physical activity options for non-sporty teen - martial arts classes?

[Anonymous]

My 14 yo DS is not getting enough physical activity. He is not interested in sports, and is not all that coordinated. He could do activities on his own but is unmotivated even to take a walk regularly -- so much whining and pushback (I know, I need to keep pushing him). I think he might be willing to do martial arts, but the challenge I see is that as a beginner, he'd probably be in with 5 year olds. I think its challenging in general to get a 14 yo to start a new sport, when it seems like most teens in a sport have been doing it already for years and are good at it.
Questions:
-- how have you structured things to get your uninterested kid to stay active?
-- Any suggestions on martial arts (or other personal fitness) classes that would work for a beginner 14 year old boy?
-- Any ways to make an individual athletic activity more engaging for an unmotivated teen?

Thanks.

[Anonymous]

I'm not interested in "sports" (with a ball) - my hand-eye coordination is terrible. But I flourished at running, cycling, hiking, ice skating, boxing, and horseback riding. Try something like that. Martial arts is fine though

[Anonymous]

My 9yo does martial arts. ( jiu jitsu) the classes are broken up by age. 4-6 then 7-12, 12-15. At 14/15 then can choose to do the teen or adult class, or both. If he does want to try it find a place that has teen classes or beginner adult classes that lets teens join in.

[Anonymous]

There are some sports that start later in life for many people. Karate is one, but there are others like fencing or rowing (assuming he knows how to swim).

[Anonymous]

Can't you do like bowling, indoor rock climbing, lap swimming...all stuff you can do on your own, no pressure, on your own timeline, low impact (so it doesnt feel like youre exercising), and can do with a friend as desired?

[Anonymous]

My 14 yo plays a sport for only one season and isnt interested in any others. He likes lifting weights and we have him see a personal trainer every now and then. It’s not too often but enough to help keep him motivated to keep him going on his own in between. I’m trying to get him to take some cross fit teen classes but no luck so far.

I don’t have personal experience but relatives of mine started martial arts as adults. I would think a 14 yo could join an adult beginner class.

[Anonymous]

^ I don’t know anything about this place but it was one I was looking at for my son with teen cross fit. They also have jiu jitsu, which may be another option for you. Some of my sons friends started that around middle school at various gyms. https://www.crossfittysonscorner.com/teens

[Anonymous]

Rock climbing, fencing, yoga, skateboarding…

[Anonymous]

I’d second the horseback riding recommendation. It’s good physical exercise, and it’s certainly a sport, but it’s a whole experience, too - the connection with the horse can really appeal to kids who aren’t into traditional sports - at least that was the case with my DD.

[Anonymous]

Agree with suggestions here but also bike riding is a possibility

[Anonymous]

Martial arts is fine, but it’s not easy, cause it requires strength, agility and flexibility. So in a way it’s great, but could be very monotonous and really hard that may just backfire and make lose interest too fast.

[Anonymous]

At the beginner level, there is not that much exercise involved in martial arts (at least, not as practiced at the place my kids went). There's a lot of stuff I thought was annoying/tedious (lectures on self-discipline). Maybe he'd like to join a gym? Running is a great sport for the unsporty, too.

[Anonymous]

At 14, a kid should be with either persons of relatively similar age/size or with adults, not little kids.

If the instructor is regularly using class time to ramble on about character building, you’re in the wrong place. Traditionally, the character building comes from the practice itself.

Once upon a time, martial arts classes met for 2 hours, three times a week, and about half of that was stretching, calisthenics, forms and other vigorous structured activity. The modern economic model typically doesn’t allow for all that, but any school worth attending will have time dedicated to what amounts to exercise.

The most important question isn’t whether you’re interested in martial arts for him, it’s whether he’s interested in martial arts. Perseverance and enthusiasm are much more important in martial arts than fabulous athletic gifts.

Local recreational programs often offer good classes. If I was looking, I’d suggest judo, an Olympic sport with practical applications that include how to fall if you slip on ice. Brazilian Joy-Jitsu is ubiquitous and very popular. Aikido appeals to more interior minded folks. There are many styles of Karate. I think the Japanese styles are the best organized. But as long as you find a facility with a decent enrollment and a serious instructor committed at preserving and advancing the art (not just teaching pee wees), he should do well if he is interested.

[Anonymous]

My non-sporty kids have liked fencing and rock climbing.

[Anonymous]

Can you take him to open swim at a gym or red center and do lap swimming? Maybe take a few semi private tennis classes together to get down the basics Then you can play with each other