Why are we bad at sports?

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I think I could of been a good athlete had I applied myself to it. I'm pretty short but solidly built to say the least. I was never pushed into sports though so who knows how things might of been.

Even if an aspie was well co-ordinated (I'm not claiming they all aren't), they would have to be very interested in the sport to actually do well. How well we achieve is usually directly related to how we feel about the topic at hand (whether we like it or not). Even after all this, there is still the underlaying fact that most of us simply don't understand body language and it's multitudes of uses on anything other than a theoretical level. There is a lot of bodily expression and direction to be read from one's body during a sports match, since most people don't verbally vomit out everything that they intend to do just for the sake of one aspie on the team.

Now 'loner sports' like wilderness tracking, surfing, singles badmington/tennis, and simply running/swimming, among other things, can all be easily done by an aspie if they try hard enough because they don't involve team effort. For example... I totally rock at singles tennis. I'm very hard to beat, though not impossible. I'm doing well at a sport, and an aspie. However, my bodily co-ordination isn't messed up much either.

I wholeheartedly agree with the general assessment that team sports are difficult but individual sports are easier. There are simply too many variables in team sports, and, most significantly, those variables are driven by other people. I found that I would very very easily get "psyched out" in soccer, so the opposing team had absolutely no trouble going around me. Same with basketball. I gave up team sports after 3 years of failure as a kid.

Despite all that, I absolutely love bicycling. It's just me, the path ahead, and the time it takes me to do it. I'm not really competitive in this regard, but I could be if my interest ever swung that way. I'm more into touring and going places by the power of my legs. And I love open road.

I currently have no interest in sports whatsoever. I'm sure that before this disinterest I learned that I was awkward. Doing anything that has me rely on a team can be very awkward for me, other people are unpredictable, and if I have it in my head that such and such goes "this way" but unpredictable the game/people go "that way" I lose sight of the whole point. Every team sport has so many different rules by the book, then a whole pile of implied rules by the players ...and then there'd be me, standing there getting a ball in the face, followed by a nosebleed, simply due to me trying to understand the difference between these technical rules, and implied rules. By the time I reached grade seven, I sort of just put sports out of my mind altogether. I was always picked last for teams, and I just decided that there was no point attempting over and over again, something that felt so foreign.

Even today, I still have problems with "team" work. For example, I've worked at the same part time job for ten years, I have that place systemized in my mind. I like to get my job done, and I prefer it done well, which when I'm on my own, it usually is. My problems arise when my boss has me work side by side with someone else. (Most people who know me well, can clearly see how effective my ways are, so often it's not a problem) When I work with someone who's lazy and *decides* not to keep up with me because "this jobs too hard" or "I can't keeeeeep up!" ...I find this very difficult, because I already know exactly how to make it work more effectively (I've had 10 years of study) ...so I tell them what we need to do, and for whatever lazy, whiny reason under the sun, they decide to not even attempt doing what I've asked, but instead they insist on doing it their way, to the point of making a big display of pain and effort, in hopes that our boss will never have them do that job again. ....the sick part is that it actually works for them. Hence, I get all the hard jobs, because I've perfected them so well. This type of scenario breaks so many rules in my mind (equality, work ethic, etc) Once the rules are broken, I have a very difficult time completing my work without feeling resentful. Teams make me feel used and bitter, and usually like I have to exert 20 times the effort just so me and whoever else is on my team gets a big old pat on the back. Unfortunately, there are times (more so with the office work) that when I'm left to my own devices, I can be stalled really bad by something so seemingly simple to everyone else... this leads to repeated questions, strange looks from my supervisor since she already explained herself twice..etc. And honestly, I believe that if I did have any form of diagnosis, they'd find a way to use it against me, I see them do it to others. In fact, we have one team leader that verbally attacks the people with disabilities, calling them "ret*ds" etc ....and although I know I should call the labour board on their asses, at this point, this part time job means too much to my life to lose.

Anyway, wow I really derailed this post... my problems are based around my own clumsy awakwardness, my confusion of rules and my inability to keep up with rules that change as we go. Thumbs down to teamwork AND TEAMsports!

