There are many lessons what you can learn from playing a team sport like basketball that carry over into our "real" lives. Whether you are learning these yourself, or teaching them to children, the basketball classroom can be a lot more real than an academic one. Check these out and see if you would agree:

1. You Can't Do It All By Yourself

If you want the ventures you (or your kids) are involved in to succeed, you need to rely on other people to help you. Have you ever heard the expression, "No man is an island"? We aren't meant to do everything on our own. It may be hard to learn how to trust that your teammates will be there to help and support you on the basketball court just as it can be difficult to trust people off the court, but the fact is that there are people around you that you can count on. You just have to learn how to let go of your fear of getting hurt and let them in.

2. There Will be Obstacles in Your Way

If you are the only person on the basketball court, then getting the ball from one end to another and putting in the basket is no big deal. During a game, though, it will be a lot more challenging, since you have a bunch of players from the other team not only trying to stop you from getting the ball into their net, but they are trying to take the ball and attack your net!

3. You Can Rise to any Challenge

When you see the other team's players coming toward you, do you give up and just hand over the basketball ever so politely? Not on your life! If they want the ball, then they are going to have to take it from your basketball hoop guarding hands.

Just like you use all the resources at your disposal to avoid that happening on the court (speed, skill, and cunning) to try to turn the course of the game to your favor, when you are faced with a challenge in life, you can draw on a number of inner resources to deal with it.

4. You're Stronger Than You Think

When the action is fast and furious and you are going full tilt in the middle of the game, you may be wondering if you have what it takes to continue on. You will find that you do. Our bodies have a wonderful ability to rise to the occasion and give us the extra burst of energy we need to respond to the challenges we face.

When we are pushed to the limit and don't think we have anything else to give, we are surprised to find that we can summon up an extra burst of energy or give just that little bit more to the task. We are all capable of a lot more than we give ourselves credit for and if we were to tap into our potential a bit more often, we may be surprised at what we can achieve.

What lessons have you learned from participating in sports and how can you translate them into your everyday life?