Is it too late to get serious about soccer by age 8?

[Anonymous]

I was wondering about this because my DS is such an average or below average kid in soccer. He is 6. DH and I aren't sporty, so he doesn't have the dad playing sports with him all the time. Its also not his inclination although he likes soccer well enough. Are the kids who are already good at 6 going to break away from the rest next year? No catching up possible? What about other sports? When is it too late to develop an aptitude for a certain sport? I don't mean to be really competitive but to play it reasonably well and certainly socially.

[Anonymous]

Surely you're not serious?

No, it's not too late to become a good player, as long as he likes it and is willing to listen to the coaches, play it with friends, and practice. That's pretty much all there is to it at this age.

[Anonymous]

Or maybe he will always be a below average player. That's okay too, as long as he's still enjoying it.

[Anonymous]

Yes. And if he isn't also a straight A student by now you should probably have him put to sleep. He'll never be a show pony.

[Anonymous]

I remember in the olympics someone who had just taken up I think the trampoline and got a gold medal. I think before he had been a platform diver. I also heard a speech by a woman who got a gold medal for track at the olympics. She took up track in high school - before that she had been trying to do gymnastics. So it is definitely not too late to start at 6.

[Anonymous]

You said your DS isn't inclined to play but likes it well enough, if he is just playing socially, who cares whether he is an average player or not? You sound like someone is a little neurotic, he's six for goodness sake.

[Anonymous]

OP, I kind of understand the question. I brought DS, just turned 4, to his first soccer class last year and the kids were kicking the ball, dribbling, trapping, like pros! These were kids in the age range of 3-5. DS was intimidated and did not want to play. It was his first organized sports class. This year we started taking Coach Doug's sports class through Montgomery County Rec Dept, and he seems to enjoy the class and is learning some skills. Coach Doug has a way of making everyone in the class special. I don't know if soccer will ever be DS' sport, but I wanted him to have some exposure. DH and I are not the most athletic and neither of us were involved in school sports in K-12, so I think it's important for my kids to be exposed and given the opportunity. Kids learn a lot from being involved in team sports--it's not about the competition per se, it's about the socialization.

[Anonymous]

PP here. I just wanted to add that we did not continue in the first class at age 4 (I personally see no reason to push DS if he's not ready and willing). With Coach Doug I can see that DS likes playing the sports and he looks forward to his class every week.

[Anonymous]

What's your goal? I would think fun and fitness.

No way. Six is really little. You can't know everything about what your kid will be like at that young age.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Yes, the goal is fun and fitness and sufficient competence that DS doesn't feel discouraged. There are kids who play with him that are incredible, there are kids who are so-so. I may have overstated it initially but DS is really at the bottom of the pile. He does love soccer and wants to keep going. But he notices how bad he is and also talks about that as well. It doesn't have to be soccer but he really isn't good at any physical activity. I just wonder if this is moving toward where he slowly (or quickly) realizes that he can't keep up and we need to support that disappointment of that realization. Or is there a possibility that he'll mature out of it at least toward the average zone. Or just out of the bottom pile toward where he can play something for fun and fitness. If the self esteem is beaten out of him then he'll potentially shy away from all sports even for fun and fitness. Does that make my concerns seem more real?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was wondering about this because my DS is such an average or below average kid in soccer. He is 6. DH and I aren't sporty, so he doesn't have the dad playing sports with him all the time. Its also not his inclination although he likes soccer well enough. Are the kids who are already good at 6 going to break away from the rest next year? No catching up possible? What about other sports? When is it too late to develop an aptitude for a certain sport? I don't mean to be really competitive but to play it reasonably well and certainly socially.

Check out the soccer fields at Carter Barron on any given Saturday. You'll see scores of games involving kids 6 and above. It will be pretty clear that there are many (perhaps most) kids who do not have an "inclination" for the sport. But everyone is having a fun time.

[Anonymous]

Enroll him in soccer--6 (or 8--not clear from your post) is not too late for goodness sake. It's first grade. Most kids are not going to be very good, but you want him to be competent and understand the rules so that he won't feel left out when soccer is played at school.

[Anonymous]

Here's the truth - kids sports are never that serious (or at least, they shouldn't be). It's a time to play, have fun, and practice skills regardless of how good someone is.

You don't need to consider how good or how serious of an athlete he is until he's in high school or college.

[Anonymous]

I do think you can spot the naturally athletic at 6-8 years of age. However - that doesn't mean much of anything. When I think of the kids from when I was a kid, a lot of the natural athletes went on to play college sports. But just as many were the average workhorse kind of athletes.

It's kind of like early readers. The kids who do it early tend to be very smart, but that doesn't mean kids who catch up won't be just as smart (and many times more motivated than the early learners!) For some kids it just clicks one day. For some kids hard work can eventually make up for natural lack of ability.

We've been involved in soccer since our oldest was 3. It's not a big deal until about 8 when traveling teams come into play. Even then, there are regular leagues and school teams! It doesn't have to be a big thing unless you want it to be one.

[Anonymous]

Thank your lucky stars you won't have to be a soccer mom and start experimenting with other activities he might not realize he will be good at. Music, science enrichment, computers, foreign language, drama, chess, martial arts, hiking, paddling, sailing, painting and sculpture...there are so many other ways to stretch yourself. Maybe there's a sport he hasn't tried - hockey, swimming or baseball? My nephew was a slowpoke on the soccer field and always played defense but he is playing hockey for his university team now.