If you find yourself in a new city and you want to meet new people, you have many options.
You can indulge in the nightlife and meet party people who are ready to have a good time with strangers.
But if you are an introvert, this might be a bit of a headache.
Another option is to meet people through culture.
But for these options, you will have to plan ahead and wait for certain events.
But there are other ways to meet new people and one of the healthiest ones is meeting people through recreational sports.
In this way you will both stay in shape and make new friends.
In the following article we will take a look at this method of socialization.
The Best Advice To Meet People In A Sports Club
Joining a sports club or starting to work out and play sports in a public setting, will put you in contact with lots of folks who enjoy being active.
But at the same time, not all recreational sports will help you making friends in the same manner.
Some are promoting a direct bonding between two people, while other sports are better for social networking.
We will take a look at multiple sports options and you will be able to choose a particular sport or workout method that you think fits your personality and social skills the best when trying to meet people.
Here is the best advice to meet people in a sports club.
The first thing you need to know about making new friends through sports is the fact that regular workout routine will help you ease your social anxiety.
So, if shyness is the culprit that keeps you away from social interaction, then you’re in the luck zone.
According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, regular exercising, especially cardio, can help decrease tension, regulate cortisol levels (the hormone responsible for stress) and improve self-esteem.
All these benefits will come together to help you socialize easier and be more confident during interactions with strangers.
That being said, let’s take a look at your options of interacting with other people through sports
The quickest way of making new friendships is by playing one-on-one sports.
These require a high level of interaction and communication.
The competitivity also engages players and unless you are not a sore loser, competition can actually strengthen the bond between strangers, because it creates a certain feeling of respect for each other.
One of the most popular sports amongst men these days is racquetball, while badminton and table tennis are also becoming more popular amongst intramural sports.
If you want to spend more time outside, maybe you should hit the tennis courts.
But just showing up at the place and bet on the fact that you can just strike up a conversation and start playing with someone can be slightly hard at first, especially for someone who isn’t all that sociable.
So, what you want to do is join a club.
There are many local sports club that have regular meetups and even Facebook groups, where other players will post public messages when looking for a partner to play.
You can post that message yourself, and sure someone will respond.
However, the matchmaking should be made between people of same skill levels for the most fun time.
So, do talk with your potential friends about what level of gameplay intensity are they looking for.
On the other hand, if you want to become friends with multiple people at once and include yourself in a wider social circle, you should join a sports team.
The local sports club have an enrolment period in which you can join a team.
No matter if it’s soccer, water polo or ice hockey, joining a team not only that will get you in shape, but it also builds friendships and improve your character.
There are sport teams in the local area that are meeting twice a week for group training and friendly games.
That’s enough time to interact and meet local people with whom you share a passion for sport.
And all those locker rooms talk will really put you in a great mood.
Remember, when you are looking for improving your social life, or find friends that are like minded people, the very first thing you need to do is make an eye contact.
See, if the person like meeting people or he/she is one of the introverts.
When you meet a new person, the eye contact is the key to look for.
Now, introduce yourself and say hi, wait for their response.
The person who is interested in meeting new people will respond and start a conversion.
If that’s not the case, you should know he/she is an introvert.
Introverts do not have a skill to handle social situations well.
They do small talk and take your leave shortly.
But you don’t have to practice a particular sport to meet new friends.
It’s enough to find a gym near you.
Although you can make friends by working out alone, you increase your chances of meeting new people by taking part in a group exercise routine or a group fitness program.
In this way, you will get to see the people you meet on a regular basis.
At the same time, if you don’t want to work out in a gym, then you have the free workout alternative of the pull-up bar installments in the parks near you.
These are usually filled with young people, under the age of 25.
This is probably the place where you will make friends the easiest, because the street workout places are a meetup spot for hanging out and socializing just as much as they are for training.
How To Pick Up Girls At The Gym?
Remember the thing I mentioned about working out is a way to reduce social anxiety and improve your self-confidence?
Guess where you can apply that trick?
You can use that newfound confidence in meeting someone special.
But picking up a girl at the gym is not as easy as doing it in a bar, where girls do go to be hit on.
You will need to be more subtle and delicate, and you will need to spot on the girls who are approachable.
Luckily for you, we wrote an entire article about how to properly hit on girls at the gym.
Read it and you will learn a trick or two about how to meet someone who is active and healthy.