Physical and Mental Well-Being - Coursework Example

Introduction Health is of utmost importance and is precious to everybody. In this era of sedentary lifestyle, people look forward to engage themselves in various kinds of sports and physical activity in order to remain healthy. As defined by World Health Organization, “Health is not merely an absence of illness but is a state of physical and mental well-being.” Sport is an integral part of good health. Sport means all forms of physical activity which, through casual or organized participation, aim at expressing or improving physical fitness and mental wellbeing, forming social relationships or obtaining results in competition at all levels.” (Council of Europe, 2001). Several sport centres are coming up these days to help people introduce sports in their daily routine. The purpose of these centres is to expose and orient people to different kinds of sports and activities. One such sport community was visited by me. This is called Muslim Welfare House. The Muslim Welfare House (MWH) is a community and sports centre in North London. It was founded in 1970 and is a registered charity since 1975. It was originally established to assist Muslim students coming to UK get education. However, over the years, the focus of the charity changed and the multi-purpose building began to serve a dual purpose of a mosque as well as a community centre. The centre provides all sorts of social, cultural, learning activities for more than 15 nationalities, ranging from Algerians and Somalis, to Pakistanis and Bangladeshis. The organization is managed by an Executive Director along with six full time and three part time staff members. A good number of volunteers also participate actively. It has a specific aim of providing affordable fitness to the local community. The centre provides basic sports catering to children, young, middle aged and elderly people. The programmes and activities in the centre involve high quality, affordable sports and leisure activities for all members of the local community from the ages of 5-90 years and above. The sports include Karate, Football, Table tennis. The centre also has a gym for fitness. Objective of the study: To visit and observe a local sport centre. To identify and collect information about a specific sport in the centre. Methodology The current study was undertaken to study a specific sport in the centre and to assess the operation of the sport centre. The study further looked into various programmes and activities run by the centre. Prior to data collection, first step was familiarization with the centre by making a visit to the centre. Observation technique and interview method was used. This was further facilitated by discussions with the staff in the centre. Locale: The investigation was carried out at a sport centre in London. Selection of the Locale: The criteria used for selection was: Well established among a specific community Convenient accessible location, to facilitate repeat visits, as required. Have people of all age group visiting the centre. Have varied kinds of activities. The centre was first contacted on telephone and permission to conduct the interview was sought. Selection of the sport: The specific sport selected was Karate. This was selected because it was assumed to be taught to make the children strong. A checklist for the observation was prepared to be used as a reference to observe the various activities in the centre. Observation of all the activities except women swimming was done in the centre. It was formed an important part of the study. It facilitated the understanding of the centre and its activities and it also facilitated construction of the interview schedule required for data collection. Observation and interview were also supported by discussions with the staff at the centre. Results and Discussion The current study was undertaken to study a specific sport (karate) in a sports centre. Based on an informed consent, Muslim welfare sports centre was selected as the locale for the study. An interview was done with a Karate teacher (Hassan) working at the centre. This was fixed only after a prior appointment. The criteria for selection of the teacher was on the basis of the work experience. The teacher interviewed had been teaching Karate for 5 years in the centre i.e. since the time it had started in the centre. Interview: Information from the interview (Annexure 1) elicited the following: Age group: The teacher revealed that children only in the age group of 5-15 years were accepted to be taught Karate after they finish their school. Fees structure: The fees charged by the centre was 5 pound/hour. Infrastructure: Fifteen children batch can be well accommodated in the centre. Therefore, for this sport, the centre can take up to 15 children. Reason for teaching Karate: According to the teacher, “it is a sport which help children defend themselves and it is a part of education because it helps children learn to train their body in their mind.” Competitions are arranged from time to time to boost the morale of the children and also to assess their performance. Level of the children: The centre had 5 black belt, 3 red, 6 green and 1 orange belts. Observation: Based on an informed consent and prior permission. An observation (Annexure 2) of the entire centre was made. An appropriate time was decided upon to visit the centre. This was done to assure that there was no inconvenience/disturbance caused to the ongoing activities in the centre. A checklist was prepared for the observation. This was also facilitated by few discussions with the staff members at the centre. Following aspects were revealed: Timings for the activities: A timing chart for the activities were observed in the centre. This displayed the timings for various activities. Most of the activities happened in the evening. The timing chart for the Karate observed at the centre is shown below Mon 5:45pm 7:45pm Main Hall Tues 7:00pm 8:30pm Main Hall Wed 5:45pm 7:45pm Main Hall   Fees structure: Also, from the discussions from the staff members, the fees structure and the membership fees was found. For Karate, membership was of £10 a month and concession and family rate were also available. Likewise, for Gym, membership of £20 a month and there is a concession and family rate available. Infrastructure: Gym: The Centre for Sport & Exercise had incorporated three gym areas specifically designed to cater for all users needs. This was a fully air conditioned gym which was equipped with state of the art fixed resistance weights machines. Discussions revealed that they had a wide range of drop in fitness classes which were free to members, aimed to improving fitness, strength and flexibility. In addition to a number of fitness courses, there was also a consultation service to find out about the current fitness levels before embarking on an exercise programme.   