How Sports Can Help With Learning a New Language

There are many different reasons for wanting to learn a new language. When we are younger, we automatically pick up the means of communication by listening and repeating. As we get older, we then might attempt to learn other languages, either for school or for personal advancement.

That earlier learning time was easy, partly because we were not even realizing what we were doing. However, as the years advance, our brain’s capability for learning new languages decreases. Developing language skills can be more difficult – but there are ways that we can almost trick ourselves into making life easier.

Many of us enjoy sports and follow teams in a variety of leagues. But did you ever think that that fandom might also be able to improve your language skills? Watching games, reading reports, checking out sports betting markets, and even participating in sports events can all help with learning a new language.

Learning in Your Downtime

One of the reasons why we find it more difficult to learn new things as we get older is because we see it as a chore. Even if we really want to do something – like learn a new language – it can feel like work and not something that we will enjoy doing. Because of that, we can very easily put a language lesson off with the promise of doing it tomorrow.

But using sports as a way of learning a new language gives the lesson an entirely new look. Sports is generally something that we enjoy – whether it is taking part or just watching. Suddenly we are not stopping something interesting to do something boring like work. We are using an enjoyable pastime or hobby to make the learning time enjoyable again.

Sports Commentary

If school teachers had told you that watching sports on TV would help with your grades then you would probably have done much better in your exams. But it is true, sports commentary can really help with learning a language. There is the enjoyment factor that we mentioned earlier – but there is more to it than that.

The nature of sports commentary or calling is that we are being told what is actually happening in front of us. We can easily correspond the action with the words. As long as we have some basic comprehension of the language we are learning, we can match the action with the words and learn effectively.

Repetition

One of the most obvious ways we learn to communicate is by listening and repeating. When we are young, this is the first way we learn any kind of language and by using sports we can learn a language the same way. Sports commentary will invariably say the same thing over and over again, allowing the viewer to pick up phrases and meanings.

We can always make this language learning more formal by noting down phrases and looking out for them during a sports broadcast. But the familiarity of the words used – and our new understanding of what they mean – can provide us with new language skills while we are simply enjoying watching a game.

Playing Sports

It is not just by watching sports that we can pick up important language learning skills. If there is the possibility of actually playing and participating in sports, there is an even greater chance to quickly learn languages. By immersing yourself in a language, you will be able to put sounds and words into context and understand what they mean.

Training and playing sports have also been proven to aid with memory. All the drills and moves that you learn help the part of the brain that deals with long-term memory. Memorization is one of the key parts of learning a language and you are essentially exercising your brain by taking part in the activity.

Exercise Helps

This idea of exercising to aid in learning languages can be taken a step further by using physical activity as an integral part of the lesson. By moving our bodies, we can also energize our minds and that will obviously help with taking in new information – and the all-important memory work we have just talked about.

Numerous studies have suggested that not only does exercising while learning help pick up language skills, but it also aids in being able to retain the knowledge and more fully understand the meanings. As with anything to do with the brain, there is so much that we still don’t understand. However, the general idea that physical activity can help learning is something that should be explored.

Using Overseas Sports and Leagues

If all of that exercise and exertion has tired you out, how about getting back to sitting down and learning again? Watching sports broadcasts and using commentary as an aid is one thing. But there is the chance to pick up vital language skills simply by immersing yourself in a league or sport from another country.

Once again, there is an element of enjoyment rather than learning that can help. But if you want to learn a language, what better way is there than to become a fan of a team in the country of your choice? You not only get to watch more sports – if that is your thing – but you can have so many more media options to help your learning. Fan culture can be a big thing and becoming part of it for a new team might be very beneficial.

Global Mind

Many of the ways we have suggested that sports can help with learning a language might almost sound as if the process is usually laborious and something to avoid. However, expanding your outlook to a global level is always a good thing and something that should be encouraged.

But we do recognize that learning something new can sometimes be hard. So, if you find any of these ideas helpful, make the most of them. If you end up learning new language skills, your outlook will change. And you will also get to watch more sports guilt-free!