The term “sport” refers to a number of physical activities, games, or contests. Sports are generally governed by some group of unwritten rules or traditions, that ensure fair play, and enable consistent adjudication of the final winner. In most organized sport, reports of results are frequently made, and this information can be widely published or reported in sports news. A variety of other activities, such as horse racing, dog breeding, extreme sports, etc., fall under the heading of sports, though there is considerable room for vigorous debate as to their exact definition.

Of course, no game or activity is truly sport unless it is decided by the participants to participate and if they agree to accept the rules and restrictions imposed by the organizers. However, most sports involve some degree of exertion, such as running, jumping, throwing, or playing a contact sport like wrestling. When participants are engaged in physical skill games, they are not exercising so much physical skill as mental skill, since the sports involve only the physical aspect of human endeavor. Thus, a person who is not very athletic may be able to successfully participate in a chess competition, but he would not likely find himself winning any prizes. Similarly, a bicep muscle of a highly trained gymnast may well prove too much of a strain for most active people to handle.

Sports are categorized into two general categories, recreational sports and competitive sports. Reciprocal advantages are the underlying premise of most recreational sports. Participants take part in activities that benefit their friends and family. These could be collecting canned preserves or fishing expeditions. Generally, sports take a back seat to other activities during the day, but the end result is a good return on investment of physical exertion.

The second main category of sports is that of competitive sports. In a contest of strength or agility, the winner is the one who best completes the task or course of action presented. Sports like track and field, rugby, ice hockey, swimming, squash, baseball, football, basketball, wrestling, bicep curls, martial arts, and surfing are all examples of competitive mind sports. In order to win an Olympic game, you need to master the sport itself, and not just your body.

Sport science also considers a large range of other factors related to sports and health. One of these factors concerns the ability of a person to perform exercises properly. In the case of highly physical skills sports like track and field, the athlete has to have finely tuned muscle fibers, large muscle groups, bone mass, cardiovascular efficiency, flexibility, and muscular endurance. Mastering these skills takes years of practice. Even the world’s greatest athletes have to undergo years of training and sport preparation.

The third factor that plays a large role in sports and health is sport related psychology. This is the ability of people to perform the exercise in a balanced manner, under high stress, and with a sense of control, despite the fact that they are far from their comfort zone. While most people would describe this as the ability to “have one’s own way”, it is more of the ability to put the needs of others ahead of ones own, despite the physical skill needed to do so.