Apart from the gym, there was a Football club and also an indoor table tennis club. According to the discussion with the staff, the objective to the football club were * to encourage participation in, and enjoyment of, association football * to develop the skills of all participating teams, players and officials * to develop lifestyle issues and the fitness of all participating players * to provide a postive, safe and competitive environment to play Development and Youth football * to promote sportsmanship and fair play in young footballers, officials and parents irrespective of gender, race, religion or social status Indoor Table Tennis Tables   Table tennis, or ping pong as it is called more informally, is usually considered an indoor sport, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be played outside. Many players report actually report preferring outdoor table tennis to the indoor variety.  The centre also had a women swimming club which was restricted only for women. This was away from the centre Mosque. Due to restricted entry, no visit could be made to the women swimming club.  Summary and Conclusions: Sport is an important part of a healthy regime. Along with good food, one needs to build on physical activity via playing some sport. In today’s scenario, it is more essential to propagate sport as the lifestyle for most have become sedentary. Many sports centre have emerged in various localities which are proving to be beneficial not only physically but also socially. It was with this background that this study was undertaken to observe and understand specific activities in a sport centre. Objective of the study: To visit and observe a local sport centre. To identify and collect information about a specific sport in the centre. Methodology Prior to data collection, first step was familiarization with the centre by making a visit to the centre. Observation technique and interview method was used. This was further facilitated by discussions with the staff in the centre. Locale: The investigation was carried out at a sport centre in London. Selection of the Locale: The criteria used for selection was: Well established among a specific community Convenient accessible location, to facilitate repeat visits, as required. Have people of all age group visiting the centre. Have varied kinds of activities. The centre was first contacted on telephone and permission to conduct the interview was sought. Selection of the sport: The specific sport selected was Karate. This was selected because it was assumed to be taught to make the children strong. A checklist for the observation was prepared to be used as a reference to observe the various activities in the centre. Observation of all the activities except women swimming was done in the centre. It was formed an important part of the study. It facilitated the understanding of the centre and its activities and it also facilitated construction of the interview schedule required for data collection. Observation and interview were also supported by discussions with the staff at the centre. According to the interview, Karate as part of children, activity in relation to culture. It was started 5 years back for children under the age group of 5-15 years. For this, children pay 5 pound an hour. The main motive to introduce karate in the centre was to make the children strong enough to defend themselves. Also, this was not just a physical exercise but a mental exercise too. The centre was big enough and was suitable to accommodate minimum of 15 children. It had been a successful activity as there were already good number of champions in the centre which includes 5 black belt, 3red, 6green, 1 orange belts. Also, competitions were organized time to time to assess children’s performances. Membership was from £10 a month and there is a concession and family rate available.   It was an interesting to know that that this sport was also related to religion where people thought that its crucial for children to learn this right from a young age and it should be taught. As quoted by the interviewee, “ By learning Karate, students learn how to defend themselves against a competitor and a potential assailant, with an array of blocks, punches, strikes, kicks, locks, sweeps and take downs”. The centre was very well organized. It had a well equipped gym. It had a good infrastructure with different kinds of clubs such as Football club, women swimming club. It also had provision for Indoor table tennis. to encourage participation in, and enjoyment of, association football. The objective of these clubs were to develop the skills, develop healthy lifestyle and fitness, also provide a postive, safe and competitive environment by sportsmanship irrespective of gender, race, religion or social status. In all, this Sport centre was a good utilization of resources to make the community proactive towards sports. Annexure 1 Interview Schedule Q.1. When was Karate introduced in the centre? A.1. It was started 5 years back. Q.2. Which age group of children do you accept for this sport? A.2. We accept age group from 5-15 years. Q.3. What is the fees structure ? A.3. It is 5 pounds per hour. Q.4. Is it important to learn karate? Why do you think so? A.4. Yes! It is very important to learn Karate because it helps children not only defend themselves but also makes them mentally strong. Q.5. How many children, the centre can accommodate to teach this activity? A.5. The centre is suitable for 15 children Q.6. Do you organize competition? A.6. Yes! We do organize competitions and we are preparing for one very soon. Q.7. How do you assess the performance of children? What is the level of children in the centre? A.7. We assess the performances by various tests and competitions. Right now, we have 5 black belt, 3red, 6green, 1 orange belts at the centre. Annexure 2: Checklist for Observation and Discussion 1. Activity plan for various sport activities, especially karate. 2. Membership fees for various activities 3. Infrastructure of the centre 4. Clubs and activities at the centre 5. Aims and Objectives of the Clubs References: Council of Europe. 2001. The European sports charter(revised). Brussels: Council of Europe. www.sportdevelopment.org.uk (accessed on April 25, 2009) www.who.org (accessed on April 25,2009) www.hickoksports.com (accessed on April 25,2009) www.sportengland.org (accessed on April 26, 2009) Arnold P (1997) Sport, Ethics and Education. London, Cassell Coakley J (1998) Sport in Society: Issues and Controversies. 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