindrance in one sport and a very desired trait in another.

Depending on what you prefer and what your body allows you to achieve, there is most likely an optimal choice of an athletic discipline, for anybody, after all. Here is how to find your athletic discipline.

Failing is Not a Bad Sign – Some Disciplines are Harder

While everybody might do okay at sprinting or a 1500 meter race, not everyone will be physically fit to do a good throw, not to mention have the right technique and mental clarity to perform a pole vault. Pole vaulting, for example, is one of the most dangerous track and field sports, where athletes can frequently die or even have fractures. 

Trying the sports is the first thing to have in mind, but also, not shying away from them if you fail at the first attempt. Each of the throwing sports has a different technique, if slightly. A high jump is not the same as a long jump, or a triple jump, even though some motions overlap. Pole vaulting is in a world of its own, while sprinting is different to a 400 meter race, and even more to a 10K race.

Listen to the Coaches

It is unlikely that one will be able to try some of the disciplines without an oversight from a trained coach or instructor. Pole vaulting comes to mind, as well as high jumps and throwing disciplines. The more experienced will often know how to judge inherent talent, as well as the ability of an athlete and their potential to develop and become better. In some aspects, they will know whether you are fit for one discipline better, or another.

Listen To Your Heart

While we are quoting famous songs, it is important to listen to your own gut, heart, or brain, to put it simply. Some discipline might bring you the most joy, even if you are not the best at it. That is the most important thing, you would not want to train and dedicate your time to a discipline which does not bring you much joy, if any.

Being happy while working out and competing is one of the most important things, no matter the results. If a discipline brings you joy, then it might be the right one for you, no matter your height or weight, at the given time.

Work for It – Nothing Comes for Free

While you might be committed to a discipline or two, but are debating whether one is the right one for you because you are not as good in it as you are in the others, ask yourself whether you are actually working on it? Practice brings perfection, but what kind of practice? The wrong kind, unfocused where one only embeds their mistakes does not really bring perfect, but flawed. This is something to have in mind. Work on the disciplines, and the right one might just be the one you have dedicated the most of your time and focus to.

These are some tips on how to choose the right discipline for yourself, and change your mind if that is what it takes.