PLAY, DO, GO

play

Play is used with ball sports or competitive games where we play against another person:

'How often do you play tennis?' - tennis is a ball sport.
'I play poker with my friends on Friday night.' - poker is a competitive game. We play to win.
'I don't like playing computer games.' - again, computer games are competitive so we use play.

do

Do is used for a recreational activity or a non-team sport that does not use a ball:

'I heard that you do karate.' - karate is a non-team activity.
'I do crossword puzzles in my free time.' - crossword puzzles are not competitive.

go

Go is used with activities that end -ing. We go somewhere to do something:

'I'm going fishing on Sunday.'
'Are you going skiing this winter?'
'She said she was going swimming.'

Play: football, badminton, basketball, baseball

Do: yoga, aerobics, gymnastics, judo, weightlifting

Go: surfing, abseiling, scuba-diving, climbing, ice-skating, mountain-biking, sailing, skiing, wake-boarding

Pitch: football, rugby, baseball, (ice)-hockey, cricket

Court: tennis, basketball, volleyball, badminton

Ice-rink: ice-hockey, ice-skating

Racket: tennis, badminton, squash

Bat: baseball, cricket, table tennis

Board: surfing, wake-boarding, windsurfing, snowboarding

Helmet: cyclists, rugby players, (ice) hockey players, snowboarders, motorbike riders

Boots: footballers, basketball players, rugby players, skiers, snowboarders, (ice) hockey players,

Gloves: skiers, snowboarders, motorbike riders,