At what age do you place a priority on “development”?

[Anonymous]

I am all for keeping 8 year olds out of travel. I also think volunteer coaches from the community are great. But at what age do you begin prioritizing skill development and competitiveness over just having fun with local kids?

If this differs by sport, please mention that too. My DS is too young to be in this race, but I’m looking ahead.

[Anonymous]

Hold off on travel as long as possible while still giving your kid competitive play. So you love to travel when your kid is distinctly better than all the other players on their rec level team and therefore isn’t being challenged.

[Anonymous]

We found a “low-key” travel team (baseball) when our son was around 9-10. They only participated in local tournaments (so no real travel) and the coach emphasized personal responsibility and good sportsmanship over everything else. It was a great transition team because the kids were able to play at a higher level than the local LL, and with other kids who were passionate about the game, but it wasn’t so competitive and serious that they weren’t able to have fun.

I don’t know how easy it is to find teams like those but I highly recommend it if you can.

[Anonymous]

It is so sport dependent.

For soccer, I'd just go with a private training until age 9 or 10. This develops skill so much faster than any travel or rec program. I'd put them in rec so they could have fun with friends.

It also depends on the kid's goals and frustration level. Rec can be frustrating but for some kids it is perfect. Really just depends on the kid.

Also keep in mind that puberty really changes everything. So just do what you want before that point.

[Anonymous]

We said no swim camps until 10.

[Anonymous]

We're trying to hold off until at least 12, maybe high school. Know a handful of players in our sport who were on the same track as our kid who are now in college (not playing in college) and didn't start travel until high school. Before then they did select and were perennial all stars in rec and had a grand old time. Still managed to make the travel team at 14.

[Anonymous]

For DD's sport, freak athletes can start later, but the majority of players will be in travel by 6th grade. A normal kid waiting much longer would not make a team

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For DD's sport, freak athletes can start later, but the majority of players will be in travel by 6th grade. A normal kid waiting much longer would not make a team

Not even with private lessons + rec?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For DD's sport, freak athletes can start later, but the majority of players will be in travel by 6th grade. A normal kid waiting much longer would not make a team

So secretive

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For DD's sport, freak athletes can start later, but the majority of players will be in travel by 6th grade. A normal kid waiting much longer would not make a team

What sport is this, basketball?

[Anonymous]

I learned about this resource only recently but it was developed by the US Olympic Committee: https://www.usopc.org/coaching-education/adm/adm-resources

It emphasizes development prior to puberty but that's not to say that competitive play can't start much earlier (though competition is meant to be recreational in nature).

[Anonymous]

Depends on the sport, where you live and your goals. Lacrosse is good here so you can put off major travel until late elementary school and focus and skill development instead. If you live here and your child wants to play college hockey, they still need to focus on skill development but you also need to play some travel starting around 8 in order to play good competition; whereas, if you lived in Minnesota , you could avoid out-of-state travel entirely and still have a chance at playing college hockey.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For DD's sport, freak athletes can start later, but the majority of players will be in travel by 6th grade. A normal kid waiting much longer would not make a team

without stating the sport your post is useless.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is so sport dependent.

For soccer, I'd just go with a private training until age 9 or 10. This develops skill so much faster than any travel or rec program. I'd put them in rec so they could have fun with friends.

It also depends on the kid's goals and frustration level. Rec can be frustrating but for some kids it is perfect. Really just depends on the kid.

Also keep in mind that puberty really changes everything. So just do what you want before that point.

I think what you describe would be frustrating to a lot of kids. Most team sport players enjoy playing games more than practicing drills. If the games are frustrating they may want to drop it entirely. A kid that age isn’t going to be thinking about the long term benefit of the training. They want to have fun.

I read a good article that said the goal for young kids in sports should be retention. Whether this means doing a lot or a little will be different for different kids. But the idea is to help them develop a love for the sport that will carry them through when training gets harder and times get tough. For most this probably means a competitive environment that is the right fit for them and not pushing extras too much too soon.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is so sport dependent.

For soccer, I'd just go with a private training until age 9 or 10. This develops skill so much faster than any travel or rec program. I'd put them in rec so they could have fun with friends.

It also depends on the kid's goals and frustration level. Rec can be frustrating but for some kids it is perfect. Really just depends on the kid.

Also keep in mind that puberty really changes everything. So just do what you want before that point.

I think what you describe would be frustrating to a lot of kids. Most team sport players enjoy playing games more than practicing drills. If the games are frustrating they may want to drop it entirely. A kid that age isn’t going to be thinking about the long term benefit of the training. They want to have fun.

I read a good article that said the goal for young kids in sports should be retention. Whether this means doing a lot or a little will be different for different kids. But the idea is to help them develop a love for the sport that will carry them through when training gets harder and times get tough. For most this probably means a competitive environment that is the right fit for them and not pushing extras too much too soon.

This is what my kids' rec league says every year - our measure of a successful season is that your kid comes back.