There are aspies that are good at sports and some that are not. For the most part it has to do with gross motor skills and hand-eye cordination. None of which I have , that is why I always felt left out because I had no athletic abilities except for walking long distances without getting tired, and now i'm lean and toned.

Walking is probably the only physical activity I can do for a long time without getting tired. I am not a fast runner and I have never been good at team sports.

I do, however like to watch a lot of sports. Currently, my favorite is tennis. My favorite players are Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

Actually, I'm quite good at sports. Of course, I don't always understand the rules, but I'm really good at them. I ran track a little bit in high school and was also on the basketball team (but keep in mind, this was at a private special education school- where everyone got to play). I also played soccer as a child on a unified team and kicked butt!! Then again, my dad was extremely athletic growing up and until he passed away two years ago. So, its in the genes

Once I was enrolled at a private Catholic high school and because I am so incredibly shy, nobody would pick me to be on their team. So, when I was picked, my mad sporting skills would shine and they'd be super impressed. But now that I've gotten older, my balancing skills seem to suck. I use to do gymnastics when I was 9 or so and now I can barely "balance" on things similar to a balance beam. Then again, maybe that also has to do with the fact that I am sick due to my eating disorder?

I'm not bad at sports.

It's what got me through high school for the most part.

I am bad at sports.

always have been.

I am bad with it 'cuz I'm too shy to play with my classmates (or eventhough they would incourage me to play with them,I'm terribly shy..)

For me....

1. Lack of sufficient reflexes/coordination. Not a klutz, but never good enough to be better than average, and "average" is the absolute minimum to be accepted on team...even in gym class.

2. Low strength. Ironically, I got into bodybuilding for a while as an adult, and I'm not "weak," but many sports put emphasis on brute strength, which I don't possess. Couple that with less than average reflexes/coordination and it's all the more reason not to pick me for the team.

3. Low pain threshold. I can handle "pain," but many sports bring risk of injury and some significant pain under stress. I take a good blow and I'm disorientated for a couple of moments. That too eliminates a lot of sports. I also tend to hesitate because I can vividly visualize what MIGHT happen if it goes wrong and that makes me hesitate to commit to an action that MIGHT get me hurt.

I've never gotten included in team activities. I've always had to focus on activities that are focused on the individual.

I'm bad at sports because:
A) I had very severe asthma as a kid.
B) I have very weak bones (or I take a lot of bad falls, considering I break my arms every year or two).
C) I'm poorly coordinated and can't judge distance, speed, or time.
D) I don't find it fun, so I don't try a lot of the time.

I suppose two of those reasons aren't AS-related, but are still pertinent.

However. I hate soccer/European football. I remember qualifying for the school team as a kid, and NEVER being picked. I was considered "back-up" just in case somebody got injured. I was never called upon to play for three months. I skipped a lot of games after a while and eventually quit. The coach never tried to stop me either. That just hurts.

EVERYONE that claimed to be OK at sports was talking about parts that everyone else probably could do. I COULD. Only dooneybourkegrl really specified any other, but QUALIFIED it! SplinterStar came CLOSE, but spoke of being picked last.

For me, I was never really exceptional at team sports or anything that required extensive coordination abilities. I played soccer, hokey, basketball, some other sports... I liked playing, but I was always somewhere in the middle of the pack in terms of my abilities.

However, I have a reduced sensitivity to pain and actually enjoy the sensation of certain types of pain that come with muscle exhaustion. This made me very good at individual sports that require strength and endurance. I've always been an excellent runner, won some awards in wrestling, was into bodybuilding, cycling, running marathons.

I am aware of some limitations, but I strongly believe that any Aspie can find a sport that he/she enjoys. Not only that, I am certain that getting good at any sport can reduce the symptoms of Asperger's. When I was into bodybuilding (between ages 17-19), it literally transformed my life. Not only I acquired some discipline, I had a huge boost in self-confidence, got lots of friends, girlfriends, etc... And the weirdness factor went down dramatically.