Playing for Fun vs Competitive

[Shooby]

  OK, just joined a group playing some pickleball.  It's a lot of fun.  However, where do you draw the line for playing for fun versus being competitive?  I mean, ok, playing for fun but we are keeping score and honestly i know where to place the ball so that they can't return it.  How do you walk that line?

[billisonboard]

Observing already established group norms if it is an existing group I am joining, staying attentive to body language and non-verbal cues on how my behavior is fitting into the group, and seeking out an individual who I can honestly communicate with on how things are going are ways that I work to be a positive member of any group.

[Deleted]

I found in basketball the “rec” league was just as competitive if not more competitive than the “competitive” league. We won a rec league championship 3 years on a row and could have easily beaten the competitive league champs.

Teams go into rec thinking they have a better chance at the championship. You can’t tell without watching or playing in it.

[Shooby]

  If i am playing with the group who just had hip surgery, i try to keep it lighter.  But, when i am playing the gym teacher or some other ladies my age, I will play them a lot tougher, lol.  

[billisonboard]

I was playing in a faculty - student basketball game one time.  It was a middle school so the students were mainly eighth graders.  Our starting line up included some former HS players and one college player.  The kids finally called a timeout when we went up 26 to 6.  The vice-principal coach said we needed to tighten up our defense.  I waited for a smile that never did come.  He did allow some of the rest to us to play.  The margin stayed about the twenty points.  When it shrink a little, he just put back in the "real" players and stretched it out again.  It wasn't fun.

[mroped]

I’ve been playing indoor soccer for the last 12-13 years or so and always played for fun.
Some people are competitive by nature and influence whole teams. That’s when I explain to my teammates that “we have to win!” just to be a pisser and no other reason. I’m the oldest in my team(this is a league for over 30) and they always refer to me when in doubt with anything. I’m like their older brother!
We all have jobs that we go to next day and we can’t afford to get hurt.