3 Lessons I learned from Aussie Footy

In memory of an April when I was running up and down the field, shoulder to shoulder with some 30 other sweaty blokes every Monday. #Socialdistancing

Aussie Footy is, well, an Australian sport. It is an intense game that requires physical stamina, strength, speed, split-second responses and the ability to coordinate well with other teammates.

During those intensive months of training, this sport has also taught me a thing or two outside the field. Three, to be exact.

1. Persistence over Perfection

Footy is great fun to play if one can keep up with the physical demand and the friendly rivalry to outspeed one’s peers.

More importantly, it forges personal discipline and a positive attitude in the face of adversity.

Monday, 6:30 pm. After starting off with a running lap around the Oval Stadium, we get ready for the challenges, which involves different levels of grueling exercises:

• Sprinting at full speed between two goal posts. Roughly 100 metres. 30 sec break intervals. Minimum 5 laps.
• Running towards Red, Blue and Green Cones at increasing distances. Once reaching the target, run backwards to the starting point and do 10 push-ups. Repeat till the Green Cone has been touched.
• “Shepherding”: a three-man drill with you being in the middle spreading your arms to stop the opponent from catching your teammate. To protect the footy, you need to grab, push and jostle against big and buff opponents ( whose shoulder width is almost twice yours).

For six straight months, I showed up every week regardless of weather conditions, bodily bruises from taking footy hits and how pathetic my hand-passes and kicks were at times. To myself, the mere act of showing up made my body lean and my self-esteem muscular.

2. “Go for it mate, I got your back!”- The Power of Teamwork

A person can only go so far as the team he or she is part of.

Nowhere else is this better demonstrated than in the game of Footy. More than just physical fitness, we are here to encourage, support and push one another through the necessary difficulties to realize our shared goal: Winning the Grand Final.

Which is why I came to appreciate this sport and everyone in my division. From showing me how to hold a footy properly to sharing feedback on communication and tackling tips as we went through the season, the team helped me gain tremendous progress on my skills.

You know our motto? “Go for it mate, I got your back!”

3. If you ain’t shout out for the ball, you ain’t gonna get it

We studied about it at business schools. We put it on our agenda at work. Yet, in a footy game, clear communication is definitely the key to having a chance of winning. This is perhaps the most important rule I have internalized from my participation.

Keep shouting your name, loud and clear is the one thing the coach tried to drill into us, day in day out. Why so? The rationale is that in a real match when pressure is on, the person in possession of the footy has to pass it on quickly before being caught up and tackled by opponents. As such, calling out your name helps him act swiftly as you take over the ball and move it closer to the goal post.

Outside the field, everyone is preoccupied with their own business. We all have got things to do and places to go to. Perhaps at some points in our lives, some of us may feel neglected, underappreciated and denied the recognition we believe we deserve.

The truth is if you want something, it is on you to get people’s attention and prove to them that you are worth it. Just like the guy running with the footy, everyone is looking for someone to hand pass the ball and solve their problems. If you want to be the one, then guess who needs to do something about it?

In this time of unprecedented uncertainty, we all need a reminder that better times await on the other side when this is over. Stay strong!