Discover Anisha’s love for netball
Hi, I’m Anisha! I’m currently 17, I live in the West Midlands and my favourite sport is most definitely netball.
I first got involved in netball when my primary school began offering a netball after-school club, which I really enjoyed. Moving into ‘big school’ after primary was a big jump and I was super nervous about it but I soon felt a lot more relaxed when I found the PE curriculum was mainly focused on netball during the autumn. Having a familiar comfort at the start of the year really helped me to settle in, and it just made my love for netball grow with each lesson and game.
I feel like netball is such a versatile sport - it’s really sociable in that you get to play in a team and have a sense of family that is really comforting. I love that it doesn’t always have to be a serious game; sometimes it’s just a bit of fun with your mates! It’s also really good for your physical and mental health. The constant moving around keeps you active without even realising it, and I find that I’m always less stressed about whatever is troubling me in my life once I get off the court. I’ve not only gained health benefits, but I’ve also been able to connect with others who share my love for the sport, and I feel like I’ve been able to make so many friends through netball!
Even though it might sound like it, playing netball hasn’t always been an amazing experience for me, particularly when I was in my mid-teenage years. I was really self-conscious of my body, and this stopped me from feeling very comfortable when playing. I was a late bloomer, and I definitely felt like I was stuck in a 5-year-old’s body while everyone else’s was developing due to puberty. This did knock my confidence a bit, but looking back, I regret letting that happen and I wish I could tell my younger self that it was okay that I looked a bit different from others! It’s completely normal to be different.
I also felt like as the stress of school grew and grew, with exams and GCSEs round the corner, I was finding it harder to make the time to play any sports. I thought not playing sport would help me focus on my studies, but I actually found it was the opposite. It meant that I didn’t have an outlet to relieve stress and forget about any worries. Re-engaging with sport after my GCSEs made me realise this (albeit the hard way). Now, even while studying my A-Levels, I’ve found that keeping active has really helped and I’m even looking into different sports societies I can join at university, as I definitely recommend not repeating the same mistake.
For anyone reading this who is looking to get into netball but you don’t know how, I’d recommend that you do whatever you can to feel comfortable - make the sport work for you, not the other way around! Wear clothes you feel comfortable in, and I can’t emphasise enough just how important proper, supportive trainers are - having the right shoes will help you feel much more comfortable when you’re running around (and prevents unnecessary falls if you’re anything like me and you’re clumsy). To stay motivated, it’s always good to bring a friend along but, if you can’t, try not to worry too much! I feel like nearly everyone has been there, and everyone tends to be so friendly that you end up walking off the court with newfound friends anyway. To get the best out of the sport, play with no regrets! Just try your best every quarter, and you’ll find that you’ll enjoy it more by just focusing on having fun and not on anything else (other than winning the game, of course).
Finally, I just want to remind you that everyone’s journey with sports and exercise is different and it does not have to be linear. You might have times where you can’t exercise as much as normal, or times where you really don’t fancy another round of sit-ups (I wouldn’t either if I’m being honest), and that is perfectly okay. Try new things, and switch things up when you can feel yourself getting bored. For example, I actually discovered Pilates when I was searching for a new workout routine when I didn’t enjoy my current one, and it’s probably been one of the best decisions I have made. Thanks to my curiosity (and TikTok), I’ve made sports and exercise even more fun and exciting, and, most importantly, I have made sports work for me rather than me making myself try to fit a ‘mould’ - we’re all human.
Anisha 😊
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