Basketball has long been one of Australia’s favourite sports, and so it comes as no surprise that our overachieving sporting nation is so successful in the sport. Success aside, playing ball can teach you so many invaluable skills and life lessons, from accepting failure through to the value of teamwork.

With this in mind, here are five important life lessons that basketball Australia can teach players of all ages:

1. Accepting failure

As with all competitions, failure is inevitable - it’s as simple as that. We can’t always win on the court and we can’t always win in life, and playing a sport like b-ball is one of the ultimate ways to learn to accept failure.

There are days where we go out onto the court and the team just doesn’t gel, and there are even days when we step out there and we just can’t get our jump shot down. But we learn fast, and we learn to accept that the day doesn’t always go our way.

The ability to accept these kinds of failures is an invaluable life lesson that will teach us the resilience to strike back when the ball just won’t float through the net!

2. The power of teamwork

We can’t always go it alone. We can’t go through life living as an island, and we can’t always attempt to dribble the whole court before nailing a three-pointer from way beyond the line.

Ball is a team sport, just as life is a team experience - we need our teammates to support us and help get us over the line. Whether it’s working together to take home the points or it’s working with our colleagues to seal that all-important, company-making deal, the power of teamwork is a skill that can’t be overlooked when playing a team sport like ball…

3. Patience

Ball teaches patience in so many ways: players have to be patient in the buildup to a big match, despite their nerves almost getting the better of them; they have to patient on the bench when all they want is to jump out on court and score that match-winning three; they have to patient when they lose, and all they want is another chance to get onto the court and take the next W.

As an adult hood, we learn that patience is one of our greatest attributes: we can’t always get what we need exactly when we need it, and you can’t always have it your way on the court - the life skill of patience is one that ball will teach in excess!

4. Humility

To put it bluntly, no one likes a showoff. Unfortunately, the game of basketball Australia sees its fair share, but we always learn that they are the first to get shut down when they get too far ahead of themselves. Humility is key in any sport just as it is in life, and the ability to be gracious in defeat and humble in victory is one of the great life lessons one can take from the great game.

5. Hard work

Ball is a tough sport, and one that is full of physical agility and endurance. Players have to work hard to reach a level of fitness that will take them to the heights, not to mention the outstanding health benefits that come with working hard on the court!

Ball is full of life lessons, and it’s for this reason that it is one of the ultimate sports you can play as a kid or adult!