Introduction
Listen, I’ve gotta tell you about this wild and new sport I’ve been hooked on lately — it’s drone soccer. Yeah, you heard that right. Just like regular soccer, only with drones! I know, I know, it sounds all sorts of crazy, but believe me, this thing is cooler than you think. And voilà — it isn’t just an exercise in goofiness! As it turns out, it’s also good for your mental health. Who would’ve thought, right?
What tis Drone Soccer anyway?
So before I get into all the brain-boosting benefits, let me give you a sneak peek — what is drone soccer, anyway? You have a group of people standing around with these fancy remotes, for example. They’re all desperately pushing buttons and twiddling joysticks as they try to maneuver the small drones through an arena. The drones are all inside these protective cages (thank goodness, or they would be crashing into each other left and right), and the goal is to use your drone to push this big ball into the other team’s goal. The best way to describe it is a combination of soccer, video games, and those radio-controlled cars we would drive as kids.
Stress? What stress?
Now this is where things start to get really interesting. You would think that controlling a flying robot in an environment where a bunch of other people were trying to mess you up would be stressful as hell, wouldn’t you? Here’s the weirding part — it’s actually looks relaxing. I mean, not during your game, obviously. During a match, I’m typically sweating like crazy and cursing under my breath (well, sometimes not so under my breath). But afterwards? Dude, I feel like I just had the greatest meditation ever.
For example, I remember once I had a big presentation coming up at work, and I was stressing out about it. “I was sleeping 30 minutes at a time, I couldn’t eat, the whole nine yards. A buddy of mine dragged me to a drone soccer practice and I was like, “Dude, I don’t have time for this!” But I left that place two hours later feeling like a new man. It just — all that focus on the damn game — I dunno, shoves all the other horseshit out of your noggin for a minute. And strangely, after that I felt much more ready for my presentation. Go figure!
It’s kinda like a gym membership for your brain
You know how everyone keeps saying exercise is good for your body? Well, drone soccer is just that, but for your mind. I swear, since I started playing, I think my brain is sharper. My reflexes seem faster, and I’m more able to think on the run.
The other day I was at the store and this little kid tipped over a whole display of cans. I reached out and caught, like, three of them before they hit the ground without even thinking of it.” My wife looked at me as if I had a second head! I’m serious — all those hours spent trying to keep my drone from slamming into walls. You have no idea how much it pays off in the weirdest ways.
Making ‘friends’ and influencing them (to ‘play’ drone soccer)
Another neat thing: the people in drone soccer. Because I was concerned it would be all tech bros and gamers (not that there’s anything wrong with that!) when I first started. But man, was I wrong. We have everyone from high school kids to retirees in our local club, and they’re all awesome in their own way.
There’s this one guy, let’s call him ‘Bob’ (because that’s his name) who is gotta be pushing 70. He always arrives wearing these loud Hawaiian shirts and cracking the worst dad jokes you’ve ever heard. But I’m telling you, Bob can fly a drone like nobody’s business. ‘He goes out of his way to make sure the new guys are comfortable, and when a match gets too serious, he tells a joke and lightens the mood. It’s like a whole second family, you know?
From “I can’t” to “Just you watch!”
I must confess when I first began playing drone soccer, I really sucked. Like, embarrassingly bad. I was more busy apologizing for crashing into other people’s drones than playing. But no one cared because here’s the thing — Everyone was incredibly supportive, giving tips and encouragement.
I got better, slowly but surely. And with each small little excitement, I felt my confidence increase. And it was more than just about the game. I began to feel more self-assured at work, in social settings, when attempting new activities. Mastering this weird, sci-fi sport gives you that feeling of taking on the world.
EMBRACING THE MOMENT (As if your drone will crash if you don’t)
You know how everyone talk about mindfulness and being in the moment and all of that? Well, drone soccer actually sort of mandates it. When you’re playing a match, you shouldn’t have to be thinking about your to-do list or that embarrassing thing you said five years ago. You have to be 100% in the moment, or your drone is gonna break into a million pieces.”
It’s made me laugh, but all this willingness to focus has begun to spill over into other areas of my life. I’m more engaged when I’m playing with my children, and I’m better able to concentrate when I’m working, and I even enjoy my commute much more than usual (well, “enjoy” might be too strong of a word, but you get the drift).
Staying cool (even with a flaming drone)
Well, drones don’t really spontaneously combust during matches (most of the time) but you get my drift. Drone soccer is serious business, and there are definitely times when you’ll want to throw the controller across the room. But of course, you cannot. You have to breathe, relax yourself and get back into it.
In fact, I’ve found this has worked for me in Real Life too. I mean, the other day my boss dumped this big project on me outta nowhere. Old me would’ve freaked out. But new drone-soccer-playing, me? I breathed deeply, broke the project into manageable pieces, and got to work. It’s as if it has handed me a new toolkit I can go to when I am faced with stress and pressure.
Time to sign off (drone batteries dying)
So, there you have it. Drone soccer: the last sport you knew you needed for your mental health. It’s weird, it’s fun and it just might make you a better person. At least, a really good tiny robot flyer.
So if you’re stressed, need a little mental exercise and/or just want to hang out with some cool peeps, try drone soccer. Who knows? You may discover your new obsession. And if you don’t fall in love with it, at least you’ll have some great tales to tell at parties. ‘So, I was flying my drone, and suddenly it went crazy…” Believe me, this is a good ice breaker.
